Livestock Improvement Corp signs agreement with rural leaders to boost its support

Farmer-owned co-operative LIC is committed to further enabling rural business professionals and farmers to flourish at a time when career opportunities on and around farms are strong says LIC Chief Executive Wayne McNee.

LIC has strengthened its support for growing the next generation of primary sector leaders with the signing of a three-year agreement with Rural Leaders which runs the highly-respected Nuffield Farming Scholarship and Kellogg Rural Leadership programmes.

Farmer-owned co-operative LIC is committed to further enabling rural business professionals and farmers to flourish at a time when career opportunities on and around farms are strong says LIC Chief Executive Wayne McNee.

“We’re proud to have strengthened our partnership with Rural Leaders having previously had an association for five years,” he explains. “We’re excited to further cement our support for the future leaders our sector needs to retain and grow if we are to maintain global status as a world-class provider of agritech, food and products. We need leaders with passion and depth to navigate the challenges and opportunities being faced. Like Rural Leaders, LIC is focused on empowering people to grow and we’re delighted to be working with Rural Leaders to support more talented Kiwis to embark on forthcoming Nuffield and Kellogg programmes.”

LIC Shareholder Council chair Mark Meyer and LIC staff Nick de Ridder and Andrew Savage are among those to have completed the Kellogg Programme with the co-operative’s support while LIC chair Murray King has been a recipient of both a Kellogg scholarship in 2001 and a Nuffield scholarship two years later.

 Rural Leaders’ CEO Chris Parsons says he’s delighted to continue the relationship with LIC. “We very much appreciate their investment in the future of primary sector leadership. Like LIC, we believe there’s always room for improvement. To that end, we believe that investing in and supporting the next generation of leaders to develop their focus and foresight, to build great teams and to steward our environment, will help build flourishing rural communities, and accelerate an export-led recovery of our economy. Ultimately, growing world-class rural leaders plays a part in exporting New Zealand influence globally.”

 As part of its partner programme with Rural Leaders, LIC will have the opportunity to host international speakers and groups for its 10,000-plus farmer shareholders to access and learn from.

The Kellogg Rural Leadership programme has two intakes a year while five Nuffield Farming Scholarship is awarded annually to individuals expected to assume greater positions of influence in their field in the future. These commitments to development, alongside the Government investment of $19.3 million to get 10,000 people into primary sector jobs, bodes well for a flourishing primary sector and farming future.