By Robbie Mitchell
Jenni, Mary, Alison, Sarah and myself will all be road-tripping to Canberra next week to coordinate and attend the first Climate Champion workshop for 2012. The workshop is set to coincide with a National Press Club forum on food security.
The Climate Champion program involves 33 farmers from different regions and enterprises across Australia who are working with scientists to bring climate research to the paddock, and telling researchers what climate tools and information farmers need.
Monday and Tuesday: Jenni Metcalfe and Toss Gascoigne will be running a two-day media and presentation skills workshop for 10 of the 26 Climate Champion farmers attending the week-long workshop.
Wednesday: The Climate Champion workshop kicks off with a mini-conference about Managing climate and emissions on farm, before the GRDC National Press Club Food Security Forum.
Thursday: In the morning we’ll be listening to two talks at ANU’s Finkel Lecture Theatre: Livestock systems in a changing climate by NSW DPI’s Phil Graham and Communicating about climate headed by former Chief of the CSIRO Division of Atmospheric Research Dr Graeme Pearman. In the afternoon we’ll all be heading one hour south to Urila, NSW, to young Climate Champion Pele Cannon’s bee-keeping family farm to see how her family is adapting to climate change.
Friday: Bright and early, we’re back on the climate bus heading north of Canberra to the picturesque Yass Valley, NSW, to see John Ive’s ultra fine wool farm, followed by a visit to Harden, NSW, to see Peter Holding’s fields of grain and adorable lambs.
Be sure to follow all the action on twitter @EconnectTeam