Julia is a board representative in Warracknabeal, north-west Victoria and is passionate about the future viability of Australian farms. Between helping out on the cropping schedule and managing the office, she is bringing up her three children on the farm and teaching them the way of an ag life.
What is one thing Julia is continually striving towards as a grain grower?
Julia says she is always looking for better efficiencies in their operations to save time, effort and duplication.
“There are many requirements of our farm data including for taxation reporting, for compliance and auditing, for strategic planning and cashflow management, as well as practical day to day operations and staff hours being recorded. Streamlining this data collection aims to save on time and effort in our business,” she says.
Her team has recently changed their software system to align with their agronomist, which has allowed better tracking of their paddock operations and ease of communication with their agronomist.
“We also expect that this will assist with future audits for both grains and livestock production,” she adds.
What is one thing Julia loves about her job or lifestyle in grain?
Julia feels it’s important to understand the ever-evolving operating environment for grain growers and to be proactive in their planning. She understand that while they farm locally, they must think globally – examples include considering their environmental footprint through canola production to achieve EU certification or closely following global glyphosate conversations.
“In order to be proactive and make informed decisions, I really enjoy meeting other grain farmers and learning about their approach to this evolving landscape,” says Julia.
“I also enjoy contributing to policy and improvements for the grains industry as a whole through my involvement with various grain organisations such as Birchip Cropping Group Research Committee and as a GrainGrowers Limited Director.”
What is one thing Julia can always rely on her mates in the grain industry for?
“No two grain farm businesses are identical which is a great opportunity to tap into,” she says.
“I like asking others how they tackle certain challenges within their business and see if there is shared learnings and opportunities for improvements in our business. Other farm businesses may have already thought of solutions to grain farming challenges or can forewarn of potential hurdles they have encountered.
Julia has also found many new ‘mates’ in the grains industry through Twitter who love to share tips and tricks on the grain industry!
For example, to assist in Julia’s decision on what app to use for changing the timesheets system she sent a message out on twitter.
“I sent the message using the #asktwitter. I had some really valuable feedback and suggestions which I followed up with a phone call to discuss finer details.”
“Most growers are willing to share their experiences which is really positive.”
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