Rural Connections

 

‘Wool’ you look at this!

Here’s a Christmas gift with a difference!

For our viewing pleasure, the Woodsdale-Levendale Museum committee present to us with the “Bare Bellies, Butts & All” calendar!

It costs $15.00 each (plus $5.00 if you want it posted). The funds raised from calendar sales go towards the construction of a Shearing Interprutation Center and Mens Shed at Woodsdale.

$1.00 from every calendar sold goes to the Royal Hobart Hospital Burns and Surgical Specialties Unit.

To place your orders e-mail Sue Atkinson, the Museum Manager.

P.S. I’ll shout the first person a calendar that tells me what is different with this picture…If you think you know, drop me a line.

November 2008 comment [1] TrackBack-URI

FarmBis axing will hurt rural skill shortage

I think this article from Rural Press really sums up many peoples’ comments about the closure of the FarmBis program!

If you feel strongly about this, as I do, I urge you to lobby your local Member of Parliament - let them know just how important FarmBis is to the industry.

The Federal Government’s axing of FarmBis, the assistance program for rural skilling, is set to harm agriculture’s battle to overcome labour shortages.

The Federal Government has announced that the national program in Victoria, New South Wales, and the ACT will cease immediately while the state-run programs in Queensland, Tasmania, South Australia, Western Australia and Northern Territory will cease on June 30, 2008.

Nationals Leader Warren Truss has slammed the Government’s $98 million cost-cutting plan, saying it was proof of Labor’s city-centric focus.

“Labor apparently believes that skills and staff shortages start and finish in the inner suburbs,” Mr Truss said.

“The Coalition left the Rudd Government with record workforce participation and historically very low unemployment.

“This has meant that local communities all over Australia have struggled at times to find the right people to fit into the right jobs.

“With many communities emerging from a cruel drought and needing skilled workers, now is the wrong time to be cutting programs that provide skills to tens of thousands of rural and regional workers or make it harder for apprentices to survive financially.”

Queensland lobby group, AgForce, says the axing of FarmBis is a clear breach of Labor’s pre-election Plan for Primary Industries, which stated the FarmBis budget would reduce by $8m each year for the next three years, ceasing in 2010-2011.

In announcing the imminent axing of FarmBis, the Federal Government said the funds would be repackaged into climate change programs currently being developed “but will include initiatives to build the capacity of primary producers to meet the challenges of climate change”.

AgForce president Peter Kenny said he had earlier received a commitment from Agriculture Minister Tony Burke that the new programs would achieve similar outcomes to FarmBis, but the statement released today does not necessarily confirm that.

“It would be a backward step for rural industries, particularly at a time when they are emerging from a prolonged drought and in a position to invest time in training programs, if options to develop better business management skills are truncated,” Mr Kenny said.

“I am hopeful that Minister Burke will honour the commitment he gave to us, but until further details are announced we cannot be confident because Labor’s pre-election commitment on FarmBis has already been watered-down.”

SOURCE: National rural news updated daily on FarmOnline.

February 2008 comment TrackBack-URI

“The Mental Toolbox”

Wealth and prosperity, healthy and happy relationships – is this important to you?

If so, I received this e-mail today regarding a telecall and it may be of interest to you:

(Read on …)

September 2007 comment TrackBack-URI

Leadership in Business

Unless you have Guanxi (Gwan-see) with a Chinese business person there is no hope of doing business with them.

Guanxi means good connections or relationships. For a foreign business or individual who wishes to do business with China, Guanxi is paramount.

It is good business practice to undertake activities that will improve business performance and which are measurable. The effectiveness of good leadership is measurable:

(Read on …)

September 2007 comment TrackBack-URI

Leadership continued - Styles

When employees have a clear direction and understanding of the value of their personal contribution, it increases productivity and personal standards. Therefore, to ensure the prosperity and viability of the rural industry, in Australia, we need to provide leadership which is purposeful and effective.

The influences within our organisational culture, with regard to leadership, determine how the business or enterprise functions as a whole. For example, if the organisation has values, honesty, integrity and mutual respect, the effect will be immense.

Here are some examples of leadership models that could be adopted within the rural industry:

(Read on …)

August 2007 comment TrackBack-URI

Rural Leadership

“Effective Leaders must not only be full of ambition, they must want to lead others,” say authors Kirkpatrick & Locke.

Forcing a leadership role onto someone who is uncomfortable with the responsibility or who is unhappy with the direction of the business or organisation is unproductive, inefficient and sometimes destructive for staff moral.

A leader must be happy to lead!
(Read on …)

August 2007 comment TrackBack-URI

Creating Progress through Dialouge

Women manage change in the rural sector Women in agriculture, forestry or fisheries, keen to improve their leadership skills to support the management of change in the rural sector are invited to attend a day-long workshop in Camperdown, Victoria, on the 10 August 2007

Creating Progress through Dialogue, run by the Foundation of Australian Agricultural Women (FAAW) will introduce participants to the principles and practices necessary to create inclusive decision-making processes.

Funded through the Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Australian Government Industry Partnerships Program, costs of training, catering and notes are covered and childcare allowance is available.

To apply visit the Foundation of Australian Agricultural Womens’ website

Applications close on 30th July 2007.

For further information e-mail Val Lang or phone (03) 55 962014

July 2007 comment TrackBack-URI

Register now & save $50 per person!

**Both programs are FarmBis approved**

The Power of Engagement

When:      1-2 August 2007

Where:    The Old Woolstore, Hobart

Cost:        $1650/First participant
                 $1350/Further registrations from the same business

                 $660/First participant with FarmBis subsidy
                 $550/Further registrations with FarmBis subsidy

The Right Mind International presents a public training program in communications for Sales, Negotiation and Team Leadership.

This work shop is designed for managers and assistants of Agribusiness, Primary Production and Natural Resource Management.

*****************************************************

KLR Livestock Marketing School

When:      9-10 August 2007

Where:    The Olde Tutor Motor Inn, Prospect

Cost:        $1320/First participant
                 $550/Further registrations from the same business

                 $528/First participant with FarmBis subsidy
                 $220/Further registrations with FarmBis subsidy

KLR Marketing presents powerful marketing strategies that have been developed to maximise cash flow while minimising market risk.

You will learn to manage your livestock, money and feed inventories, and to profit from your livestock enterprise regardless of market direction.

July 2007 comment TrackBack-URI

Do you communicate well?

Communication is about sending and receiving information. Sounds simple enough doesn’t?

There are three ways in which your send is received – verbal, tone and non-verbal. Studies have shown that the words we speak only accounts for 7% of what people actually hear!

Non verbal communications, such as eye movements; tone and tempo; breathing patterns; posture and gestures actually contributes about 55% of the interpretation to the messages we are sending.

(Read on …)

July 2007 comment TrackBack-URI

The Power of Engagement

Register

A Public Training Program in Communications for Sales, Negotiation and Team Leadership

Communication is essential to every aspect of our lives, yet so many of us do not do it well: we do not engage, we do not listen and frequently we do not understand. The other factor is that we are negotiating 24 hours a day seven days a week with someone: frequently ourselves and again we often do not do this well.

The Power of Engagement is a two-day course is based on the very successful Negotiators Toolkit Seminar. It was developed by Allan Parker, author of “Switch on Your Brain”, “The Negotiators Toolkit”, and “Beyond Yes!”

(Read on …)

July 2007 comment TrackBack-URI

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