Agriculture is exposed to a complex tangle of laws, trade agreements, and competing visions of the future. For farmers, adjustments by legislators at any level of government can have an impact. So while policy is often an afterthought for operators in tech, the pressure for farmers to be engaged and represented in the formulation of new policy is real.

It’s for this reason that ag has always invested deeply in advocacy groups. Our guest this week is Emma Germano, President of The Victorian Farmers Federation (VFF) and Managing Director of her family’s fruit and vegetable business, I Love Farms.

Almost two years into her tenure as President of an advocacy group that positions itself as “the voice of Victorian farmers and rural communities,” Emma joins us to speak about:

• What interests and skills led her to advocacy and working with the VFF
• The role of ag advocacy groups and the ROI they deliver for growers
• Why advocacy groups are under pressure to engage a new generation of members in regional communities
• What Emma sees as the central issues for Australian agricultural advocacy

Useful Links:

• Nuffield Australia
• What’s the role of government in agtech ecosystems? (Podcast episode)
• Australian Farm Institute - Is Agricultural Advocacy Future Fit?

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