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Diversification Options Discussed At First Farming Forum

Latrobe City’s inaugural agribusiness session, hosted jointly with Agribusiness Gippsland, attracted around 25 farmers

By Latrobe City Council - 12th June 2009 - Back to News

All keen to discuss ways of diversifying income from their land, and to hear from speakers about their own experiences first-hand.

Latrobe’s acting coordinator business development, Donna Starkey, said among the farmers attending were large-scale croppers, beef and dairy farmers as well as others such as a berry grower.

"Some had been burned out in the fires and were considering whether to change their operations and it was pleasing to see that a few new farmers who were keen to learn about their options in the industry, also attended.

"One of the aspects discussed was that of leasing land to seed potato growers. Rabobank Gippsland’s manager Tony Anderson explained that Gippsland’s seed potato growers need a bank of leased land to cycle their crops and that dairy farmers also needed leased turn-out paddocks to run heifers. The group then discussed the implications of leasing and agisting," Ms Starkey said.

"Agritourism operator, Max Jelbart, explained the hands-on experience of running a café alongside an operating dairy. He said that staffing was a major consideration in the profit balance, especially during times of fluctuating visitor flow, and he stressed the importance of locating a general agritourism venture on a major road. The forum then also discussed the power of exceptional products to draw tourists off the beaten track.

"Meg Parkinson, who has served as vice and deputy president for the Victorian Farmer’s Federation, shared her experience of marketing her free-range eggs. She explained how a premium product can justify a price differential. She said that every aspect of marketing was important, even down to designing packaging for the product. She discussed common misconceptions of niche markets, explaining the levels within sectors that define the customer base.

Agribusiness Gippsland chair, Alex Arbuthnot AM, said that this was the first agribusiness session has been run jointly with Latrobe City and it was exceptionally successful.

"Within a couple of hours we had another Gippsland council asking us to organise a similar session for them.

"Apart from the farmer participants, also attending were two leading regional agribusiness bankers, a representative from the West Gippsland Catchment Management Authority and the regional project officer for the DPI’s AgFutures project, adding to a good blend of strategy and practical experience," Mr Arbuthnot explained.

Ms Starkey added that the forum proved to be an exciting new development for the industry.

"Agribusiness does more than just put food on the table, it’s a powerful driver for local economies. Latrobe City is fortunate to have agriculture in its economic mix, as it adds diversity and productivity to the wider community," Ms Starkey concluded.

Agribusiness Gippsland Inc is a not-for-profit group working to boost agriculture in the region. Latrobe City Council helps support the group’s activities and also hosted the group’s board meeting following the morning forum.

Source: www.gippsland.com

Published by: news@gippsland.com

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