A SAGIT-funded initiative in the Upper North is empowering women to take a more active role in farming.
Ladies on the Land, which operates under the Upper North Farming Systems group, holds workshops that aim to upskill women in a range of farm topics in order to sustainably manage and grow their businesses.
Speakers - who are mainly female - have presented on practical topics from business succession planning and risk management to cropping and grain marketing, with workshops attracting up to 25 participants since the initiative was launched three years ago.
Organiser Jessica Koch said Ladies on the Land helped to equip women - many who had recently moved or returned to the region - with a useful base-level knowledge of agriculture while also providing an opportunity to network.
"Sometimes farmers are busy with their heads down working in the practical part of the business, that they don't have time to work on the business," she said.
"The workshops give women skills, resources and knowledge and they are then able to translate that back into profitable farming decisions.
"For example, I know of women who have attended a workshop and, as a result, employed a third party to assist them with restructuring their business and more effectively managing human resources.
"I also get lots of feedback from husbands that the lingo their wives have picked up in the workshops has been really handy in terms of discussing the on-farm side of things, such as agronomy."
Mrs Koch - who is also president of the Society of Precision Agriculture Australia - gave a presentation at a recent workshop on how to implement precision ag on-farm.
"Topics such as precision ag can appear complicated," she said.
"We tackle that by untangling the concepts, and presenting them as solutions that can be applied simply and locally."
Mrs Koch hoped the initiative may eventually spread to encompass other parts of the state and that a digital resources hub will be developed for those who could not attend workshops or lived outside active areas.
"We feel it's a really worthwhile initiative that has enriched our farming systems group," she said.
- Details: For information on upcoming workshops contact Jessica Koch on 0407 986 557 or visit the Ladies on the Land Facebook page.