Application process
Applicants will be assessed based on their completed application form and responses to the questions addressing their farming background, their strengths and gaps on farm and their thoughts and plans for the future. There is no specific requirement of skills, experience, duration of farm life, but more a genuine desire and need to learn, develop, improve and receive mentoring to grow.
Applications progressing to stage two (those who have completed a successful application and met the criteria for the program) will be interviewed by the Sprout CEO and Producer Liaison to determine successful producers to join the program in 2024.
application forms
To apply click on the button below to complete the online form
Alternatively, download a copy of the application form as a Word document and email once completed to ollie@sprout.org.au
timeline
Application open date: Monday 14 August 2023, 6:00am.
Application close date: Monday 25 September 2023, 11:59pm.
Application Reviews: Tuesday 26 September to Friday 29 September 2023
The Sprout Panel will conduct a review of applications and all applicants will be contacted by 6 October 2023. Those successful in progressing to Stage 2 will be requested for an interview. Interviews will be conducted Monday 16 – Friday 20 October 2023.
Successful applicants will be contacted on or around Monday 23 October 2022, and will be invited to attend the end of year Growing Good dinner event for the announcement and introduction to the Sprout Community.
If you have questions about this form or anything else to do with the application process or the program, please call Ollie Benson on 0478 616 254, or email ollie@sprout.org.au
FAQS
What is the time commitment required by each participant?
It is a cliché, but the SPP is designed so that you get out what you put in.
Having said that, overall the time commitment is not huge and we try to ensure it is spread throughout the year. There are six field days that each participant is required to attend. These are generally on a weekend and last a full day, and the day is agreed upon after consultation with each of the participants (we acknowledge that some producers attend farmers markets etc). Throughout the year we may also arrange other full day activities and field days to other farms as and when we see opportunities.
Other time commitments include monthly online sessions on Zoom. These last approximately 1-1.5 hours and the dates/times will be arrange after consultation with each participant (again, we recognise some participants may have off-farm jobs and/or families).
Lastly, we estimate the education courses will take between 10-12 hours of time to complete. However the courses are self-directed and can be started and paused at any time. Each time you log in to the Hub you will be taken to where you left off.
Is there much travel involved?
The majority of the travel involved is in attending the five field days outside your own. Each year we try to ensure we have a mix of locations in the group to avoid having a situation where one producer has to travel a long distance to each field day.
What topics are covered in the courses on the Sprout Hub?
The courses broadly fall under two headings. We have four ‘Core Farming’ courses (Soil, Weeds, Pests & Diseases and Biosecurity) and five ‘Core Business’ courses (Business Planning, Customer Experience, Marketing, Social Media and Logistics). The learning is generally self-directed and it is expected that all participants will complete these courses. Participants then have access to the rest of the Sprout Hub which contain supplementary courses such as Chicken Farming and Beekeeping, as well as resources such as webinars.
Are sessions face to face or online?
The field days will take place in person as we rotate around the farms, with each producer hosting their own field day, however we also run monthly online sessions that give the participants a chance to catch up, discuss the latest happenings on farm, and to take part in tutorials as part of the education we offer.
How many places are there available on the SPP?
Each year we aim to offer six places on the program. Over the years we have tried having more producers and now feel that six is the perfect number to ensure each producer gets the full benefits from the opportunities we offer.
What does it cost to take part in the SPP?
We ask each participant for a contribution of $320 and an invoice will be sent to you prior to the program commencing. This contribution assists Sprout to fund the costs of each individual participant’s farm field day.
The rest of the program is fully paid, which is made possible from generous donations from individuals in our local community, or from local organisations here in Tasmania. The scholarship is worth at least $8,000 per producer.