Art4Agriculture’s Young Farming Champions – Bridging the Rural/Urban Divide project will train a team of young farmers from rural Australia to actively engage with students in their local schools. The student groups will enter their project work to win the ‘Archibull Prize’
The legacy of the Young Farming Champions program is to create an Australia wide network of enthusiastic young professionals and build their capacity to promote Australian agriculture as a dynamic, innovative, rewarding and vibrant industry. This is in turn will help bridge the gap between city and rural communities by increasing knowledge, generating trust and understanding of modern farming practices.
This program will not only help build the capability of young rural people to farm with resilience and confidence it will provide a great platform to spark the next generations’ interest in an agricultural career.
The Young Farming Champions challenge is to BE the change that needs to occur.
The Young Farming Champions program is an Art4Agriculture initiative proudly supported by RIRDC through their Investing in Dyanamic Rural Communities program. The program in 2012 will identify, engage, train, mentor and support young farming champions from all over Australia from a least five different primary industries who will go into schools participating in the Archibull Prize. The young farming champions will engage with the students, share stories about farmers and farming, improve understanding and work together to find possible solutions to the challenges facing primary industries and the wider community.
The program connects young people from different primary industries. They get to see their similarities, they find common ground, they realise each has issues that are just as challenging, and they learn how they can help each other.
They see the agricultural community can be designed by their choices. They see the future is not out there; it’s not happening to us – we’re the creators.
Our farming champions are engaged learners on a journey of self discovery
They will
- Be fully responsible for their own growth and learning.
- Connect and network.
- Challenge the status quo.
- Be effective problem solvers.
- Accept responsibility for where they are in life, and for where they want to be.
- Dare to dream.
- Love to celebrate.
The young farming champions trained by this program will also play an active role as mentors in the national roll out of the Archibull Prize in 2012. This will allow them to develop invaluable confidence and leadership skills.
The following are profiles of some of our 2011 Young Farming Champions
Alison McIntosh
- Alison McIntosh Beef Industry Rising Star
Alison hails from Crookwell in Southern NSW, where her family run a stud and commercial Angus cattle operation, Myanga. Alison is very actively involved in the family business, and has also recently established her own line of stud Angus females.
With a degree in Rural Business and experience in cattle management, Alison runs her own business ‘AJM Livestock Solutions’ which provides a variety of services, consultancy and training to beef producers. She utilises the latest technology to capture and manage cattle data and also offers services to farmers and stakeholders in complying with the National Livestock Identification System.
Alison was the NSW Runner up in the NSW 2010 RIRDC Rural Women’s awards, she is a Councillor to the RAS of NSW, and currently holds the title of NAB Agribusiness Cattle Council Rising Champion.
“I have a ‘real’ story to share about agriculture, I am passionate about agriculture, the beef industry and rural and regional communities, I love working with people and I love seeing people strive to achieve the things that they are passionate about.”
| Alison was the Young Farming Champion for the 2011 Archibull Prize Winner Carolin Chisholm CollegeShe stars in their prize winning video which can be seen hereFollow Alison on twitter here @almcintosh1Heidi CheneyHeidi has a rural and animal processing background and has worked within the Agricultural industry for over 12 years. Heidi also holds a Bachelor of Management and a Masters of Sustainable Agriculture from the University of Sydney, Orange. Heidi has focused her entire career on developing the capacity and capability of our Agricultural industry.She is currently employed at Grain Growers as the Capacity Building and Leadership Manager. During her time at Grain Growers she has established a capacity building strategic plan and which has led to the development and delivery of several new initiatives including: The Innovation Generation Conference, the Australian Future Grain Leaders Program and the Australian University Crops Competition. Previous to working at Grain Growers Heidi was employed at Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) where she managed the Red Meat Industry Professional Development Program aimed at encouraging young engineering and science professionals into the red meat processing industry.Whilst on maternity leave Heidi is working part time for her family business ‘York Foods’.  During this time Heidi has been instrumental in the establishment of the company’s website and has also been the key leader in rebranding the York Foods private label and launching a new product, ‘York Foods Wagyu Oil’.Heidi holds a number of volunteer positions including that of Vice Chairman for the Royal Agriculture Society of NSW Youth Committee and Treasurer for a Mothers of Preschooler group.Heidi is passionate about all sports. She enjoys snowboarding and has competed throughout Europe and Japan during her time on the Australian Canoe Polo team.  She also travels extensively and plans on taking the kids on many more camping adventures throughout Australia. She is currently working on her vision for a network of young mums who come together to enjoy extremes sports whilst juggling the role of motherhood. She has called this program “Mummy Madness” Wow what next Heidi ? Heidi plans to continue developing her passion for assisting youth in Australia and furthering the younger generation’s involvement in Australian agriculture. She is a logical practical thinker and has the capacity to deliver creative programs that deliver long term benefits for all stakeholders. |
Heidi is ardent about farming as farmers hold the life blood of the nation in their hands.
“We put food on the table every day!!! I am committed to seeing agriculture on the curriculum for K to 12 which will see a new generation of agriculture ambassadors keen to be involved in agricultural production. Farmers need our urban communities to be proud of and understand us.”
Melissa Henry
Melissa has been involved in agriculture for 11 years – starting in Year 9 at school. Melissa owns her own Corriedale Sheep stud “Quebon Livestock”.
Melissa and Baabara
Melissa is passionate about farming and Australian Primary Industries as farming is the business that feeds and clothes the world. Melissa likes the constant challenges agriculture brings and the opportunity to be able to supply a product.
Melissa is from the Hawkesbury region where she studied a Bachelor of Animal Science (Hons) at theUniversityofWestern Sydney(Hawkesbury) and was heavily involved with the Hawkesbury Show committee and the Intercollegiate Meat Judging Competition. Melissa is currently studying a Graduate Certificate in Agricultural Consulting at UNE.
In November 2010, Melissa started working with the Lachlan Catchment Management Authority (CMA) in the Boorowa office. As Catchment Officer for Boorowa, Melissa will be working with local landholders in establishing on-farm natural resource management (NRM) projects, as well as working with community groups surrounds urban NRM initiatives.
Prior to joining theCMA, Melissa worked for the Grain Growers Association in Sydney as a membership and capacity building coordinator. Melissa believes moving to Boorowa is a positive move, to live and work in rural NSW and establishing her small Corriedale flock in the area.
Melissa and her champion
Melissa also a strong interest in the management of wildlife and biodiversity, having undertaken a wildlife management course inSouth Africa. Melissa has also travelled toQuebec,Canada where she worked on dairy farms and also travelled to Alberta,Canada on a beef cattle study tour.
If there was one thing Melissa could change or do for the farming sector, that would be to build the capacity of urban people to undertake their own farming goals – no matter how small or large.
Melissa was the mentor for St Michael’s Catholic Primary School who won the primary school PowperPoint presentation section which can be found here
Melissa can be contacted at baalissa@yahoo.com.au or follow on Twitter @baalissa
Anne Farr
Anne grew up in Milton NSW and has been involved with Agricultural and the Show movement from a very young age, where she was a regular competitor in the South Coast Showjumping arena.
After suffering severe spinal injuries in a car accident at the age of 17, equestrian sports were temporarily shelved and Anne’s interest in Australian agriculture came to the forefront, with a move to Wagga Wagga. It was here at CharlesSturtUniversity, that she completed a Bachelor of Agriculture.
Anne spent several years working as an Agronomist / Commodity Trader in the Central West, and also as a partner in a large scale Sheep and Cropping enterprise, while maintaining her lifelong involvement with the show society movement. Anne held the position of President of the Barmedman Show Society for the period of 2004 –2006.
In 2005 Anne was chosen as a Coca-Cola Regional Scholarship winner and represented the Australian Council of Agricultural Societies (ACAS) at the 22nd Commonwealth Agricultural Conference at Calgary Stampede in 2006 as part of the Next Generation group. 2006 also saw Anne honored with accepting a Councilor position with the Royal National Capital Agricultural Society (RNCAS) and is now serving her second three year term.
Since returning to the South Coast Anne has taken on a position with the South East Livestock Health and Pest Authority in Bega, while maintaining her own enterprise as a Commodity Trader and in 2011 has commenced a Bachelor of Laws (Agriculture) with the University of New England.
Anne currently enjoys an involvement with the Cobargo Show Society as a volunteer, an exhibitor and a sponsor and while no longer competitive, enjoys her equestrian pursuits on a daily basis.
Anne’s philosophy regarding regional communities and show societies is that you only get out what you put in!
Hollie Baillieu
Hollie grew up in Exeter, Southern Highlands, south of Sydney on a small farm producing sheep, cattle and meat rabbits. She attended Oxley College where she was a Prefect and was awarded several Captaincies, as well as her Bronze, Silver and Gold Duke of Edinburgh. Hollie is currently in her final year of an Agricultural Science at Charles Sturt University in Wagga Wagga.
In 2010 she was awarded the H C McKay Memorial Scholarship which recognised a commitment to a future in agriculture. She is a member of the organising committee for the Animal and Agricultural Industries Career Fair (AAICF) and was appointed as the ‘Rimfire resources’ Ambassador for the University. She successfully applied to the ‘Syngenta Connections Program’ and in 2010 travelled to Punjab, India where she worked with the e Punjab Agricultural University to promote more efficient use of water on Indian farms.
Hollie would like to see Agriculture integrated into the National School Curriculum. This will reduce the disconnect between rural and urban Australia and increase understanding of modern farming practices and greater respect for the role farmers.
Hollie is concerned about the lack of access to quality services in regional communities such as health facilities, choice of education, supermarkets, building services, public infrastructure and internet access.
Hollie is Chair of the NSW Farmers Young Farmer Council .
Stephanie Tarlinton
Stephanie Tarlinton grew up on the family dairy farm just 15km north/west of Cobargo with two sisters, Bridget and Megan and parents Richard and June. She is a 6th generation decent of W. D Tarlinton who discovered the Cobargo area on the far south coast of NSW. She completed her primary education at Cobargo Public School and then went to high school in Bega before moving away from home to attend agricultural college. Following this she worked on a sheep/beef property at Goulburn then moved home to assist her Mother on the farm (while her father was recovering from an operation).
Lush green pastures and happy healthy cows at the Tarlinton Farm
Since 2008 she has have travelled to New Zealand, United States of America, Canada, Papua New Guinea, Ghana, and China primarily to study the different agricultural systems in these nations. In later 2011 she will travel to Argentina, Singapore and India all on study tours focused on gaining an understanding of agricultural production and what it contributes to their daily life. Stephanie enjoys the challenge of travelling to developing nations while gaining a greater respect and appreciation for the opportunities she has had available to her.
Stephanie visiting a dairy farm in Papua New Guinea which is milking Australian Holsteins
In 2009 she started university and is now currently studying her third year of a Bachelor of Agricultural Business Management at Charles Sturt University in Orange, NSW. She undertook this degree with the aim of completing a post graduate degree.
Some of Stephanie’s beautiful jersey cows
Growing up in the dairy industry has inspired her to continue in this sector although in the business area, for example working to develop a company’s export sector. She wishes to play a role in building the global name of Australian dairy products and increasing the value of the domestic industry.
See the video Stephanie created for her school visits here
Naomi Marks
Naomi grew up on a 200 cow dairy farm on the Mid North Coast where she also runs her own herd of Jersey stud cattle. She is a member of the local show society and is publicity officer of the Beautizone Jersey Cattle Club.
In 2008, she took the opportunity to travel overseas on a dairy cattle study tour, where she was able to gain insight into new technologies and techniques in dairy farming.
Naomi has a passion for preparing and showing jersey cattle and has attended shows in three states of Australia, also competing in youth shows with numerous successes.
She completed her HSC in 2009 and is currently in her second year at the University of New England, studying a Bachelor of Agribusiness, majoring in marketing. She is involved in many agricultural organisations such as SIFE (Students In Free Enterprise), Future Generation Farmers and the UNE Rural Science Undergraduate Society. In 2009, I was awarded the Bellingen Shire Junior Citizen of the year, and was runner up in the International Rotary Public Speaking competition.
In 2011 Naomi was awarded an Investing in Youth Studentship Program scholarship
Find the video Naomi created for her in school visits here
Naomi was Model Farms High School Mentor in 2011. Model Farms took out a major award in the PowerPoint section. See their PowperPoint here
Erin Lake
 Erin Lake passionate Eco Warrior Erin studied environmental science at University of Wollongong. Erin feels that strong and empowered communities are the key to successful natural resource management. She knows science and facts only tell half the story and best practice natural resource management relies on both science and people skills. Her honours thesis focused on relationships between people and the natural environment. She graduated with a Double Degree in Science-Arts with honours in 2009. Erin is currently Project Officer for the Confidence to Grow initiative. She is a qualified bush regenerator and has worked on many projects, including dairy farms and reserves in the Illawarra in a range of environments such as wetlands, rainforests and heath lands. Erin is a regular member of Landcare and is a member of three active working groups undertaking restoration of coastal ecosystems. Erin is also the bush regeneration project manager for the Tangalla Community Stream and Rainforest land care group. Erin has passion for biodiversity like no other and she takes every opportunity to share her passion with the world. See recent story on Erin here See the video Erin created for her school visits here The selection of young farming champions is by invitation only and based on recommendations from the industry. Find out how you can get involved in 2012 HERE |
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The selection of young farming champions is by invitation only and based on recommendations from the industry. Expressions of interest for 2012 are open now
