2022 Scholarship winners address the Young Beef Producers Forum

The committee of the Young Beef Producers Forum once again kindly offered a time slot for the Lachlan Hughes Foundation.
Joel and Emma Muirhead (2022 Scholarship winners) had a video of their journey to date along with a presentation of their achievements in the regen ag field.
Barb Bishop, Program Coordinator, gave a detailed outline of the new LHF Program. The whole presentation was extremely well received by the 250+ forum participants.

Joel and Emma’s presentation -

"Good morning, we are Joel and Emma Muirhead. Emma and I were both born into beef agriculture some 40 years ago. Growing up not too far from each other at Monto and Theodore, our lives rang agriculture. Emma’s included commercial and stud cattle and mine beef and cropping. We met way back in 1999 and I guess you could say our personal story began when Emma and I purchased Telemark in 2007. Selling the best line of big, sappy, flatback weaners for $370 each, we were officially our own grazing team. We set off on what was to be a rapid journey of growth and discovery. Some steps we shall call major learnings, and others brilliant epiphanies, but the path up to today and beyond was paved out before us whether we knew it or not. 

Our life over the years since 2006 has been enhanced by 4 of the most unique and talented humans, who are watching, learning, and living our journey with us. We are incredibly proud of them, and we know they are proud of us also. These humans being our four amazing children - Madison, Greer, Edwin, and Stirling. 

Over the years we have come to realise that we are in control of how we want to live life, how we make decisions and what we make decisions on. 

We need not follow the exact path of others in the industry, we can choose what we want, and go were our heart wants us to go. So slowly we have drawn ourselves a vision of why we make the decisions we do on farm and a guide to help with decisions in the future. Thanks to the mentorship and training we finally got the crux of it nutted out, that encompasses everything we are passionate about, health of the body, mind, land, and animal, the big and the microscopic. 

Our daily decisions are passed through this holistic approach and list of values and drivers that we hold dear, passion for healthy landscape, animals, people, honesty and humbleness, respect, and openness, uplifting and supportive, curiosity and strength in learning to name just a couple. 

So naturally, as we read through the information regarding Lachlan Hughes’s life and passion, past scholars, the Hughes Family, and the opportunity the Foundation wanted to share, we knew this was an opportunity we really desired. Not only were we excited to meet such an incredible family and alumni of scholars, but we were also excited about what we may be able to give to keep such an idea driving. Here we are honoured to be part of this passion held by Lachlan and Anna, part of the journey forward, part of a family of inspiring people. 

We had lots of goals for this year, as we look back on the year the Foundation has supported us to achieve them all and more.
GOAL 1. Learn through action, how to read our landscape, to retain water and spread fertility under the guidance of landscape pros.
GOAL 2. To capture and record data as evidence and exciting facts that hoof, and tooth really are key in the regenerative process.
GOAL 3. Further increase our knowledge base in areas of livestock mindset, human mindset, soils, and positive succession of flora and fauna.
GOAL 4. To hold ‘catch ups’ on our properties where innovation is encouraged, openness is embraced, uplifting conversation is held, and freedom of thinking is welcomed.
GOAL 5. Learn new skills and fine tune old skills to drive us forward on our journey to improve our land, production of livestock above and below the grass line. 

We are so grateful to the Foundation for giving an opportunity for us to achieve these life changing goals. Through numerous courses, field days, online training, mentorship, on farm visits from professionals, accountability groups, action plans that give us the path forward, strategic plans, policies you name it the Foundation has helped and supported us in so much this year. We are so inspired that it has ignited plans for us to follow our heart and host an annual event that will bring all the elements we hold in our vision together to celebrate our industry and those within the industry and play a huge role in recognising that wherever you are on your journey of life and business, you can be inspired or inspiring. Watch this space."