GrowAg 2016

Sally White, Fairfax Media journalist, asked “What will be the next Air B ‘n’ B? What small idea will be the next big business… for ag?” Sean Murphy, ABC Landline reporter, filled us in on what made a typical, conscientious shopper using his wife as an example. And Alistair Davidson of ABARES gave us some important statistics to think about. This was the beginning of GrowAg. Two and a half days of listening, learning, networking and being asked to think “What’s next in ag?”

Then John Harvey of RIRDC gave us one very important point to think about over the course of GrowAg: Be the beneficiary of technology, not the victim. Be the Uber inventor, not the taxi driver. This set the groundwork in our thoughts for everything we looked at from then on. What was being shown to us that we could adopt or get ideas and be inspired from?

On Day One we were shown what criteria makes innovations successful, how industries, such as that of the pork industry, builds trust with consumers by utilising an integrity program, the importance of networking and maintaining those networks and the importance partnering up with people whose skills set you can benefit from.

Xavier Rizos from Westpac Garage (the think tank of Westpac Bank) on Day Two made sure we keep in mind some important facts (envisage possibilities not probabilities, objects are closer than they appear, that innovation is desirable, feasible and viable) and that we constantly look to the future (it will soon take 1.6 earths to sustain humanity and at present Australia can only feed 2% of Asia’s population).

One of Day Two’s speakers did a masterful job of ruffling feathers. Here we were, getting all the warm fuzzies from what our potential could be, and here he was, popping balloons. He slammed peoples “obsession” with owning land. “Lease, share-farm, manage someone else’s place”. He slammed farming advocacy groups. “Work smarter, stop asking for handouts from the government, the farms will be owned tomorrow by the farmers who got it right today”. This last point was reiterated later in a break-out session: If one can’t grow a crop without agtech, then there’s no point in trying to grow a crop with agtech.

Agtech was a huge theme in the summit. But like Sam Trethewy asks “Is it nice to have or do you need to have it? Are they tools or toys?” A farmer from WA showed us what implementing agtech looks like on his farm. He banded together with someone whose skills set he benefited from and together they wrote an app that can manage so many aspects of the farm. Everything from water to tractors, rain to pastures. He can manage it all from his tablet.

Various break-out sessions throughout the three days for me drove home the need to rethink how I was running my small (yet important to me) business. Ideas that I had before I went to GrowAg are now things that I’m going to make happen. I will be a beneficiary of change, not a victim.

Important take home messages were endless, here are just a few:

·         Stay on the front foot, stay ahead of the game.

·         Shake up the Research and Development Corporations, make their research relevant (and yes, I work in research and irrelevant projects drive me nuts)

·         Seek out best practice

·         Collaborate with networks

·         Be open minded, not close looped

·         Be transparent

·         Have data to back up products

·         Connect with consumers, check in with stakeholders, build trust

·         Get certification for your business. This doesn’t just increase consumer confidence but it can add a premium to a product

·         Maintain integrity and consistency with a product

·         Embrace agtech but ensure that it is relevant, a tool not a means

·         NURTURE those interested in agriculture because ag is considered a niche (you’re either born into it or attracted to it)

·         Maximise on our unique “terroir” (sense of place)

·         Push for data and research to be made public and accessible

 

There were just over 100 of us, aged between 25-40 years old, who were chosen to attend. It’s unlikely that any of us left without something gained. This was an amazing opportunity for all of us, thank you so much to all the sponsors who made this event possible. I can’t wait to see what other delegates do within their industries and I’m excited to see what some are already doing. So keep your eye out for we are the future of ag!

 

Amongst the Big Hats: Val Dyer

Women have long been part of the northern cattle industry in a supportive and somewhat domestic role but 40 years ago it was almost unheard of for women to take an active part in major decision making for a property or represent their industry. However, out there in that era were the exceptions, the women who showed the blokes in the big hats their value of not only themselves but of other women, the women who broke glass ceilings. Val Dyer is one of them.

 

You’ve been in the cattle industry close to 40 years now. How do you feel the role of women has shifted within the industry over that time?

The most visible and significant shift involves the on-the-ground role of women in mustering cattle and living in stock-camps. Best to share my story, others may have a different one.

New to the industry in 1974 and our first year at Hayfield Station, I was keen to experience a day tailing a large mob of cattle and continue a resurgence of my interest in horse-riding gained during the previous two years while teaching in Katherine and helping out a friend during mustering time. I was promptly advised by the head-stockman that women were not welcome on the muster. There was absolutely no contemplation of a woman camping out. I guess it was related to the difficulties of separate living conditions, language restrictions and possibly distraction for the stockmen.

What a shift! Today, females are welcomed and encouraged to join the mustering teams because, together with a shift in perceptions of gender relationships and co-existence of living arrangements, their skills in animal handling have been recognised. And now able to compete in, and win, open camp-drafts!

Whilst the traditional role of a woman being the cook, cleaner, support, book-keeper or teacher still exists, it is now recognised and accepted that women are capable of a much greater role.

Let me share a simple example of this shift. With trepidation I attended, as the only female, my first executive meeting of the Northern Territory Cattlemen’s Association as Vice-Chairman of the Katherine Branch. It was usual for each executive member to provide an up-date on seasonal conditions in their area. When it came to my turn, the President moved to the next person. I can only assume I would not know what the season was like!  I let that pass, however that was 40 years ago and a different era. It would not happen today.

Time, patience, perseverance, positive thinking and changing attitudes have overcome these simple perceptions and women are now recognised and respected for the valuable role that they have in the industry at all levels. It has been a rewarding journey to experience the change to a state where women are now recognised as being capable of taking on the responsibilities of business and financial management,  herd production, cattle sales, development planning and policy development. Women can now be taken seriously in managing cattle sales, buying bulls, arrange banking requirements, negotiating insurances, manage accounting and legal affairs, to name a few. While the extent of that involvement varies, it is possible.

And it has happened in the north among the big hats! Well done to the men in the industry, good on you.

What were some of the biggest challenges you faced when establishing Hayfield Shenandoah?

The greatest challenges came in phases.

The initial challenge came as a surprise and a very personal one. Moving from a responsible position as Deputy Principal of the Katherine Area School at 25 years of age to a wild- west type ‘man’s world’ in which a woman had her place was hard to adapt to. Once the excitement of a major change in career and the ‘change is as good as a holiday’ period was over, a loss of self-worth led to anxiety attacks and depression. However, with help, I found my niche was developing a vision for the future and creating change by finding solutions for many of the ‘why’ and ‘why not’ issues.   

Turning negatives into positives, there were many things to achieve and I have never looked back after that initial year of adapting. I also became very involved in community groups to satisfy my need to make a difference.

The greatest joy, challenge and achievement was raising and educating our 3 children on the property, being involved in the School of the Air ‘family’ for 16 years. A great time was had by all during those years. Until boarding school, a really difficult time which I dealt with by commencing and completing a Degree in Agricultural Economics. Continuing education and personal development was something to focus on, particularly due to its relevance to our business.

The next and continuing phase of challenges related to the decision by John and I to buy the company and ensure its success. Recognising that the company was first and foremost a business, the why issues became critical. A great advantage was not having the baggage of a traditional approach, but looking outside the square for answers.

·         Why is it so hard to make a profit

·         Why do the cows have such small udders

·         Why are the cattle so mad

·         Why do the ringers use poly pipe in the yards

·         Why do the horses have tyres tied to their necks

·         Why are the cattle so poor later in the year

·         Why are 8% of the Meatworks cattle being condemned for TB (After questioning the local vet about this percentage, the number reduced to zero)

·         Why are industry policy issues being decided in Brisbane

The challenge during the 1980’s and 90’s was to adopt good business practises, influence industry policy development, attend meetings, seek answers, drive the amalgamation of representative organisations, adopt best practise animal production methods, like separating weaners from the cows (how fundamental that was!), reduce mortality, increase branding, survive the TB eradication programme, convert the herd to brahmans, overcome the nutrient deficiencies in the grass, find target markets and the list continues. These changes needed to be self-funded, so it took time and patience.

Challenges from 2000 onwards, once the day past and the world did not end, relate to capital development within a strict self-imposed equity level, increasing herd numbers, maximising income, diversifying and succession planning.  The why questions above are long past and there are many new ones to consider.

The greatest business challenge is to maximise profits in order to develop the land to its fully sustainable cattle production level and be open to alternative land use opportunities. A reliable and profitable market for cattle is paramount

The greatest personal challenge is to determine my continuing role in the business and the industry which I love. And to continue enjoying the challenges.

What do you enjoy most about being part of the cattle industry and owner of a station?

My enjoyment comes from a sense of achievement in having the privilege of owning and developing such a large tract of land which is like having a blank canvas to create something special while maintaining the great biodiversity of nature.  That our family is keen to be involved is the big bonus. The cattle industry in the north is full of a diverse range of characters whose company I enjoy. As the industry has matured and strengthened over time, enterprises within it have enjoyed the outcomes.

 

What sort of barriers and prejudices did you face when you were president of the NTCA? How did you overcome them?

Over the 10 years as a director of the NTCA and NT Cattleman’s Trading Company, including 3 years representing the NT at Cattle Council of Australia, the advantages of being involved far outweighed any backroom barriers or prejudices I may have felt. I felt I gained respect from those at the highest level in industry organisations, learning a great deal from many and developing an extensive network.

In the early years it would have been a real challenge for the men in the NTCA to include a female at Executive meetings and I respect their ability to adapt meeting language and post meeting gatherings to suit the situation.

Directors of any company have a corporate governance responsibility to act in the best interests of the organisation and its members, which can sometimes be unpopular. People move from company to company in response to changing circumstances. In all organisations, there are dominant people who influence outcomes. As President, if there were barriers and prejudices evident, I overcame them by being comfortable that I always acted in the best interests of the company. And I sleep well with the knowledge.

How would you like to see the industry change for women?

The next challenge in the journey will be the appointment of more female managers, consultants, advisers, industry representatives and company directors to entities and organisations operating in the extensive rangelands.

 

For women aspiring to higher roles within the industry, what advice do you have for them?

 

It is rewarding

Always search for and find the positives in a negative situation

Be true to yourself

Continue education and personal development

Be confident to raise issues that worry you in the industry

Find a balance between what is personal ambition and what is in the best interests of the industry

Develop and maintain a network.

Maintain honesty and integrity

Enjoy

Photo credit: www.abc.net.au

A Forefather's Legacy

People come out to work on stations for all sorts of reasons. But for some people it’s in the blood. It’s something their forefathers have done and now it’s their turn. This is the story for Shaunica Cheu. The heritage in her family of working on stations extends right back to her Great-Grandfather and it has not skipped a generation since. It’s only natural that her family have been fully supportive of her pursuits.

“When my Dad worked on stations they had to catch the brumbies and break them in and then that was their work horses”.

But despite the way her forefathers had entered the industry, Shaunica’s start was quite different. Bored with high school and the school yard politics she dropped out 6 months short of graduating. She went on to do a Geoff Toomby horsemanship school especially designed for indigenous students. After that she completed a Certificate II in Tourism but that wasn’t really what she was interested in. She wanted to work on a station so when the opportunity arose to apply to be part of the Northern Territory Cattlemen’s Association Indigenous Pastoral Program she jumped at the chance. It meant leaving behind North Queensland and her family but it also meant new adventures.

Cave Creek Station opened up the path for Shaunica to enter the cattle industry but a week short of her 18^th birthday tragedy struck. Her Aunty had passed away and then a few days after her 18^th birthday her Grandmother also died. At a time when she should have been celebrating she instead was mourning.

“My Grandma took care of me. She took care of me when my mother couldn’t and my mother took care of me when my Grandma was in hospital a lot”.

Her family was always close and had always been very supportive of her and whatever she wanted to do. Even when it came down to bull riding. Coming from a rough riding family they could hardly say no. Most of her uncles and older cousins rode broncs in rodeos. It was another lot of cousins that got her in to bull riding. The only time her mother and grandmother objected to her participation in the sport was when she fractured her wrist trying to break her fall coming off a bull.

“I didn’t know why I couldn’t bend my wrist back so we drove to Cooktown at midnight. By the time we got there it was 1am and I had to sleep on the benches in the hospital until the morning when they could x-ray it”.

When you look at Shaunica it’s hard to believe she’s 18 let alone that she’s been bull riding for 3 years. And she’s not about to give it up either.
“I love it!” she says with a beaming smile.

Since beginning at Cave Creek she has thoroughly enjoyed herself. Between meeting new people and going to rodeos she enjoys her work and ticking off units for a Certificate II in Rural Operations. She loves to look after the poddies and feed the dogs.

“I like working with Rohan. He’s fun to work with and he teaches you a lot”.

There’s no sign of this pint size dynamo giving up being a jillaroo any time soon.

“I love the nature and being in the country”.

Shaunica aims to one day move up through the ranks and she hopes that more girls, especially indigenous girls, join the industry. And with someone like Shaunica to look up to there’s hope yet!

The Growth of Person and Pasture: Jodie Ward

Jodie Ward has long been passionate about the cattle industry. Although her direction within it has changed somewhat over time her enthusiasm for it has not. Here is her story…

 

What attracted you to the cattle industry?

Mum and Dad always had eighty or so trade cattle as I was growing up on a small buffel grass block in south-west Queensland, so weekends for me always involved mustering, fencing or just plain checking in on the cattle.

After finishing school I had enrolled in a Bachelor of Applied Science with the University of Queensland but after being accepted I promptly decided I needed to do some exploring first so  headed off to the wide open plains of the Barkly.

Where and for how many years did you spend in the stockcamp?

I only spent two years in the stockcamp, one on the Barkly, and the other near Marlborough in Queensland.

In all honesty, my official introduction to the pastoral industry was not ideal. In the first month the headstockman on the station I was on passed away in a car accident and his 40 year old replacement liked to influence with fear. As a pretty timid and quiet 17 year old, being told “if you stuff up in front of the boss again I will take you out into the bush where no-one can hear you scream” (all of which was said with a smile on his toothless face), did absolutely nothing for me. I went to pieces and became a shivering and shaking mess. I was that terrified that I couldn’t think straight. Thankfully he only lasted a few months without laying a hand on me.

The next replacement was a lovely gent who saw that I was a bit broken and did all he could to build me back up but by that stage my confidence was pretty disintegrated. A 10 year old would have been able to do a better job than I was doing. Thankfully the end of the year came quickly and I slunk home to Mum and Dad, a little bit proud of myself for sticking it out and not coming home before the end of the season, as had been predicted by others.

So I was all set to go to uni when the boyfriend of the time announced he was going to Glenprairie Station, a beautiful place, right on the coast, houses on top of a range, only an hour and a bit out of Rockhampton – thought they were still chasing an additional stationhand if I wanted to apply…. And just like that, the uni degree was forgotten and I was out chasing cows again down the hillsides and through the ponded pastures on beautiful, well-bred stock horses. Here I had a fantastic manager who nurtured and mentored me through my year there. That isn’t to say he didn’t yell and scream and jump up and down at me, but as well as that, he made sure I learned my lessons, took it on-board, and then let it go, trusting that I would not make those mistakes ever again. In response, I worked harder for him than I have for anyone else. By the end of that year, I felt like I was finally getting it. I could do what was required without assistance, and more than that, I was doing it well. My horsemanship and stock handling skills were the best it had ever been. I was getting places with my ‘difficult’ horse. I was getting pretty good at starting the hard-to-start mono and was confident at diagnosing technical hitches in the individual animal recording system. I felt as though I was valuable to the team.

It was a tough decision to leave it all behind and go to uni but the words of my old school career counsellor were ringing in my head loud and clear: “Eighty percent of females who take more than two years off studying never go to uni”… It had to be done.

What were your reasons behind pursuing a career with the DPIF?

While I thoroughly enjoyed working in a stockcamp, I was a bit precious. ‘Putting my body on the line’ wasn’t really my thing. I didn’t enjoy getting hurt, and being a slow runner and general all-round klutz meant that I was usually the one covered in bruises at the end of the day. So I wanted to find a way that I could still be involved in the pastoral industry without being in the stockcamp as such, and becoming a Pastoral Production Officer with DPIF, was just one of the ways I could achieve this. I had always had a strong interest in genetics and different cattle management techniques so this seemed like a good progression for me.

What sort of steps did you have to take to achieve your goal of working with the DPIF?

To be a Pastoral Production Officer I needed a degree in something like Animal or Rangeland Science. I studied the Bachelor of Applied Science (Animal Production), which took me 3.5 years because I studied externally for a year and dropped back my study load when my husband and I worked at Melaleuca Station. I feel this degree gave me a good background for the role I have now, particularly in the areas of beef genetics and reproductive diseases.

What sort of things do you love most about your job?

One of the absolutely best things I get to do in my job is run small workshops for stationhands about rangeland management.  Nine times out of ten (as I did myself) they’ve come north to chase cows and haven’t thought much past that, and when you tell them that it’s the pastures that are the basis of the industry, it blows their mind – and it’s fantastic to be a part of that learning journey.

Would you be able to name a few of the tasks you have had in your job?

Other than presenting workshops I have:

·         done a lot of pasture surveys (aka grass counting) for a number of projects

·         yard work for various cattle projects

·         data cleaning and processing

·         poster presentations at conferences

·         compiled articles and newsletters to be dispersed into the industry…

And a whole bunch of other stuff I can’t think of right now, but what I have done has allowed me to travel the length and width of the NT, having a good time while doing so with knowledgeable and fun colleagues.

Any advice for girls wanting to enter the cattle industry and pursue their goals?

If you want it, get after it. Make it happen.

There is more than one way to skin a cat.

 

The Cicada Cycle

For a number of years The Restless Jillaroo has been very, very quiet. My role on one station over the last 8 months coinceded with me working in town as well and living halfway between the two in more ways than one. But The Restless Jillaroo is coming back. I'm on a mission. Like the cicada that remains underground for years before it emerges and squeals at a high pitch with a zest for life, so too will this blog. I'm on a quest. The blog will follow it. Come along for the ride!

 

Miranda and the Mojo

They’ve been teasing me since September. They’d stand in that corner on occasion knowing that there’s not much I can do about it. Typical two year olds. The day I started they were there. I went to go open the gate but they ran off with their tails in the air. I attempted to look for them from the back of my bitch horse but that was unsuccessful as riding my horse was about as frustrating as when I finally remembered how big that paddock was. Then today, it all changed. I drove past them only a few days earlier. I’d lost the keys to my Landcruiser and there was not much chance I was willing to bash my precious Prado through the paddock to try and get those three strays in. Yes, today was different. I was in the Landcruiser. I opened the gate. They just looked at me. I drove around them gently and next thing I had them walking through the gate, across the road, up the driveway, straight through the yards and out the other side, down the laneway and into the paddock where I have been boxing up all the strays I’ve been finding. I didn’t expect these cattle to be easy. Their whole life they’ve been treated with high stress stock handling whether it be a quad bike up their arse out in the paddock or being sooled by some clown wielding a waddy who is only brave enough to be on the opposite side of the rails, stirring the cattle as they went. So for these particular young’uns to go as well as they did surprised me.

The whole way down the laneway I watched the storms. Rain falling on a mates place. Lightning making its mark. The sky darkening as more clouds moved in.

It was a month or so back that I found some other cattle. They too, despite their prior treatment, behaved quite well with a change of machine moving them to a new location. Across the back of the paddock, up the laneway, around the corner and into their new paddock. A cow and two sappy weaners. In with all the others. Once I’d got the bore going I sent the water down to the trough in their new paddock concerned that the dam might not hold out for long enough before the rain comes. As I sat in the headlights watching the trough fill, storms were on show all around me. Lightning took up the sky, it drizzled constantly, the sun did its best to set in a spectacular orange glow despite being restricted by the dark clouds.

Despite everything going on around me in my crazy, busy life, I was quite relaxed and contented with just waiting for the trough to fill. I was almost peaceful. I was tired from fencing all morning and cleaning four other troughs on top of the one I was filling but I didn’t care. I could have sat there all night. It was a lovely time to just sit and think. I reminded myself of my second favourite painting, “Miranda and the Tempest”. It’s of a woman sitting on a rock amid a raging storm. She’s just sitting there, her auburn hair blowing all around, just watching a ship on the ocean get smashed to pieces by the wild weather. I was Miranda, except without all that added maritime drama. I also realised that working a job that does not involve cattle had caused me to lose my mojo a little. I had my own cattle and some occasional weekend cattle work that I reluctantly took but it wasn’t filling the gap. I had been missing it without even realising it.

But now, Christmas is coming. There’s a list a mile long of things I must do, places I must check and kilometres I must travel. I’ve got six weeks of chaos ahead of me. I’m really not sure if I’m going to have time to notice that my mojo is probably not far off cracking it all together and packing its bags and leaving completely. No doubt by early February I will be making desperate pleas in my sleep “Come back Mojo! I promise I’ve changed!” Yet it shall remain unconvinced as I weep under an immature mango tree.

John William Waterhouse' "Miranda and the Tempset"

Kites

The kites I like aren't brightly coloured. They're more brown, cream and grey hues. They're not attached to a piece of string. They're free to go where they please. But they catch and glide on the updrafts just the same. They duck, dive and swoop in the air. The enjoy catching bugs and grasshoppers disturbed by the movements of the tractor. When a fire rages they collect the insects trying to escape the inferno. They pick up burning sticks and drop them on unburnt country to excite the insects some more. They prey on small animals like mice and frogs. I hate it when people call them "shit hawks". They have a name. A proper one of dignity. Whistling Kite.
I had one as a pet once. It had a broken wing. A coworker found it and together we helped it heal. We proudly carried it around perched on our arms. At one point we had to shift it to a cage outside but someone, and we've never been sure who but we had our theories, was traumatising it by kicking the cage everytime they went past. It went off it's food and water and our brave, little Nikita had to be put down. As the euthanasia kicked in I watched the light fade from his eyes while his heartbeat slowed then stopped with tears streaking down my cheeks. I rested him in a tuft of grass under a shady tree and said my goodbyes.
But his species still feast on carrion on the roadsides. Still daringly swoop in front of the tractor grasping arthropods as they go. They're the kites I like.