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The permanent employment market is starting to move again in the agribusiness sector. Two strong winter crop seasons in agriculture after a prolonged drought and improved prices for commodities have resulted in increased confidence in the Agribusiness sector and a corresponding increase in employment.

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Understanding the Employment Market in Australian Agriculture

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The permanent employment market is starting to move again in the agribusiness sector. Two strong winter crop seasons in agriculture after a prolonged drought and improved prices for commodities have resulted in increased confidence in the Agribusiness sector and a corresponding increase in employment. On the flip side, many who…

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The livestock and cropping sectors, the largest employers in the Ag sector (combined, representing 42% of all farm labour), have been particularly adversely affected by these trends. Widespread rain in 2020 which has continued in 2021, has led to demand exceeding supply for Station Hands, Farm Operatives, Cropping Managers, Farm Managers and the like.

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Where have all the Agriculture Workers in Australia Gone? - Agricultural Appointments

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It has been widely publicised that seasonal workers and backpackers have been a primary source of casual and temporary labour for agriculture and that reduced

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The Digital Revolution in Australian Agriculture

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The Digital Revolution in Australian Agriculture

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The digital revolution has had a significant impact on agriculture globally, and Australia is no exception. In recent years, there has been a growing adoption of digital technologies in Australian agriculture, transforming the way farming is done and offering numerous benefits to farmers and the industry as a whole.

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Agricultural engineering to play crucial role in the digital revolution underway in Australian agriculture. - Agricultural Appointments

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By Dr. Ray Johnson, Managing Director, Agricultural Appointments.

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Required skills for Agribusiness Digital Revolution

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Required skills for Agribusiness Digital Revolution

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Employers now are more interested in people who possess more than just academic qualifications. They appreciate someone who can use his analytical skills to solve problems using science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).

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STEM skills required to drive the digital revolution in Australian agriculture - Agricultural Appointments

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By Dr. Ray Johnson, Managing Director, Agricultural Appointments.

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Mechanical and Scientific innovation in Agribusiness

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Mechanical and Scientific innovation in Agribusiness

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Agriculture is now undergoing its third major revolution from mechanical and scientific revolutions to the digital agriculture revolution. The sector has seen the introduction of modern tools used including moisture precision sensors, mobile apps, soil sensors, the use of GPS, and advanced software.

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High technology in agriculture creates changing trends in recruitment. - Agricultural Appointments

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By Dr Ray Johnson, Managing Director Agricultural Appointments

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While the number of students graduating from agricultural science courses continues to decline, and those who do graduate, aren’t necessarily going on to work on farms, I think they’re missing out on big opportunities.

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Don't turn your back on agribusiness - Agricultural Appointments

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While the number of students graduating from agricultural science courses continues to decline, and those who do graduate, aren't necessarily going on to work

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Our review of agribusiness salaries from 1995 through to 2015, using Agricultural Appointments’ own internal records and industry data, shows that growth in salaries in a number of key areas has been substantially slower than average wages in other industries.

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SALARY UPDATE: WE'RE FIGHTING FOR YOU! - Agricultural Appointments

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Employers need to get on the front foot with market-savvy remuneration, to fight other industries for the top talent.

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If you’re in agribusiness you will know how difficult it is to attract well-qualified employees, particularly if you are in a regional or remote area.

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If you're in agribusiness you will know how difficult it is to attract well-qualified employees, particularly if you are in a regional or remote area.

Asia's rising middle class, with its increased demand for food and agricultural products and services over the next 50 years, will make attracting the best and brightest even more competitive - especially if remuneration continues on its current path.
Agribusiness wages growth lags behind average wage

Wages growth in the food and agriculture sector have lagged well behind average wages, according to our 2015 Salary & Trend Report.

The report concludes that this is partly due to the highly variable nature of agricultural production and the more recent strong Australian dollar.

Droughts were also prevalent over the period from 1995 to 2009, which placed sever strains on all agribusiness operations

Nevertheless, we believe remuneration will be a key battleground in the future in attracting and retaining employees.

So which parts of the agribusiness sector are worst affected by wages lag and how do they need to grow to compete with other industries?

Farm Managers

The salaries of farm managers with a degree or diploma (and more than five years of experience in a specific farm type) have performed the worst in the agribusiness sector over past 20 years, increasing by 36.5% from from $55,000 to $75,000.

Over the same time average Australian wages have increased by 125.7% - from $34,018 to $76,768.

Product Managers

Product managers have not done much better than farm managers.

According to our 2015 Salary and Trend Report, a product manager with a university qualification and five years experience has seen their wages grow from $56,000 in 1995 to $80-90,000 now, an increase of 42.9%.

This represents less than one third of the growth of the average Australian wage.

Sales Reps and Technical Managers

Wages for sales reps and technical managers have fared slightly better, but remuneration for both still grew at roughly the half the rate of the average wage over the past 20 years.

Agricultural Appointments' figures show that Sales Reps with a tertiary qualification and 5 years experience grew on average from $43,000 in 1995 to $85,000 in 2015 (that's a increase of 62.8% versus 125.7% increase in average wages.)

Technical Managers' salaries grew from an average of $67,000 in 1995 to $110,000 in 2015, a growth of 64.2%.

Technical Sales Reps and Quality Assurance Managers

The increase in these employees' salaries in the past two decades reflects the second tier that has developed in the agribusiness sector, with more rapid salary growth in the higher technical areas.

According to our report, these jobs are becoming more highly valued as agribusiness and agrifood industries strive to present strong technical arguments and services to their increasingly sophisticated customer base.

The report shows that Technical Sales Reps' salaries have grown from $42,000 in 1995 to $85,000 in 2015, an increase of 102.4%.

Quality Assurance Managers' salaries have grown from an average of $46,000 in 1995 to $95,000 in 2015, an increase of 106.5%.

Agronomists

Agronomists with an agronomy (or similar) degree have seen the biggest wages growth over the past 20 years, outstripping average wage growth (150% v 125.7%).

This reflects both the increased technical requirements for these roles and also the substantial skills shortages relative to the number of available roles," the report says. "This is due to the ongoing decline in the number of agricultural science graduates from Australian universities."
To find out more about the trends in the agribusiness sector in Australia, including remuneration, download this free eBook, "2015 Salary and Trend Report".

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Show Me The Money: Why Agribusinesses Need To Cough Up To Attract Top Talent. - Agricultural Appointments

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If you're in agribusiness you will know how difficult it is to attract well-qualified employees, particularly if you are in a regional or remote area. Asia's rising middle class, with its increased demand for food and agricultural products and services over the next 50 years, will make attracting the best and brightest even more competitive - especially if remuneration continues on its current path.

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The reason why there are lesser agricultural graduates

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The reason why there are lesser agricultural graduates

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The number of students graduating from agricultural science courses continues to decline, and those who do aren’t necessarily going on to work on farms.

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Ag science Graduates May Turn Their back on agribusiness - Agricultural Appointments

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The number of students graduating from agricultural science courses continues to decline, and those who do aren't necessarily going on to work on farms.

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As your agricultural enterprise grows, there may be job roles created that you haven’t put a lot of thought into. We interviewed three successful farming businesses – Collaborative Farming Australia, Huon Aquaculture, and Meredith Dairy – and our own consultants at Agricultural Appointments to learn from their experience.

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You've got a brilliant new business plan. You've done your technical research and are ready to launch into a brave new world. Ready, set .... whoa.

As your agricultural enterprise grows, there may be job roles created that you haven't put a lot of thought into. We interviewed three successful farming businesses - Collaborative Farming Australia, Huon Aquaculture and Meredith Dairy - and our own consultants at Agricultural Appointments to learn from their experience. Here's what they say you can expect in terms of new employment as your business expands.
It's All About People
Let's assume your new business is going to set the world alight. Are you going to do all the work yourself? No, and one of the most commonly overlooked aspects is human resources.

"Perhaps the most important employment focus for an expanding business should be a skills analysis and a specific human resources plan," Agricultural Appointments Managing Director Dr Ray Johnson says. "Many managers experiencing a growth phase of their business feel frustrated when it comes to people skills and this can lead to strain, loss of productivity and slower growth. 'How do we get good people?' becomes a common question. Hiring people with increased skills and training staff are essential to expanding."

John Gladigau from Collaborative Farming Australia agrees. "When we were running our individual farms, we employed one person each, so one of the biggest things we had to learn was managing people; managing their expectations and creating roles, responsibilities and incentives."
New Job Role No. 1: Human Resource Manager or Consultant Market Your Brand
Marketing and sales are the same thing, right? Wrong. Think of marketing as everything you do to reach potential customers, and think of sales as completing the purchase of your product.

Your marketing team will define an overall promotion for your business, including brand development, market analysis and distribution channels. As Sandy Cameron of Meredith Dairy says: "Basically we had to learn the whole supply chain from growing grass to dealing with supermarkets."

John Gladigau agrees, and says with the increased tonnage of grain from Bulla Burra, his collaborative farm, came more leverage for marketing, but also the need for more staff.
New Job Role No. 2: Marketing Manager Selling the Business
You've got your new product refined but how are you going to sell it?

For Peter Bender at Huon Aquaculture, who sells some of the world's finest salmon, this meant sourcing outside help. "We employed, on a contract basis, an ex-Tassal managing director to help with our sales and from there we gradually built up our own skills," he says.

For Sandy Cameron it meant taking his product to the people with in-store tastings of their fresh goat cheese. Many people in their sales team have been with Sandy for a long time and have grown with the business, learning to tell the good news story that is Meredith Dairy.
New Job Role No. 3: Sales Manager Spreading the Good Word
You've got your people organised, have a brand established and are making sales. How then do you build a relationship with your customers to continue the growth of your business? Enter the social media and public relations team.

In this age of digital transformation one of the most influential means of connecting with customers is through social media and the internet. Huon Aquaculture has designed a Sustainability Dashboard on their website, which gives the public an insider's view into the world of salmon. "It gives people confidence that we are open and transparent and answers a lot of questions," Peter Bender says.

Over at Collaborative Farming Australia, John Gladigau uses Facebook to spread the good word. "It's about making people feel good about agriculture and making them want to work for us," he says.
New Job Role No. 4: Social & Public Relations Manager Don't Forget to Ask
While not strictly a job role, the use of consultants when there are gaps in your business can lead to the creation of new employment positions. "We use consultants whenever we are short of knowledge," Sandy Cameron says. "For example we used Ray (Johnson of Agricultural Appointments) to conduct a strategic review three years ago and that brought new ideas into the business."

Peter Bender concurs. When Huon Aquaculture needed help with the processing side of the business they imported expertise from Scotland. "We have tried to get the best person in the field and then bring our own people up through the ranks," he says.
New Job Role No. 5: Consultants, which can lead to training and new positions. What Other Job Roles Will I Need?
Human resources, marketing, sales, public relations and the use of consultants are just some of the new job roles created when growing an agricultural business. Want to know what other roles were created by Collaborative Farming Australia, Huon Aquaculture and Meredith Dairy as they expanded? Then download our free 2016 Agribusiness Talent and Training Report to find out more.

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Growing Agriculture: 5 New Job Roles - Agricultural Appointments

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You've got a brilliant new business plan. You've done your technical research and are ready to launch into a brave new world. Ready, set .... whoa. As your agricultural enterprise grows, there may be job roles created that you haven't put a lot of thought into.

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Transforming Agribusiness into Digital Age

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Transforming Agribusiness into Digital Age

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As your agricultural business expands, avenues for attracting employees and connecting with customers are increasingly moving into the digital age. Sure, you’ve got a website and have played around with social media, but how can you transform your business to stand out from the crowd?

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It's a digital world. As your agricultural business expands, avenues for attracting employees and connecting with customers are increasingly moving into the digital age. Sure, you've got a website and have played around with social media, but how can you transform your business in order to stand-out from the crowd?

Here we look at three easy ways to enhance the digital world at your fingertips.

Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Linkedin - the social media list goes on and sometimes the fundamental message and customer connection can be lost.

John Gladigau and Robin Schaefer from the collaborative farm Bulla Burra ( www.collaborativefarmingaustralia.com) prefer their image to remain personal.

"When we started Bulla Burra, we said we would never bag anyone in the media and we would always promote a positive image of agriculture." John says. "We have tried to create a forum where people are comfortable to ask questions and we will answer those quickly and honestly. It's about creating a cultural change where people feel good about agriculture and want to work for us."

Following that ethos John and Robin have created the Bulla Burra Facebook page, which opens their 11000ha grain operation in South Australia's Mallee region to the public. These are some of the ways the site is personalised:

They talk about their dogs - "People are always asking about our dogs," John says.

They post photos of machinery breakdowns keeping the story real

They share posts from other good-news agriculture sites

They post videos of the harvest in action

And is the personal approach working for John and Robin? Last year over 45 people applied for positions through Facebook - far outnumbering the jobs available.

How many websites do you visit only to yawn in the first few seconds and click off? How do you keep customers interested? Meredith Dairy in Victoria does this by sharing their family.

Run by Sandy and Julie Cameron, Meredith Dairy farms goats and sheep and produces hand-made cheese and yoghurt. It is a family operation and their son Angus is an important link in the digital transformation. He lives in Melbourne and takes care of much of the marketing and website direction, including the production of videos to further educate and create that family atmosphere. In doing so he taps into the younger, tech-savvy generation.

Visit their website ( www.meredithdairy.com) to watch:

Sandy talk of the origins of this family farm

Julie explain how sustainability enhances agriculture

Angus reminisce about growing up amongst goats and sheep

They continue this feeling of kinship throughout their social media pages. "A lot of Facebook sites, in particular, appear to be done by a professional and have lost that personal touch, which is something we are very aware of. We want our communications to appear spontaneous and genuine," Sandy says.

In order to connect with customers and encourage future employees within their business Huon Aquaculture, Frances and Peter Bender have taken the concept of the website one step further with their Sustainability Dashboard ( www.dashboard.huonaqua.com.au). This interactive reporting tool allows the public an insider's view into the world of salmon. "I think we were the first company in the world to do something like that," Peter says. 'It gives people confidence that we are open and transparent and answers a lot of questions.'

This particular digital enhancement offers real-time data on many aspects of Huon's operation, and divides the areas of interest into visually attractive tiles. Some of the many tiles are:

Hideaway Bay - giving weather conditions and forecasts for the salmon sea pens

Time to Market - describing the amount of time taken from harvest to processing and then to any market in the world

Employees - graphs show not only the number of people employed but the gender distribution and changes over time

Growing Conditions - dissolved oxygen amounts and water temperatures critical to growing salmon

Seal Interactions - 'seals are big (up to 450kg), smart and seem to like salmon,' says the Dashboard, which records sightings, entries into salmon pens and accidental deaths of seals.

Salmon Cam - a video showing the salmon in the sea pens

Huon Helping Hand - details of financial grants made available to the community

The creation of the Sustainability Dashboard has gone a long way to creating customer confidence and employment opportunities, following the Huon mantra of: "Employing good people results in a positive work environment and farming success."
How Else Can We Enhance Agriculture?
Meredith Dairy, Bulla Burra and Huon Aquaculture all started business life as family farmers on traditional sheep and cattle, or grain properties. What other methods have they used to transform their businesses into these successful operations?

Download our free 2016 Agribusiness Talent and Training Report to find out more.

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Enhancing Agriculture: 3 Ideas for Digital Transformation - Agricultural Appointments

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It's a digital world. As your agricultural business expands, avenues for attracting employees and connecting with customers are increasingly moving into the digital age. Sure, you've got a website and have played around with social media, but how can you transform your business in order to stand-out from the crowd?

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Across Asia, Australia enjoys a clean and green reputation when it comes to producing; so too does New Zealand. However, as an industry, reliance on reputation alone won’t be enough to compete on the world stage.

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Across Asia, Australia enjoys a clean and green reputation when it comes to produce; so too does New Zealand. However, as an industry, reliance on reputation alone won't be enough to compete on the world stage.

Instead, Australian farmers will need to keep this reputation, look at new ways to get food to market quickly and build close relationships with export partners.

Achieving this is helped by organisations, such as Food & Agribusiness Solutions, that invests in programs and conducts research to examine Australia's agribusiness and food processing. These events have included such things as innovation centres that help educate farmers and food processors on ways they can increase productivity and competitiveness.
Agribusiness and agrifood middleman squeeze
In 2015, Food & Agribusiness Solutions published the Nous Report, which highlighted an emerging trend where profitability is achieved in niche premium products, or large-scale production. The impact of this trend is an increasing squeeze on the middleman, typically the farmer.

Food & Agribusiness Solutions General Manager, Michael Claessens, says this trend is being seen across many sectors of the industry, and is largely driven by competition from countries that could produce the same food cheaper.

As international trade becomes freer this competition will continue, and will force businesses to either get big or to go niche into a specialised premium product.
Paddock to plate via the farm gate
Coming out of the woodwork is the farmer who takes their produce and processes it into a product that can be sold directly to the consumer. Driving this is a desire to get a better price for their produce and to shift reliance away from a commodity price affected by world supply and demand.

While there is huge potential for Australian farmers to venture into processing, there are barriers to entering into this small-end production due to lack of skills and knowledge.
How a love of beer inspired two barley growers to make malt
Stuart Whytcross and Brad Woolner are two Riverina barley growers who have diversified into the booming Australian craft beer market by building a malt house on their property.

One of the rewarding benefits of adding the malt house, has been their ability to connect the barley grown on their farm, through the malt house and then to craft brewer.

"We get a real kick seeing people enjoy beer that's been made using our malt," Whytcross says.

Stuart and Brad work closely with the craft brewer, which they believe gives them an insight into what the consumer expects from their product - something they couldn't do when supplying commercial brewers. The experience has taught them consumers are increasingly concerned about their food and its origins.

In 2015, the pair used social media, along with craft brewer Batch, to record the growth, harvest and malting of a paddock of Schooner barley. The brewery said their customers were keenly following the progress of the crop.

Financially, Whytcross also says the average price for malt barley is around $250 per ton while for craft malt it is more like $1200 per ton. It's a significant mark-up, but to be able to capture the profit, production would need to be significantly larger than what the pair is doing now.
Relationships are the key to agrifood producer success
Part of the barley growers' investment has been the time they've spent in building relationships with craft brewers to create a market for their product.

Whytcross says he was fortunate because of his brewing background and for the shared love of craft beer that he had with the brewers. The brewers were also interested in knowing the story behind the production of the barley.

It is these close relationships Claessens believes will make Australia competitive on the world market.

"Australia traditionally hasn't developed the strong relationships between production and consumer internationally," he says.

These relationships take time to develop, and in Asia this can take many dinners and bottles of wines to build.

"Cultural awareness is vital for success in the export market and can sometimes involve building friendships before business arrangements can be entered into."
Spread risk to succeed
One other incentive to entice farmers into food processing for niche markets is a move away from reliance on single customers. Traditionally, farmers sell to large processors who can often be their sole buyer. This is a risky strategy, Claessens believes, as large processors and distributors can change their contract terms or cancel contracts at a moments notice, to the farmer's detriment. Having a number of smaller buyers who provide a safety net should one cancel or change their contract can mitigate this.

Up-skilling to understand these risks or to learn about food processing first hand by visiting processing plants is a good way for farmers to understand what's required before investing or entering into partnerships with processors.
For more information about the key trends and talent landscape in the AgriFood industry, download our free report.

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Three steps to agribusiness success: Diversify, Specialise and Love - Agricultural Appointments

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Across Asia, Australia enjoys a clean and green reputation when it comes to produce; so too does New Zealand. However, as an industry, reliance on reputation alone won't be enough to compete on the world stage. Instead, Australian farmers will need to keep this reputation, look at new ways to get food to market quickly and build close relationships with export partners.

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Imagine what it would be like to know that the fences, crops, and livestock had already been inspected before you had your first-morning cuppa. This scenario is possible with the use of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) technology.

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Australian agriculture is about to ride a technological wave that will revolutionise farming.

Imagine what it would be like to know that the fences, crops and livestock had already been inspected before you've had your first morning cuppa. This scenario is possible with the use of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) technology.

Couple this technology with soil probes, sensors and roaming weigh stations that can monitor individual stock in the paddock and you've got a technological revolution on your hands.

While the internet is notorious in the bush for being slow and unreliable, according to the National Farmers Federation (NFF) CEO, Simon Talbot, the nbn will connect the bush with information, markets and others, in ways never before experienced.
The nbn and its effect on agribusiness

In October 2015, one of two Australian satellites was launched from French Guiana on a journey that would take it into orbit 36,000 kilometres from Earth. When the satellites come online in mid-2016 they will form a part of the nbn.

This might sound a bit space-aged and far removed from the paddocks of Australian farmers, but nothing could be further from the truth. Farmers connected with the nbn will be able to connect their devices via local wi-fi stations and feed farm-sourced data back to a central database.
Precision agriculture goes digital

In the last decade, Australian farmers took up precision agriculture at a rate not seen elsewhere. This first wave of technology included GPS and crop specific sensors installed on harvesters and spray equipment, providing a more accurate picture of the farm.

Aided by the nbn, the next wave of technology is coming. Machines like UAVs and other technology that can monitor and record information, will be able to establish the lay of the land and predict production based on different scenarios.

A farmer will be able to use the technology when deciding what crops to plant or what livestock to raise, in order to generate the most profit. The management of this data will rely on a farmer's ability to interpret it and put it to use.
Digital Agriculture Service
The National Farmers Federation (NFF) is so confident this new technology will change farming for the better, they've invested in a web-based platform that pulls this data together and presents it as a dashboard accessed via a smartphone, tablet, laptop or computer.

The NFF has called this tool the Digital Agriculture Service (DAS) and labelled it as their largest investment in the online space. From May 2016, the NFF will launch a communications program to educate farmers on how to use the platform as well as its potential and benefits.

NFF CEO, Simon Talbot, says the organisation was taking the platform seriously because of the opportunities digital agriculture presents farmers in boosting productivity and profitability.

For example, a farmer could review data on soil moisture, nutrients and combine it with rainfall history, expected weather patterns, markets and world price information to evaluate what crops will be the most profitable given their circumstances. This helps farmers manage risk and make farms more productive and sustainable.

The livestock producer will be able to measure which breeds, pastures and feed get the best results. They'll be able to link that back to markets to understand how they will get the most out of their herd.
Farming life in a digital world
Digital agriculture will give the farmer the information they need to make smart decisions about their farm, commodity markets and free up time to think about their business, manage a larger farm and collaborate with others to seek out better markets or deals for their commodities.

They'll be able to understand what areas are profitable, where they could make productivity gains or even lease or buy the farm next door to expand their operations.

Digital agriculture will also transform the typical farm work force as technology performs tasks that had previously been done by a farm hand.
Digital agribusiness help is at hand
Understanding and adopting this new technology may sound daunting, however help is out there.

The NFF believes digital agriculture will give rise to a new breed of agri-professionals who will be able to service farmers by providing technological know-how, market information and risk management.

So before you get concerned you'll not be able to work the robots that are about to hit Australian agriculture, first look for the agri-professional who understands what it's all about.
For more information about the key trends and talent landscape in the AgriFood industry, download our free report.

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The future of farming is now... - Agricultural Appointments

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Australian agriculture is about to ride a technological wave that will revolutionise farming. Imagine what it would be like to know that the fences, crops and livestock had already been inspected before you've had your first morning cuppa. This scenario is possible with the use of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) technology.

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Agribusiness addressing skill gaps to adopt modern technology

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Agribusiness addressing skill gaps to adopt modern technology

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“We are seeing a shift away from the traditional way of doing things to ways that require new skills and knowledge,”
“Tomorrow’s farmer won’t just focus on driving the tractor, they’ll also be confident in the use of technology such as UAVs and remote data capture, to choose production that’s most profitable, produce a specialty product and be acutely aware of consumer demands,” Dr. Johnson says.

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Disruption comes to agribusiness! And according to our most recent report, the 2016 Agrifood Talent Report, new technology, changing business structures and new ways of marketing are opening up a skills gap that could actually hurt Australia's agricultural competitiveness.

Agricultural Appointments, Managing Director, Dr Ray Johnson, says the 2016 Agrifood Talent Report highlights a trend toward niche production of differentiated products, large-scale production as well as a new wave of digital technology, adoption of new business structures and innovative marketing by farmers.

"We are seeing a shift away from the traditional way of doing things to ways that require new skills and knowledge,"

"Tomorrow's farmer won't just focus on driving the tractor, they'll also be confident in the use of technology such as UAVs and remote data capture, to choose production that's most profitable, produce a specialty product and be acutely aware of consumer demands," Dr Johnson says.

To produce the report, Agricultural Appointments spoke with industry experts about emerging trends in the industry.

"There were clear themes that emerged. Everyone spoke of the advancement in digital technology, marketing, entrepreneurship, and consumer insights as the forces that will drive the industry forward," Dr Johnson says.

In our profile article on the reinvention of three Australian agribusinesses, we chart the way changes are bringing with them a need for new skills, especially in management, leadership and marketing. Unfortunately, many mid-sized farmers and food producers lack skills in these critical areas.

However, where will the capacity to adapt and reinvent businesses come from? As we outline in our article on Gen Y: We want them, but do they want us?, attracting these new skills to the business in the form of new graduates may be ideal, but it's also harder than it looks.

That's because of the well-known decline in those embarking on agri-related further education, but also the work preferences of those who do graduate, as revealed by our 2015 survey of graduate intentions.

However, one thing that agribusinesses can do, is appeal to emerging graduates by better understanding their needs and tailoring their recruitment and career development programs to suit.

In addition, businesses may train and develop existing staff to help create business reinvention. To do this effectively however, demands skills analysis and a human resources plan. In that, we'd be delighted to help.

"Employees will always be the greatest asset to a business, particularly as we move to smaller and highly skilled workforces."

Business reinvention will require help to identify the skills gap, develop training programs and facilitate the development of existing staff.

With the right skills and business model the future of agriculture is bright in Australia.

"It's an exciting time for the industry, and as recruiters and HR consultants, we look forward to helping clients as they reposition for the future," Dr Johnson said.
For more information about the key trends and talent landscape in the AgriFood industry, download our free report.

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Australia must address skills gap to capture the golden age of farming. - Agricultural Appointments

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Disruption comes to agribusiness! And according to our most recent report, the 2016 Agrifood Talent Report, new technology, changing business structures and new ways of marketing are opening up a skills gap that could actually hurt Australia's agricultural competitiveness.

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How do critical skill shortages affect Agribusiness?

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How do critical skill shortages affect Agribusiness?

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Australia faces critical skills shortages in the agribusiness sector according to a raft of government enquiries, a growing chorus of academic reports, and just about anyone who has ever tried to find highly-skilled candidates for agribusiness job vacancies.

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Why Skills Shortages Are The Number One Threat to Agribusinesses - Agricultural Appointments

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Australia faces critical skills shortages in the agribusiness sector according to a raft of government enquiries, a growing chorus of academic reports and

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As your agricultural enterprise grows, there may be job roles created that you haven’t put a lot of thought into. We interviewed three successful farming businesses – Collaborative Farming Australia, Huon Aquaculture, and Meredith Dairy – and our own consultants at Agricultural Appointments to learn from their experience.

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You've got a brilliant new business plan. You've done your technical research and are ready to launch into a brave new world. Ready, set .... whoa.

As your agricultural enterprise grows, there may be job roles created that you haven't put a lot of thought into. We interviewed three successful farming businesses - Collaborative Farming Australia, Huon Aquaculture and Meredith Dairy - and our own consultants at Agricultural Appointments to learn from their experience. Here's what they say you can expect in terms of new employment as your business expands.
It's All About People
Let's assume your new business is going to set the world alight. Are you going to do all the work yourself? No, and one of the most commonly overlooked aspects is human resources.

"Perhaps the most important employment focus for an expanding business should be a skills analysis and a specific human resources plan," Agricultural Appointments Managing Director Dr Ray Johnson says. "Many managers experiencing a growth phase of their business feel frustrated when it comes to people skills and this can lead to strain, loss of productivity and slower growth. 'How do we get good people?' becomes a common question. Hiring people with increased skills and training staff are essential to expanding."

John Gladigau from Collaborative Farming Australia agrees. "When we were running our individual farms, we employed one person each, so one of the biggest things we had to learn was managing people; managing their expectations and creating roles, responsibilities and incentives."
New Job Role No. 1: Human Resource Manager or Consultant Market Your Brand
Marketing and sales are the same thing, right? Wrong. Think of marketing as everything you do to reach potential customers, and think of sales as completing the purchase of your product.

Your marketing team will define an overall promotion for your business, including brand development, market analysis and distribution channels. As Sandy Cameron of Meredith Dairy says: "Basically we had to learn the whole supply chain from growing grass to dealing with supermarkets."

John Gladigau agrees, and says with the increased tonnage of grain from Bulla Burra, his collaborative farm, came more leverage for marketing, but also the need for more staff.
New Job Role No. 2: Marketing Manager Selling the Business
You've got your new product refined but how are you going to sell it?

For Peter Bender at Huon Aquaculture, who sells some of the world's finest salmon, this meant sourcing outside help. "We employed, on a contract basis, an ex-Tassal managing director to help with our sales and from there we gradually built up our own skills," he says.

For Sandy Cameron it meant taking his product to the people with in-store tastings of their fresh goat cheese. Many people in their sales team have been with Sandy for a long time and have grown with the business, learning to tell the good news story that is Meredith Dairy.
New Job Role No. 3: Sales Manager Spreading the Good Word
You've got your people organised, have a brand established and are making sales. How then do you build a relationship with your customers to continue the growth of your business? Enter the social media and public relations team.

In this age of digital transformation one of the most influential means of connecting with customers is through social media and the internet. Huon Aquaculture has designed a Sustainability Dashboard on their website, which gives the public an insider's view into the world of salmon. "It gives people confidence that we are open and transparent and answers a lot of questions," Peter Bender says.

Over at Collaborative Farming Australia, John Gladigau uses Facebook to spread the good word. "It's about making people feel good about agriculture and making them want to work for us," he says.
New Job Role No. 4: Social & Public Relations Manager Don't Forget to Ask
While not strictly a job role, the use of consultants when there are gaps in your business can lead to the creation of new employment positions. "We use consultants whenever we are short of knowledge," Sandy Cameron says. "For example we used Ray (Johnson of Agricultural Appointments) to conduct a strategic review three years ago and that brought new ideas into the business."

Peter Bender concurs. When Huon Aquaculture needed help with the processing side of the business they imported expertise from Scotland. "We have tried to get the best person in the field and then bring our own people up through the ranks," he says.
New Job Role No. 5: Consultants, which can lead to training and new positions. What Other Job Roles Will I Need?
Human resources, marketing, sales, public relations and the use of consultants are just some of the new job roles created when growing an agricultural business. Want to know what other roles were created by Collaborative Farming Australia, Huon Aquaculture and Meredith Dairy as they expanded? Then download our free 2016 Agribusiness Talent and Training Report to find out more.

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Growing Agriculture: 5 New Job Roles - Agricultural Appointments

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You've got a brilliant new business plan. You've done your technical research and are ready to launch into a brave new world. Ready, set .... whoa. As your agricultural enterprise grows, there may be job roles created that you haven't put a lot of thought into.