Thank you to Victoria Taylor 
The staff and board of PIEFA would like to thank long-time newsletter editor, Victoria Taylor, for her great work and dedication over the last four years. Victoria has helped take the newsletter to the monthly fountain of information it is today. We wish Victoria all the best for her future ventures.

PIEFA would also like to welcome experienced communications and PR professional Polly McDougall to the role. Based in the Riverina, Polly spent years working with the respected organisation Sauce Communications before branching out on her own. We look forward to her future work and support.

A reminder that all articles for the newsletter can be submitted to info@piefa.edu.au. The deadline for submissions is the 15th of each month.

PIEFA Conference 2018: Food & Fibre - the original STEM  
'Food & Fibre - the original STEM' is the theme of PIEFA's 2018 conference to be held at the Realm Hotel, Canberra from 29 April to 1 May 2018. Join classroom practitioners, thought leaders, and champions from the education, industry and government sectors as they come together to put food and fibre education into the curriculum.
REGISTER NOW 

Guest speaker Bernard 'Smashed Avo' Salt 
PIEFA is excited to announce that leading Australian social commentator and trend spotter Bernard 'Smashed Avocado' Salt will be the 2017 Conference Dinner speaker. Bernard will offer his unique insights into the urban/rural divide, the future of the food and fibre industry and the challenges in attracting young people into the workforce.

Register now to win FREE tickets 
Register for the PIEFA Conference before 31 December 2017 to go into a random draw for a complimentary ticket (valued at $120) to the Conference Dinner with Bernard Salt. 
REGISTER NOW 

Conference sponsorship opportunities still available 
Thank you to our wonderful conference sponsors who are providing their support to make the 2018 PIEFA Conference the best yet. Thank you to Rabobank, Queensland Agricultural Training Colleges, Australian Wool Innovation, drumMUSTER and MINTRAC.

To explore sponsorship options to ensure your organisation has unprecedented access to Australia’s key educators and influencers, view the sponsorship prospectus online here or contact PIEFA CEO Ben Stockwin on ceo@piefa.edu.au.

 

As term four draws to a close and you look forward to a well-deserved break, remember to check out Primezone for next year's planning. New food and fibre education resources are continually being added to Primezone based on the Australian Curriculum. PIEFA will have new resources coming out in 2018, and many of our members have fantastic resources available for download now!

New plant adaptation resource from Cotton Australia  
Year 5, Science 
Cotton Australia has made available a new resource that addresses the curriculum content of 'structural features and adaptations that help cotton plants to survive in their environment'. It includes a 50-minute lesson on cotton adaptations and student worksheet, which can be easily incorporated into a highly relevant learning sequence in the classroom. 
VIEW RESOURCE 

Sustainability in food production 
Primary school and high school
Target 100 is a Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) supported website providing information and resources about the sustainable production of beef and lamb. These national curriculum study guides have been specially developed for the study of sustainability in food production in order to respond to food security issues in Australia and around the globe.
VIEW RESOURCES

Rural Bank scholarships 
In 2018, Rural Bank will be awarding up to 15 new scholarships to first-time undergraduate university students enrolled in studies that will enable them to contribute to the Australian agricultural industry.
FIND OUT MORE

Rural and regional enterprise scholarships
Students from regional and remote areas can now apply for scholarships valued at up to $18,000 to undertake STEM studies, including in agriculture.
FIND OUT MORE

Archibull winners announced 
Calvary Christian College Senior Campus Carbrook, Queensland was announced the winner of the Grand Champion Archibull for 2017 at a ceremony in Sydney on 21 November. 
CHECK OUT ALL THE WINNERS

Students from Calvary Christian College Carbrook Senior Campus and their teacher being presented their Grand Champion Archibull by Costa Georgiadis.

National Merino Challenge 2018  
In 2018 the National Merino Challenge (NMC) is being held in Adelaide on 19 and 20 May. NMC is a two-day national breeding competition organised by Australian Wool Innovation and is open to students in Year 11 or 12 as well as tertiary students studying at university or TAFE full-time. Students are given realistic and practical insights into the sheep and wool sector, by industry leaders and experts.
FIND OUT MORE
WATCH THE VIDEO

Condition scoring during the 2017 National Merino Challenge.

Connecting ag with the next generation in SA
South Australian feedlot manager Tom Green, the 2017 Young Lot Feeder of the Year, is taking agriculture to the next generation with a ten-week school-based program for five to eight year olds.
READ MORE

Food and fibre camp helps SA students find their path in agriculture 
High school students from across South Australia took the chance to get involved in potential careers in agriculture, as part of the Food and Fibre Education SA Initiative camp.
READ MORE

Farm Table launches 
The Farm Table went live on 9 November 2017 and is an online home for farmers that provides the latest high-quality farming knowledge, services and products to keep farmers and agricultural students on top of the ever-innovating and evolving Australian agricultural industry. 
FIND OUT MORE

Airlie Trescowthick, Founder of Farm Table.

Biosecurity workshop for teachers  
A Smart Farmer is hosting a school biosecurity workshop for teachers on 15 February 2018 at their farm in Camden. The afternoon session will go through the new Livestock Production Assurance on-farm biosecurity plans. For more information contact Jess Micallef on 0430 481 260 or email info@asmartfarmer.com. 

Wool4School 2018 design competition 
Registrations are now open for Wool4School 2018 with amazing opportunities and prize-money for both teachers and students to win. In 2018 students are invited to design an innovative, creative and multi-functional outfit, containing a minimum 80% Merino wool.
FIND OUT MORE
   
Save the date - Food, Fibre and Ag Educators Conference 
AgForce Queensland's Food, Fibre and Ag Educators Conference is happening on 14-17 January 2019. Send expressions of interest to futureag@agforceqld.org.au.