True impact is made by those who show up

This year NSW Farmers Association had the privilege of representing Young Farmers at the AgriConnects networking event, alongside the ASC of NSW NextGen and the Royal Agricultural Society of NSW Youth Group, sharing the stage on what it means to be a member of our organisations.

The discussion that followed was of even more importance as our AgriYouth were encouraged to explore a two part challenge on an issue in the community or sector they are particularly passionate about, and question how to make a greater impact on that issue through advocacy.

NSW Farmers Association is a highly respected organisation made up of renowned advocates for our agricultural industries and rural communities. At the event, we asked participants to think about how they can get their voice heard in their local communities.

We heard that there are a lot of issues our young farmers are passionate about, but access to decision-makers is a key barrier, as well as finding the time to be a dedicated advocate.

It was great to see our new Minister for Agriculture, MP Adam Marshall (pictured), join the attendees in this discussion - proving that true impact in the world is made by those who show up.

Our facilitator was capturing the common themes of the day and as the word cloud shape-shifted with blue-sky thinking, we were pictured with the keys (be it local or global) that we can all take up - writing a letter, talking to a new person, sharing information or trying something we haven't done before. In the words of Henry Ford "If you think you can or you think you can't, you're right".

Thank you to all our phenomenal speakers and attendees for making this such an extraordinary conversation.