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Food security on ag summit agenda

STAFF REPORTERThe West Australian
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Four young Australians are heading to Canada to participate in the Global Youth Ag Summit this month.

Hosted by rural youth organisation 4-H Canada, the summit has attracted young adults from around the work to 'share ideas and develop a strategy around the contribution of agriculture in feeding a hungry planet'.

Bayer CropScience and the Future Farmers Network partnered to provide four Australian winners of an essay competition with the opportunity to attend.

Winners were Tiffany Hunt, of Armidale, NSW; Rachael Rodney, of Camden, NSW; Caspar Roxburgh, of Coburg, Victoria; Corbin Schuster, of Freeling, South Australia.

Richard Dickmann, Head of New Business Development at Bayer CropScience, said, "We're excited to send four bright young Australians to join 120 youth from 20 countries in Calgary to discuss food security issues.

"We know there is a shortage of agricultural graduates necessary to meet the current and future need for skilled labour in Agriculture in Australia and the Youth Ag Summit is a unique way to stimulate interest in Australian agriculture as a career of global importance," Mr Dickmann added.

At the week-long event, delegates will review sustainability programs with global business leaders, visit John Deere and AltaGenetics, and workshop solutions to global food security. The expectation is that the team of delegates comes back with actionable ideas on how Australia's new generation of agricultural leaders can drive the country's contribution to the world food challenge.

Delegates will experience elements of Canadian culture, with activities such as a visit to the Calgary Stampede grounds, tours of the Sunterra Market and the CL Ranch, and a day of celebration in Banff.

The delegates will keep travel diaries and document key messages from information sessions on innovation and sustainability in agriculture. From the notes, Bayer and FFN will develop a summary and report which will identify opportunities for Australian agriculture.

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