The inaugural NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) Nuffield Farming Scholarship has been awarded to Hunter Valley producer, Sarah Sivyer, who aims to optimise farming brands by building transparency into the business.
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NSW DPI Business Resilience Program manager, Sonia Muir, said the department’s Young Farmer Business Program identified the need to invest in developing young farmers’ leadership skills and cultivate industry innovation.
“Our sponsorship will enable Ms Sivyer to investigate how producers can optimise trust in their brand by leveraging a culture of continuous improvement,” Ms Muir said.
“The 2018 Nuffield Scholarship will allow Ms Sivyer to focus her research on building transparency in business and implementing practical and proactive measures to manage issues, including biosecurity management.”
A fifth-generation farmer, Ms Sivyer runs a beef and pastured egg operation at Eccleston, consisting of a 350-cow and calf operation, steer-finishing and egg production, with 1500 layers producing close to 10,000 eggs per week.
“My background in continuous improvement and innovation has been advantageous to our business operations and what we are doing on the farm,” Ms Sivyer said.
“Our premium product and a new subscription distribution method allowed us to grow the business and initiate conversations with our customers about biosecurity, a critically important issue for farmers, which is often misunderstood by the broader community.
“Simply differentiating a product based on premium quality is not enough - we focussed on continuous improvement and innovation as a way of striving for improved production, to better meet the needs of our livestock and customers, now and into the future.”
With a Master of Business Administration from Oxford University, Ms Sivyer is well-placed to take advantage of the study opportunity, which includes travel to Italy, the Netherlands, Japan and the United Kingdom.
Nuffield Australia Farming Scholarships’ unique program awards primary producers with a life-changing opportunity to travel overseas and study an agricultural topic of choice.
NSW DPI sponsorship of the award fits with its goals to increase the value of primary industries and drive economic growth across NSW.