The AFIA Conference starts next week - Check out the program

By: "Farm Tender" News
Water & Irrigation News
Jul 22, 2019
676 views
Share

This article is bought to you by Amarant Trucking Company.

Our first event for the Conference will be our new Members Breakfast, to kick-start our AFIA Members Day. Members will be in for a treat to taste lamb bacon and hear from first generation farmer Toni Barton, founder of The Original Lamb Bacon Co. After breakfast, members will move into our Contractors Workshop, sponsored by Lallemand Animal Nutrition, which will feature the technological advances in silage over the past decade. Our Transport workshop will follow after lunch with guest speaker Tim Hansen from the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator. Following on from transport, we will introduce our evolving Women in Fodder workshop, now titled Business Management Workshop that aims to equip farm managers with extra skills in finance, administration and human resources.

Ad -Amarant Trucking Company have e wide range of Freight options - Call Geoff now for a quote on 0428 999 007 - Ad

After our workshops conclude, our conference Welcome Cocktail Function on Monday night, sponsored by Tama Australia (formerly TapexAgri), will be an ideal opportunity for our conference delegates to meet each other in an informal setting and enjoy a drink and some canapés by the pool. Delegates can familiarise themselves with the facilities of our venue the Crowne Plaza Hunter Valley before the official opening ceremony begins on Tuesday morning. The 2019 National Fodder Conference will take place on the land of the Wanaruah people, at the Crowne Plaza Hunter Valley. The official opening ceremony will begin with a Welcome to Country by Wanaruah Elder Aunty Cynthia Morris who will share the history of

her people and the land.

We will be in good company with Airlie Landale as our Conference MC. Airlie is the founder of Farm Table and Farmer Exchange, an online platform that connects modern farmers with the latest research, resources and each other, to help people navigate the complexities of farming in Australia. As a farmer and former business analyst who has recently travelled through farming communities across Australia to launch Farm Table, Airlie is well placed to guide us through the two days of our speaker program. Fiona Simson, farmer and President of the National Farmers’ Federation, will also join us for a Welcome Address and share the NFF’s vision for a $1 billion agriculture industry by 2030. Our Major Conference Sponsor BioStart, a leading New Zealand bio-technology company, will conclude our morning welcome session with their conference address before we break for morning tea.

Ad -Amarant Trucking Company have e wide range of Freight options - Call Geoff now for a quote on 0428 999 007 - Ad

The AFIA Annual General Meeting and Year in Review will be led by Board Chair Frank McRae and CEO John McKew respectively. New AFIA Board Members will be elected before we move into our product launches from AFIA sponsors and the guided Machinery Exhibition Walk. Conference delegates will have access to meet and greet our trade displays sponsors and see machinery throughout lunch and other catering breaks.

Our first themed session for the conference will focus on fodder market economies. This session will feature a presentation from Denis McGrath, AEXCO Executive Officer, who will share the findings from a recent export hay economic feasibility study conducted in South Australia and Western Australia. Denis will discuss the financial merits of growing export hay and compare profitability with other grain grower enterprises. Sofia Omstedt, Dairy Australia’s Industry Analyst, will be joining us to share some insight on the current situation of the Australian dairy industry.

With a focus on global dairy demand and Australia’s domestic market, Sofia provides analysis and insight for both DA and external industry publications, and is a co-author of DA’s Situation and Outlook reports. We will also be inviting Mark Harrison, Senior Research Fellow and foundation member of the Queensland University of Technology Centre for Tropical Crops and Biocommodities. Mark is a biochemist with extensive basic, applied, and commercial research experience. Research in his group is focused on the conversion of agricultural residues into more valuable food, feed, fibre, fine chemical, and fuel products, and he will discuss relevant emerging technologies relating to the fodder industry.

Our second themed session is on lucerne as a fodder protein. Join Professor Derrick Moot from Lincoln University in New Zealand for our conference keynote presentation. Derrick leads the dryland pastures research team and his research aims to create farm systems that are resilient to climate change, particularly in dry eastern regions of New Zealand. His specific interest is in using legumes on-farm and he has been instrumental in increasing the use of lucerne as a major feed source for sheep, beef, deer and dairy systems. He has worked on all aspects of lucerne agronomy and grazing management over the last 20 years. His focus is on using science to produce transformational change on farms and he is regularly asked to discuss these impacts with farmers in NZ, Australia and South America.

We will also be joined by Greg Brooke, a local Research and Development Dryland Agronomist from the NSW Department of Primary Industries (Agriculture). Greg commenced in this role in May 2013 and his principle areas of work include winter cereal agronomy, weeds and herbicide resistance, and advanced seeding/no-till systems and farming systems. Greg will share his latest report spanning three years (2016 to 2018) of experimental work at Trangie, which has shown soil type to be a major contributor to systems performance and profit.

In all years lucerne on red soil has outperformed the grey soil, has been highly profitable as a grazed option and is also showing benefits in reducing some important soil borne diseases. This session will also feature a panel of lucerne farmers and industry members.

Ad -Amarant Trucking Company have e wide range of Freight options - Call Geoff now for a quote on 0428 999 007 - Ad

The National Fodder Conference Annual Dinner will be held in the evening on Tuesday where guests can enjoy the fine flavours of the Hunter Valley and surrounds and be entertained by a live band. AFIA will announce annual awards such as the Photo Competition, GenAg Future Fund and Bill Gough Memorial Award, and induct Life Members. The Conference Annual Dinner is proudly sponsored by AFIA’s Fodder Care Sponsor New Holland Agriculture.

Our final day program will feature three sessions: health and safety, financial risks of climate change and irrigation. Joining us for a keynote presentation on Wednesday morning will be Major General Stephen Day, appointed by Prime Minister Scott as the Coordinator General for the Join Agency Drought Taskforce. Major General Stephen Day brings extensive experience in leadership, governance and strategy to his role as Coordinator General for Drought. He has commanded and led at every level from Lieutenant to Major General, planning, managing and leading complex operations in highly challenging and changeable environments. He has been on operational service in Namibia, East Timor, Iraq and Afghanistan.

For more information on the program and speakers, see www.afia.org.au