As a new scholar, the Nuffield Regional Tours, provide a short taster to being on tour with Nuffield. They showcase the rich agricultural diversity of a region, highlight leading local businesses, provide the opportunity to visit local scholars on-farm, and there's always a dairy farm visit!

The travel time between stops allows one to sit next to a new person each time, to reflect on visits, discuss new ideas and learn about research topics, backgrounds and passions. And as was evident across the two-day regional tours in Tamworth, one could apply the framework shared by Dan Richards from the Irish CSC. 

Genetics creates the potential
Management realises the potential
Disease destroys the potential

​The key was seeing where management had realised the potential; what processes and systems they had put in place, and what were they doing to make them stand out from the rest, to build the business, and to define success. 

Wednesday kicked off with a visit to the historic sale ring at Goonoo Goonoo Station ahead of the 3R Angus & Ultra Black Bull and Females Sale. Goonoo Goonoo Station, owned by the Haggarty family, south of Tamworth is also home to luxury accommodation and a stunning restaurant on this working cattle station. For the first time in 37 years the historic selling ring at the station was back in use with the 3R Sale on 14 September. Before the buyers arrived, we had the opportunity to learn about 3R's vision to "produce cattle with genetics with superior function in a real-world production environment, producing a beef product that consumers enjoy", and inspect the sale animals.

For those interested, the 2022 Sale results were a 100% clearance for both the bulls and Pregnancy Tested in Calf (PTIC) females. The bulls averaged $14,588 with a top price of $30,000, and the females averaged $3,642 with a top of $4,400.

Our next stop was to Killara Feedlot owned and managed by Elders. Killara is west of Quirindi providing great access to not only livestock for finishing but also grain and feed supplements. The feedlot is licenced for 20,000 head with a range of cattle to suit both domestic and export markets on both grain feeding programs from 70 to 500 days depending on markets, as well as grass feeding programs.

Visiting the property of 1998 Nuffield Scholar, Dave Brownhill, was a highlight. Merrilong Pastoral Company is run by the Brownhill brothers across 8,000ha and includes irrigated and dryland farming with wheat, sorghum, mungbeans, chickpeas, fababeans, cotton, and Angus cattle. Their corporatised approached to family farming has seen many efficiencies gained, strengths built on, additional investment and increased diversity. Interesting to note that due to their crop diversity there's only four weeks of the year they're not sowing!  

The Carroll Cotton Gin has been servicing the Liverpool Plains for over 20 years after being established in 1995 by the Davies family. It is one of the few family-owned cotton gins in Australia with Scott Davies, together with his wife and Mum, still running the gin today. Their mission is simple; "to work closely with growers to deliver a customised ginning service through world's best practice and market expertise". And it's that world's best practice that we saw in touring the gin after recent upgrades which have increased the ginning capacity. Not only are they using the best in American ginning equipment, the Cherokee, but they are experimenting with the old ginning equipment to process hemp and hemp/cotton blends in industry trials.

Thursday saw two completely different visits, and very different to Wednesday's! First on the agenda was a tour of Thomas Foods Lamb Abattoir. Thomas Foods is a vertically integrated global food business growing, processing and supplying quality meat and seafood. We were given a full tour beginning at the automatic robots that sort, pack and move the cartons based on barcodes, through the processing floor, the holding pens, the rendering plant and biogas facility. With 900 staff across two shifts, Thomas Foods is a major employer in the wider Tamworth region.

Before we all headed to Tamworth Airport to take the afternoon flights across the country, we called into Peel Valley Milk's processing factory. The Wilson's began dairying more than a 100 years ago, and today they bottle 23,000 litres of their own Jersey cows' milk under their own label producing whole milk, reduced fat, three flavours, and unhomogenised milk. And the milk just so happens to be coming from a top performing herd with an Australian Grand Champion!

As someone who has organised countless school excursions and tours, there's no denying the time and effort that it takes to organise a tour, particularly one that visits multiple farms and agriculture businesses, and has a wide range of participants. Huge thanks to 2013 Nuffield Scholar Guy Hebblewhite, the Nuffield NSW State Committee, and Nuffield Australia team for their work in pulling this together!

The 2022 Nuffield Conference was held in Tamworth, and as was commented on Twitter 

The one-day conference, following the awards night, and preceded by two days of regional tours, provides an opportunity for newly announced scholars to join with alumni, supporters, and sponsors for a day of learning and networking. Given the diversity of agriculture in the room and the domestic and international travel undertaken, the conversations around the room are rich, welcoming and connecting. And as a newly announced scholar there's always someone wanting to connect you with someone, or just wanting to say hello and welcome to the lifelong club. A club that is full of enduring friendships, ongoing travel, trials and experiments on farm, always new questions, and the taking on of leadership in both community and industry.

The Nuffield Conference is a mix of sponsor presentations, scholar presentations reporting on their research findings, travel presentations on the CSC and GFP, and a 'Where are they now?' segment where alumni share how the scholarship has changed them and their business five or more years down the track.

I want to share my reflection on two stand-out presentations that showcase the diversity of the conference, and impact of the Nuffield Scholarship.  

Daniel Richards is a 2016 Scholar from the Northern Territory and CEO of the family business, Humpty Doo Barramundi. Dan shared an inspiring 'Where are they now?' presentation showcasing how the business has grown to be the largest producer of saltwater Barramundi in Australia. From little things, big things grow...

Dan shared their business mission which has been carefully crafted as their guide; to responsibly produce beautiful Australian Barramundi while demonstrating our genuine care for and commitment to our people, fish, environment and partners. Dan's father, Bob, started the business 27 years ago producing 6kg of fish per week delivered to restaurants. Now the business is 15,000 times (yes, 15,000) bigger, has over 150 people employed, has over five million fish, and is still 100% family owned. They deliver a branded product into Costco, Woolworths, Hello Fresh and Qantas.

Dan's passion was infectious, as too was his commitment to his land, people and producing an incredible Australian product.

A key takeaway from Dan's presentation was a framework that he learnt from his CSC in Ireland that can be applied to all agricultural businesses, whether you produce mangoes in Bowen, fine merinos in Tassie, or Barramundi in Humpty Doo;

Genetics creates the potential
Management realises the potential
(with farming systems, research, marketing, regulations)
Disease destroys the potential

Jarrod Amery is a 2020 Scholar from Forbes, NSW and shared his finds from his Nuffield research in an invigorating presentation. Jarrod's topic was 'What it takes to build and maintain a successful farm business'.

Jarrod runs a mixed farming operation with winter cereals and sheep, and began chasing his farming dreams at age eleven when he was told he wouldn't inherit the farm. He passionately shared how he has worked on establishing the business, building it up, and ensuring that he runs his own race - and doesn't get distracted by the Jones' new red tractor next door.

During Jarrod's Nuffield travels, of which much was undertaken during Covid and a 14,500km roadtrip around Australia with his family visiting farms, he identified some traits of successful people;

Successful people take action.
Successful people often view a problem as an opportunity.
Successful people get comfortable being uncomfortable.
Successful people think beyond other people's limits.
Successful people are less fearful than most, and accept failure as success in motion.
Successful people are curious and have amazing listening skills.
Successful people ask lots of questions.
Successful people find balance.
Successful people enjoy the journey, not just the destination. 

​2022 Nuffield Conference Program & Presentation Videos: www.nuffield.com.au/conference-2022

In Tamworth, ahead of the Nuffield Australian conference, Aimee Snowden was announced as 2023 Nuffield Scholar. Aimee uses LEGO® to engage people’s interest in agriculture and spark an interest in our diverse industry, through Little BRICK Pastoral. She plans to study agriculture education models that drive immersive experiences and engage curious minds. Aimee's scholarship is generously supported by AgriFutures Australia. 
​
Nuffield Scholar Bio: www.nuffield.com.au/aimee-snowden-2023 

Being named a 2023 Nuffield Scholar is an honour. I am incredibly excited to be embarking on a journey that will build on the research of previous Australian and international scholars looking at agriculture education and engagement models around the world. And of course, LEGO!

Attending the Awards Dinner in Tamworth and our briefing day, and the subsequent National Conference and Regional Tours, gave me the opportunity to meet the other eighteen 2023 Nuffield Scholars. Like Australian agriculture, they are incredibly diverse, and are incredibly inspiring! I can't wait to share the Nuffield journey with them, to learn from them, and to take on many adventures over the next two years. 

For those who are just being introduced to the Nuffield Scholarship through my journey, the scholarship is a unique program offering those in agriculture a life-changing scholarship to travel and study an agricultural topic of their choice. The scholarship is the first step in joining the most influential agricultural network in Australia, and connecting with an approachable global network to learn from and build ideas with. It should be noted that whilst the research topic is central to your Nuffield travels, the scholarship is an investment in you and your capacity to lead Australian agriculture in your chosen area. Your topic may change during your travels as you find new information.

The scholarship runs for two years from announcement cumulating in the presentation of one's research findings in a report and presentation at a National Conference. Travel is a minimum of 14 weeks including both domestic and international travel which includes a week-long Contemporary Scholars Conference (CSC) to meet all the international scholars, and an intensive four-week Global Focus Program (GFP) to learn about global agriculture, agri-politics and economics. I will head to Canada in February ahead of the 2023 CSC to join scholars from around the world, and then in May will embark on my GFP to Singapore, India, Qatar, Germany and the United States, with 11 other scholars from across the world.

I am looking forward to sharing this journey with you!

And for those interested, applications for the 2024 Nuffield Scholarships open Monday 6 March. The application process begins with a written application, then a state-based selection interview, followed by national section interview. The application process is really worthwhile and a great opportunity to explore a topic you'd like to further research, to connect with previous scholars, and to build confidence in interviewing in front of a panel of at least 8!

Please reach out if you're interested in applying, want someone to read over your application, or want to chat through ideas!