Between working as an agronomist and business consultant for the family dairy farm and studying for her masters in agricultural business management, Bacchus Marsh’s Samantha Holmes was able to find time to head to Sydney as part of a group of 25 young people with promising futures in rural agriculture.
“I was brought up on a farm and it’s instilled in me a passion for
it,” Ms Holmes, 24, said. “I think it’s integral we work towards food
security in the uncertain climatic conditions we face in country
Australia.”
The $150,000 scholarship program included presentations by speakers from the Royal Agricultural Society of New South Wales, the National Farmers Federation, Deloitte and Elders.
Men and women from every state and agricultural profession,
including agribusiness managers, bankers, farmers and agronomists, were
selected to be part of the Woolworths initiative.
“I was aiming to educate myself the most about the food getting
from the farm to the consumer as directly as possible, taking out
necessary costs for everyone along the way,” Ms Holmes said.
She said the scholarship offered those involved a “transparent look at the nitty gritty of it all”.
The experience gave her insight into the entire supply chain, from
farmer to customer, as well as offering an insider’s view into
Australia’s largest supermarket chain.
“I was shocked to get in because it’s a very competitive program.
I’ve heard a lot from others who’ve done it before and that it’s so
worthwhile,” she said. “I learnt about networking, and the importance of
getting a high-quality product out to consumers.”
Woolworths general manager of fresh food, Ziggy Kwarcinski, said
the program was aimed at helping attract and retain young people to
“future-proof the industry”.
“The average age of the Aussie farmer is now estimated to be more
than 52 years,” he said. “We want to stem the tide of young people
leaving agriculture by building careers in regional and rural
Australia.”
After hearing from experts on subjects such as rural accounting,
sustainability, marketing and social media, Ms Holmes said she planned
to work at the farm level.
“I want to be at the heart of it, building a relationship with farmers and maximising the value for them.”
