I am writing to you as a master’s student at The University of Melbourne whose focus in the current semester is Australian dryland broadacre farmers. BCG has kindly offered to pass on this letter to their membership and to help guide my focus and interaction with farmers in the Wimmera, Mallee and North Central regions.
This study is focused on understanding the key risks faced by farmers at key points throughout the year i.e., pre-sowing to seeding stage risks, at emergence, pre canopy closure and post canopy closure risks, harvest and post-harvest stage risks.
The objectives through this study are:
- identify key risks for Australian broadacre farming, how these risks impact on farmer decision making at, or leading up to, critical periods in the growing season
- identify the various risk management strategies that farmers use to manage/reduce these risks
- identify new risk management strategies that could be implemented to help manage/reduce risk with the use of technology/precision/digital tools
- prospects of sharing farm data for research purposes in the future.
I have developed a simple questionnaire to gather some preliminary feedback, from as many farmers as possible, which has three brief parts:
- A Basic Business Profile
- An overview of risks and their management throughout cropping season
- Information on the current use of digital/AgTech tools and data storage
It would be invaluable to my studies if you take 5 – 7 minutes to complete the survey. Information gathered is for research inferences only, and individual information is confidential and de-identified. The survey will remain open until 15 May 2022.
Further to this survey – and highlighted in the final question – I am also looking for as many farmers as are willing, to provide further information through a one-to-one qualitative interview – contact BCG for more details (03) 5492 2787.
Please click below to access the survey.
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/7JWGT76
Thank you for your time.
Kind regards,
Alina Saeed
(Master’s student)
The University of Melbourne
