Two of Victoria’s leading primary producers have been awarded prestigious Nuffield Farming Scholarships for 2019.
Announced at the Nuffield National Conference Awards Dinner in Melbourne on Tuesday night, Natasha Shields and Anthony Close will each receive $30,000 bursaries to travel around the globe conducting trailblazing research into their chosen study topics.
Ms Shields and Mr Close are of 17 leading primary producers across the country awarded Nuffield Farming Scholarships.
The 2019 cohort have selected a wide range of study topics, from regenerative practices in wine production and the impact of livestock wellbeing on productivity, to alternative fuel sources and energy solutions for Australia’s agricultural sector.
For the first time, women make up the majority of the recipients this year.
With support from the William Buckland Foundation, organic vegetable producer Ms Shields, Baxter, will use her Nuffield Scholarship to investigate packaging options and shelf-life outcomes for organic produce to minimise the use of plastics in Australia’s retail environment.
Ms Shields was overwhelmed by her scholarship win, saying she got quite emotional as she accepted her award at the ceremony.
Sustainability and reducing waste are issues she is passionate about.
“As an organic grower, I deal directly with a lot of customers, and the biggest thing I hear is that they don’t want plastic on their products,” she said.
“And the issue is, plastic does make the product last longer on shelves, but being something most consumers don’t want, we need to find an alternative that can still preserve shelf life.”
She said she planned to tour countries in Europe like the Netherlands, Denmark and Germany, to enquire about their sustainability.
“There’s got to be something out there that’s economically sound and sustainable, that looks and feels like plastic but can be thrown in the compost,” she said.
“And I hope it’s something we can afford to implement in our business, and that can hopefully be adopted across the country.”
Sheep producer Mr Close, Culla, will use his Australian Wool Innovation (AWI) supported scholarship to investigate ways the Merino can once again become a prominent feature of the Australian farming landscape.
Mr Close said to be awarded a scholarship was incredibly humbling.
“You almost feel like you don’t deserve to be in the room with all of the other recipients, it’s mind blowing some of the people you meet,” Mr Close said.
He said he had originally picked a different study topic, but was inspired on a trip to football one morning to explore how the industry can rebuild the Merino flock.
It’s something he’s incredibly passionate about.
“I’m a fifth generation farmer, and we’ve had Merinos all the way through, so it’s almost been bred into me,” he said.
“I’m passionate about Merinos, I think they offer such a great product, and I want to see them boom.”
He hopes his upcoming study tours will open his eyes to different world markets.
“I want to see how it works in other countries, the good, the bad and the ugly,” he said.
“And hopefully it will give me some really strong ideas on what drives strong industries to be great, and hopefully I can bring that back to the Australian industry.”
Chair of Nuffield’s Victorian State Committee, and 2013 Nuffield Scholar, Matthew Ipsen said the selection of Ms Shields and Mr Close was reflective of the state’s proud history of agricultural innovation and growth.
“Victorian agriculture has a very positive story to tell, producing and exporting almost $12 billion of food and fibre every year, more than any Australian state,” Mr Ipsen said.
“Both Natasha and Anthony will research topics of great importance to our state, such as its commitment towards more sustainable packaging for fresh produce, and promoting Australian wool, one of the world’s most in-demand natural fibres.
“With the generous support of their investors, Natasha and Anthony are about to start the journey of a lifetime as they travel the world researching solutions to grow a stronger and more sustainable agricultural sector.”
