The business of farming now and into the future will be examined at the BCG Future Farmers Expo at Birchip on July 6.
The event, which will feature presentations from farming and business specialists and exhibits from a range of highly regarded agricultural goods and service providers, will be held at the Birchip P-12 School from 11am to 5pm, with dinner to follow.
Precision agriculture, farm data management, succession planning, enterprise mix, investing off-farm, farm boards and the seasonal outlook will be discussed during five presentations held throughout the day.
There will also be an update on the Russian Wheat Aphid to ensure growers are armed with the most current information on how to identify and control this exotic pest.
Keynote speakers will include: Harry Hendon (Bureau of Meteorology), Andy and Chris Delahunty (farm board members), Adrian Rolls (precision ag specialst) and Simon Craig (Farm 360).
ORM senior business consultant David Smith will share insights on enterprise mix, with Mallee farmer Bryan Hanns and Wimmera farmer Sam Eastwood discussion the practical pros and cons of adding a sheep and hay enterprise to the farm business.
BCG Chris Sounness said the event would address many of the challenges and opportunities farmers are negotiating outside of the paddock.
“One of the sessions I am most excited about is Adrian Rolls’ presentation on precision agriculture (PA) and data management,” he said.
“PA technology is now coming into its own as the computing power needed to handle all the data that becomes available.
“However, the reason why PA is exciting but different to previous farm innovations is the amount of value that may be available to the agricultural value chain, and the fact that it will be the farmer who holds the power, and equally, the responsibility.”
During his presentation at the Expo, Mr Rolls, who farms at Young in NSW will talk about some of the latest innovations within the PA space such as yield maps, soil tests and sensors, and how he is using them on his farm.
This session will complement the rest of the Expo program which includes a detailed look at the farm business, when expansion is appropriate and how to go about it.
BCG events manager Ciara Cullen said the Expo was designed to showcase how innovative business models were helping to future-proof Australian farm businesses.
“The Delahunty’s from Murtoa will be speaking about how they are using a farm board for their business and agricultural consultant Simon Craig (Farm360) will draw on their extensive benchmarking work to lead a discussion about the opportunities and pitfalls that come with expanding the farm or investing outside of the farm business.”
The day will also include a look at off-farm investment and how this compares to buying or leasing more land and the all-important forecast for the season will be presented by Bureau of Meterology research scientist Harry Hendon.
The Expo will be followed by BCG’s annual industry dinner which this year is being catered for by the Birchip P-12 School’s hospitality students to raise funds to construct a school in rural Cambodia.
The BCG Future Farmers Expo is at Birchip P-12 School from 11am to 5pm on July 6. Entry is free for BCG members and $50 for non-members. Tickets for the Expo dinner are $50 and can be purchased by phoning BCG on (03) 5492 2787 or visiting the BCG website.
