This post is a salute to Woolworths. You might just be surprised where they are investing some of their profits.
And that’s just the cows!
Imagine the amount of land!
The people!
The infrastructure!
Supporting business!
The technology!
It takes to get your dairy products from cow to consumer!
Yes we all have to eat and that alone means that agriculture is not only important but vital.
Yet agriculture faces new challenges every day, including activist groups who see livestock farmers as the right hand of devil.
The key to debunking myth conceptions about modern agricultural farming practices starts with the education sector. The key to success begins with partnering with the 250,000 teachers teaching the 3.5 million students in the 9,500 Australian schools.
Once we have excited some of these 3.5 million students to consider careers in the agrifood sector, it is imperative that we deliver on the promise in order to retain them. Sadly we don’t do this well enough
Like our individual food and fibre industries, we need a better “supply chain” for young people to develop skills that enable them to engage, grow and take charge of their industries.
Currently, we see a number of programs aimed at developing individuals at various stages in life, but many lack the mechanisms to support and mentor and galvanize these people into roles that have meaning within our industries, in the medium to longer term.
There is no point training young people if we then abandon them; believing our job is done after holding workshops and camps for them.
If we don’t continue to develop our young people, we lose a generation of leaders, innovators and workers as they seek opportunities elsewhere.
There will be no-one to take over the farm, or work in our agribusinesses.
Excitingly we don’t have to start at the beginning. There is a great pathway in place. All it needs is more agricultural industries supporting it
This diagram identifies cross industry supported programs whose core business is developing next gen agricultural ambassadors, workforce and leaders
This post is salute to Woolworths who is heavily investing in this space, albeit I am given to understand not as much as they have in the past.
I have spent a bit of time at Woolworths and yes there people who work there who are only driven by $ in the till and $ in shareholders pockets which ultimately mean $ in their pockets.
There also a lot of people at Woolworths who truly care about farmers. I know because I have met them and they walk the talk.
To help to develop and nurture Next Gen Ag Leaders Woolworths run a yearly program called the Woolworths Agricultural Business Scholarship Program (WABSP) offering 24 young people in agriculture between the ages of 18 and 35 the chance to attend
The course is practical as well as theoretical, and covers topics such as:
• Business strategy and planning
• Agricultural value chain
• Successful business leadership
• Business finance
• Logistics and supply chain management
• The role of government
• Understanding retail
• Sustainability and environmental issues
• Personal development
You only have to see what the alumni have to say to see the potential outcomes it can deliver
At Art4Agriculture, an important part of our mission is to link our Young Farming Champions alumni with further opportunities within their industry and beyond to continue the journey of growth and leadership.
We actively encourage our Young Farming Champions to apply for the WABSP
2013 Art4Agriculture/Target 100 Beef Young Farming Champion Jasmine Nixon attended in 2012
Jasmine applied because she wanted to gain an increased understanding of the end consumer through broadening her industry knowledge and the paddock to plate concept.
Working in the quality control and assurance team at Teys Australia’s Wagga abattoir, which supplies meat products to Woolworths and other major supermarket chains Jasmine was looking forward to learning more about the end consumer and what is trending.
The meat industry is facing significant challenges and there is a greater focus on meeting the demands of the customer and gaining a better understanding of them – this is something that Jasmine feels is crucial to her role and the success of the company.
She saw the Woolworths Agricultural Business Scholarship program is about filling the knowledge gap and learning more about the supply chain and the logistical challenge of supplying fresh food to the nation.
Extract from http://www.beefcentral.com/p/news/article/2131
As the Australian farmers face all kinds of unrelenting changes in their environment, there is a need for individuals who are capable of turning strategy into reality.
There is a great “supply chain” for young people to help them develop skills that enable them to engage, grow and take charge of their industries.
Is your industry supporting it?
See Next Gen Ag Leaders Pathway supporting partners here
Art4Agriculture plus NSW Farmers who have just signed on and you can find our community Partners here
Woolworths Agribusiness Scholarship Program
Climate Champions This page needs updating Dairy Australia has withdrawn and AWI have come on board
If you take the time to look you will notice some industries and supply chain partners pop up in every single one or almost.
Sadly the dairy industry is very much missing in action
What about the supermarkets who rely so heavily on our farmers.
Did you see Coles? No I don’t thinks so. But you may have noticed Woolworths directly sponsors 4 of the 7 and has provided support to another two in the past and commits more than $140K per year to its own Woolworths Agribusiness Scholarship Program
Kudos where kudos is due I say
Just before I go Here is another great idea Woolworths from one of our Young Farming Champions Kylie Stretton who has certainly crowd sourced for you here
This post is another in the series. “Success is the journey not the destination and it’s the people you partner with that determine how fast you get there and how rewarding it will be”
Good to see woolworths doing something positive . Here in Victoria they have just sacked 200 truck drivers some with 30 years service . To bring in contractors on half the money to take their positions . I’m a woolworths employee with 20 years service .The way they treat their staff is a disgrace . A completely dishonest management team .