Ladies love it on the land

Twelve local women have completed their final session in a series of Wirrulla/Streaky Bay group Ladies on theLand cereal production workshops, funded through the Australian Government National Landcare Program, Rabobank and hosted by Natural Resources Eyre Peninsula. A pre-harvest catch up enabled participants to discuss seasonal conditions and farm happenings and learn about the final link in the cereal production chain.

NRM Officer Libby Hunt said had been rewarding to see the women’s knowledge of production, agribusiness, and farm management grow.

“It’s empowering for women to become more confident in their decision making and remain resilient, especially under the challenging conditions 2017 has brought,” she said.

Over the course of the five workshops, participants covered a vast array of topics, from crop rotations and varieties to soil analysis, farm budgeting and mental health and wellness. Each workshop was held from 9:00 am to 3:00pm, to work around school hours, and involved a balance of theory and practical components and enabled participants to get out into the paddock and get their hands dirty.

Participant Denise Watson said the workshop series opened her eyes to the role women could play in the future of agriculture and the importance of providing the tools and resources to enable them to succeed.

“It would be highly valuable for these agricultural workshops to continue for local women. To strengthen their contacts through network building and inviting more ladies to become involved,” she said.

Kylie Tomney also found the workshop series inspiring and highly relatable across all ages and business stages.

“I really enjoyed our workshops to learn more efficient ways to run and benefit our business. It doesn’t matter how old you are, the more you listen, the more you learn!,” she said.

The final session focused on grain marketing, with guest speaker Tess Walch from Free Eyre Grain providing an insight into local and international markets, drivers of grain prices and a hands-on practical marketing session.

‘Being able to be involved with groups like this is a highlight of my role. The co-ordinators did a fantastic job of creating a comfortable and welcoming environment for participants to learn and ask questions in, as well as share experiences,” she said.

The next Ladies of the Land group meeting will be in March 2018. If you would like to be involved, follow the @Ladiesontheland Facebook page, or for further information please contact Cathy Paterson or Libby Hunt at the Streaky Bay Natural Resources Centre on 8626 1108, or visit : www.landscape.sa.gov.au/ep/land-and-water/sustainable-agriculture/women-agriculture