The Livestock Collective hosted the third instalment of the nationwide leadership development series Livestock Leaders last month in Adelaide, South Australia.
Focused on developing advocates in the red meat industry the professional development workshop has grown since the pilot program in Perth several months ago with the fourth instalment scheduled for regional New South Wales in November.
In partnership with Meat & Livestock Australia, the objective of the workshops is to promote a collaborative, united livestock sector by providing opportunities for industry stakeholders to represent themselves through positive and effective community engagement. Participants learn skills in communication, social media, content creation and media engagement.
Heidi Wright, Director of Wright Social and one of the key workshop facilitators, is part of a farming family in remote western NSW and understands first-hand the reality of isolation and the powerful role social media plays in helping those in the industry to connect and share as well as educate our biggest industry influencers, our consumer.
“There is a growing confidence, curiosity, and excitement among NSW livestock professionals when it comes to inspiring conversation and fostering connection,” said Ms Wright.
“By being our authentic selves and knowing how to create content that our audience truly values, as well as leveraging latest social media tactics, we grow our capacity as a collective to educate on key themes important to our industry such as environmental sustainability, livestock welfare, supply chain traceability and food safety.”
Rachel Hennessy, dairy producer from the Adelaide Hills with a background in beef production recently completed the Adelaide Livestock Leaders Workshop “I gained and developed an insight into the consumers’ need for transparency in the industry and how as leaders we can provide the ultimate farm experience through social media. As an avid player in developing better and safer animal handling skills within the industry it’s important to promote how we handle our livestock from paddock to plate and provide consumers with the trust they need to be faithful in the agriculture industry,” said Ms Hennessy.
The Livestock Collective is currently looking for expressions of interest for residents of New South Wales. The new website livestockleaders.com.au is the best place to go for updates. The participant costs associated with upcoming courses are supported by Meat and Livestock Australia. To be part of the courses, those interested should fill out the EOI on the website. EOIs will go through an application and selection process by The Livestock Collective and Meat & Livestock Australia.
