Reflecting on the proud history of the Liebe Group Women’s Field Day events, Executive Officer Chris O’Callaghan opened the 25th annual Women’s Field Day on Tuesday 11th June.
Speaking to a crowd of 130 regional women, Chris was thrilled to welcome everyone to the full day event and provided an overview of the Liebe Group 2024 R&D activities, noting that the group has implemented and been part of 1,312 trials since 1998.
The Women’s Field Day is held annually in Dalwallinu, with the aim of increasing the management capacity of women to build a sustainable future for their families, farm businesses and the agricultural industry. The forum attracts a range of attendees from throughout the wheatbelt who have personal and professional interests in broadacre farming, as well as agribusiness representatives.
This year’s event targeted the topics of grain marketing, human resources, farm safety, succession planning, health and wellbeing, business diversification and agronomy with feedback suggesting all topics are important to consider in a farm business and in the community.
Nathan Cattle, Clear Grain Exchange, gave a passionate presentation on understanding the value of Australian grain by providing an overview of the key global and domestic drivers on price.
Keeping kids safe on farms is a high priority for all farm business owners. Kristen Jamieson from Kidsafe WA highlighted some of the statistics of children hospitalisations from farm accidents, the main risks on farm and some key resources for families living on farms.
Kathy Brown, Rabobank, presented practical tips and tricks, including business training opportunities for regional people looking to broaden their knowledge and skills. Judy Snell from RSM instilled the importance of good communication in planning and implementing a successful succession.
People are the biggest risk in any business. Danielle McNamee from ProcessWorx highlighted the importance of treating employees with care and compassion in a workplace, noting that if you have a passion for your people, they will have a passion for your business. She also provided an overview of the HR and WHS legislation changes and what businesses need to do to be compliant.
Keynote speaker, Ella Greenslade, shared her journey from the farm to winning a silver in the Tokyo Olympic Games. Raised on a family farm in the NZ highlands taught Ella hard work and resilience and gave her the drive to succeed, winning a world title and competing at the Olympics in the Women’s 8 Rowing team. Training at such a high level throughout Covid caused many issues, however these were overcome with Ella’s ability to utilise the family farm in her training regime, helping her achieve her dream!
Stories of following your passions and creating a sense of purpose outside the family farm were shared by two of the presenters, Megan Pontifex of Waukalands & Jodie Schell of Lot 39. Both women spoke with humour and emotion, and certainly inspired the audience to follow your passion, no matter how big or small.
Bill Campbell, Campbell Ag, explained the fundamental principles of the science behind spray application, highlighting the importance of an effective spray set-up using nozzles guides and water-sensitive paper, as well as maximising efficiency by balancing water volume, spray quality, speed, wind and time of day to minimize spray drift.
Rebecca Kelly’s presentation on ‘Negotiations with energy companies’ shared insights into her studies over the last 12 months as part of a Nuffield Scholarship, visiting 12 different countries to understand energy company negotiations in oil, gas, solar, and wind sectors. She focused on land rehabilitation approaches and negotiation tactics.
The day finished with an interactive succession planning panel session including Merrie Carlshausen (Dalwallinu), Rebecca Kelly (Mingenew), and Jodie Schell (Goomalling). The session, facilitated by Judy Snell, RSM, provided insights into the success drivers of implementing succession plans, the common mistakes and how to manage difficult discussions.
Feedback from the day noted the high caliber presenters with a variety of topics, the attention to detail, and the fantastic learning opportunities provided to all those who attended.
The Liebe Group would like to thank Nutrien Ag Solutions for their support through funding this quality event, valued Diamond partners Rabobank, RSM, CBH Group and CSBP, all Gold and Silver partners for their continued support, and the Liebe Group Women’s Committee for their hard work in planning and executing the event. Thank you to Jenny’s Bakehouse Dalwallinu for a lovely morning tea, to One L of a Good Feed in Carnamah for the delicious lunch, and the Liebe men for serving the food.
Thanks are also extended to event supporters the Grower Group Alliance, through funding from the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development.
Save the Date Liebe Women's Field Day Tuesday 10th June 2025!
