More than two thirds of the prestigious 2023 Nuffield Australia scholarships have gone to women, marking a significant shift in a program that has previously been dominated by men.
Nuffield scholars are given $30,000 to travel in Australia and overseas to look at ideas, techniques and systems that could be brought back to Australia.
Out of 19 awards, 13 have gone to women to study a diverse range of topics from on-farm productivity, mental health and rural education.
It was the first time more women than men have been awarded the scholarship in its 75-year history.
Nuffield Australia chief executive and 2013 Scholar Jodie Redcliffe says women are driving significant change in agriculture today and the awards recognise that.
"It just goes to show that so much of agriculture is driven by females, either as a farmer or farmer's wife, or those in agribusiness," she said.
"We have agronomists and vets this year as well, so it's really us acknowledging the vital part that the female side of the brain, [what] the female side of agriculture can bring."
Ms Redcliffe said women brought a different, more collaborative approach to agriculture and to the Nuffield scholarship.
"I don't want to be man-bashing at all but we do bring different skills to the table and I think we just need that balance."
The Nuffield Scholars were announced last night at the Nuffield Australia Annual Awards Night and Nuffield Conference, held at Tamworth, NSW.
Fiona Aveyard, a fifth-generation sheep farmer from Peak Hill in NSW, says she will use her scholarship money to explore how the red meat industry can add value to their product.
"We're great at what we do and we're famous as mass exporters of our products, whether it be mining or agriculture, but I really think there are some opportunities there to unbundle the value chain," she said.
She said she had experienced firsthand the challenge to get big or get out, when she and her partner bought up neighbouring properties to get some economies of scale in her farm business.
"We just found our lifestyle a little degraded by that, in terms of our workload increasing ... and we decided we couldn't just keep getting bigger."
Instead she focused on adding value to her meat by boxing up their beef and selling direct to consumers and then producing sausage rolls.
She said it was very pleasing to women getting the lion's share of the recognition by Nuffield Australia this year.
"I think it's fantastic and I applaud Nuffield for showing the role women play, which possibly, during the 75-year history, hasn't been represented."
Nicole Logg, a mixed farmer from Barmedmen in the Riverina, is working on feed supplements for sheep.
She will study pastures and look for ways to reduce costs and labour for farmers.
That included compounds, nutrients or ingredients that would help sheep to digest feed, reduce heat stress and strengthen their immune system.
"If we can keep moving forward, improving animal health, that's really underpinning everything, and if it can save us money it helps the farmer and helps the sheep."
She said she was excited about both travelling to other sheep-producing countries such as New Zealand, Uruguay, Argentina and Spain; and also to be part of this group dominated by women.
"We're still very much in a male-dominated industry, but there's some great females leading the way now. It its great to be part of the journey with them all."
2023 Nuffield Scholars
Queensland
- Jarrod Cook from Stamford, has been awarded the Northern Pastoral Scholarship, and will study the best methods to prepare cattle for feedlot entry to optimise performance
- Tessa Dimond from St George will gain a global perspective on how Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs) affect Australian grain prices and access to international markets
- Regan Lynch from Hughenden will explore ways to improve farm biosecurity attitudes and practices in the Northern Australian beef industry
- Aimee Snowden currently works in Rockhampton, but hails from a family farm in southern NSW. She will study agriculture education models that drive immersive experiences and engage curious minds
- Miriam Villen King from Bargara will study sustainable approaches to growing walnuts in Australia
NSW
- Fiona Aveyard from Peak Hill will explore how to incorporate value-add opportunities into the red meat industry
- Tim Houston from Mungindi will research how to sustainably transition land from grazing to cropping, including cotton
- Nicole Logg from Barmedman will investigate nutritional options for supplementing sheep effectively
- Jackie Morrison from McLeans Ridges will study Integrated Pest Management and how it can support the Australian industry’s fight against Varroa destructor mite
Western Australia
- Daniel Dempster from Goomalling will explore the economic implications of adopting the agricultural farming practices focused on total soil cover, minimal soil disturbance, high plant species diversity and livestock incorporation
- Rebecca Kelly from Mingenew will explore ways to help farmers in negotiations with energy companies, for example if they want to explore or extract resources from their land
- Alys McKeough from Carnarvon will explore emerging technology to improve property-wide connectivity, which could boost efficiency and productivity along with improving rangeland condition in the pastoral industry
South Australia
- Alexander Copper from Auburn will study drought-tolerant wine varieties that could be introduced to Australia
- Sammy McIntyre from Parawa will study how enriching feedlot environments to encourage natural behaviours can benefit the sheep industry
Tasmania
- Iain Field from Copping will study how to increase ecological literacy and biodiversity on farms for sustainability
- Joana Ferreira Mendes from Geeveston will visit key aquaculture-producing countries and bring back insights and innovations to help the Australian industry farm fish more sustainably
Northern Territory
- Jodie Mitchell from Newcastle Waters will explore ways to improve raising young cattle in northern/sub-tropical environments
Victoria
- Sarah Crosthwaite from Kergunyah South will study how different agricultural sectors across the world support their producers’ mental health, especially in a changing climate
ACT
Nuffield Australia and CSIRO have an established partnership that promotes understanding between Australian scientific research and our agricultural industry
In 2023, Dr Vivien (Viv) Rolland will be the sixth CSIRO scientist to participate in two key components of the Nuffield program: the Contemporary Scholars Conference (CSC) and the Global Focus Program (GFP)
