Southern Forrest farmers invited to new series of networking events which aim to strengthen the community
Farmers in the Southern Forest's will be able to attend a new series of networking events which aim to strengthen the farming community through knowledge-sharing, innovation and a touch of humour.
The Southern Forests Food Council have announced the next chapter of its Farmer Resilience Networking Series — a program backed by the Synergy Community Giving Fund and the Department of Primary Industry and Regional Development.
A lineup of events will be on offer which feature international leaders in farm nutrition, local agriculture champions, hands-on tech demonstrations, and even some of Australia's top comedians.
The events will equip farmers with practical tools and new ideas to tackle real-world challenges such as water security, soil health, climate resilience, mental well-being and carbon management.
SFFC executive chair Arthur Wilson said farmers were the 'backbone' on the Warren-Blackwood region.
'This initiative is about more than just farming techniques — it's about supporting the people who keep our food systems strong and helping them thrive in a world that's rapidly changing.
'We're grateful to Synergy for recognising the importance of farmer well-being and resilience. It's encouraging to see support from outside the industry to get behind initiatives that make a real difference,' Dr Wilson said.
Dr Wilson said the SFFC had been working closely with it's members to ensure the program addressed the evolving concerns of the community.
'Grower outreach is critical,' he said.
'We want to deliver information that's not just relevant but meaningful — ensuring we're addressing what matters most, rather than dictating what we think people need.'
Upcoming events in the series include a carbon calculator pilot program running from June to August, a comedy night on July 4, a nutrient-dense food production workshop on September 22 and 23, and a DIY fertiliser and soil health workshop also in September.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Sky News AU
3 days ago
- Sky News AU
Labor has ‘failed' to understand the importance of defence
Shadow Industrial Relations Minister Tim Wilson discusses calls from the US for Australia to increase its defence spending. 'We know before the last election we saw a need to increase our defence spending after what we've seen as a real failure of this government not to understand the importance of defence,' Mr Wilson told Sky News Political Editor Andrew Clennell. 'What the government's own white paper has said is one of the most challenging times since the end of the Second World War.'
Sky News AU
3 days ago
- Sky News AU
Shadow industrial relations minister Tim Wilson backs wage rise but blasts Labor for ‘milking' small business
The Coalition has expressed support for the recent minimum wage increase but warned the Albanese government is failing businesses who must absorb higher labour costs. Shadow industrial relations minister Tim Wilson told Sky News Sunday Agenda that Labor has left small businesses behind due to its economic inaction. 'As Liberals, we always support higher wages. The big question for all of us is, what is the government then doing to help small business to be able to afford them?' Mr Wilson said. 'They're not helping small business on tax, they're not helping small business on regulation. They're not doing anything to improve the overall economic conditions. 'We've just got government milking small business rather than empowering them to be in a position to afford these wage increases.' His remarks follow the Fair Work Commission decision to lift the national minimum wage by 3.5 per cent—equating to an extra $0.84 per hour, bringing the rate to $24.94. The Council of Small Business Organisations Australia (COSBOA) has warned the wage increase could tip vulnerable businesses over the edge. 'Ultimately, someone needs to pay here and overwhelmingly that will be small business,' COSBOA CEO Luke Achterstraat said on Tuesday. 'The irony here is that our industrial relations system continues to be a drag on productivity, and that is bad for workers and businesses.' Mr Achterstraat reiterated COSBOA's longstanding call for productivity reform to accompany wage growth. 'We have repeatedly warned that higher wages without higher productivity is a disaster waiting to happen,' he said. 'To ensure that our children don't endure a lower standard of living than us, we need to boost productivity – our workplace settings have a direct impact on this outcome.' Mr Wilson said the real path to higher wages lies in supporting overall business growth, not simply raising minimum wages. 'If the answer to improving wages is seeing small businesses fall over, we're not actually improving opportunities for more jobs, better paid jobs,' he said. 'The Liberal solution to getting wages up is to have small businesses being successful.' Mr Wilson also flagged the need to modernise Australia's industrial relations system to prepare for future challenges, including the rise of artificial intelligence. 'If we don't actually grapple with this and lead into this challenge, we might as a nation find ourselves very much in a position of being uncompetitive,' he warned. 'Labor's outdated thinking around industrial relations is based on the legacy of 19th century thinking. It's not based on where my focus is, which is building an employment environment for the 21st century.' The minimum wage increase will come into effect on July 1.
Sky News AU
3 days ago
- Sky News AU
'It's real, it's fast': Shadow employment minister Tim Wilson sounds alarm on the threat of AI on Australia's workforce
Shadow employment minister Tim Wilson has sounded the alarm on artificial intelligence (AI) being on track to upturn Australia's workforce. Mr Wilson, who oversees the Coalition's industrial relations, employment and small business portfolios, said the Albanese government had 'outdated thinking' which risked Australia becoming 'uncompetitive' if it fails to adapt to the unstoppable force of AI. Speaking to Sky News Sunday Agenda, Mr Wilson expressed concern about 'emergent challenges' surrounding industrial relations, particularly the advent of AI. ' A classic example (of future IR challenges)… is going to be the emergence of artificial intelligence and how it's going to change the structure of the workplace,' he said. 'If we don't actually grapple with this and lean into this challenge, we might as a nation find ourselves very much in a position of being uncompetitive.' Mr Wilson said the employment uptake of US graduates into industries exposed to AI had declined and warned the same challenge was 'coming at us'. 'It's real. It's fast, and it's going to be one that we have to start to lean into as a country,' he said. 'A lot of Labor's outdated thinking around industrial relations is based on the legacy of 19th century thinking. It is not based on where my focus is, which is building an employment environment for the 21st century.' Last week, Liberal Senator Andrew Bragg told Sky News that Mr Wilson made a 'good point' by highlighting the Australian education system was not keeping up with the demand for AI in the workforce. Mr Bragg said Australia needed to prepare for the 'massive disruption' AI would have. 'Right now, what you see is a huge war between China and the US on who can best develop and deploy AI in their economy,' he said. 'I don't think we had the opportunity to talk to the Australian people about the great opportunities that can be found in these disruptive technologies like AI. 'But the good news is we still have time to do it over the next few years, and that's what we're looking to do alongside our other economic colleagues, Ted O'Brien, James Paterson, Tim Wilson.'
