A bi-monthly enewsletter brought to you by Growcom

Edition No.14 / March 2012
 

Welcome to the March edition of the Women in Horticulture Newsletter.

This publication aims to provide women involved in horticulture with updates on topics of interest and invitations to relevant training days and workshops.

 

Naomi Brownrigg

Name of Farm: Sellers Bananas.

Location: Mission Beach.

Family: Husband and two kids.
 
Current Role: Manager, worker and banana packer.

Role in Past Life: The farm has been in the family for more than 40 years. I worked on the farm during school holidays before studying agriculture in Gatton. I worked for Landcare in Tully for a few years before returning to the farm full time.
 
What are the biggest challenges you currently face? The banana industry seems to be too big for our current markets. We need to either reduce acreage or find new markets outside Australia.

What do you love about your present role? The flexibility, especially when it comes to the kids. I love growing fantastic bananas and working with my family.

What do you hate about it? The lack of freedom - it is a whole lifestyle farming bananas and it is very difficult to get away for any length of time.

If you won Lotto what would you do first? Depends on how much money I won! Retire from bananas and travel the world.

Where do you want to be in 10 years? Maybe doing something else.

 

Regional forums planned for women in horticulture

During March and April, women in horticulture across Queensland have the opportunity to take some time away from the farm to enjoy lunch, networking and information sharing with other growers in their industry through the NAB Agribusiness – Growcom Women in Horticulture Regional Forums.

Women involved in running horticultural businesses and women in senior positions on-farm or in packing operations are encouraged to attend.

“The NAB Agribusiness Growcom Women in Agriculture Regional Forums are a fantastic initiative supporting the professional development of women in horticulture, one we are proud to be a part of,” NAB Head of Agribusiness North David Brett said.

Forums planned include:

  • Bowen: 10am – 3pm Tuesday 13 March 2012
  • Cassowary Coast: 10am to 3pm Thursday 22 March 2012
  • Atherton Tablelands: 10am – 1pm 13 or 14 April 2012
  • Boonah: 10am – 3pm Friday 20 April 2012
  • Bundaberg: 10am – 3pm Thursday 26 April 2012
  • Sunshine Coast – TBC

RSVP: Growcom’s reception on 07 3620 3844 or email reception@growcom.com.au

For further information call Jane Muller, Women in Horticulture Project Coordinator on 07 3620 3844 or email jmuller@growcom.com.au

 

NAB Agribusiness supports women’s professional development

NAB Agribusiness is supporting the professional development of women in the horticulture industry as part of its sponsorship of the regional forums.

Applications for the NAB Agribusiness – Growcom Women in Horticulture Professional Development Bursaries open this month.

Four bursaries of $1000 each will be awarded. The bursaries are intended to encourage women in the horticulture industry to further develop their business capabilities and leadership skills through ongoing involvement in training or industry conferences or other professional development opportunities.

“We will be looking for women who are demonstrating a strong interest in building successful horticultural businesses, industries and regions and who are keen to further develop their networks and skills,” Jane Muller Project Coordinator said.

“We recognise the important role that women play in horticulture and we are proud to once again be supporting Growcom and their Women in Horticulture project. Through the Bursaries it’s a fantastic opportunity to acknowledge and support emerging female talent,” NAB Head of Agribusiness North David Brett said.

All women who have participated in Growcom’s Women in Horticulture – Leadership Journey project, through the Brisbane or Cairns leadership programs or through attendance at one of the NAB Agribusiness Growcom Women in Horticulture Regional Forums are/will be eligible to apply.

For more information, please contact Project Coordinator Jane Muller on 07 3620 3844 or email jmuller@growcom.com.au

The NAB Agribusiness – Growcom Women in Horticulture Regional Forums are being delivered through Growcom’s Women in Horticulture – Leadership Journey project which is funded by the Australian Government Department of Agricultural Forestry and Fisheries through Australia’s Farming Future.

 

Workplace Essentials Seminars - register your interest now!

Growcom will once again be delivering Workplace Essentials Seminars to horticulture producers around the state from May through to June.

This year, the program will come in two half-day sessions – one dealing with the world of workplace relations and human resources, with some focus on getting the most flexibility out of the Horticulture Award 2010, and the other providing detailed information and resources around the new Workplace Health and Safety (WHS) legislation.

Proposed regions include:

  • Atherton
  • Innisfail
  • Mareeba     
  • Tully    
  • Ayr   
  • Bowen    
  • Townsville  
  • Yeppoon   
  • Emerald  
  • Bundaberg  
  • Gayndah/Mundubbera   
  • Lockyer Valley  
  • Nambour/Cooroy   
  • Stanthorpe
  • St George
  • Brisbane

Cost (excluding GST)
Growcom members: $75 per person per session or $100 to attend both sessions.
Non-members: $100 per session or $150 for both sessions.
A group discount of 10 per cent for two or more attendees from one enterprise is available upon request.

To register your interest contact Growcom's Reception on 07 3620 3844 or email reception@growcom.com.au. Seminars dates and times will be confirmed for May/June once we have 10 registrations in a region.

Growcom’s Workplace Essentials Seminars are again proudly sponsored by Austsafe Super – the industry super fund for rural and regional Australia.

 

Women in Global Business

For horticultural businesswomen interested in establishing or expanding export markets, the Women in Global Business network may offer some valuable information, events or mentoring opportunities.

The network has held a half day seminar in Australian capital cities in July/August over the past two years and further events are planned for 2012.

The Women in Global Business program was launched in December 2010. It is a cooperative initiative of the state and territory governments and the Australian Government through Austrade. The aim is to connect women across Australia who are interested or involved in international trade and investment.

Businesses owned and operated by women are one of Australia's fastest growing business segments. The Women in Global Business initiative seeks to support more Australian businesswomen take their products and services to the world.

For further information visit the web site.

 

State finalists announced for 2012 Rural Women’s Award

Six high-achieving Queensland women will be competing for the prestigious 2012 Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation (RIRDC) Rural Women’s Award.

Finalists will be vying for a $10 000 bursary to develop their personal vision into an initiative to benefit primary industries and rural Australia.

Nominees were judged on how they would use the state bursary prize to further develop their proposals to benefit the primary industries and their aspirations for women in rural Australia. Some nominees were working towards assisting primary industries as a whole while others were focused on improvements in specific primary industry sectors.

The 2012 Queensland finalists include:

  • Pip Courtney, Agricultural Ambassador from Brisbane
  • Kris Trevilyan, Cotton Industry from Banana
  • Libby Homer, Beef Industry from Banana
  • Michelle Deshong, National Rural Women’s Coalition from Kirwan
  • Annette Smith, Central Highlands Regional Resource Use Planning Cooperative Ltd from (CHRRUP) from Emerald
  • Annabel Tully, Queensland Rural Women’s Network from Quilpie.

The state winner will be announced at a gala awards ceremony in Brisbane on 13 March 2012. The winner will then go on to compete with other state and territory winners to become the 2012 Australian RIRDC Rural Women’s Award Winner.

Profiles of the finalists and their projects can be found on the DEEDI web site here.

 

E-learning and Leadership program

The National Rural Women’s Network is currently delivering a learning and leadership program to 20 rural women from across Australia via the internet.

The program covers themes such as building leaders, better business skills, networking and social media, community capacity building and climate change action. Many of the themes are presented by leading agri-business women.

More information can be found online here.

 

International Women’s Day

The 2012 International Women Day will be celebrated on 8 March. The theme, Connecting Girls, Inspiring Futures, encourages all events held around the world to include young girls in some way to inspire young minds globally.

More information no the 2012 International Women’s Day can be found online here.

Events for Brisbane can be found online here.

 

Boosting careers in agriculture

A new web site, developed by a young woman in agriculture Stephanie Coombes, intends to inspire other young people to pursue a career in agriculture. Launching in March you can visit the web site here.

 

Reef Rescue grants now available

Applications are now being accepted for funding under round five (the final round) of the Federal Government’s Reef Rescue Program. Up to 50 per cent (caps apply) incentive funding is available to assist with on-farm practice change that leads to a reduction in the risk of pesticides, fertilisers and/or sediment run-off from your farm.

Growers wishing to apply should contact their local Growcom Land & Water Field Officer to lodge their expression of interest (EOI).

 

Alternate pathways to market

Many of the participants at the 2011 Brisbane and Cairns leadership programs were interested in pursuing alternative ways to get their product to market.

Through Growcom’s media monitoring, we noticed some of the initiatives that are being pursued by Dick Smith. In addition to online retailing of “Dick Smith’s Magnificent Australian Grown Foods”, he has opened his first physical retail store in Sydney’s Northern Beaches. Find out more online here.

 

News from Qld Rural, Regional & Remote Women’s Network (Q-ren)

The network has been busy over the last few months with a review of their name and their strategies. The new mission statement is to strengthen women, based on the principle that strong women build strong communities.

Some up-coming Q-ren events that may be of interest to horticultural women include

  • Community Bounce Back – the Recovering from Trauma project with Quest for Life – workshops in Theodore and St George in March/ April/ May with grief counsellor Petrea King.
  • Strong Women – Strong Communities workshop in Mundubbera in April.
  • St George Conference – 5 - 7 September. If you are in the St George area and would like to be involved, please email president@qrwn.org.au

Women in the horticulture industry may like to consider taking out membership of QRRRWN. To find out more go to www.qrwn.org.au 

 

Nominations for the 2012 AUSVEG National Awards for Excellence are now open

Those who wish to nominate themselves or someone that you feel deserves recognition are encouraged to download a nomination form from the Ausveg web site here.

The National Awards for Excellence will be held on the night of Saturday 12 May at Wrest Point Hotel Casino in Hobart and will highlight the success and outstanding achievements of our industry's most successful members.

Nominations close 13 April 2012.

A delegate registration form and information can also be downloaded from the Ausveg web site here.

 

Fine Food Queensland
11 – 13 March, Brisbane
Queensland’s major fine food industry trade event will be held again in Brisbane from 11 – 13 March 2012 at the Brisbane Exhibition Centre. For more information and registration details visit the web site.

 

Succession planning workshops
13, 14 & 15 March
The Kondinin Group is offering introductory one-day workshops that will provide farming enterprises with information on the complexities of business continuance, helping form a successful succession plan for future generations.

Workshops are planned for:

  • Miles – 13 March, 9 am – 3 pm
  • Gayndah – 14 March, 9 am – 3 pm
  • Nambour – 15 March, 9 am – 3 pm

A registration form can be downloaded here. Farming families may be eligible to claim 65 per cent reimbursement of workshop fees and associated costs under the FarmReady Reimbursement Grant scheme.

 

Grow your business, grow your market workshop
15 – 16 March, Rockhampton & Toowoomba
The Australian Industry Group in collaboration with the Queensland Government are offering a free two-day intensive business mentoring package to assist micro and small business owners to prepare their own business plan. The workshop will focus on marketing strategies for diversifying, finding new markets and/or growing existing ones.

The workshop will run in:

  • Rockhampton from 15 – 16 March, from 9 am – 4:30 pm both days at the Walter Reid Cultural Centre, Rockhampton.
  • Toowoomba from 21 – 22 March, from 9 am – 4:30 pm both days at the DEEDI Conference Centre, Toowoomba.

For more information or for registration forms contact Emma Lamond, Australian Industry Group on 07 3244 1727 or email emma.lamond@aigroup.asn.au

 

PestSmart Roadshow
March and May
The Invasive Animals CRC is bringing the PestSmart Roadshow to:

  • Charleville - Wednesday 14 March
  • Toowoomba - Friday 16 March
  • Townsville - Tuesday 1 May.

The Roadshow will showcase best practice pest animal management including the latest innovations brought to you by the species experts. For venue details, registration and other additional information visit the web site.

 

Annual Women in Sugar Australian Conference
20 – 21 March, Proserpine
Canegrowers Network Mackay District would like to invite all women in horticulture to the Annual Women in Sugar Australian Conference being held at Camp Kanga, Proserpine on 20 – 21 March. Help celebrate the Year of the Farmer 2012 and the significant role women play. Ticks cost $50. For further inquiries please phone Marice Perna on 07 4954 0148 or email mariceperna@gmail.com

 

National Sustainable Food Summit
2 – 4 April, Sydney
A must-attend event for practitioners with an interest in how Australia’s food system will transform to meet the challenge of feeding more people with less over the next century. The summit is expected to attract over 340 delegates from diverse sectors and backgrounds to generate extraordinary consensus for the need to collaborate and continue the conversations necessary to generate change. For more information about the program can be found online here.

 

Ozwater, Australia’s National Water Conference and Exhibition
8 – 10 May, Sydney
Ozwater 2012 will take place at the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre. The conference program includes local and international keynote speakers and these presentations will be complemented by over 170 platform papers and workshops. A registration brochure can be downloaded here.

 

2012 Ausveg National Convention
10 – 12 May, Hobart
Hobart will host the 2012 Ausveg National Convention, Trade Show and Awards for Excellence. The third annual Ausveg convention will build on the success of the 2011 event held in Brisbane which attracted close to 1000 delegates. More information including delegate registration pack is available from the Ausveg web site.

 

International Women’s Conference
14 – 15 June, Cairns
The Second International Women’s Conference will be held in Cairns this year. The conference titled, Connecting for Action in the Asia-Pacific Region, aims to respond to the ongoing challenges experienced by women in the Asia Pacific region. Further information and conference registration can be found online here.

 

2012 Australian Institute of Packaging National Conference
14 – 15 June, Gold Coast
The Australian Institute of Packaging (AIP) will hold their 2012 National Conference at Surfers Paradise Marriot Resort and Spa on 14 – 15 June. The biennial conference will be themed, Packaging…the road ahead, and will bring together leading experts to cater for all participants in food, beverage, manufacturing and packaging. More information will become available closer to the date.

 

PMA Fresh Connections Conference and Trade Show
26 – 28 June, Melbourne
Co-hosted by PMA Australia – New Zealand and the Australian Chamber of Fruit and Vegetable Industries, organisations will come away from the conference with invaluable knowledge for increasing business profitability and enhancing industry networks. Registrations will open closer to the conference. To find out more about the conference and trade show visit the web site.

 

Traineeships for careers in horticulture

Traineeships in Certificate II and III in Production Horticulture, farm hand and farm tradesperson respectively, have been secured for anyone wanting to embark on a career within our industry. The training will be offered through the Australian Apprenticeship Centres and should be available by the end of February.

Certificate II is for school-based trainees with little to no experience in agriculture while a Certificate III is aimed at school leavers or those new to the industry that are looking for a career. A Certificate III may also be appropriate for school based trainees that have some agriculture experience, but this needs to be negotiated with the school and the Registered Training Organisation (RTO) before enrolment.

School-based traineeships can be run as a day a week for two years or in block periods where the student comes to the farm full time for a set number of weeks each year.

Non-school based traineeships are a contractual permanent full time employment arrangement that has learning attached.

For more information contact Growcom Workforce Development Coordinator Alana White on 07 3620 3844 or email awhite@growcom.com.au

 

Free business planning workshops for small food businesses

Small or micro businesses in the food and beverage process manufacturing sector have the opportunity to attend a two-day practical, intensive business mentoring workshop that will help you develop a business plan and also address marketing strategies for diversifying, finding new markets and/or growing existing markets.

The workshop is fully subsidised by the Queensland Government through the Disaster Recovery Package.

  • Rockhampton – 15 - 16 March
  • Toowoomba – 21 - 22 March

Contact Emma Lamond, Australian Industry Group for further information on 07 3244 1727 or email emma.lamond@aigroup.asn.au

 

Produce executive program 2012

Applications are now open for the 2012 Executive Development Program aimed at owners and managers in the Australian and New Zealand produce and horticulture industry.

The five day program will run from 3 – 8 June at the Mt Eliza Centre for Executive Education.

PMA Australia-New Zealand Limited will sponsor individual delegates to the Produce Executive Program in 2012 at a level of $1000 for PMA A-NZ members and $500 for non-members.

More information about the program can be found online here or by contacting Program Manager, Anita Pike on 03 8640 0947, 0411 238 883 or email apike@streamwise.com.au

 

Have you upgraded your Freshcare certification yet?

All growers accredited with Freshcare’s Food Quality and Safety should now be trained to Version 3. If you still require transition training, need an employee to be trained or would like to obtain Freshcare’s Food Quality and Safety accreditation please contact Growcom’s Admin Officer Michael Cowan on 07 3620 3844 or email mcowan@growcom.com.au

 

Certification to 2nd Edition Freshcare Environmental Code

Growers who operate in compliance with Freshcare’s Environmental Code should be operating under the second edition. If not, you do not need to undertake training to upgrade.

Freshcare will send you a manual to complete. All growers accredited for Environmental Freshcare will now be audited under the second edition.

For more information please contact Growcom’s Admin Officer Michael Cowan on 07 3620 3844 or email mcowan@growcom.com.au

 

Online ACDC licence

Central Queensland TAFE has launched a way for farmers to attain their chemical licence online and at an affordable price. Enrolments are now open.

Contact: 1300 CQ TAFE (1300 27 8233) or visit www.cq.tafe.qld.gov.au

 

Forklift RPL assessments

As of 1 January 2012, any person operating a forklift on farm must hold a valid forklift licence.

Growcom will continue to organise on-farm assessments for growers and their employees with experience in driving forklifts to gain a licence based on recognition of prior learning (RPL). This course is more efficient and cost effective than a full training course.

If you would like to know more information or would like to book a time for your assessment please contact Growcom’s Administration Officer Michael Cowan on 07 3620 3844 or email mcowan@growcom.com.au


TRADEX Scheme
 This scheme provides an up front exemption from customs duties and other taxes on eligible imported goods. For more information visit the web site.

Closing date: on going
Max amount: various
Funding organisation: AusIndustry
Email: hotline@ausindustry.gov.au
Phone: 13 28 46

 

If you would like any further information on this project or you want to be removed from this distribution list please contact Project Leader Jane Muller on 07 3620 3844 or jmuller@growcom.com.au

To submit an article to Growcom for possible inclusion in the enewsletter or to join the Women in Horticulture network please contact Jane Muller on 07 3620 3844 or email jmuller@growcom.com.au

 

This enewsletter is published bi-monthly. All growers involved in the network are welcome to send Growcom information on women’s activities being undertaken in their areas if they would like them advertised. Information that other women may find useful include recommendations on staff training and people skills courses, conferences or seminars or information on upcoming events.

Content submissions for each of the enewsletters are due by the end of the months of March, May, July, September and November. The enewsletter will then be distributed in April, June, August, October and December.

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