Mayoral Column 26 March 2018

Published on 26 March 2018

Grow your career in agriculture

If you’re a young farmer aged under 35 and are looking to boost your skills, then you could be eligible for a Young Farmers Scholarship.

Up to $10,000 is available through the program – $5000 towards study and $5000 to invest on-farm or in professional development activities to put your new skills into practice.

Since it was launched in 2015, Young Farmers Scholarships have helped a diverse range of young farmers grow their careers by upskilling, implementing new on-farm initiatives and boosting their professional networks. The scholarships are part of the Victorian Government’s investment in attracting and retaining the next generation of farmers.

The program recognises that future young farmers will need a range of skills to embrace new technologies, respond to a range of challenges and capitalise on emerging opportunities. It also helps equip the next generation of agricultural leaders with the connections and business skills needed to survive and thrive in a competitive global market.

Over the course of the program, 38 young farmers working across the agriculture supply chain have received scholarships. These scholarships have funded study in areas such as primary production, business management, research and technology.

Find out more at www.vic.gov.au/youngfarmers.

Upcoming workshop for those wanting to make change

Leaders, changemakers, social entrepreneurs and visionaries of all kinds are encouraged to attend the Let’s Nut it Out workshop at Bendigo’s La Trobe University this coming June.

Organised by Make a Change Australia, Let’s Nut it Out is a networking, resource building and critical skill development workshop for people of all ages who want to make things happen.

The workshop is for sports clubs, social enterprises, residents, young people, artists, visionary businesses, health and wellbeing specialists, environmentalists, school leaders, not-for-profits and more.

It has been developed to address common challenges such as clarifying your vision, creating a solid action plan, communicating your message, including more people and working with limited resources.

The program will include inspiring talks, peer-to-peer learning, defining project challenges, nutting out solutions and access to mentors around marketing, finance and business management. In addition to the workshop, the program includes online resources, pre-event prep packs and post-event follow up.

The workshop will be held from 9am to 4pm on Wednesday 6 June 2018 at La Trobe University Bendigo in Edwards Road, Flora Hill.

The workshop costs $55 with early bird tickets available for $45 if purchased before 23 May.

The program is also able to offer ticket subsidies for eligible participants, please call Make a Change Australia on 0419 006 243 to find out more.

For more information and link to book the workshop, visit www.makeachange.org.au/lots-offer-support-work/

Have a safe Easter weekend

Finally, with Easter fast approaching, I hope everyone has a nice and relaxing long weekend. If you’re planning on getting away and will be on the road, please drive carefully, take plenty of rest breaks and be mindful that there will be extra traffic.

For those planning to enjoy the long weekend in the Loddon Shire, there’s always plenty happening during Easter across our region. Check the events calendar on the Loddon Shire website at www.loddon.vic.gov.au and select “Events calendar” from the dropdown box under the “Visit” tab to find out more.

Just a reminder that due to the Easter long weekend, Council offices in Wedderburn and Serpentine will close at 4.45pm on Thursday 29 March and reopen at 8.15am on Tuesday 3 April.

The Loddon Visitor Information Centre will be closed on Good Friday, but is otherwise open
Monday to Saturday from 9am to 5pm and from 10am to 4pm on Sunday and Easter Monday. Call 5494 3489 for more information.

There will be no changes to scheduled kerbside garbage and recycling collections during the
Easter period. All waste facilities across the Shire are closed on public holidays.