This week marked my fifteenth Horizon Scholar Summit as a facilitator. Since 2010, this program has given me the privilege of guiding future leaders of Australian agriculture and rural industries on a transformative journey. Each year, I've collaborated with AgriFutures Australia and the many industry sponsors of the Horizon Scholarship to create a "money can't buy" experience.

It’s exciting today to be working with and showcasing the work of Australia’s 15 Rural Research and Development Corporations (RDCs), and to facilitate the Research & Development Impact Showcase in Canberra. The R&D Impact Showcase is allowing us the opportunity to see firsthand the collaborative research, development and extension efforts of our Research and Development Corporations (RDCs) that are shaping our agriculture, fibre, fisheries and forestry sectors.

How lucky am I to work alongside such trailblazing innovators? For the past eight weeks, I've been working with the inaugural AgriFutures growAG Catalyst cohort, seven amazing women in agrifood tech and innovation from across Australia and New Zealand.

With all the ideas, money and power in the world, how does Australia use its exceptional edge to be a global leader in agricultural production and sustainability? What followed was one of the most colourful conversations I have enjoyed moderating.

I had the privilege of conducting a fascinating interview with internationally recognized First Nations artists Nyunmiti Burton and Skye O'Meara from the APY Art Centre Collective. This conversation took place in the lead-up to the 2022 Social Enterprise World Forum.

One of my absolute joys is facilitating groups of leaders (especially emerging leaders) and working in one-on-one and small-group settings. That is why I have loved working as the Chief Facilitator of the 2024 EvokeAg Future Young Leaders program. They have been such a talented and profoundly reflective group, focusing on sustainability and improving access to innovation. As a cohort, they have their finger on the pulse—improving access to technology, international experience, and innovative approaches to improving the sustainability of farming, aquaculture, and livestock.

Being in Perth for AgriFutures Australia's evokeAG has been an extraordinary experience, facilitating agenda-setting conversations that resonate far beyond the conference walls. With over 1800 delegates from around the world, collaborating on this world-class event with AgriFutures Australia and leaders across agrifood tech in Australia, New Zealand, and Asia has been truly inspiring.

I had the honour of chairing a thought-provoking conversation earlier this year at AgriFutures evokeAG. I had the pleasure of discussing this groundbreaking initiative with Jim Fader, CEO of Eden Brew, and Michael Hampson, CEO of Norco Co-operative.

A podcast conversation with my partner Kat Kats and broadcaster Metlem Burak, on Buffer-Out! a podcast series by the Home for Cooperation in Cyprus. In this half-hour conversation, Kat and I reflect on our work Awaiting Your Response, an art project based on the 134 love letters the Cypriot grandparents of Kat Kats sent to each other in the 1960s. This was such a joyous conversation, Metlem is so deeply thoughtful, and I can't wait for this work to take its next steps.

“What can we do to ensure that every young person in rural and regional Australia has that chance to shine and to flourish? Have pathways for their skills? How do we change the narrative? So young people in rural and regional Australia feel like they don't have to leave if they're talented, they can stay… Or they can boomerang in and out to rural and regional Australia with their careers in their lives. And they can be making rural and regional Australia better.” Bryce Ives

Working with Regional Arts Australia alongside eighty extraordinary creatives from across rural and regional Australia (and a generous and thoughtful team of co-facilitators) has been a real joy and pleasure. Across the morning, we unpacked three thought-provoking questions, set to guide the conversations and challenges as the Artlands delegates envision regional creatives influencing every industry, fuelling vibrant and sustainable communities, and connecting all of regional Australia to the creative vibrancy of place.

This report was commissioned following rich and valuable conversations at the 2022 AgriFutures Stakeholder Summit, which bought together 42 Horizon Scholars, their sponsors, 30 secondary students from Albury-Wodonga, AgriFutures Board Members, and other industry stakeholders to unpack the future of agriculture and its workforce.

As the Chief Facilitator of the AgriFutures Stakeholder Summit in Cairns, I had the privilege of designing and facilitating a program that fostered significant connection and collaboration among participants. Set against the vibrant backdrop of innovation in Far North Queensland and the Tropics, this summit was an opportunity to explore diverse agricultural sectors and build lasting relationships

The report that I co-authored with AgriFutures Australia is making quite the splash, sparking engaging conversations all around.

There is something truly exhilarating about zooming up and zooming down, diving headfirst into the compelling issues and themes that weave through the tapestry of rural and regional Australia. But let me tell you, being on the road, visiting these communities, and connecting with the Regional Australia Institutes Regionalisation Ambition is more than just a privilege—it's an adventure of epic proportions!