Young farmers upskill,invest
Wimmera young farmers are expanding their knowledge and developing business planning and on-farm operations with a $10,000 scholarship.
Murtoa farmer Kieran Delahunty and Langkoop farmer Clinton Rokebrand were among 13 recipients of the Upskill and Invest Young Farmers Scholarships in 2022.
Former Wimmera resident Jessica Frankel was also a scholarship recipient.
Mr Delahunty said the scholarship was made up of two sections – one for upskilling and one for investment.
“I am doing self-guided learning and mentoring through Think Agri for the upskilling proponent, which involves people and personal leadership, financial literacy and awareness and production outcomes,” he said.
“I’ve been back on the farm for a few years now and I aim to build a business plan – that’s the investment.
“Hopefully I will also be a better farm business manager. I want to future-proof the farm – with climate change and external pressures it’s easy to get caught up in day-to-day work, but I want to make us as viable as possible.”
Mr Delahunty said the scholarship provided a good opportunity to develop skills and knowledge.
“I just had a crack at the scholarship as it’s a chance to do something I wouldn’t normally be able to do,” he said.
“All of the recipients are using their scholarships for different agriculture further education. “I’d encourage anyone to give it a go.” Since 2015, 102 young farmers have been awarded Young Farmer scholarships by the state Minister for Agriculture.
The scholarship is available to any Australian citizen or permanent Victorian resident, aged 35 years or younger, who had worked in a food and fibre farm business in Victoria at least three days a week for the past three months and had at least two years of experience on-farm.
Recipients receive $5000 towards study opportunities and are given access to a further $5000 after they complete their studies to invest in putting new skills into practice.
The round eight recipients of the 2022 scholarships were awarded at a ceremony at Melbourne Town Hall in Melbourne late last year.