Ten young farmers from around Australia will have the opportunity to tour research sites and innovative farms in north Queensland.
Applications are now open for ten fully funded places on the ‘Carbon Bus’ tour, a part of the national ‘Future Farmers and Carbon Farming Futures’ project.
Starting in Townsville on March 17, the tour is the brainchild of the Future Farmers Network, Australia’s only national agricultural youth organisation focused on supporting and fostering the next generation of agriculturalists.
It was devised in partnership with award winning regional communications specialists Sefton & Associates and funded by the Australian government.
The ten young farmers chosen to join the inaugural three-day tour will visit Lansdown Research Station, ‘Trafalgar’ Station, ‘Wambiana’ Station and the Wambiana Research Site in Queensland.
They will hear from leading specialists in climate science and agriculture, including the University of Melbourne’s Professor Snow Barlow and Dr Ed Charmley from the CSIRO’s Livestock Environmental Systems division.
Future Farmers Network Chair Georgie Aley says the innovative project, with its focus on young farmers and agribusiness people, will be achieving real outcomes with the next agricultural generation.
“Educating this next generation is absolutely crucial to ensuring the sustainability of agriculture and our use of natural resources,” Aley says.
“This project is an incredible opportunity for our best and brightest young farmers and agribusiness professionals to hear from the top researchers in climate science, as well as the most innovative producers who are making differences on the ground.”
Sefton & Associates Managing Director Robbie Sefton adds the project aims to showcase cutting edge research.
“We are working with the next generation of Australian farmers to demonstrate the effect of land management practices on reducing emissions, improving on-farm sustainability and reducing risks associated with climate variability,” Sefton says.
“Australia’s climate is becoming increasingly variable and the day-to-day realities of that – along with the associated economic and social pressures – are going to have major impacts on agriculture now and into the future.”
The Queensland Carbon Bus tour will be followed by a similar Victorian tour in September.
Over the coming 12 months the project will also offer field tours, virtual site tours, webinars and social media activities.
To be part of the north Queensland tour, farmers and agribusiness professionals aged 21-35 to need only apply by Friday 7 February 2014.
For information and an application form, please go to www.futurefarmers.com.au, email emily.bowman@seftonpr.com.au or call 02 6766 5222.