Happy Ag Day!
National Agriculture Day is an iniative from the National Farmers' Federation that invites everybody to celebrate and learn about Australia’s incredible farm sector. GrainGrowers is encouraging everyone to celebrate the fantastic food grown by our members around Australia. Meet some of our growers and grab a delicious recipe for your harvest lunchbox!
Meet a Grower!
NIGEL CORISH GOONDIWINDI, QLD
Nigel Corish is a farmer from Goondiwindi Queensland who runs a family-owned food and fibre company, New Leaf Ag. As a grower who is passionate about where his food comes from and how it’s grown, Nigel’s focus for his business has been to adopt more sustainable farming practices.
“To improve my sustainability credentials on farm, I started conducting soil tests to measure and improve soil health. I also looked at my crop rotations and introduced cover crops to my farming plan.”
“We need to look at sustainability holistically. For me, that means being the best farmer I can be, from an efficiency and productivity point of view, to a WHS and employer of choice point of view. I want to make sure that I am being the best farmer I can be to be sustainable into the future.”
“It’s important that our food is grown sustainably because our consumers, stakeholders, investors and the community expectations are that we all need to look after the environment into the future. Farmers are already doing so many good things to help improve the environment, we just need to be proactive and highlight the things we do.”
Australian grain growers like Nigel and others in the industry have long been working toward sustainable growth. GrainGrowers has led the development of a sustainability framework, Behind Australian Grain, which identifies some of the key goals and is committed to growing a trusted and sustainable industry that helps feed and fuel a healthier world.
“One of my goals in farming is to be a better custodian of the land and leave the soil and land in better condition when I finish farming”
JO ASHWORTH GOODLANDS AND KALANNIE, WA
Jo Ashworth is a farmer from the wheatbelt of Goodlands and Kalannie Western Australia who with her family runs a mixed cropping and livestock 7,500 hectare family farm business. Sustainable farming practices are the core of everything Jo and her business do.
“Farm sustainability for us is about cropping for family longevity and ensuring food production is there for future. We’re dedicated to looking after our soil, native vegetation, caring for native animals by eradicating pest species.”
“The future of sustainable farming for me is to educate within the next generation, the mindset to farm sustainably and conservatively - to recognise shifting trends and be proactive rather than reactive to pressures.”
Farm sustainability for Jo is not just based on an environmental perspective, instead going hand in hand with the sustainability of family and community.
“The sustainability of a farming community is important because farms need to be a place where it is desirable to live and work forever. Both environmental sustainability and people-focused
sustainable practices are key to business longevity, security and management.
Australian grain growers like Jo and others in the industry have long been working toward sustainable growth. GrainGrowers has led the development of a sustainability framework, Behind Australian Grain, which identifies some of the key goals and is committed to growing a trusted and sustainable industry that helps feed and fuel a healthier world.
”The grain you eat, produced by us, has come from a sustainably run family business. It was grown for you working together in a local community with other families who are doing the same with love and care.”
