As a 33-year-old in the midst of changing careers, I sat patiently waiting in my car outside Liebe Group, ready to begin my first day’s work experience. I found myself excited to face new challenges while pondering what I may be part of during my week-long work experience. The honest truth is that I ended up getting far more than I could have ever envisioned that morning; I was about to receive a week’s worth of priceless experiences and exposure to a world I had never got the chance to know practically.
Growing up in the city, my understanding of the work that goes into this field is still very much in its infancy. Remembering back to the beginning of my university studies in 2020, I found that I once had a very close minded approach by thinking “dirt is dirt” and “what could I learn from this subject?” The answer is a heck of a lot!
Coming from a combination of my studies at Murdoch University, work experience and exposure from the Liebe Group, I have garnered a huge appreciation into this field of work and the real world applications with results that have come from the forward thinking growers looking to improve the quality and amount of produce they grow.
With this symbiosis of information, I have continued to gain a deeper understanding about the requirements of growers. The multifaceted approach needed for any situation with specific considerations that come into the farmer’s individual situation and the implications that come from every choice. With Liebe Group being the interface between R&D and growers, I can see real world value in the work that has already been done. Looking at their portfolio you get a true appreciation of how they have already directly impacted growers' bottom dollar by helping them to utilise their resources best, and how having Liebe Group as a partner gives access to the latest and best information allowing growers to be ahead of the game in their respective fields.
My journey with this team began learning about who and what Liebe Group is. I had the chance to read into its history, its apt naming, and learnt about a handful of the R&D projects that Liebe Group have spearheaded with the results that have transpired from these experiments. Any questions or queries I had were answered swiftly by the staff and members of the group. The flawlessness of the staff was amazing, I found them all to be kind and courteous while remaining professional and approachable, allowing me to get the most out of my time with them.
Working with a hectic schedule, and around the Easter holidays, I felt fortunate to be looked after so well. After the introductions to the company I got a chance to get hands on by taking part in soil sampling looking for pathogens, data entry for some of the ongoing research projects allowing me an idea of the scope of work undertaken, visits to the main trial site, and engagement with some of the local growers that would be taking part in those trials.
I would like to extend a heartfelt thank you towards Katrina, Judy, Danielle & Lisa-May for allowing me this opportunity to increase my knowledge from this experience with the Liebe Group. Besides being an incredible opportunity for myself to learn it was also great to see a healthy entourage of strong, passionate and talented women working together delivering these incredible results. It gives me great hope towards the future of production and your efforts can be the inspiration for others thinking along similar lines of work.