A rewarding aspect of the work I do is the opportunity it
offers to speak to different groups around the country, engaging with people
from all backgrounds on the agricultural industry, and the issues we must
address if we’re to continue on our current trajectory globally. Late last
month I travelled to Armidale to speak to University of New England students as
part of their annual Farming Futures ...
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latest insights.
Clear communication with consumers needed as supply chains struggle under recent challenges
There is no doubt Australian agriculture is kicking some big goals at
present and optimism is high across the industry. Commodity prices remain
strong and weather conditions favourable for many, while reports on machinery
sales show record-breaking trends – the Tractor and Machinery Association revealed
last week that many dealers reported 2021 was their best year ever tractor ...
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Biosecurity is everyone’s business if Australia is to retain its ‘clean’ record on pests and disease
Any Australian
who likes to pack their bags for overseas adventures would have thought more
than once: wouldn’t it be nice if we were a little closer to some of our more
far-flung neighbours. It’s true that the plane trip to some of our more desired
destinations is an adventure in itself – before you even consider the expense –
but our unique location in the world also presents some unique ...
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Tourism on road to recovery but labouring under strain of job uptake
There was a story last week about the current delays for
people applying for and renewing passports, as international travel starts to
wind back up and many of us are busy planning for a future trip abroad. While
the current lengthy wait for passports would be incredibly frustrating if your
departure date was looming and you still didn’t have the documentation you
needed, it is pleasing to see our ...
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Growing our regions the goal, but need a clear roadmap to ensure a smooth transition
Rain has been an ongoing theme of 2022 for vast areas of
NSW, and it continues to fall as communities around the state, devastated by a
series of catastrophic flood events in the past 18 months, carry on with the
task of rebuilding critical community infrastructure, businesses, homes and
lives. Our regions have borne the brunt of a series of natural
disasters in recent times – drought, ...
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Agriculture labouring under challenges of finding suitable workforce
Workforce challenges are plaguing a raft of Australian
industries currently, with employers, both small and large, across the country reporting
job ads are attracting few applications – or no response at all in many cases.
Those businesses that suffered the most under COVID-19 restrictions are now
faced with workforce shortages impacting their ability to return to
pre-pandemic business ...
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Opportunities for the arts vital for social fabric, cohesion of regional communities
When perceptions on the attractions and benefits of living
in rural and regional communities are discussed, rarely are art and culture at
the top of the list. But this desire to enjoy arts and cultural pursuits is
just as strong in the country as it is in the city – it’s just the opportunities
may be fewer and further between. That’s not to say that thriving arts communities can’t be
found in ...
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Progressive leadership at risk from ‘cancel’ culture and rush to judge
The next
Federal election is looming, shaping up to be one of the most intriguing
contests in recent times given our nation’s journey in the past two years, and the
political machinations that have played out on so many fronts. How is the
electorate going to respond to all that’s gone on is anyone’s guess at this
point, but what is in no doubt is the desire – because of the uncertainty,
anxiety ...
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Encouraging R&D investment critical to long-term growth, success of Australian agriculture
In
October last year the Federal Government released the National Agricultural
Innovation Policy Statement. COVID-19 has made it hard for other news to have
much of an impact in the past two years, so the statement largely went under
the radar, but for agriculture, and the nation’s future economic fortunes, it’s
important. The statement provides “direction for improving the Australian
agricultural ...
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Food fraud costing billions but technology offering new opportunities for industries to fight back
Australia
is world-renowned for some of the best produce in the world and it’s a
reputation we should all be proud of and on which our national economy is
heavily-reliant. So, a new report released by AgriFutures Australia makes for
somewhat sobering reading, outlining the impacts of product fraud, which has a
cost of between $2-3 billion each year. An astonishing amount and one which must
have us ...
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When inspiring leadership is in short supply, look no further than our local communities
Federal
Parliament has risen for 2021 and it would have to be said it was a less-than-auspicious
end to the parliamentary year. At a time
when the nation is in desperate need of courageous, positive and decisive
leadership, Australians have been hard pressed to find that in Canberra and our
States of late, with headlines unfortunately reflecting the questionable
behaviour of some of our ...
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Resilience of Class of 2021 will help them on career path long after end of HSC
HSC exams
are underway for our Class of 2021 and to say they’ve had to do the hard yards
in the past two years is an understatement. This cohort has had to endure more
than any other group of seniors in recent memory, and whatever their final
results they deserve to hold their heads high and know when it comes to
resilience, they’ve all scored an A. At this
time, too, given all the challenges ...
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United, agriculture can stand tall in face of challenges, with influential leadership key to bringing competing sectors together
There have
been many lessons from the past 18 months – many of them learned the hard way -
but one of the things we’ve come to understand is a successful outcome heavily
relies on having a shared goal, uniting people behind it and moving forward
together. Things are more difficult, and success more elusive, if different
parts of the one organisation, business, industry, community or even nation, ...
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Urgent action needed on port disputes as agriculture feels the impact of delivery delays
Great
seasonal conditions and an anticipated bumper harvest is putting smiles on the
faces of farmers in many parts of the nation, and in NSW and Queensland it’s a
welcome continuation of the recovery from years of crippling drought. But in
Western Australia, the excitement around another big winter harvest is being
tempered by the reality that new farm machinery ordered for the season ...
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Pandemic exposes some vulnerabilities in food supply chain but opportunity there for increased resilience and innovation
One of the enduring images from the pandemic will be of bare
supermarket shelves as people turned their feelings of anxiety and frustration towards
their pantry, in part no doubt, as a way to regain some control in a time of
enormous uncertainty. Of course, there was never a risk of our nation running out
of food – the Australian Food and Grocery Council reassured Australians at the
height of ...
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Consolidate the gains made by our regions to prepare for agriculture’s exciting new chapter
At the turn
of the last century, agriculture was in its relative infancy, but turn the
clock forward more than 120 years and it has emerged as a global giant that
today employs millions of people and generates billions of dollars for the
world’s economies. When many think of agriculture, they think of farmers, but
the range of jobs that now underpin the sector has grown as quickly as the
industry ...
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Damage caused by spray drift extends beyond the farm gate
It’s the silent, unseen threat to Australian agriculture that
costs farm businesses millions of dollars a year and is indiscriminate in the
industries it strikes. Spray drift is unfortunately an ongoing threat to
agriculture and one farmer on the receiving end of the devastation can do
little to combat. At the same time, the application of pesticides remains vital
to many ag sectors to maximise ...
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Strategy grounded in need for more data and incentives aimed at optimising soil health
When this year’s Federal Budget was handed down in May, one of the
announcements that attracted attention was the allocation of $200 million over
four years for a National Soil Strategy. The Strategy establishes a framework
for how our nation will value, manage and improve its soil for the next 20
years, setting out three main goals around prioritising soil health,
encouraging innovation and ...
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Regions’ charm no longer a secret but careful planning needed to ensure appeal endures
Regional living is now officially ‘cool’. Of course, this isn’t
news to those of us who already call our towns and regional cities home. We’ve
always appreciated the benefits of a regional address and wondered why everyone
couldn’t see the appeal. But now it seems the secret’s out and our city cousins are
making the move in greater numbers than ever. The pandemic has caused many of
us to ...
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Resilience of regions rewarded with significant Budget commitment
Mental health services, the push to grow the nation’s
agriculture workforce and infrastructure spending are among the wins for rural
and regional Australia from Federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg’s third budget. Seftons’ Managing Director Robbie Sefton said delivering
a budget during the current pandemic crisis was always going to be a
challenging task, but she was happy to see the focus remain ...
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