FlourishFiles

What do young people want?

 

There’s been a bit in the media lately about the need for incentives to attract young people to careers in agriculture.

I’ve been talking to a few students studying Agricultural Science over the last few weeks about what they see as barriers to staring their own careers in agriculture.

None of the students mentioned needing financial incentives to study agriculture, although money is always welcome. Instead almost all identified the main barrier to planning their career as a lack of understanding of link between their degree and jobs in agriculture.

Many have parents who farm and are doing very well without a university education, so tertiary educated role models are a bit thin on the ground. What most of them want is contact with people currently in agricultural careers who could provide them with some context for their studies as well as ideas on how to develop their own networks and skills so they can transition into a job post-university.

When offered an opportunity to speak to someone with a career in agriculture, student questions were generally broken down along the following themes: 

 

“How do people get where they are?”

Understanding and awareness of people’s career paths is one of the most common interests of students as it helps them relate their studies to a career path. And while it may seem strange to us when we consider the skills shortages in agriculture, some students are actually quite anxious about their prospects and what if anything, their degree is preparing them for post-university.  

So how can we share our stories and career lessons with these students?

 

“How do I connect with agriculture while I study in a capital city?”

Many students have moved from rural towns to study agricultural science at metropolitan universities and feel isolated from happenings in the sector. They want to know how they can build networks and find work experience opportunities when they are studying at metropolitan universities.  

How can those of us with agricultural careers based in urban centres better connect with these students?

 

“How can I contribute to agriculture when I’m just a student?”

Many students feel “real life” wont start until they graduate and get a job. Some therefore feel they don’t have a contribution to make to agriculture until they leave university.  Some also feel that industry will not be interested in their views until they have many years work experience under their belt. 

Can we get these students involved in discussions or decision-making while still at university?

 

“How do I combine my interest in working in agriculture with my passion for educating people about where their food comes from? Do I need to be a teacher instead?”

A spin-off of so many rural students studying agriculture in our capital cities is that they are exposed to the lack of understanding many urban Australians have about food and fibre production. These students want to contribute to improving the image of agriculture. Again, there is uncertainty about the best approach with some wondering if they should switch their degree to teaching. And while I’d love to see more students wanting to be Ag teachers, I think we can agree that all jobs in agriculture now demand a degree of engagement and communication with the public.

Why aren’t we deploying this highly educated and enthusiastic cohort of young people who live and study in our capital cities to educate urban Australians about agriculture?

 

What I find interesting is that so many of the students’ questions could be answered over a coffee or a 30-minute phone call every now and then.  And further, engaging them in a meaningful way in the work that we do not only provides benefit to them as they find their way, but surely brings a fresh perspective to the way we operate.

It seems so simple. Why is it so hard?

 

 

 

Sydney Royal Easter Show

I’m falling in love with agricultural shows all over again.

A mainstay of my youth, where frantic weeks were spent in the lead up to the Perth Royal Show doing additional chores to earn money for showbags; I lost interest in my 20s.

Then, working in agriculture meant I spent some time at shows and field days but I didn’t really step out beyond my work brief to enjoy the other activities.

But since having my son, I am starting to re-discover the simple delights agricultural shows offer.  We recently spent a day at the Sydney Royal Easter Show and seeing it through the eyes of my 3 and a half year old has reawakened my appreciation of the role shows play in bridging the rural-urban divide.

What I love is that all of the education experiences at the Easter Show are fun and positive. It has a really lovely way of telling agriculture’s stories without demanding respect from, or criticising views of, urban visitors. And refreshingly the messages weren’t cloyingly sentimental and didn’t demean farmers.

So we picked up a Farm Hand Activity Book and passport and started our adventure!

 

First stop, the Food Farm which was fantastic again this year.

 

I hadn’t really appreciated in the past how the messages and activities are tailored at different age groups.

A message for kids -

 

 

A message for “older kids” -

 

 

There were a range of activities on offer in the Food Farm and while the toddler was not interested in milling his own grain or hearing the story of beef, he did enjoy sitting on the tractor, collecting eggs from the chookhouse (“cubby”) and posing as a “cow farmer.”

 

For grown ups, the windows into the kitchen making the pies and sausage rolls for sale was inspired. (How did they stretch all that pastry without one tear?)

 

It also warmed my heart to see so many school students at the Show, here's a group in the Food Farm.
 

I loved that the animal nursery had interpretive signs, which I lamented the lack of in my Canberra Show blog. No photos I'm afraid, too busy feeding the lambs... But a great way to introduce children to farm animals and the products they provide.

After all the excitement we headed to the Great Aussie Backyard where the cubby houses and sandpits provided a circuit breaker for the toddler and a bit of time out for me. Sure enough, more postive experiences on offer and the toddler got a real kick out of planting sunflower seeds to take home. A really simple and quick activity, perfect for toddlers with fun messages about gardening.

And as much as it pains me to say it, again not a lot of interest in the Year of the Farmer marquee... It failed at Canberra (in my opinion) and had no hope of competing with the other activities on offer in Sydney. It disappoints me that we can't get this right.

We also sampled the other delights of the Show including rides, showbags, meeting Puss n Boots, and eating hot chips and icecream, but when we asked the toddler for his highlights he said:

• Seeing the turkeys
• Tasting honey 
• Planting a sunflower

Makes a mother proud. And the RAS should be even prouder.

The environment - can we save everything?

When it comes to the environment, win : win outcomes are not always possible.

This startling pronouncement was the core of the lecture I attended last night at the Australian Academy of Science titled “Trade-offs between agriculture and the environment: how do we decide what to protect?”

The speaker was Dr Anna Roberts, Senior Research Scientist from the Victorian Department of Primary Industries, however she was keen to point out that she was speaking as a scientist, rather than a government employee.
 

The overarching theme of Dr Roberts' presentation was the need for an informed discussion about which environmental assets we need to protect, and accept that we cannot save everything.

The existing approach to funding environmental works was referred to as the “vegemite” approach, where we spread thin layers of money over every environmental issue we care about. However, it was pointed out that this approach is not always effective and Dr Roberts referred to the Australian National Audit Office report on the Natural Heritage Trust (NHT), which while showing an increase in environmental awareness among rural communities, could not demonstrate significant environmental outcomes or improvements.

Instead, according to Dr Roberts, what is needed is the prioritisation of major assets by governments and communities then injections of significant funding to protect or restore those assets, even if at the expense of other sites.

Dr Roberts is part of the development of Inffer – an investment framework for environmental resources – which is a tool that assists in the decision making about what assets to save, and what can be sacrificed.

Some of the results the toolbox throws up are obviously very difficult politically. Policy instead tends to be made on the popular assumptions that voluntary adoption and industry BMPs are the answer to environmental improvement.  Whereas Dr Roberts believes voluntary approaches and self-regulation are not always enough and this approach leaves science playing catch up.

So how do we deal with the fact that farmers, who act legally and honorably, can have unacceptable impacts on the environment?  Watch Dr Roberts’ presentation (which I hear will be online shortly) for a compelling case study of tension between agriculture and the health of the Gippsland lakes.

How do you feel about intentionally sacrificing environmental sites as too hard or too expensive to save? 

 

 

Time for a little (blogging) competition!

 

Could you call the number of farmers now blogging a revolution? 

I’m not sure, but the social media visibility agriculture has started achieving in the last 12 months is pretty exciting.

While some farmers had already embraced social media some years earlier, the catalyst for increased adoption seems to have been the Landline story featuring Troy and Stacy Hadrick; ranchers from the US who toured Australia to encourage more uptake of social media by farmers.

Their tour roughly coincided with the live export ban, which was a stark reminder of agriculture’s weakness in telling our stories. While opponents of trade utilised social media as part of their strategy to shut down an industry worth $1 billion, agricultural peak bodies were left trying to play catch up through conventional media channels.

Indeed the Hadricks were spurred on to social media by a negative article printed about them after hosting a journalist on their farm.  After seeing the article, they decided:

 “We are not ever going to let anybody else tell our story for us ever again."

Powerful stuff.

There are farmers in every State and Territory in Australia. And that geographical spread means we are spoiled in terms of diversity of available produce, but it also remains one of our sector’s main weaknesses. Farmers are so geographically isolated that they often feel powerless to change government policy or public perceptions.

Recognising this, almost every industry conference now seems to have a session on social media and how agriculture can better tell its story. 

Embracing social media and particularly blogging, connects famers with urban consumers and develops relationships that increase two-way understanding. I’m excited by the number of farmers and others involved in our sector telling their stories and sharing their lives through regular blogging.

The next step to encourage more in our sector to take the challenge is to nominate these blogs for the Sydney Writers’ Centre Best Australian Blogs Competition.

Having a large number of agricultural blogs nominated not only raises our sector’s profile, but exacts some rigour on the professionalism of our current blogs. We know how important it is to subject ourselves to industry benchmarking, and blogging is no different!

I encourage you to enter your own blog or nominate your favourite.

I have entered. Will you?

 

New Year - New Office

This year we moved, so I was forced to pack up the files and find a new workspace for Flourish.

I've already blogged that working for yourself can sometimes get a bit lonely (I’m the only one who turns up for 5 o’clock drinks) but the upside is having design control of the new office.
 
Coming from a background of agriculture, government and the not-for-profit sectors meant my work environment tended to centre around themes of “partition chic” or 1970’s DPI hand-me-downs (or both, in the instance of one job).
 
What a revelation to discover I could break away from brown padded vinyl chairs and grey carpet! But this excitement was mixed with some reservations. I’m not a fancy city PR hack. I didn’t want to lose perspective, after all farmers, and the bureaucrats and researchers who serve them, are still my clients. Doyens of style all, but I still wanted a workspace that reflected my personality and history and made my clients comfortable.
 
So, welcome to my new workspace!

The blackboard serves as a place to capture ideas and make lists, as well as providing a diversion for the toddler when he pays a visit.

I’ve admired this Cole & Son wallpaper for a long time and am thrilled I finally get to use it. It is a classic motif, with a modern feel and adds perspective to the space making it feel larger. 

The couch is a no-brainer. Seen as a luxury by many organisations, couches are where all the best ideas are made. I have two, so hopefully that doubles the creative output! This is a King Furniture “Houdini” combo, with a two-seater and chaise.

I love the desk from Ikea. The colour says “serious, industrious” the legs say “elegant, fun” a lot like agriculture really!

And the paperweight on the desk. I made it!

A close up of the chaise with cushion. The colours bring to mind my family holidays on Gippsland dairy farms where "black and whites" in vibrant green pasture is one of the enduring memories of childhood. 

Both my husband and I are confirmed city-dwellers, both from the suburbs of capital cities, but we both have agricultural links in our family histories. As Gen-X’ers we may be the last cohort of Australians with a connection to farming with over 80% of the population now living within an hour of the coast.
 
My mother is from a large family and grew up on a farm in Heyfield, Vic. I had two uncles dairying while I was in school, but I think we're now reduced to one cousin still farming in Gippsland.

The corner of my office includes a Glasshouse fragrance diffuser called "Saigon" which is gorgeous. I've never been to Saigon, but apprarently it smells "citrus-y" with a bergamot undertone. This sensory attack is complimented by the vase of cuttings from fruit trees and herbs from our garden. 

This side of the office also features a bit of family history on my husband's side.

Until the 1950's my husband's family (on his mother's side) were prominent figures on the then largely rural Mornington Peninsula, including father and son Shire Presidents. The family company, Lloyd's Bacon, was a major smallgoods manufacturer and they also ran the (then) cutting-edge Eulalie Poultry Farm at Frankston. 

The two small prints are copies of advertisements that ran in a booklet celebrating the Centenary of Victoria in 1934.

The vagaries of family politics and history mean these businesses are lost to us now, but there is still a significant chicken industry in Mornington (notably Inghams Chicken).

I love coming to work in this space and these keepsakes inspire me everyday.

Thank you for visiting. Next time you're in Canberra, please drop by for a beverage!

 
  

Canberra Show

We ventured to the Canberra Show today.

As usual, I was there to check out what was drawing the crowds. The toddler's objective was to see a pig, and hubs was just hoping to get out alive....

Sideshow alley always draws a crowd. Interesting as not much has changed in the 30-odd years I've been visiting shows. Sure, the rides are bigger, faster and scarier each year, but the queues for the dodgem cars and ferris wheel were consistent and the toddler enjoyed playing the "clowns" just as I did in my youth.

Sideshow alley as seen from the (children's) ferris wheel.

 

The animal nursery was crowded as usual. Lots of families enjoying the chance to get up close to baby animals. This year the toddler was delighted to meet a deer, there with its best friend, a pony. 

I think this is what's meant by looking like a "deer in headlights"

 

I'd love it if the animal nursery could be better integrated with stories about agriculture.  The organisers make the point that most of the animals are farm animals, so why not invest in some really good interpretive materials to maximise visitor engagement?

Take home message - Awwwww....baby.....

 

Okay, so the "free-range" gobbling thing and an over enthusiastic toddler grabbing at me are making my hands shake...but again, check out the size of the crowds in the background. An opportunity lost?

Take home message - Eeek!

 

The other farm animal that was a hit with the crowds was Fonzy, the giant Friesian. Standing at over 6 feet tall, he was an impressive animal no matter what your age. In fact, it was mostly a teenage audience when we were there, all marvelling at "the giant cow." Not one person failed to take a photo. Freakshow or Farm Ambassador?

Fonzy, a hit with all ages.

 

The Australian Year of the Farmer Roadshow was at the Canberra Show. I think their display went too far the other way. Lots of interpretive panels and things to read, which I think made it unappealing to a Show audience. And the result?

A very empty Australian Year of the Farmer Marquee...

There were two people inside the marquee (one buying merchandise) and a couple of children painting cows. But I would love to see the AYOF Roadshow incorporate some aspects of the animal nursery or introduce hands-on displays and activities. I think locating the AYOF marquee next to animal nurseries would be a great way to start. Failing that, hatching chickens, the story of bread with the chance to see and touch each stage of production, a dairy cow next to an icecream stand, guess the number of rice grains in a kilo bag or a BBQ selling steak sandwiches are simple and popular ways of engaging city audiences with agriculture. 

Show visitors have short attention spans so are looking for fun and unique ways to entertain and teach their kids. Reading posters and watching videos can't really compete with the other attractions available at the Show.

At the end of the day, we had a great time. The toddler saw a pig, got his face painted (tiger), had an icecream (chocolate) and got a showbag (Go Diego Go) and the husband managed to keep his sense of humour.

In defence of supermarkets

 

I happily buy my fruit, vegetables and meat from Woolworths.

There, I said it.

By doing this, I am criticised for not supporting Australian farmers. Some people have told me my support for supermarkets is inconsistent with my ability to represent or work for Australian farmers.

But supermarkets are the only place in our cities and suburbs where on a daily basis you can wander in and celebrate the diversity and abundance of Australian grown produce. Where else in the city do our farmers get such a high profile?

Yes market power is concentrated; it’s not the only example in our economy but it’s a potent one.

But supermarkets are supplied by Australian farmers. Are they not?

And isn’t the majority of foreign fruit and veg on our supermarket shelves there to satisfy consumer demand for reliable all year supply? 

Is there a kind of food snobbery appearing in this country where people who choose to buy their food at supermarkets are somehow considered uneducated, unhealthy or un-Australian?

Worse, is there a kind of food snobbery appearing in this country where it is assumed that those farmers supplying supermarkets are not growing quality produce?

I will declare that two projects I work on are part sponsored by Woolworths. On both occasions, we approached them for support and they agreed and wrote us a (much appreciated!) cheque. 

I don’t see anything wrong with this. They are supporting projects that promote their suppliers, farmers.  Without their suppliers there is no supermarket.

And further to that. I’ve heard disappointment that Woolworths are a major sponsor of the Australian Year of the Farmer.  I can tell you the Year wouldn’t have got off the ground without their significant (and I mean LARGE) contribution of cash and kind. Again, the organisers asked Woolworths for their support and they gave it.  It was not a cynical PR exercise by Woolworths to corrupt the food system (as someone told me it was).

Woolworths may look like they have a higher profile in promoting agriculture at the moment, but that’s simply because what we might term our traditional sponsors seem to be taking a backward step. Often they can’t (drought, internal rules, Australian dollar, priorities don’t align or it’s a low priority) but more often than not, they just won’t.  

At dinner recently the question of whether we’d take money from Coles was raised. I personally said an unequivocal “yes” (although I do not speak on behalf of any existing projects or clients of course!) because there is always a shortage of money for projects in agriculture and let’s face it, Coles could do with some opportunities to engage positively with our industry!

But I wouldn’t have to say yes to Coles if agricultural businesses and agencies were more proactive in supporting their own industry initiatives. (Though I probably still would!)

I love our program sponsors and note it’s the same organisations and companies who put up the cash every single year.  I wish I could cut them a break by increasing the pool of funding partners. Then they could invest in additional projects and we could grow our industries.

Supermarkets are not the enemy. They’re part of the agricultural supply chain and have a role to play in promoting Australian farming.

We need to work with them.

There are those in agriculture who say that supermarkets are positioning themselves to influence how farming is promoted to consumers.

And to them I say - whose fault will that be?

 

 

Senna v Prost and the art of playing the game

 

I finally got around to watching “Senna” this week.

While you couldn’t call me a huge motorsport fan I, like millions of others around the world, was drawn to Formula 1 in the late 1980’s hooked by the spectacle that was Senna versus Prost.

It is a classic tale. On one side, the World Champion, an establishment figure from the Old World, Frenchman Alain Prost known as “The Professor” for his calculated approach to each race and his broader career. On the other side, the young, maverick driver from the New World, Brazilian Ayrton Senna who believed his talent and success were God-given and that his integrity and talent were all he needed to get ahead.

It got me thinking.

While we all like to think that integrity and talent are the key factors to success most of us accept that politics plays a part in the success of anything. But where is the balance?
 

Team mates. Rivals.

About 40% of the projects I work on depend on sponsorship or partner funding to proceed each year. Each year we commence the painful task of asking for money. We spend a lot of time and resources (a lot!) demonstrating how our programs are the perfect fit for a wide range of potential sponsors and partners.

These programs buck tradition, they are innovative, different and don’t always fit neatly into the funding parameters of potential partners. The inability to “tick a box” often sees us booted out the door before we can demonstrate how the programs do fit their broader objectives.

In some instances it seems no matter how innovative and altruistic your program is, you are assessed on a political framework that nods to tradition over innovation.

Senna often beat Prost on the track, but he never beat him in the steward’s room or the hallways of the FIA (Federation Intenationale de l’Automobile). Rules were changed and conventions ignored to benefit Prost* who was seen as “one of us” by the governing body.
 

FIA President Jean-Marie Balestre and Alain Prost confer.

So while Senna had enormous natural talent, Prost value-added to his talent by winning over the sport’s officials thereby ensuring that what he wanted would be seen as what the FIA needed.

He knew how to play the game.

Having worked in politics I’ve seen the game played by some of the best. How you managed politics determined how far your career progressed.

But to win elections we knew we couldn’t just rely on our base support.

We had to balance the politics with winning a larger share of the vote.

We also knew that to capture the swinging voter, we needed different approaches, varied communication styles and channels and the ability to paint a picture of a better future.

It is the same with agriculture.  We communicate pretty well with our base – farmers and rural people.  We don’t communicate as well with urban Australians.  We don’t show them how we play a part in their lives. We don’t pop up in unusual places or with different messages. And we don’t show them our future without farming.

Traditional approaches will get results, but they will be the traditional results.

Both Senna and Prost were multiple World Champions despite their different approaches to racing. It was indeed this difference in their styles that made the rivalry so compelling and introduced a whole new audience (like me!) to Formula 1.

I know funds are limited, but agriculture must get smart. If we don’t tell agriculture’s story in new ways to new audiences, others will. You can bet on that.

Ayrton Senna died in 1994 when his car failed to take a corner as he led the San Marino Grand Prix. By the end of his 10-year career, he was still shaking the upper echelons of the sport by declaring Formula 1 was all about politics and money.

While watching the film it saddened me to think that perhaps Prost’s approach was correct. Perhaps playing politics is just as important as talent.  Maybe what we need to do is play the game and stop trying to buck tradition. After all, it is Prost who is still alive.

But then I was reminded that 18 years after his death it is Ayrton Senna who is remembered as one of the sport's greatest drivers.

We need more Sennas in agriculture. People who love the industry and can communicate that love to a new audience. People who can capture the imagination of an audience who never thought it mattered before.

 

*Your views on this may vary depend on whether you were in the Prost or Senna camp!

 

AgSci and the Shrinking Workforce

 

This morning, @OzPIEF tweeted a statistic from the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations stating that employment in Agriculture declined by 94,400 (24.9%) over the 10 years to November 2011.

This caused me to reflect on two other Twitter posts that caught my attention recently.

The first was an article from the Central Western Daily, posted by @SammileeTTT where Charles Sturt University’s new head of agriculture, Professor John Mawson said:

“The proportion of university-trained employees in the industry is not as high as it should be. We desperately need to attract more students into agricultural careers.”

That’s nothing new to those of us who work in or with agricultural industries and the statistics back him up. In 2005 the Productivity Commission in their research paper “Trends in Australian Agriculture” found that the proportion of people working in agriculture with a degree was around 7% whereas 22% of the community as a whole had a degree.

The other tweet was by @KondininGroup which referred to Victorian Farmers Federation concerns that the higher education base funding review has recommended raising the fees for agricultural courses at university by up to 25%.

It seems incongruous that these two pronouncements can co-exist. How can the answer to low enrolments in Agricultural Science (AgSci) be to increase fees?

But it made me think about what may be contributing to a low take up of AgSci degrees. I don’t think fees tell the whole story.

Why are some Agricultural Science degrees still four years long? 

Agricultural Science is a complex and technical subject area but computer science, accounting, journalism and even many straight Science degrees are only three years. I don’t think it could be said that those students spending an extra year in Agricultural Science are rewarded financially for their efforts on graduation.

Why are so many Agricultural Science degrees inflexible?

I accept that AgSci provides graduates with a comprehensive understanding across a range of disciplines. I am continually reminded that a solid grounding in basic science is transferable across a number industries, which serves graduates and agriculture well. I wonder though, if a student is ultimately interested in animal nutrition, why do some degrees insist they study agronomy for three years before they can specialise?

What is the link between AgSci and Farming?

An AgSci degree doesn't teach you how to farm, it teaches the science that underpins agricultural production.  So an industry leader told me recently when discussing this issue.  Some students are therefore disillusioned when they get to university and find the degree is focussed on science, not farming.  

Why can’t we retain students in Agricultural Science courses?

I guess some of the above points may contribute to low retention rates.  One farmer told me of the 100+ students in their first year only 4 graduated. Where did all those young people go? Well, some transferred to straight Science where they had more freedom to pursue their interests, some went home to the farm questioning the degree’s relevance to their family’s operations and some had just changed their minds about what they wanted to do…which is the right of all young people of course!

I’d like to add a lack of clarity about career paths to the list.

Many of you can think of at least a dozen people in highly diverse careers in agriculture – agronomists, bankers, PR people, scientists, advisers, lobbyists, farmers, machinery dealers, policy makers…etc

If a student decides at the end of first year that they don’t want to be an agronomist or farmer anymore, how do we let them know there are a number of other career options open to AgSci graduates?

Apart from encounters with family and friends, how often do we take the time to engage with young people to demonstrate how rewarding and diverse a career in agriculture can be? 

We owe it to ourselves, to protect the investment we’ve made in our businesses and industries and to secure the future of food and fibre production, to support and invest in our young people. 

A new group of school-leavers are about to start their AgSci degrees…what will YOU do to keep them there?

 

Look at me, I'm blogging!

Even though I work in communications, I’m not a great fan of writing. I prefer developing engagement strategies then employing others to write the content. So blogging is a concept I’ve avoided for many years.

But now I work for myself and often by myself, I miss having conversations with co-workers about issues of the day. I hope a blog will be my virtual “water cooler” a way for me to continue the conversation as well as an outlet for my opinions and observations.

I’m a city girl, but my career has long been focused on agricultural policy and lobbying. I’ve worked for politicians, industry associations and in regional development. It's the best of both worlds. I enjoy being able to support Australian farmers while never being more than 5 minutes away from the nearest café, bookshop, dress shop or, dare I say it, wine bar.

My main interest is communication and extension. My goal is a world where the results of agricultural research are communicated seamlessly to farmers, enabling early adoption resulting in increased productivity (and profitability!). 

I’m also interested in initiatives that promote agriculture to urban communities and attract young people to careers in agriculture. 

I look forward to chatting with you soon!

Victoria