Tasmanian Farmers and Graziers Association (TFGA), Media Release, 5 May 2023

Two rural peak bodies in Tasmania are joining forces to identify and help prepare young people for leadership roles in Tasmania’s agriculture sector. This initiative is timely, given that Youth Week Tasmania (YWT) is the largest single celebration of young people on the Tasmanian calendar.

YWT provides young people aged 12-25 years with a unique platform to display their talents and skills, express their views and ideas, raise issues of concern, and to actively participate in events celebrating what it means to be a young person in Tasmania. 

The President of the Tasmanian Farmers and Graziers Association (TFGA), Ian Sauer, said the initiative will be launched on Friday at this year’s Agfest in partnership  with the event’s organiser, Rural Youth.

“The parties have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that provides for up to three leaders in Rural Youth to be mentored and exposed to high-level activities in the TFGA to deliver the agriculture sector’s leaders for years to come,” Mr Sauer said.

“As part of the programme these rural leaders will attend amongst other things, Board and committee meetings of the TFGA, as well as ministerial meetings and forums conducted by the organisation. This will provide opportunities for exposure to people and processes that otherwise would not be experienced, and could prove invaluable in the future, Brady Robins Rural Youth President said.”

Mr Sauer said farming is a rapidly evolving sector with research and technology helping to refine and make more efficient the work of today’s and future farmers.    

“While the TFGA has many young farmer members, we considered the collaborative initiative with Rural Youth to broaden the educative net, and provide particular opportunities for Rural Youth members, and agriculture in general,” he said.

“Farming contributes more than $3.5 billion to the State and is a major pillar of Tasmania’s economy, It therefore makes sense to look at ways of identifying new and younger leaders and continue driving the sector’s growth.”

The State Government has set a target of growing our farm gate value to $10 billion by 2050 which TFGA supports.

“It’s an ambitious target, but one we can achieve with the right leadership and cutting-edge practices,” Mr Sauer said