Paddock to Parliament Grains Advocacy Scholarships Announced
GPA and Nufarm are partnering in an exciting new program to develop future grains industry leaders. Three scholarships will provide opportunities to learn directly from experienced advocates with mentoring by grains industry leaders and professionals.
The scholarships for developing new and emerging grains industry leaders include:
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A $10,000 bursary (cash and in-kind) to implement an advocacy action plan.
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Mentoring from experienced grains industry advocates.
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Access to media training and professional networking.
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Opportunities to travel for various events, including local engagement.
We are pleased to announce the three successful recipients are:
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Mr Campbell Dalton
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Dr Jessica Hyles
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Mr Luke Milgate
Campbell Dalton manages his family-owned cropping and livestock farming operation near Griffith in the Riverina and Condobolin in the Central West of NSW.
Summer crops include rice, cotton and corn, depending on commodity and water pricing.
Winter crops of wheat, barley, canola and oats are grown on dryland and irrigated production systems.
The livestock operation produces beef and lamb, and occasionally goats.
Before returning home to the farm in 2011, Campbell completed a Bachelor of Agribusiness through the University of New England and worked as a grain merchant with Cargill.
Dr Jessica Hyles is a CSIRO scientist and grain producer, along with her partner, Jonathan, in the NSW Southern Tablelands.
Their mixed farming operation produces mostly dual-purpose winter crops (wheat, canola) with an occasional summer rotation of buckwheat, and fattens lambs.
They also run an agricultural freight business servicing the east coast of Australia.
Jessica began her science career at the University of Sydney, completing a Master of Agriculture in plant breeding and genetics in 2006, followed by a PhD in 2021.
Her research has delivered genetics and breeding tools for wheat agronomic traits including flowering behaviour, plant architecture, disease resistance and quality.
As a research scientist at CSIRO Agriculture & Food, Jessica leads teams developing biotechnologies for multiple crops, and is exploring ways to fast-track the delivery of novel crops with optimal performance for Australian growers.
Luke Milgate is a fourth-generation grain producer farming in the Serpentine district of Central Victoria along the banks of the Loddon River.
Luke grew up on a family farm in the Wimmera region before moving over to Serpentine in the mid-2010s to continue farming with his wife Prue, their three sons (7, 5 and 2) and Prue's parents, Garry and Kaye Addlem, on a mixed dryland and irrigated cereal and sheep property.
They grow wheat, barley, canola, faba beans and oaten hay, buy in Merino ewes for joining to Border Leicester rams targeting the ewe lamb market, and produce first and second-cross prime lambs.
Luke is passionate about the future of the grains industry, and committed to advocacy in correct agricultural chemical management and usage.
A former member of the GRDC Regional Cropping Solutions Network (RCSN) for the medium rainfall zone, Luke is on the Wimmera Machinery Field Days committee.
He studied a Bachelor of Agriculture (Agronomy) at Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga, and is an alumni of the Marcus Oldham Rural Leadership Program.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who can apply?
The GPA and Nufarm Paddock to Parliament Grains Advocacy Scholarship is open to anyone living in Australia and working in the grains industry with a passion for agricultural advocacy and future leadership.
What does the scholarship include?
The $10,000 bursaries are a combination of cash and in-kind for travel, training, and a local community engagement event.
Potential mentoring events and networking opportunities:
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Visit Nufarm’s Melbourne facility and meet with leadership team
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Attend GPA AGM and post-AGM Board meeting – Monday, July 24
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Attend GPA Policy Council meeting – Monday, July 24 and Tuesday, July 25
- Attend the Australian Grains Industry Conference (AGIC) in Melbourne – Wednesday, July 26 and Thursday, July 27 (Melbourne)
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Attend Monthly GPA Policy Managers’ Meeting
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Regular Mentor Meetings – GPA Grower Board Members/Chief Executive/Media Training
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Attend meetings in Canberra with Industry Groups/Stakeholders
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Local Community Engagement Event on Scholarship Project
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Various industry conferences/Field Days:
- AgQuip, Gunnedah, NSW, August 22-24
- Growing SA, Adelaide Convention Centre, SA, 30 August 30
- Yorke Peninsula Field Days, Paskeville, SA, September 26-28
- Elmore Field Days, Elmore, Victoria, October 3-5.
Previous activities
In April 2019, Grain Producers Australia also delivered a two-day Leadership Forum for growers across Australia.
The Forum included leadership and advocacy training covering communicating with influence, media skills, understanding the parliamentary process, and principles of effective communication in the digital age.
GPA was fortunate to receive funding from the Federal Government’s Leadership in Agriculture Industries Fund for this event.
