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 :)

In the Field

Day three of the Woolworths Agricultural Business Scholarship

 

Today the Woolies Ag scholars were out in the field and visited the Sydney Markets at Flemington. These markets are well known as the 2nd largest terminal market in the world. Approximately 30% of all fresh produce on Australian dinner tables has passed through the gates at Flemington.

 

Eggplants are all checked for specification (to make sure that fit the requirements to bring you, the consumer, a high quality product) at Hydro Produce at the Sydney Markets.

 

They are a hive of activity with over 800 forklifts racing back and forth ferrying everything from eggplants to onions and every other imaginable piece of produce in between.

 

The main produce market is made up of stall spaces, which the market agents buy in order to have a space to sell their produce. The main wholesale produce market's clientele is predominately professional produce buyers from supermarkets, independent greengrocers and restaurants.

 

Wholesale produce stalls within the sheds at Sydney Markets. Each doorway and overhead banner represents a different vendor and each has their produce on display out the front. (This is just part of one row - there are several!)

 

While supermarkets like Woolworths do a lot of direct contracts with suppliers, they also still have buyers within the wholesale produce market and source some of their produce here as well.

 

The main challenge discussed with us by fresh produce wholesalers was getting kids to eat more fruit and vegetables. The Sydney Markets group has put together a "Fresh for Kids" program aimed at school-age kids to encourage them to have a more active, healthier lifestyle through exercise and eating more fresh fruit and vegetables. This program is being used within schools and also has information and support tools available for parents to help encourage education and consumption of fresh fruit and vegetables to keep them healthy.

 

Australian consumers are extremely lucky that we have such high quality fresh fruit and vegetables available and that these are proudly produced to the highest standards by our Australian growers.



Sydney Markets

The Woolworths Agricutural Business scholars just spent the morning at the Sydney Markets at Flemington.

Over 30% of the fresh fruit & veg on Australian tables has passed through the Sydney Markets.

 

 

The Woolworths Way

Day Two of the Woolworths Agricultural Business Scholarship

The main focus of today's sessions was to give us an insight into the management of the Fresh Food side of Woolworths supermarkets in terms of how they manage this part of the business and the challenges they face bringing fresh produce to the consumer that is high quality, fresh, consistent and what the consumer wants.

Pat McEntee is the General Manager of Fresh Food for Woolworths and shared with us several key messages and it was interesting to hear how, as a company they are recognising the need to put the consumer first and foremost. There is soon to be a shift to try and break down some 'walls' and actually put the consumer in touch with the butcher or the baker who prepares that produce daily for that store.

I believe this all reflects on the consumers desire and curiosity to understand where their food comes from and is a great opportunity to educate consumers on the stories, industries and people behind the high quality agricultural produce that Australian farmers produce everyday.

Even the large supermarket giants such as Woolworths are realising they need to be part of the solution to help tell agriculture's story - and understand what it is that farmers do to produce that product so they can convey that to the consumer. For example - making butchers more accessible to consumers can provide avenues to explain how to cook which cut and what an MSA logo on the product actually means...

It was interesting to note that through some of their consumer focus groups and feedback studies, they discovered that there was a public perception that not all of the fresh meat was Australian grown and only 60% of the fresh fruit and vegetables was Australian.... in actual fact with Woolworths,

• 100% of fresh meat is Australian grown; and
• 96% of fresh produce (fruit & veg) is Australian grown.

So next time you sit down to dinner, have a look at what is on your plate and thank an Aussie farmer!