Gunnedah Shire Council hosted a networking event for women in agriculture at the end of last month in the aesthetic surrounds of Carroll Gap Farmhouse.
The morning tea aimed to empower those women during Small Business Month.
People were greeted with freshly baked treats and other goodies for morning tea before gathering around in the garden to listen to guest speakers.
Included were Natalie Walters and Brene Martinuzzi from W.A. Baxter & Co, who spoke largely about legalities the attendees may not have been aware of.
“People felt like they went home with homework and they suddenly had a realisation they needed to check their affairs every couple of years from a wills and succession planning point of view,” Natalie said.
Discussed was the “necessary trio” made up of accountants, financial planners and solicitors.
Natalie said these three are vital for navigating paperwork and planning well for succession, to ensure affairs are in order.
“I think globally, everyone needs to be aware of and consult appropriately the qualified people to put things in place and they need to be vigilant with what they are planning,” she said.
“Women in agriculture, their role has really grown in the last couple of generations.
“Four generations ago, a lot of the men handled the paperwork and women did not have such a big role in the planning processes.
“The other thing is, setting things up for the future is a lot more complex.”
Natalie honed in on the importance of making the time to ensure all those affairs are in order, which can often be forgotten or put off in everyone’s busy life.
“Taking the time gives you more time for the rest of your life,” she said.
“Your daily affairs, how you run and operate those, are important and knowing what structures you have in place – whether that is a company or whether that is a trust or how it is all evolving.
“Some people might say ‘I will give away the farm’, but the farm might not be held in a personal capacity.
“They might actually be merely a shareholder in that, not even a director.”
Natalie commended the Gunnedah Shire Council for the range of speakers selected along with how well engaged the audience was.
Natalie and Brene thanked the council for the invite to speak.
Other speakers included community recovery officer (floods) Karen Grimm, Farm Business Resilience and Recovery Services’ Melissa Bowman, Gunnedah Shire Council’s tourism team leader Nikki Robertson and Julia Pursehouse.
The latter was directed questions about her business, The Farmer’s Florist.
The cuttings Julia sells to a variety of buyers, from brides to wholesalers, are unique from the typical florist.
She described how she started the business in about 2016, after the opportunity was recognised while operating on the family’s farm with cotton, sorghum and wheat crops at Breeza Station.
The name, The Farmer’s Florist, served as a perfect link between her husband working as a farmer and her selling those cuttings.
Her advice of “following your vision and passion” fits well into her business practice.
For Julia, the business provided further income with the benefit of being run at her own pace which was more like “playtime” rather than something to help get the food on the table.
She uses the ever-growing use of social media for promotion and is in the midst of updating her website for further business growth.
Further work with the business group ‘The Plains’ has helped encourage agritourism in the Liverpool Plains.
Another topic she was able to speak on for the crowd was the challenges of living and operating on a farm, which includes isolation.
Her personal experience found support through her family and in-laws.
Julia also thanked the Gunnedah Shire Council for inviting her to speak on her business and experiences.
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