CAVENDISH sheep farmer Bronte Gorringe recently had the honour of participating in a week long Marcus Oldham Rural Leadership Program in May after which she was inspired to do more in agriculture advocacy.

Ms Gorringe was sponsored by the DemoDAIRY Foundation to attend the six-day program following which she wanted to share her love of agriculture with the world and get around to schools to tell students about the great employment opportunities in agriculture.

“There is such a diverse range of careers in agriculture,” she said.

“I am inspired to be an industry advocate and go to schools and encourage students to think about it.

“There is a variety of skill-based occupations that you can do in agriculture, they’re not all production-based and you don’t have to be on a farm.”

Ms Gorringe said that her advocacy would include getting consumers more involved in agriculture, “not just the romanticised idea of it”.

“We see so many things that are amazing in our everyday lives that other people don’t,” she said.

“We see new animals born, swans building nests on dams, paddocks turn from dust to a beautiful deep green, but we often get lost in the mundane of the day-to-day when we should reflect and admire the good things too.”

The DemoDAIRY Foundation (DDF) was established as a registered charity with the purpose of advancing the dairy industry in south-west Victoria by promoting the development of dairy resources and funding tertiary training in dairy-related sciences in the form of grants, scholarships or fellowships.

It also makes grants or donations available to individuals for education or research relating to dairy sciences.

The Marcus Oldham Rural Leadership Program is supported by NAB Agribusiness, and is an intensive week-long workshop conducted on the college campus at Geelong.

Ms Gorringe has always aspired to be a leader and the Marcus Oldham Rural Leadership Program strengthened her passion.

“I would highly recommend this course for any individual at any age or stage of their career,” she said.

“There was something for everyone and a lot of key takeaways that I will be trying to implement going forward.

“Marcus Oldham is known for its outstanding agricultural education program, and the presentation of this Rural Leadership Program was no exception.”

As well as a sheep farmer on her family’s farm at Cavendish, Ms Gorringe presently works as an assistant agribusiness manager at ANZ Hamilton.

She previously worked on a dairy farm during her schooling and now also sits on the Career Advisory Panel for the Great South Coast Food and Fibre Council and is an industry advocate for the Cows Create Careers school program.

Ms Gorringe was one of 27 emerging agricultural leaders taking part in the Marcus Oldham program.

“It was exciting to see the number of people who worked within the dairy industry, both on-farm in their own businesses and those in the wider (community) supporting agricultural and dairy service industries,” she said.

She was particularly impressed by the speakers on emotional intelligence, Indigenous Australia, and engaging with the public.

“We spent a lot of time learning to understand why people behave the way they do, the art of presenting feedback, the characteristics of an admired leader, the difference between management and leadership and our personal values,” Ms Gorringe said.

Ms Gorringe thanked the DemoDAIRY Foundation for its sponsorship.