Teach next generation to say 'yes' to ag

Kicking off the conference, guest speaker Kari Moffat said that advice served her "extremely well" in the past few years.

"If I could give students one bit of advice, it would be to say yes to opportunities and then figure out how you are going to do it later," she said.

"Don't let fear hold you back, because the ag industry is run by those that show up."

Ms Moffat elaborated on her career journey, from quitting equine studies at Marcus Oldham to become the only female stockperson on export cattle ships to animal welfare compliance and now the sustainability manager of large-scale Australian-owned ag investment company AAM in Darwin.

She was also involved in addressing a professional development gap in the live export community for young people, by creating the Young Live Exporters Network.

Ms Moffat said being part of this network, and eventually chairing the committee, was one of the "best decision (she) had ever made".

"It was definitely not easy, there was a lot of work involved, but it was extremely fun to do at the time, and it was extremely rewarding to see young people start out as a member to then go on to work for an exporter or work in a role that came from making that connection through the network," she said.

"Networks and relationships are really key in this industry.

"I landed my dream job because of the networks that I had built over the past few years.

"I really encourage students to get involved in local, state or national industry bodies in the sector that they are interested in pursuing a career in. They provide structure, networks, conferences, as well as a number of youth development programs that are there if they just apply."

Ms Moffat encouraged educators to reach out to and industry that was "extremely generous with their time and money" and support for students.

Fellow keynote speaker Kelly Johnson, Mypolonga, implored conference attendees to incorporate food dehyration into their curriculums to educate students about food production, while also minimising waste.

Ms Johnson is the founder and owner of innovative business Woodlane Orchard, and new brand SPhiker, which creates dehydrated food products and meals, with a focus on sustainability, zero waste and a circular economy.

"We make sure from the start to the end, there's as little waste as possible," she said.

"Food waste is massive, so it's really important to educate people from the ground up about what we can do in little ways. If everyone in this room tomorrow does one new thing, it changes the world very quickly."

She suggested food dehydration was not just relevant to school ag departments either, with opportunities for other sectors of education.

"I've seen kids eat the most disgusting mash ups that they made - kids will eat anything if they did it, and they've got control," she said.

"But they're also learning too. When dehydrating a kilo of anything, if I get 10 per cent back as a product, I'm really happy. Something like zucchini is going to dry down to about 5pc of its original weight. So when you go to create your food, you have to really think about your measurements, that's involving maths.

"Or if you're out hiking as part of physical education, or school camps, the kids can make their hike food - now it's involving home economics. Once you teach them how easy dehydrating is, you're really going to educate them about how easy it is to save surplus food."

Ms Johnson said fruit straps were also an untapped fundraising opportunity for schools.

"In terms of school fundraising drives, make fruit straps and you're on a money winner," she said.

Former shearer and Australian Wool Innovation consultant Lachlan West, Hobart, talked about the ways educators could get students involved in the wool industry, including through the Schools Merino Wether Challenge.

He was involved in expanding the competition into Vic and Tas, after successful programs in SA and NSW, and spoke of the desire to create a national competition for younger students in years 9-11.

He also went through the 'Your future in Wool' online booklet, which could help students align their skills, knowledge and interests with relevant jobs in the wool industry.

More than 80 teachers, trainers and other allied professionals from across the country attended the three-day conference, which also included presentations and workshops from other industry leaders, trade stalls, and tours of local, innovative agriculture-related businesses.