Chairman's Column

G’day all.
Well, it has certainly been another busy and exciting month for the Agfest Committee. With the  Tasmanian Government’s Framework for COVID-19 Safe Events and Activities now released, we are pleased that Tassie can finally start getting back to "normal"  on the event scene.
Although some guidelines don’t quite fit our requirements, we are really looking forward to working with Events Tas and all relevant government departments on creating our COVID safe plan and to have you all back in the paddock at Quercus for four days from  5-8 May. So far, we have received a very positive reception from the authorities who have a clear understanding of how our field days operate and what guidelines are practical, workable and reasonable considering the size of our property.
Applications are still coming in pretty steadily, so a huge thank you to all who have so far submitted their details.Our selection team is already starting to put the puzzle together on creating an amazing showcase of exhibitors. If you have not filled out the online exhibitor application form, jump straight to it! Applications close on 1 December and we don’t want you to miss out.
Once again, it is a pleasure to work with our hugely appreciated event sponsors and to see them all jumping on board for 2021 is amazing. We can’t thank them enough. A couple of our media partners in particular have just been finalised, including  Seven Tasmania (our TV partner) and the Tasmanian Country (the Official Agfest Newspaper), so make sure you grab the next edition to keep up to date with everything agricultural.
Our members and Jade have been flat out keeping Quercus looking amazing with plenty of spring cleaning and mowing. It has certainly been a long time since we have seen the site looking so green and lush. It’s a credit to you all!
Well, that’s it from me. Have a great month and I can’t wait to update you again just before Christmas on the latest from the Agfest field days.

Cheers, 
Ethan Williams 
Agfest 2021 Chairman  

From the Paddock - Quercus is for Hire

Drone image of Function Centre and Accommodation block taken by Caretaker - Jade Hall.

Big event? Small event? Quercus Park has an area to suit your occasion!  From a fully equipped Function Centre and kitchen to a purpose-built Equine Arena – and everything in between, we have the unique, relaxing venue for you. Our site is only 20kms out of Launceston, has ample parking space, large sheds and newly completed accommodation and ablution block for the overnighters. Please contact Rural Youth Tasmania Head Office for our Site Hire Package and our full list of offerings on (03) 6331-6154 or admin@ruralyouth.com.au. We can work with you to make your event a fabulous success!

The latest from the Event Desk

Paddock planning is in full swing and we are very busy checking all the applications coming in. With only 14 days to go before applications close, we encourage you to submit your application today!
Our selection committee will commence site allocations on 2 December 2020.
We are currently working with Events Tasmania in relation to how the site will be laid out in 2021 and the Agfest Committee remains absolute that in conjunction with the changes already put on the table, such as all tickets sold online to enable contact tracing, the field days run over four days instead of three and changes to the site layout to more evenly disperse the crowd from known hot spots, Agfest can be delivered safely and compliantly without quadrants.
We will continue to work with all levels of government to achieve a practical and workable site for Agfest in 2021 and will keep you updated.

Did you need undercover space? We have new commercial undercover exhibiting Space available for 2021. Formally known as Craft Pavilions located on the North East side of the site, these sheds are 21m x 30m, have gravel floors with overhead lighting and power.
Contact our administration team on (03) 63-316154 or email support@agfest.com.au to secure your shed.

Don't forget to head to our website to submit your application!

Agfest Committee Spotlight - Caine Evans

Name: Caine Evans

Area of the State where you live: White Beach on the Tasman Peninsula

Agfest Committee title: Vice Chairman

Brief description of your Committee role: The Vice Chairman role is so important in that you support the Chairman and his or her committee to help deliver Agfest for our patrons and exhibitors. It’s a role that sees you maintain a positive outlook within volunteers and the leadership team. Another section of the portfolio also sees you oversee all the community based groups that support Rural Youth in helping deliver Agfest such as rubbish collection, ticket gates the list goes on

Share a snapshot of your Agfest / Rural Youth history: I came to Rural Youth rather later than I should of really through my wife who was State President at the time. After signing up I took on the inaugural role of Agfest Beef and Schools Livestock Teams Director, which took some time and passion developing up over the last three Agfests. I’m also the Property Working Bee Coordinator for Quercus Rural Youth Park and I also sit on the Property Management Working Group

Why did you decide to join Rural Youth: Well, my wife was State President at the time, and I could see the values and leadership that Rural Youth was giving her, and I wanted that as well. I was shocked to find that it also has given me long life friends from right across the State  

What are the key skills you have gained from your involvement in Agfest: Without a shadow of a doubt, leadership and the skills to manage people, playing to their strengths to get outcomes for them, Rural Youth and Agfest. Leadership is one of the hardest skills you can undertake but also the most rewarding. When it all comes together, it's brilliant and that's what we do well at Agfest and Rural Youth, we come together to pull off the biggest field day in Tasmania for over 30 years now  

Describe the most hilarious moment so far of your involvement in the field days: Oh, there are so many to choose from but the funniest and most rewarding is seeing the whole Agfest Committee letting their hair down and dancing in the streets of the site on the last night of Agfest. This happening while our exhibitors are leaving the site is brilliant. I find it to be very reassuring that all the hard work and ten months a year of planning has paid off. 

Three words that best describe you: Passionate, energised and hardworking  

Share a description of any other jobs / voluntary positions you hold: When I’m not on site or wrapped up in the fields days you will find me attending to Tasmania Schools’ grounds and school farm. I also overlook the beef sections as chief steward of the Royal Hobart Show and Brighton Show.
You could say beef cattle are a passion!     

Describe the three activities you love to do on the weekend: Spending time with my two-year-old, boy Morgan,checking the stock on the school farm and watching the V8 supercars in my lazy boy

Favourite movie: Rush Hour One, Two and Three and Lethal Weapon One, Two, Three and Four

Favourite food: Too many to choose from

Favourite book: The Harry Potter series

If you could invite any three people to join you for a dinner party, who would they be: Tough question but Obama, Peter Cosgrove and, if alive, Sir John Monash 

If you could change one thing about the world, what would it be: A much better understanding of the farming sector in the city and how we all can support the rural community to break down the divide between the bush and the city. Farming has developed a great deal, even since I went into the sector, and it’s a message we should be proud of. All Australians should be proud of their 140,000 farmers so let’s get behind them to build a more sustainable way of living. A deeper and more intelligent understanding of the bush is what I would change

Family Pass Giveaway 

Congratulations to Rebecca Maxwell for winning the October Agfest Antics Newsletter double pass. We look forward to welcoming Rebecca to Agfest 2021 back in the paddock!

Community Focus - Hillwood Football Club

Hillwood Committee members,​ Jim Hammersley, Kaye McLean and Bob McLean have worked every Agfest since first being allocated a site in 2006. 

Name of Community Group: Hillwood Football Club

Location of group: Hillwood, a small village of 800 people, 30 kilometres north of Launceston

Two-sentence description of the group’s vision, membership and goals:
The Hillwood Football Club operates from the Hillwood Recreation Ground and is the main social and meeting place for the people of Hillwood and surrounding areas. We are primarily a football club in the NTFA Premier League and were Premiers in 2019 but we also have operating in our facilities a Senior Men’s Eight Ball Club that meets every Friday afternoon and we provide community meals Friday evenings

Number of years exhibited at Agfest: 14 years

Describe the preparation involved to participate in Agfest: Considerable planning in arranging volunteers and the various products that we sell to be able to operate our food van

Describe your site and what you deliver at Agfest: The Hillwood Football Club hires a large self-contained and well equipped food van with fridges, freezers, deep fryers and barbecue facilities. We also have a marquee at the back to supplement our ability to supply a large number of meals through the busiest parts of the day starting with egg and bacon burgers for breakfast at 7am for the on-site vendors

Overview what difference the proceeds you take from Agfest has made to your community / school: As the Hillwood community is only relatively small, Agfest is our main fund raising event for the year. We are very grateful to Agfest for the opportunity and support that they have given us for the last 14 years to be a very small part in their large and successful community and agricultural field day event and we hope this relationship continues for the foreseeable future

Share one memorable Agfest moment: The same people come back every year to purchase and enjoy our food and we have never had any complaints so it is very gratifying to know that our organisation is supplying a product that is well liked and received by the public

In your words, how important is Agfest to Tasmania:
I personally have been attending Agfest since it was operating at Symmons Plains in the very early days and because I was brought up on the land, I have really appreciated the opportunity to be able to see and be informed of everything that is new in the agricultural community.I think that Tasmania is very fortunate to have Rural Youth organise and run such an event. This past year because of COVID-19 things like Agfest and community football were shown to be really missed and they are a very important fabric in our society in keeping people connected and able to mix socially and get some other enjoyments and different benefits from life in general and this particular event

MEDIA SPONSORS CONFIRMED FOR AGFEST 2021

TASMANIAN COUNTRY – THE OFFICIAL AGFEST 2021 NEWSPAPER PARTNER

Agfest is delighted that the Tasmanian Country will again be the Official Agfest Newspaper in 2021.
Recognised as the Voice of Rural Tasmania, the newspaper was purchased by Font Public Relations in July this year to ensure the same great agricultural content is published weekly.
Font PR Partner Brad Stansfield said: “At Font, we believe community and regional newspapers play a vital role in Tasmania’s social and economic life and we are proud to have been able to save the Tasmanian Country from closure.
“This will ensure rural Tasmania continues to have a voice for many years to come.”
Agfest and the Tasmanian Country have a strong and proud history, and as part of the new strategic media partnership, the Tasmanian Country will publish the Agfest 2021 Official Guide in both printed and electronic flip book formats.
Agfest Chairman Ethan Williams said the entire Agfest and Rural Youth family was extremely appreciative of the Tasmanian Country’s sponsorship, and encouraged all exhibitors to support the newspaper by subscribing and advertising.

Please contact Karolin MacGregor karolin@fontpr.com.au regarding editorial ideas via or James Young for advertising opportunities via james@fontpr.com.au

Font PR Partner Brad Stansfield and Rural Youth CEO Karen Robinson attend the opening of the Tasmanian Country office in Launceston

SEVEN TASMANIA - THE OFFICIAL AGFEST 2021 TV PARTNER

Agfest is thrilled to announce that Seven Tasmania will again be the preferred TV partner for the field days in 2021.
We are ever so appreciative of the support of Seven Tasmania to promote both Agfest in the Paddock and Agfest in the Cloud.
The wonderful advertising team will be in contact with all successful Agfest applicants in February to offer a range of fabulous advertising packages to help promote you, your brand, your business and your presence at Agfest 2021.
So, if you are looking to promote your business through a TV advertising package now or prior to Agfest, make sure you call Tess Boric on 0418 816 544 or email Tess.Boric@sca.com.au to inquire about opportunities.
Please join us in sincerely thanking Seven Tasmania for their hugely-appreciated support of Agfest and Rural Youth.

Agfest Diary 

1 December: Exhibitor applications close
31 January: Successful exhibitors notified
1 February: Online ticket sales open
5 – 8 May: Agfest in the Paddock
8 – 15 May: Agfest in the Cloud

We look forward to seeing you at Quercus Park for Agfest in the Paddock from 5 – 8 May and in the Cloud from 8 – 15 May