My name is Stewart Hamilton and I'm based in Inverleigh in Southern Victoria, just an hour South of Ballarat. We run a family farm there with my wife Pip and three kids, farming with my parents John and Hilary. We manage a mainly dryland cropping enterprise producing wheat, barley, canola and hay, with a second farm at Wycheproof.
I try and stay active in the community and am on the board of Southern Farming Systems research organisation, helping increase farm productivity in a high rainfall zone. I'm also heavily involved with local and district Country Fire Authority (CFA), serving for 20 years as lieutenant, captain and now deputy group officer.
What made you passionate about grain freight and supply chain and how did you come to be a part of Grains100?
I developed an interest on local road conditions and bridge limits for high productivity freight vehicles (HPFV), due to dimension limits that were causing an issue in ag machine movement between our properties.
I’ve worked with GrainGrowers’ Annabel Mactier, Policy manager - trade and supply chains, a lot in the past regarding local roads and opening up logistic gateways. I was then phoned up by Chez McKinney, Events and projects manager, and thought I'd give it a go.
How did you find the sessions?
I found the sessions thought provoking. They really opened up a number of different perspectives on challenges growers face, particularly regarding public image, and it was really interesting to hear a different way of thinking. A lot of the speakers, especially those from different industries were talking about the same issues we as growers have, but with a different slant.
Jo's sessions were really high speed and energetic, and the sessions with GrainGrowers staff opened my eyes to different perspectives on things like social media and podcasts – what it would be like for the people on the other side. Chris is a master of media and his session was extremely interesting to hear about the media perspective.
What was the most valuable insight you took from the sessions?
For me the best and most interesting sessions were ‘Influence in action’ from the Australian British Chamber of Commerce’s CEO Ticky Fullerton and ‘The Australia Cotton Industry Case Study’ from Cotton Australia CEO Adam Kay. It was interesting hearing about the issues that arise in different industries to grain that are similar to our issues, and the public's perspectives on them. It seemed to me that we simultaneously have similar problems with different solutions while also having different problems with similar solutions. Both of these sessions really connected the two days with a strong emphasis on accurate and real storytelling.
I'm looking forward to the next Grains100 session and hoping for a good season ahead.