Sandy Laurie and Angus Groves welcomed business representatives to the final Ag Week dinner. Angus and Sandy are both alumni of St Alberts College, graduating from UNE in 2015. Angus studied a Bachelor of Agriculture/ Bachelor of Business, and Sandy completed his degree of Bachelor of Agricultural & Resource Economics.
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The dinner was a further opportunity for discussion about corporate and family farming. The summary of the Thursday symposium that both corporate and family farming still has a place in Australian agriculture. Master of Ceremonies of the dinner are now co-founders of their Hops business, "Barrington Hops" with Angus's younger brother Rob. They now grow specialty hops for craft brewers with a focus on flavour and aroma, targeting local NSW breweries.
They have been growing for approximately 12 months and are currently expanding.The Farming Futures dinner on Friday evening brings together all six colleges and their diverse range of students. In addition to the 200 students attending the dinner, there are many special invited guests who again will have an opportunity to meet Vice-Chancellor and CEO Brigid Heywood, and many industry representatives.
The guest speaker Airlie Landale is the founder of Farm Table and Farmer Exchange, an online platform which connects modern farmers with the latest research and resources. Airlie was recently a member of Industry Advisory Group for the Government's Farm Cooperatives and Collaboration Pilot Program.
Airlie is the Founder and Managing Director of Farm Table and Farmer Exchange, an online platform which connects modern farmers with the latest research and resources, and to each other, to help them to navigate the complexities of farming.
Airlie was recently a member of Industry Advisory Group for the Government's Farm Cooperatives and Collaboration Pilot Program. She was also named a 2016 "Tomorrow Maker" by the AMP Foundation, a 2015 RAS NSW Rural Young Achiever and 2015 Woolworths Agribusiness Scholar. Farmer Exchange was recently named a Top Ten Finalist in the Regional Australia Institute's Lightbulb Moments competition.
The Industry Dinner attracts over 300 attendees, which included corporate sponsors, industry representatives, academics, and students with a small auction to raise funds towards a charity of the committee's choice.