More than 20 women involved in agriculture gathered at Birchip on August 13 for the inaugural meeting of the Women’s Growth Adoption Production and Profit (GAPP) group.
The re-launch of the former ‘BCG women’s agronomy group’, was deemed a resounding success with women coming from across the Mallee and Wimmera to take part in the unique personal and professional development opportunity.
The Women’s GAPP group is part of the broader GAPP initiative which is being supported by the State Government and rolled out by BCG.
The premise of the initiative is to facilitate farmer discussion groups that will arm primary producers with the knowledge, tools and support to adopt innovation and improve the profitability of their farm businesses. Groups have already been established at Manangatang, Birchip, Rupanyup and Horsham.
The women’s GAPP group was established in response to a call for local women who were looking for an opportunity to connect with like-minded women who were keen to better understand the agricultural industry and the factors that influenced the profitability of their farm businesses.
Keynote speaker at the first GAPP women’s meeting, which was held at Birchip Leisure Centre, was farm succession and business planning specialist Jeanette Long (Ag Consulting Co.).
Ms Long facilitated an engaging discussion about effective communication, explaining how different personality types commonly behaved and how understanding other people (and yourself) could help improve communication.
“It is about being an active listener, rather than a passive one,” she said.
“The ‘meaning’ of communication is revealed in the response we get … this is influenced by our view of the world, our age, our stage in life, biases, values, expectations or plans, social connections and mental and physical health.”
During the meeting the women were invited to share what they hoped to learn through the GAPP initiative, which is designed to be member-directed.
Topics suggested for future meetings included farm business management (including working with your bank, accountants, budgeting and benchmarking), occupational health and farm safety (including chemical use and handling), agronomy and succession planning.
The next gathering will be integrated into the BCG Main Field Day at Berriwillock on September 9. Participants will have the opportunity to hear about new agricultural research and farming practices during a personalised trial site tour and will also hear from change management consultant Dennis Hoiberg who will share tips on how to stay resilient and what questions you can ask yourself and loved ones to gauge how they are coping.
To join the Women’s GAPP group at the Main Field Day phone Louisa Ferrier at BCG on (03) 5497 2787 or 0438 854 241. Registrations are essential.
