I’ve always thought of leadership as an action, not a position.
It’s a chance to lead the conversation, to strengthen production outcomes, and build confidence in the next generation to commit to agriculture.
Taking on a third term as General President of AgForce comes with huge responsibility, not least because telling our story, engaging with the broader community, and building diversity has never been more critical than it is right now.
We only have to look at chaotic scenes from overseas as Dutch farmers protest against government proposals to tackle nitrogen emissions, to know that we need to stand together on climate action.
Closer to home, New Zealand looks set to become the first country in the world to make farmers pay for their livestock emissions as part of the government’s efforts to carve agriculture out of their formal emissions trading scheme.
In contrast, Queensland is about to embark on a Low Emissions Pathway plan – collaboratively developed over two years between AgForce, industry, and the State Government.
Having an industry as an equal in critical conversations means we are dealt a hand in the game – no punitive taxes, rather an approach that will incentivise and allow agriculture to grow.
At AgForce we see this proactive engagement across many areas.
Without it, and the ongoing strengthening of our advocacy work, we would face an increasingly bleak future, led by those who do not understand the opportunities Australia has to offer through its agricultural industry, beautiful landscapes and resilient regional and rural communities.
There is plenty more to be done as we continue the journey, but I am enormously proud of what we have achieved to date, and excited to see what the next two years will bring.
In the run up to our AGM in November, it’s business as usual for me with the existing Board at the helm.
After that, the new line-up will take over and I look forward to leading the way as we leverage our foundations and dig deeper – forever standing strong against the challenges to come.