Woolworths Ag Business Scholarship Wrap-up

The 2012 Woolworths Agricultural Business Scholarship finally comes to a close.

Wow - what a busy two weeks! Week one was only a warm-up compared to the intense timetable the Agscholars had for week two at the Woolworths Agricultural Business Scholarship program!

We covered a huge range of topics, including

• presentations from industry experts on the BIG issues and challenges facing Australian agriculture,
• discussions around agricultural education of the broader community,
• tour of a Woolworths distribution centre which is the key part of getting that great, fresh Australian produce to the store shelf,
• guided visit of a Woolworths store to explore the new concepts and innovative ideas to provide the best fresh food solutions to consumers,
• rubbed shoulders with some industry champions at the 2012 National Landcare Awards
• leadership development workshops
• & experienced a new perspective of Sydney - from on top of the Bridge!

Needless to say I can not fit all of that in this post!

Watch this space - I will fill you in on all the details on some of these amazing sessions soon!

Being able to participate in discussions facing Australian agriculture and our rural communities with some of the brightest young minds the industry has to offer was truly a great experience.  It challenged me to think outside the square and was great to have other young people that are passionate about their industry to share and bounce ideas around with. The passion these young people have for Australian agriculture is remarkable and assures me the future of Australian agriculture is bright if we have these young people heading up our approach to the challenges and our industry will face.

The Woolworths Agricultural Business Scholarship was an invaluable experience and I am very grateful for the opportunity to participate - a big thank you to the Royal Agricultural Society of NSW for supporting the growth and development of young people with a passion for agriculture.

If you are looking for an opportunity to network with other like-minded young people with a passion for agriculture, learn about the supply chain from several different perspectives as well as further your own professional development I highly recommend applying for the Woolworths Agricultural Business Scholarship - you will be amazed what doors it may open for you.

Thank you very much Woolworths (shout out to Katie Poray for all her great work!) for conducting this program and providing us with such a great opportunity. Your support of the youth of Australian agriculture is greatly appreciated. Thank you.



Thank you to Yvette and Katie for putting this together :)

Marketing & Media

Day 5 at the Woolworths Agricultural Business Scholarship

Today's theme was around Marketing & Media. Great topic as alot of this week's discussions with the other Ag Scholars have centred around the concept that we need to get out and help tell the story of Australian agriculture.

I think today's society with platforms such as Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, blogs, the speed of technology and accessibility of information, provides a huge advantage to assist in helping to tell the story of agriculture. You don't need a degree in journalism or work as a news anchor - the social media tools available today mean that the everyday person (yes - you and I) that works within agriculture as part of their everyday, has the opportunity to share their story.

So how can a normal everyday person like me, make a difference?

The following clip hopefully will give you an idea on the power of social media in today's society.



 

 

It is all about getting involved in the conversation. Today there are alot of people that do not have that direct connection with agriculture so they lack understanding on who and what happens to produce that food for their table.

By getting more involved in social media and participating in the conversation, you are providing the broader community with a direct link to agriculture - they can talk to someone that actually works in the industry everyday and understand how Australian farmers get such high quality produce to the table with all that mother nature can throw at us. Year in, year out.

 

There are several ways to get involved and one platform we discussed today was Twitter. After a crash course in @handles and #hashtags (I did not come up with these terms!) I think we started to get the idea.

 

On today's agenda for the Woolies #agscholars is marketing & media. First up is the National Farmers Federation #NFF
— Jasmine Nixon (@Jasminejnixon) August 30, 2012

 

The great part about this platform is that it is short and to-the-point and enables you to keep instantly up-to-date on breaking news and what issues and discussions are taking place within both the agricultural industry and the broader community. It also makes influential people such as politicians more accessible, in that you can begin some interaction and they can become more aware of the real issues within our rural communities.

 

So now I am stepping up to the challenge and actively participating in the conversation - please feel free to follow me on Twitter - look for me: @Jasminejnixon

 

(Also, for all you keen Twitter enthusiasts #hashtag #agscholars to follow what the 2012 Woolworths Agricultural Business Scholars have to say as they continue their busy program.)