Agriculture Minister Jaclyn Symes opened the 2019 program during a visit to former scholarship recipient Kate Kirk’s Bass Coast Dairy Farm in Loch, and encouraged young farmers to apply.
A passionate advocate of animal welfare, Ms Kirk used her scholarship to do an advanced hoof-care course and shared what she learned with her employees and other farmers.
She used the financial support to purchase a cattle crush, providing a safe environment to practise hoof husbandry.
Up to $10000 is available per scholarship — with each recipient eligible for up to $5000 to support their training and study in areas such as business and risk management, genetics and pasture management development.
Once recipients complete their studies, they will receive further support of up to $5000 to put their new skills into practice through professional development, business planning or to invest on-farm in equipment.
The Young Farmers Scholarship program has successfully supported 50 young farmers to develop their skills across a range of agriculture sectors since 2015.
To ensure young people continue to develop the skills they need to build successful careers in agriculture, the Andrews Government is investing $500000 in the scholarship program during the next four years.
Applications for this year’s round of scholarships are open to farmers aged 35 or under who have been working in farm businesses at least three days a week for the past three months, with at least two years’ total experience on-farm.
■To find out more about the program and to apply for a scholarship, visit: http://agriculture.vic.gov.au
