www.tacfarmer.com.au

By AMANDA MILLS

M arcus Oldham College strives

to advance agriculture and

agribusiness through innovative

educational programs and

Research & Development activities. These

prog rams are complimented by the research

and development portfolio by the Centre

for the Study of Agribusiness (CSA). The

CSA is a leader in knowledge development

and knowledge sharing in rural and

regional Australia, and identifies innovative,

entrepreneurial opportun ities for rural and

regional communities and enterprises.

Entrepreneurship is now widely regarded as

an economic development strategy that could

accelerate the growth process by industry

and individuals promoting rural and regional

improvement.

To recognise this, Marcus Oldham recently

hosted a highly successful event in Geelong,

'Innovate the Plate' on the 18th February 20 16,

bringing together the movers and shakers f rom

Agri business, Education and Research, SMEs,

Tourism, Investors and Government/Regional

Development to discover some of the region's

growing supply of Agri entrepreneurs, network

and identify futu re growth opportunities.

The event "Innovate the Plate" was a

celebration of regional and rural producers

passionate about local produce. It's about

giving people an opportunity to share their

entrepreneurial business journeys and to learn

from these stories.

Bringing together people f rom across a

diverse range of sectors can provide important

benefits to identifying new ideas and investment

opportunities. This ultimately leads towards creating

investment, networking and jobs for the future.

'Innovate the Plate', provided an opportunity

to explore the problems in an informal and

uncompetitive setting and allowed for ideas

generat ion and collaborative opportunities to

explore current trends.

MARCH/APRIL 2016 TOWN & COUNTRY FARMER 25

AGRIBUSINESS

ONE OF THE FOOD The event featured award winning guest chefs

PURVEYOR'S MOST POPULAR Nathan Veach and Ashley Kinnersly-King who

HAMPERS; FEATURING SOME prepared an extravagant feast using exquisite

OF THE FINEST REGIONAL regional produce. In partnership at their French

ARTISAN PRODUCTS. inspired restaurant 'Bistro on Banks', Nathan

and Ashley thrive on cooking with fresh and th e

best local ingredients. They t ravel to Europe and

th rough Australia regularly to seek inspiration

and share their love for food and fresh produce.

A SELECTION OF

RASPBERRIES GROWN

AND HAND-PICKED AT

RAVENS CREEK FARM.

A BIODIVERSE AND

NATURALLY REGENERATING

ENVIRONMENT.

"I love being a small part of the exciting things

that are happening in the area. It's great the way

so many producers, chefs, restaurants, and cafes

support each other. We all want to see Geelong

succeed and create a town that we love and can

be proud of:' Nathan Veach.

The event took place in the warehouse of

local business 'The Food Purveyor', a local and

passionate entrepreneur whose business is

responsible for seeing some of the region's

finest artisan products being distributed

Australia wide.

Other local producers such as Camilo Olives,

Ravens Creek Farms, and Forrest Foods were

all attendees of 'Innovate the Plate: Four local

26 TOWN & COUNTRY FARMER MARCH/APRIL 2016

businesses that provide f resh, unique and

Australian produce in regional Victoria. This

event provides the platform for these producers

to share their journey so far, learn from their

peers and explore opportunities with like­

minded people, wh ilst showcasing the diversity

of the Ag ribusinesses sector in the region as its

popularity as a gourmet destination continues

to grow.

Guests joined in conversation as they heard

f rom passionate producers who shared their

ent repreneurial journeys during an informal 0

& A as the chefs shared with the guests some

of their techniques and creat ive ideas for using

the produce.

Marcus Oldham College, advocates for

local producers and suppliers and provides

them with the opportunity to create credibility,

network and market themselves as industry

professionals. It was an interactive, fun even ing

based around the discovery of some of the

region's burgeon ing innovative and talented

Agribusinesses entrepreneurs, and produce.

"Events like 'Innovate the Plate' put

the spotlight on our leading agribusiness

entrepreneurs and provided insight to their

innovative business journey throughout the

'paddock to plate' process.

Marcus Oldham have recently completed a

three year research project which was funded

by the William Buckland Foundat ion to deliver

a program to assist in building entrepreneurial

rural communities. The program, EntruBIZ,

focussed on building organisational and

ind ividual entrepreneurial capacity in rural

communities, and mentoring these communit ies.

The program offered participants the use of

technology to provide an ongoing educational

experience whilst also building support for

www.tacfarmer.com.au

emerging/existing business networks. This has

allowed the college to establish collaborative

re lationships with national and international

experts in rural entrepreneurship (Peter Kenyon,

Dr Tom Lyons, Don Macke) who have provided

intellectual support to developing a range of

educational resources.

An emerging theme that matters to rural and

regional Australia is the importance of local

entrepreneurs in rebui lding the future of rural

communities and local economies.

"Marcus Oldham College has a track record

of success in providing entrepreneurial

agribusiness education, research and business

leadership to rural Victoria," says Dr Yasmin

Chalmers, Director of The Centre for the Study

of Agribusiness at Marcus Oldham College.

Marcus Oldham College mission is to advance

ag riculture and local business success through

educational programs and events to educate

audiences on the importance of local producers

and suppliers.

The organ isation has built an enviable

reputation both nationally and internationally

for preparing progressive professionals in Farm,

Agribusiness and Equine Business Management

who are equipped to succeed in the emerging

global environment.

HARVESTING TIME AT THE CAMILO'S OLIVE GROVE. THE FINEST

OLIVES ARE SHAKEN FROM THE TREES READY TO GO TO THE

ON-SITE PROCESSING PLANT.

www.tacfarmer.com.au

AGRIBUSINESS

MARCH/ APRIL 20 16 TOWN & COUNTRY FARMER 27