VICTORIAN woman Lauren Peterson hopes her new leadership skills will help her break the silo mentality that invades dairy farms and communities across south-west Victoria.
A recipient of one of six Victorian Regional Community Leadership Program scholarships, sponsored by the Gardiner Dairy Foundation, Ms Peterson hopes to nurture and empower leadership opportunities within regional dairy communities.
As she completes the 2018 Leadership Great South Coast program, Ms Peterson is already planning how to use her new-found confidence and skills to make a difference on farms and in local communities.
“We have a wealth of experience, resources and skills in the dairy industry, but we tend to work in silos,” she said.
“Through the leadership program I discovered the same thing applies in our broader community; we’re working on the same sort of issues in silos rather than collaborating effectively and leveraging the resources and skills we have.”
Originally from Melbourne, Lauren and her partner Tony Hassett moved to the south-west four years ago to follow their dairy farming dream.
They now share-farm at Naroghid east of Warrnambool and have become strong advocates for the industry.
Along with personal and professional development, Ms Peterson hoped the leadership program would broaden her knowledge of local industries and communities.
She has already uncovered a lack of understanding about the importance of the local dairy industry.
“I was shocked by how little people knew about dairy and agriculture in general; it bought home to me how important it is to tell positive stories about our industry.
“There are a lot of challenges but often all you hear in the media are the negative things; we need to have honest conversations about the positives and the challenges and come up with real solutions.
“I want to bring dairy to the rest of the community.”
Leadership Great South Coast aims to connect and develop leaders, empowering them to do great things and Ms Peterson is determined to continue making a mark.
“Our responsibility does not end at the end of the course,” she said.
“We have now got a responsibility to walk the talk.”
As a newcomer to dairy in 2014, Ms Peterson appreciated all the help she could find and is now returning the favour to the industry and beyond.
“I’ll continue trying to make a difference in my UDV role and helping the Great South Coast Economic Migration project that helps families from an African background to relocate from Melbourne to regional areas,” she said.
The program is a partnership between Leadership Great South Coast, iGen Foundation and the Great Lakes Agency for Peace and Development International.
This year it is hoped up to 10 families will relocate to Glenelg Shire, mostly in the Casterton area, following similar success in Hamilton last year.
“Many of these families came from regional and agricultural backgrounds so living in Melbourne is not the best outcome,” Ms Peterson said.
“By coming here, they contribute to the population, diversity and economic growth of our region.”
