Recognising future leaders in Agriculture
1/11/2017
This year, a Barossa Valley goat meat visionary and an aspiring agricultural sciences teacher from Mount Pleasant have been recognised as future leaders in agriculture.
This year, a Barossa Valley goat meat visionary and an aspiring agricultural sciences teacher from Mount Pleasant have been recognised as future leaders in agriculture.The announcements were made at the 2017 Spirit of Excellence in South Australia agriculture awards.
The organisers agreed that this year the calibre and level of the applicants was incredibly high from all of the participants put forward by the Agricultural Bureau of South Australia.
The awards are not just matter of fame or recognition but are also a way to give young farmers and rural youth the opportunity to pursue personal and professional development. They can start to develop ideas that are beneficial to their local communities with the support of the Department of Environment Water and Natural Resources and Primary Industries and Regions (also known as PIRSA).
The scholarship, for young farmers between the ages of 18 to 35, grants $8000 to pursue any future studies they may want to do, take a study tour or course, or fund any individual project the farmer has that is judged practical or viable.
Tracy Bonython from Nuriootpa is the recipient of the new DEWNR, Sustainable Agriculture Scholarship for Young Farmers, which encourage new farmers to try out their ideas and pursue further studies to benefit their communities.
Tracy plans to use the scholarship she earned to complete a study tour in Victoria, to investigate sustainable feed and different kinds of fencing options, to grow the vision of the business that she and her husband have.
According to Tracy, traditional farming is hard, but we should encourage the young people to try out new ideas they may have, because thinking outside of the box can double the results for half the workload.
Kayla Starkey from Mount Pleasant, was awarded the 2017 Rural Youth Bursary sponsored by PIRSA.
Karla is studying a bachelor of Agricultural Sciences at the University of Adelaide; she is aiming to complete a masters in teaching agricultural and farming subjects.
There seems to be a bright future for these women and their different approaches to the agricultural and farming sector. One exploring new ideas to get the best knowledge for the future, and another persuing the best studies she can to encourage and teach the next generation of young farmers.
It's because of people like Tracy or Karla, that this industry is growing and progressing towards a bright future.
