Leongatha South dairy farmer Benjamin Vagg says it's time for farmers to speak out and show the world what they have to offer.
Mr Vagg, who has recently taken on a senior role with the United Dairyfarmers of Victoria (UDV), said the views of farmers were too often ignored but they would become more important as the world mees the challenge of feeding a growing population.
He said his involvement as a Gardiner Dairy Foundation sponsored participant in the Gippsland Community Leadership program in 2017 helped to inspire his community focus.
The third-generation farmer is now assistant manager on the family farm milking 420 cows, an increase of 32 on last year.
"We have a strategy to keep growing, the milk price and a good season have helped that," he said.
The 30-year-old worked as an agronomist and studied at La Trobe University and Massey University in New Zealand, before returning to the farm in 2017 while finishing his Masters in Agri-Commerce.
This is his first full season on the farm and, motivated by the leadership program, he wants to make sure farmers are heard and respected.
"I've always been interested in representation, leadership and community involvement," he said.
"Because farm businesses have got bigger and more involved, farmers have kind of vacated the representation space.
"Farmers' ability to understand complex problems and break them down to simple solutions is still there, and the community is crying out for that."
He said the program helped to "knock off some edges" in his personality.
"I've probably still got a few edges but now I'm a lot more aware of them and how I present myself," he said.
"I can be quite direct which can be confronting, even though it's not meant to be."
He said the program helped him to make links across the community and consider issues facing farmers in other areas, such as drought in East Gippsland, water in northern Victoria or power supply in western Victoria.
"Those connections brought their plight to my attention and I hope to advocate on their behalf," he said.
Mr Vagg is the district regional representative for the UDV and was recently appointed to the policy council to fill a casual vacancy.
"The broader community, not just Gippsland, needs to hear what farmers have to say," he said.
"Farmers and rural communities are sometimes easy votes so we're constantly ignored."
However, he said farmers can help to change that.
"I want to see the language change when farmers describe their successes," he said.
"They do it tough here and there but they are successful if they're still doing it; they're entrepreneurs, the grass roots of their communities.
"If they change how they describe themselves that will improve how the community perceives them.
"We don't just provide food, we're the backbone of the community and we need to highlight the professionalism that's involved."
He said he was still "too young and too green" to run an organisation or stand for council but he wanted to continue developing his leadership qualities.