While visitors are attending the annual Cootamundra Show, former Showgirl Lucy Collingridge is getting ready for a very different experience.
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Miss Collingridge is heading to Canada later this month to attend the Royal Agricultural Societies of the Commonwealth conference.
She is going to Alberta after are being awarded a scholarship from the Agricultural Societies Council of NSW.
This scholarship recognises Ms Collingridge’s ongoing work with Cootamundra Show, which is being held on Friday and Saturday, October 19 and 20.
“I can’t wait to see the diversity of Canadian agriculture through the study tour and meet many different people from all over the Commonwealth who are all facing similar challenges to us here in Australia,” she said.
“The issues that we are facing here in Australia, in terms of attracting young people in to agriculture, educating consumers about the agricultural industry and succession planning for agricultural shows, are not isolated to here in Australia.
“These problems are being seen around the world and I can’t wait to see how people in other areas are tackling them. I hope to learn as much as possible and expand my networks, then bring it all home to share my new learnings as far and wide as possible.”
Ms Collingridge’s trip to Canada is not her first opportunity to take an in-depth look at overseas farming practices, as she has also been to Argentina and Uruguay to see first hand the agricultural production and government influences on rural industries as part of her university work.
“We visited the Humid Pampas region of Argentina where they have up to two metres of topsoil and 1200 millimetres of rain annually,” she said.
“We were able to learn about intensive beef production, polo horses, and their cropping rotations that focused heavily on soybean production.
“For me, the most interesting part of Argentina was attending a biodiesel plant on the Parana River where they are able to use a special type of boat to source grain from 2000 kilometres upstream of the plant – imagine being able to ship grain from the middle of WA to Dubbo to process.”
Ms Collingridge was fascinated by the differences between agriculture in Australia and in South America.
“We are lucky to have the high standards we do here in Australia, and even though at times producers and visitors can find on-farm biosecurity practices extensive, it is through these high standards and thorough practices we are able to minimise incursions, and lower the spread, of diseases, weeds and pests,” she said.
“We should be very proud of the high quality Australian produce that we can put on the global table.”
Lucy also competed in the international agribusiness case study competition at the 2018 International Food and Agribusiness Management Association world conference, in a team offour students who were all undertaking the unit of study through the University of New England.