Community
17 January, 2025
Youth camp introduces young people to dairy industry
MORE than 40 young people from across Victoria and South Australia enjoyed a taste of the dairy industry at a camp in Noorat early January.
The Western District Youth Camp was held at the Noorat Showgrounds from January 6-8 and attracted a capacity 44 participants aged 8-16 from Gippsland, northern Victoria, south-east South Australia and the local community.
The camp, revived last year after a three-year hiatus, aimed to introduce a new generation of young people to the world of dairy cattle.
Organising committee member Bryan Dickson said the 2024 camp was a resounding success and this year’s event had also been fully subscribed.
Mr Dickson said there was a strong focus on education and dairy career pathways, along with animal husbandry and raising cattle.
There was also opportunities for participants to learn about showing cattle, which culminated in a handling competition.
Representatives from WestVic Dairy, DemoDAIRY Foundation and the Timboon Agriculture Project were on hand to discuss potential career opportunities and pathways in the dairy industry.
There was also talks from people who have shown and judged cattle in competitions around Australia and USA.
The camp received strong support from the industry, including major sponsors DemoDAIRY Foundation, Genetics Australia and Jefo.
Mr Dickson said support from sponsors was essential for the success of the event to support the future of the dairy industry.
“The basic reason for running the camp is to get young people interested in dairying and agriculture in general,” Mr Dickson said.
“A lot of kids who did agricultural programs at school became dairy farmers because of that exposure, and we want to inspire the next generation to do the same.
“Some kids who attended last year from Melbourne had never been on a farm before or had any involvement with cows and they got a lot out of it. Gone are the days when most people had a relative on a farm that they could visit.”
Most of the participants had some farming background but some were introduced to agriculture for the first time.
Mr Dickson said the camp had been fully booked, with people on a waiting list.
“It was a good number and we weren’t able to take any more, but it shows the level of interest in dairy and agriculture,” he said.
