IF YOU subscribe to the old adage that ‘it’s hard to get good staff’, then you’ll know it’s even more the case these days, especially out on the farm.
Which is why this year’s South Gippsland Dairy and Farming Expo, on Wednesday, September 7 and Thursday, September 8, will really hit the spot.
Both of the event’s two main presenters, farm consultant Matt Harms and St Kilda champion Nathan Burke will focus attention on attracting and keeping good workers, and also being able to rely on other people to deliver.
“We’ve changed the name of the expo this year, retaining the focus on dairy but also adding ‘farming’ to recognise the crossover for the general farming community of a lot of the suppliers and information available at the South Gippsland Dairy and Farming Expo,” said new chair of the Strzelecki Lions’ expo committee, Phil Ould.
He’s stepped up into the main leadership role, after a stellar 16 years as chair by Cliff Wallace, who is continuing on as a busy member of the committee.
“Most of the farm services at the expo; the machinery suppliers, the pasture companies, the fencing, animal welfare and all the rest; it has wide appeal across farming and we’ve always attracted the beef producers, sheep and smaller operators.
“Changing the name has just formalised that for us and it’s also about where the expo goes in the future as well,” said Phil.
“But we’re fortunate enough to have both speakers, Matt Harms and Nathan Burke, focusing on the shortage of staff and attracting and keeping good people. It’s a major issue,” he said.
And after a two-year layoff, one of them as a virtual farming expo, the event has been able to attract strong interest from suppliers and farm service providers.
“Yes, we’ll be back to our best this year and we’ve actually been able to get some of those services along who joined us for the virtual expo which is good,” said past chair Cliff.
“There’s also a focus on new technologies as well, with the likes of the milking robots which can also come into that discussion about labour.
“Adopting new technologies is all part of the mix,” said Cliff.
So, it’s on again, on Wednesday and Thursday, September 7 and 8, at the Korumburra Showgrounds. Whether you’re into dairy, producing beef cattle or have a small, more intensive farming operation, there’ll be something to interest you at the South Gippsland Dairy and Farming Expo.
