What are the Education Needs of Agriculture?

David SackettManaging Director, Growth Farms

6th June 2013

Growth Farms

• Manage 28 farms, total value $350m• 96,000 ha• 150,000 sheep• 46,000 bales cotton• 67,000 t cereal and oilseed• 80,000 t sugar cane• 14,000 cattle

The Growth Farms People

• Approx 70 staff• Specialists rather than generalists– 55 on farms + casuals• Average manager 38 yo, 50% have tertiary qual.

– 7 Area/Group Managers• Average 46 yo, 86% tertiary qual.

– 8 Admin

The Big Trends

20,000

• Fewer farmers (1,500 pa)

• Peasants v Professionals

• Replace people with capital

• Increasingly complex – technically, financially, accountability

The Big Trends

• Attract, retain and remunerate good people

• Specialists

• Evidence based

• Appropriate qualifications– Certificate to post graduate

What do we need to meet the trends?

GF Management Structure

Assets Under Management

Some GF Challenges

• Plenty of interest at “farm manager” level– Find the good ones (need scale, profit share?)

• Plenty of interest at “analyst” level– Good technically, lack “systems” or “big picture”– Need post grad?

• Lack of R&D for us to implement.

Some Industry Challenges

• We need to attract brighter kids into Ag.– tho we still need some drones!

• Fewer but better tertiary institutions.– undergraduate– postgraduate

• More attractive careers for researchers– Pick winners and secure them for life?