Kim | WoTL - Part 7

Taking the ram by the horns

by Kim | May 23, 2024 | Latest News, Stepping into Leadership, Stories of Impact

When 25-year-old Ellen Arney stepped into the role of Farm Manager of her family’s sheep stud, she knew there was going to be a steep learning curve ahead. Whilst some may consider her young to be managing a farm business, Ellen has a deep appreciation and enthusiasm for sheep breeding and together with a love of farming, she was ready to take the ram by the horns.

“I’ve always been interested in farm work, pushing sheep along. As I grew up, I just learnt how to read them and loved going around the paddocks with Dad,” explains Ellen.

Inverbrackie Border Leicester Stud is located in Finniss, South Australia. For her thirteenth birthday, Ellen was gifted ten stud ewes from her parents. Perhaps this was the start of the succession plan, because if you ask Ellen, she was always going to come back to the farm. However, there were some conditions that had to be met before this happened.

“After finishing boarding school, I did a gap year where I worked on the farm for part. Dad said to me before I come back permanently, he wanted me to work away for a bit. I was already enrolled in a Bachelor of Agriculture and Business and Armidale University in New South Wales so off I went.

“The study showed me that there are so many opportunities in ag, so many ways to specialise if you wanted to. But with farming, you kind of do all those bits in farming itself, not just doing the one thing all the time and using all your skill sets.”

When COVID hit in 2020, Ellen moved back to South Australia and completed her final year part-time, whilst also working on the farm. Her Dad, Lynton, was ready to start the succession, and Ellen was offered a managerial position the following year.

“Mum and Dad decided to buy a house off the property. Dad comes out most days and asks what jobs I want him to do for the day. I’m not mechanically minded, and there are still things I can’t do like fix a tractor, but he can teach and show me.”

WoTL’s Stepping into Leadership Program

Following her participation in Livestock SA’s Agri-Silience program, WoTL’s Stepping into Leadership (SiL) Program came highly recommended by several people to Ellen as an ideal leadership course for women in agriculture.

“I was looking to participate in a leadership course because I knew I was young to be taking over the farm at 25. At the time, I was only just old enough to do the SiL Program!” explains Ellen.

“Many successors don’t get offered this opportunity (taking on the management of the family farm) until they’re in their 40s so I knew I was going to be doing things so much earlier.”

Ellen had a few reservations about participating in an all-women’s program. Whilst attending other rural women’s events has given her a greater appreciation of the vital role rural women play in the agricultural sector, she was often left feeling like she didn’t quite fit the mould.

“I guess for me, I don’t have that support of a husband or farmer. I am the farmer whereas a lot of the women played more of a support role, which is great, and they absolutely have an important role to play. But I associate myself with being a farmer, so these events didn’t quite resonate as much for me.

“What I liked about the SiL Program is that it wasn’t just a two- day course like some of the other (leadership) courses on offer. It required an ongoing commitment, and I was going to be made accountable, which I guess is what pushed me into it.”

As it turns out, Ellen realised she had more in common than she realised with the diverse group of participants, who whilst all connected to agriculture, all had unique backgrounds and stories to tell.

“When we first met, I felt like everyone had known each other for months which made us feel more at ease and allow us to be more vulnerable together. We can just talk at another level.

Susie Green, Ellen Arney, Minister Clare Scriven

Above: WoTL Chair Susie Green, Ellen Arney and Minister Clare Scriven at the 2023 Stepping into Leadership Graduation.

Following her completion of the 2023 SiL Program, Ellen is forging ahead and continuing to learn the ropes in her Farm Manager role under the guidance of her dad.

“Since finishing the program, I find that I communicate differently. The way I communicate with Dad is different. I often find myself stopping when something is hitting a nerve and thinking before responding. Learning how to reframe questions and conversations has been such a vital skill.”

Lynton has also noticed changes in Ellen.

“Dad has said things to me like ‘I’ve noticed a lot of differences in you. You’ve changed quite a bit.’ But I’ve also noticed that I’m not so upset all the time, I used to take a lot of things personally. The dynamic between Dad and I has changed.

“One of my pet hates used to be him talking over me to the dogs. One time when this happened, I took a breath, and offered a boundary. I just said “Next time, whoever’s with the dogs gives the instructions.

“All the expectations that were put on me, were by me. I’m still learning new things. I have to remember he’s had 50 years of experience whilst I’ve had five!”

“Understanding different personality types has been incredibly beneficial. Whilst I can see the benefit of doing the SiL Program later once you have the experience behind you, I’m glad I know a lot of this stuff now, the life skills and learning how other people work is so valuable. It’s really set me up for the future.”

Ellen acknowledges that the SiL Program can be confronting, as a large focus is developing an understanding of yourself.

“It’s really rewarding to have that level of awareness. It just changes how you approach life going forward by offering a different perspective.

Ellen’s gift of ten ewes has now grown to her managing a flock of 2000. Whilst she can’t necessarily claim ownership of them all (yet), she did recently purchase her first parcel of land from her parents as the succession continues. Whilst she is still growing and learning, Ellen continues to lean on her SiL network for support.

“We try to catch up every year. We’re just able to talk at another level after our shared experience.”

Ewe management in focus

by Kim | Apr 4, 2024 | Events, Latest News

WoTL’s ‘Ewe management for optimal performance’ workshop held in Pinnaroo in early March 2024 covered all aspects of ewe nutrition throughout the production cycle. Presented by Deb Scammell, of Talking Livestock, and organised by WoTL Ambassador, Danielle Nickolls, the event offered women from the mallee region an opportunity to come together to connect.

Workshop summary

The dry matter content of feed is the proportion of the feed that contains the valuable nutrients that ewes require for production. This is the portion of feed that is left after feed is dried out. The other portion of the feed is the moisture content which is just water. The dry matter content of hay and grain is often around 90% whereas by-products, or feeds such as silage, will be much lower in dry matter content, often around 20 – 40% dry matter and the rest is water. When we compare the value of particular feeds, we compare them on a dry-matter basis.

When we look at nutrient requirements of a ewe throughout the reproductive cycle (i.e from a dry ewe pre-joining throughout pregnancy, lambing and lactation) we primarily concentrate on energy. Energy is measured in MJ/Kg DM, depending on the mature weight (standard reference weight) of a ewe the maintenance energy requirement will differ. The energy requirement of a ewe increases into lambing with the requirements of a twin bearing ewe being 15% higher than a single bearing ewe. The ewe energy requirement peaks around a month after lambing which is peak lactation.

Protein is important whenever a ewe is growing out a foetus (during late gestation), during lactation (which will create higher quality milk for the growing foetus) and a growing young animal also requires extra protein. During early pregnancy, a ewe only requires about 8% total ration protein. This increases to 12 – 14% in late pregnancy and 14% during peak lactation.

Deb Scamell, Talking Livestock, presenting at WoTL's Ewe Management workshop in Pinnaroo

The condition score of the ewe determines what the reproductive reserves of the ewe are. When going into lambing for merino’s general condition score (CS) targets are CS 3 for a single and CS 3.3 for a twin bearing ewe. Lifetime wool research has shown merino ewes in better condition at lambing have heavier lambs. Lambs which are higher birthweight at lambing are likely to have higher survival rates, this is even more critical for twin-born lambs which are always lower birthweights with the ewes’ energy divided between two foetuses. Ewes that are in heavier condition scores at the point of lambing also have reduced ewe mortality. Ensuring ewes hit condition score targets enables a more productive sheep business with higher marking percentages and lower ewe mortality. If there is a large tail in a mob of ewes, especially when supplementary feeding or containment feeding ewes it can be worth drafting off the ‘skinnies’ and feeding them to allow them to gain condition prior to lambing.

Along with energy and protein, ewes also often require macro minerals, microminerals and vitamins to balance out the nutrients provided by paddock feed or supplementary feed into lambing. Calcium is critical when grain is being fed to allow ewes to develop the bone structure of the foetus and provide high quality milk and avoid issues such as hypocalcaemia (Calcium deficiency which can cause ewes to go down prior to lambing or during lactation). Magnesium can also assist muscle function into lambing.

Deb Scammell presenting at WoTL's ewe management workshop in Pinnaroo

As paddock feed grows over a season it starts as highly digestible feed with very high energy values, however it is often very low dry matter and high moisture content also at this early growth stage. As feed starts to mature the digestibility starts to decrease, by late summer and autumn often dry standing feed or stubbles are only around 40% digestibility and 5 – 6 MJ/kg DM. These pastures often supply less energy than that required for maintenance for even a dry ewe, so when we look at pregnant or lactating ewes during this time we need to consider the most economical way to supplementary feed to fill this gap.

There are many industry courses and workshops available which can assist to upskill producers in effectively managing ewes in a sheep enterprise. For more information you can contact Deb Scammell E. deb@talkinglivestock.com.au W: www.talkinglivestock.com.au

This project was supported by the Murraylands and Riverland Landscape Board through funding from the landscape levies and the South Australian Government.

From Fleurieu to finalist

by Kim | Apr 4, 2024 | Stepping into Leadership, Stories of Impact

Susie Williams usually avoided doing anything with groups of women. The long-held perception that this situation could be dangerous or intimidating and could possibly get her in fight or flight mode had kept her away.

But last year, Susie came across WoTL’s Stepping into Leadership (SiL) Program on social media and chose to stretch herself outside her comfort zone. Luckily, she did because she was able to turn that perception completely on its head. Six months since the completion of the SiL program, she is now processing her remarkable feat as a 2024 South Australian AgriFutures Rural Woman of the Year finalist, an opportunity she never considered as being a possibility.

“I can honestly say, hand on heart, that I can attribute participating in the SiL Program with my decision to apply for the award”, laughs Susie.

“I think it was just the right time for me, at the right stage of my life. I was starting to lose my mojo a bit with my business and had begun asking questions about what I was doing.”

Susie’s passion for connecting communities and supporting local businesses is what earned her the well-deserved accolade, which recognised her passion project, the Fleurieu App. The app brings together news, sports and business, as well as things to see and do on South Australia’s Fleurieu Peninsula and Kangaroo Island, all in one place.

Susie grew up on a sheep and cereal farm. After leaving school, she knew she wanted to do something in agriculture. Following the completion of tertiary education she settled working in precision viticulture, a career which has taken her across Australia and New Zealand with her husband, who also works in the wine industry, and their three daughters. It’s also a field which can be very ad hoc. The problem with that is Susie likes to stay busy, one of many traits she believes she inherited from her late father, a farmer.

“I don’t like to sit still. Like me, he was always doing something, thinking outside the square. He was quite stubborn, which I think you do need to have a little bit of when you’re running your own business, but he also had a love of learning.”

Moving back to South Australia’s Fleurieu Peninsula and frustrated with not knowing where anything was, Susie decided to do something about it. Hence, the Fleurieu App was born.

Susie Williams, 2024 SA Rural Womens Award finalist

WoTL’s Stepping into Leadership Program

WoTL’s Stepping into Leadership (SiL) Program is an eight-month, personal and professional development journey offered to 15 women connected to agriculture every year. Participants take part in face to face workshops, and individual online coaching and mentoring sessions supporting them to take the next steps on their leadership journey. Friendships and networks are also made over the course of the program.

“When I was accepted into the program, I found this amazing tribe of women. I was made to feel completely safe to be able to explore ideas and ask questions about myself and my business. This type of environment gave me the confidence to share openly. There was a lot of growth that happened over that time,” explains Susie.

“Obviously, there is a certain amount of vulnerability that comes with sharing some of our challenges and life experiences but being held by this group of women, and feeling seen, was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.

“I now have this group of women behind me that are giving me the confidence I need and have my back. I can just pick up the phone and run an idea past them, which is a network I didn’t have before. The whole program is a real confidence builder. I learnt to not be so hard on myself, which isn’t always easy.

“Many of these women will be mates for life.”

Working closely with her coach, Jeanette Long, and mentor, Anna Fisher, Susie built up the courage to address something that had been holding her back. She hosted her own networking event.

“Jeanette was amazing and a real wealth of knowledge. To grow my business, I knew I needed to put myself out there and get out of my comfort zone, but I found networking and talking in front of people really hard. It would always hold me back.

“Jeanette did a really great job in preparing me for the event, to give me the confidence to go in and tackle it.

“SiL has given me so much. As women, especially mums, we always keep reinventing ourselves. Having access now to this incredible group of women, and the SiL alumni is such a privilege.”

Understanding the incredible power of networks was a motivation for Susie to put herself out there and nominate for the SA AgriFutures Rural Woman of the Year Awards.

“After my experience with SiL and finding my tribe, if I could then tap into the alumni of the Rural Womens Award, imagine what I can do?”

TW2024 Call for abstracts OPEN!

by Kim | Mar 6, 2024 | Latest News, Thriving Women Conference

Organisers of the popular Thriving Women Conference (TW2024) are inviting abstract submissions to present at this year’s event to be held at the Adelaide Hills Convention Centre, Hahndorf from 12 -13 August 2024. TW2024 is proudly hosted by WoTL (Women Together Learning).

TW2024 Conference Convenor, Toni Duka, has announced the conference theme, Be the change, will take centre stage, resonating with the vibrant and dynamic community of women connected through agriculture.

“The expectation of presentations is that they are largely based around “Toolbox Talks”, the idea being that whilst the audience is presented content, they are also given something to add to their “toolbox” to take home and put into practice,” explains Ms Duka.

“We are providing the opportunity for presenters to engage the audience showcasing some key tools and approaches to help individuals gain the necessary capabilities to navigate change effectively, which requires a versatile toolkit that encompasses both practical skills and a resilient mindset.”

“We invite presenters to engage, reflect, and contribute to a conference experience rich in knowledge, inspiration, story-telling and collaborative growth. Presenting at a Thriving Women Conference is a wonderful way to showcase your subject matter expertise, share skills and knowledge, it also provides the opportunity to more closely connect and engage with up to 200 delegates.”

Toolbox Talk presenters are not limited to female presenters. All genders are encouraged to apply. Presentations are 50 minutes in duration, including question time.

Abstract submissions close on March 18 2024. Submissions can be made at www.wotl.com.au/thriving-women/abstract-call

About Thriving Women

Thriving Women brings together 200 delegates connected through agriculture. Now an annual event, Thriving Women has been run in South Australia in 2018, 2020 and 2022 with the event being held in NSW for the first time in 2023. Thriving Women returns to South Australia in 2024.

Fostering a safe and welcoming environment, the event encourages the development of networks, knowledge, and skills through participation and contact with other delegates. Participation in TW2024 will empower delegates to be confident, capable, and influential, working towards a sustainable future for agriculture.

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Leading the change

by Kim | Feb 7, 2024 | Ambassadors, Case Study, Stories of Impact

For Leanne Pridham, it was not having a business card to put into a bowl at an event that made her realise the value of her role within the family farming business. This one seemingly trivial detail turned out to be a pivotal moment, creating awareness that Leanne was underestimating her value.

It is not overly uncommon for women working in farm businesses to feel this way. Somewhere along the way, and for reasons that remain unclear, farming has generally not been held in as high esteem as other professions. Identifying as a farmer, and owning that title, continues to be an ongoing challenge.

“It’s such a minor thing, a business card, but I always thought I didn’t need one because I ‘just work on the farm’,” explains Leanne, whose role in the family farm business ranges from office duties and driving heavy machinery, to strategic and big picture planning.

The event Leanne attended was WoTL’s Thriving Women Conference, an event aimed to grow and inspire women connected to agriculture.

“At that conference, my thinking was challenged. I realised there’s no reason why I shouldn’t have a business card, and I could put anything on there; finance manager, logistics manager, machinery operator, it didn’t matter. It was the permission I sought and WoTL gave me that.”

Becoming a WoTL Ambassador

Leanne lives and farms on South Australia’s Yorke Peninsula, primarily a grain growing region with her husband and three boys. Coming from a livestock background, after settling in the area she quickly realised there were some fundamental differences between livestock and cropping enterprises, particularly the number of women actively farming. Many farms in the area were being operated with traditional set-ups, with the male being the one who runs the farm, and the female as the helper and more “behind the scenes”. But in the words of Bob Dylan, “times they are a-changin’.”

After resigning from her government job to work alongside her husband on the farm, she was hungry for professional development opportunities to hone her knowledge and skills. Leanne was passionate about finding other women in her area with similar ambitions.

Leanne played a key role in revitalising the Yorke Peninsula Partners in Grain (PinG) group, which has evolved into WoTL- Yorke Peninsula. Leanne is now a WoTL Ambassador for the region. As well as encouraging women in her area to not underestimate the value of their roles within their agricultural businesses, one of Leanne’s other main motivations is to create opportunities for women to gather, and if she’s honest, to encourage conversation around the challenges (and benefits) of working alongside your life partner.

“It’s good to talk about machinery, and the general operations of a farm. But it’s also important to talk about the softer stuff, communication, leadership styles, that sort of thing. This is a language that women tend to be more fluent in and is also an area that we can really influence change.”

Leanne Pridham hosting a WoTL event on the Yorke Peninsula

A large part of Leanne’s Ambassador role is organising events for the WoTL Yorke Peninsula community which has a growing network of around 60 women. Each member’s connection to agriculture ranges from identifying as being a full-time farmer themselves, through to others who work off-farm but provide support to their partners. The type of events offered are just as diverse and have included farm safety, crop walks, women’s health, yoga classes and mindfulness through art sessions.

“Feedback at the end of a workshop or event is always positive. However, a lot of the real connection takes place over a meal where honest conversations happen. You hear a lot of remarks like ‘I never thought of that’ or ‘I’m going to try that’, which is great,” explains Leanne.

“We always have good attendance. I’m proud to have helped create these connections and safe spaces for women to come and talk about their family farms. Having access to high quality facilitators and experts in their field is a huge drawcard and offers participants the opportunity to build networks that extend right across the country without having to leave the region.”

Organising events for women in her area is as much for herself as well as everyone else, however Leanne continues to witness the ripple effect and impact in the wider community.

“I had a woman come along to a farm financial workshop who hadn’t been to a WoTL event before. She had left her teaching position to come back on to the farm. She is highly operational, running a feedlot. After the event I ran into her father, who she works alongside, who told me that the event had been one of best she had attended and she learnt so much,” recalls Leanne.

In addition to her role as a WoTL Ambassador, Leanne is also a WoTL Board Director and an alumnus of the Stepping into Leadership Program.

And she still doesn’t have a business card. Not because she lacks confidence or self-value, but purely because that task is still waiting to be ticked off her to-do list!