My name is Chelsea, and along with my husband Clayton and our seven-month-old daughter, I’m proud to be part of a farming family in Carina, just west of Murrayville, Victoria. Our farm, which we recently took over from my in-laws, Desmond and Cynthia Sporn, is approximately 3,000ha, where we grow wheat, barley, lentils, vetch, and oats for milling. We also run a small flock of Merino ewes and some cattle, farming across a mix of sandy and clay soils.
Frost damage hit us across a lot of our crops in 2024, which, combined with the low rainfall, resulted in us losing a significant portion of our grain production, which was tough. Still, we’re looking ahead and planning to start seeding the 2025 crop in the next month.
I’m still relatively new to grain marketing, but now that we’ve taken over the family business, I’m keen to learn more. That’s why I’m so excited to attend the GrainGrowers’ Grain Marketing Workshop in Murrayville next week. It’s a fantastic opportunity for me to gain more knowledge about this area of the business that I’m not very familiar with. I’m eager to learn and take on more responsibility as we continue to grow the farm and its operations.
My husband and I are working hard to build a more drought-resilient farming system. We’re constantly looking for ways to adapt and improve, especially with the unpredictability of our seasons.
My in-laws have weathered countless challenges over the years and have managed to keep the farm going through it all, which we are proud of. It is an honour to continue their legacy, with my husband being a fourth-generation farmer.
Being an Australian grain grower is something I’m truly proud of. The work we do contributes to feeding the world, and it feels good to know we’re part of that bigger picture. As we look to the future, I’m excited to see what’s next for us and our family. I hope one day our children will take over this farm, just as we did, and continue to carry on our farming tradition for generations to come.