Supporter Information:
The CBH Group is Australia’s largest co-operative and a leader in the Australian grain industry, with operations extending along the value chain from grain storage, handling, transport, marketing and processing. Owned and controlled by around 4,200 Western Australian grain growers, the core purpose of the CBH Group is to create and return value to growers.
Website: https://www.cbh.com.au
Facebook: cbhgroup
Twitter: @cbhgroup
Lara Ladyman
Nuffield Australia 2017 Scholar
Lara Ladyman, from Katanning in Western Australia, receives a 2017 Nuffield Scholarship supported by the CBH Group (Western Australia).
She will investigate the ‘Future of Food’, from the lab to the paddock to the plate, which she says is about the technologies or drivers of change that will shape how, and what, we will be farming and eating in the future.
Lara is interested in understanding the dramatic changes that are predicted to occur throughout the food production chain over the next two decades, and what that will mean for farmers in an increasingly digital world.
Lara is a director of her family’s farming business, Tennisdale Grazing, a 5680-hectare diversified cropping and livestock business, with operations at Katanning and King Lake. She manages the farming business in conjunction with her father, Rob.
Lara returned to the farm full time in 2014 after a career in agricultural journalism and still works as a freelance journalist. She has received several awards for her rural media stories.
Her research will be particularly relevant in order to prepare for the brave new world which she believes lies ahead for producers. She plans to take a big picture look at evolving technologies, with no holds barred.
“Will we be eating cell cultured meat and 3D printed foods and what will be the future implications for tomorrow’s Aussie farmers,” questions Lara.
“If we know what lies ahead, we can be at the forefront of change and not be left by the wayside of future technologies, consumer trends or government mandates.
“Already there are sensors, satellites, robots and other devices which will increasingly amass data from every farm operation; each plant and animal and likewise across the supply chain.
“We need to think about the questions and opportunities around ownership of the data. It is also vital Australia’s rural-based businesses can access mobile communication and internet capabilities which enable them to capitalise on the possibilities this data creates.”
Lara will travel to the United States, China, Canada, the United Kingdom and European Union.