THE Australian Dairy Conference has announced its six finalists who will compete for the prestigious Feed Central Young Dairy Scientists' Communication Award in February, in an initiative designed to progress the careers of dairy scientists by nurturing quality scientist-to-farmer interaction.
Bronwyn Edmunds (WA), Saranika Talukder (NSW), Helen Golder (NSW), Antony Crowther (Vic), Matt Reynolds (Vic) and Zibei Lin (Vic) will compete in this comprehensive three-pronged competition.
The finalists were initially selected for the strength of their scientific prowess via an submitted abstract, but the final round involves preparing an article for the Australian Dairy Farmer Magazine, preparing and talking to a poster; and preparing and delivering a five minute presentation to an audience of 400 plus dairy farmers.
The oral presentation is delivered in a major plenary session at the Australian Dairy Conference, which is being held from February 25-27, 2014, in Geelong, while posters will be on show and finalists on hand talking to dairy farmers throughout the entire event.
In announcing the finalists, Feed Central managing director Tim Ford, who has recently opened a Victorian branch of his hay and grain quality certification and trading company in Shepparton, has welcomed the opportunity to partner with the dairy industry and help nurture the careers of emerging dairy scientists around the nation.
"We take the science and the quality of the product that we sell very seriously, especially with the dairy industry where a small difference in nutritional value can have a major difference in milk production and farm profitability, so this is an excellent fit for us," he said.
Australian Dairy Conference (ADC) science director Dr David Barber has added his congratulations to the finalists and urged dairy farmers attending the conference to 'do their bit' to encourage these young professionals to develop their careers in dairy science.
Meanwhile, registrations for ADC are now open, with a $200 per person early bird incentive available for farmers registering by December 30.