Page 17 - DAF 254 Peer 2 Peer Case Studies

IN THE NEWS
Young guns fired up for farming future
A new peer-to-peer group of 17 young farmers in the Innisfail district has hit the ground running attending five workshops and an inter-district bus tour.
At the first workshop in February, the farmers, aged 18 to 35, were presented with local water quality data and then asked to list and vote on topics for future workshops and a bus trip.
The topics chosen were: weeds, pests and disease; record keeping; soil health and nutrients. Content for each workshop was delivered by local advisory staff with whom they could build a relationship and return for further advice and support. The final workshop was a networking event with local advisory staff and the young farmer group.
Following the workshops, a full day inter-district bus trip saw the young farmers become closer as mates and develop their shared interest for different farming practices and the impacts they have on productivity and the environment. Topics chosen for the bus trip were sugarcane breeding, composting, blueberry farming and agri-tourism.
Regional Extension Coordinator Steve Roeger said there was a young grower champion who was the driver of the group and his passion had influenced the continuation of the group and the in-kind support for future events from CANEGROWERS Innisfail.
He said the feedback had been positive.
``The most important aspect to the growers was to learn and increase their knowledge of farming practices and the impacts of agriculture on water quality,’’ he said.
``The peer-to-peer socialising aspect of the group was also important with participants saying they were keen to meet other young growers in the area and share the learning experience with them.
``Most farmers said by attending these meetings with other like-minded people from across a broad range of industries would generate some great ideas they could apply to their own situations.’’
This initiative has been jointly supported by the Enhanced Extension Coordination in GBR project and CANEGROWERS Innisfail.