Gillian Fennell at the National Farmer’s Federation AgXchange Conference

If you’re reading this in the expectation of a serious analysis of the National Farmers’ Federation AgXchange Conference that was held recently – prepare yourself for disappointment. If that’s what you’re interested in there will be no shortage of articles, opinion pieces and social media posts that will give you the insightful commentary on the panels, guest speakers and break out sessions. 

This article though, is a little bit different. I am very privileged to be able to travel and attend a variety of industry events across Australia – sometimes as the Chair of Livestock SA and sometimes as a guest speaker. I enjoy sharing my adventures and experiences with those who might be too busy farming to get away or may not have the ability or capacity to travel. And it’s a really good way to connect with those who might not be a part of the Australian agriculture ecosystem but enjoy a good story and a few humorous and colourful remarks. I write a lot of serious stuff – opinion pieces on rural and agricultural issues, submissions to government and industry consultations, policy recommendations and many, many, MANY careful considered emails. So I’m taking the opportunity review this conference from a different perspective – the people I met, the places I went and the fun I had. And hopefully, by the end of it, I will have demonstrated to the many farmers and ag industry professionals who didn’t attend this event that it might be worth heading along to the next one.

Sundowner Drinks

The first event of the conference was the Sundowner Drinks – which we were told is a commonly used term in Queensland but I was born & bred in Western Queensland, lived there for over 20 years and I had never heard that word to describe after works drinks until I moved to South Australia so I’m not sure what’s going on there.

As a rule these events are generally friendly, relaxed and a chance to see who’s who before the serious stuff happens the next day. And if you’ve never been to an industry event before they can be overwhelming and intimidating – a crowded event where everyone seems to know each other, there’s cameras, microphones (because there is ALWAYS at least one speech), corporate signage and lots of noise. 

Tips and Tricks

It can be a bit of a challenge to get involved – so here’s my first tip: Take a mate with you.

As I mentioned before, I’m super lucky to have done this a time or two before and also have the reputation of having more front than Myer, so I know the drill – wear your name tag, make the first move and ask lots of questions. 

And that’s the next tip: Act like you own the place.

Introduce yourself, shake hands and make polite conversation. Ask people about themselves and be prepared to answer the same questions yourself (and pro tip – read the conference program. Old hands like me will often ask people what they’re most interested in hearing or seeing – don’t be caught out!)

So who did I meet and what did I learn at the Sundowner Drinks?

I’m doing this from memory so if I don’t mention you by name please don’t be mad – but feel free to remind me of our interaction by commenting on this article – after the week that I’ve had some of the details are a bit hazy.

I caught up with the National Farmer’s Federation staff and the amazing Dimity Smith and the team from GRO Events Group. Running an event of this size is a massive undertaking and these talented people are damn good at it (plus they all know me so I never have to look for my name tag or explain who I am which is a HUGE bonus at event registration).

Once inside I made a beeline for Hamish Munro – mainly because he literally stands head & shoulders above the crowd and I’ve known him for ages. I love hearing about what he’s been up to – a true innovator in the #agtech space he was one of the first with his company Pairtree Intelligence. And of course I made it my business to introduce myself to whoever he was speaking with and it was someone new – Tony Eyres. To be completely honest I often view consultants with a degree of scepticism and suspicion but Tony managed to completely win me over by flagging down the wait staff with hors d’oeuvre for me after I said I hadn’t eaten since 5am. He also endeavoured to find me a G&T without success (but I won’t hold that against him).

I met Justine Pirie who was super cool and the only person at the entire event who actually had a business card to give me! Which is tip 3: Take business cards with you everywhere.

I also met Tony Burnett who demonstrated the 3 degrees of separation in #ausag by despite currently working for Trade and Investment Queensland, he was once a dairy farmer on the Sunshine Coast and of course knows my friend Dimity, the daughter of a dairy farmer from NSW. There were the usual suspects from the various State Farming Organisations – AgForce Queensland, NSW Farmers, Victorian Farmers Federation and WAFarmers. 

And while that seems all very important and exciting the highlight for me was catching up with Samantha Neumann (full disclosure she is also one of my board members at Livestock SA), Rhiannon Schilling (also from SA!), Kate Lamason from Little Tuna and also Qld Rural Woman of the Year for 2024 and Bridgette Brooks from WA – founder of Australian merino wool athleisurewear brand Homestead Road. 

Terrible photo of excellent people.

Day 1 – I’m sorry but is this actually South Australia?

The conference kicked off at 9am sharp and I didn’t have to worry about finding the convention centre – I just followed the crowd of shiny RM Williams boots and crisply ironed dress shirts. The MC was my favourite genre of person – a Queenslander who has since relocated to South Australia. Annabelle Ottens (SA count -1) hit the ground running and kept us on task for the rest of the day. And SA ladies dominating the AgXchange stage was a theme that continued for the rest of conference. 

I managed to run into Julie Collins just before her address and tried to get a jump on any exciting announcements that might be made but I was sadly disappointed. I did find out that she listened to the Agsolutely Fabulous podcast though – so that was nice. And while it might seem to some that her visit to the conference was pointless it is a mark of respect to our industry, and it was a testament to Minister Collins’ character that she took questions from the crowd and didn’t just run off immediately after speaking (unlike other Ministers who shall not be named).

I was thoroughly impressed with the calibre of the panel sessions on the first day – Su McCluskey, Samantha Neumann (SA count – 2) and Jaclyn Hope explored the role agriculture can play in shaping Australia’s broader economic future and it was a fascinating discussion about the current state of our industry and the potential of our future. 

And despite this being a tough act to follow Adrian Capogreco led an engaging panel with the thoroughly and frighteningly impressive Emily Coggan and COO of Smithfield Cattle Company Jason Shearer-Smith. They dropped a few home truths for us who have skin in the game and I would happily listen to them again. 

Somewhere in amongst this I also met Ben Westcott who, despite being a journalist is a thoroughly decent person who has a genuine and empathetic interest in Australian agriculture and the people in it. We love to complain about being treated unfairly by the press but have we ever taken the time to be welcoming and curious about what THEY do? Building relationships with those outside our industry, being open, honest and authentic with people who have the ability to tell our stories for us on screens and in papers around the world is really in our best interest (plus some of them are really cool).

At smoko I caught up with the Events Team from Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry and snagged a few goodies to take home for the kids. There’s a big push on at them moment to educate people about the current biosecurity threats facing Australia and while farmers might scoff about how this is a waste of taxpayer dollars, it’s this soft advocacy that helps protect our industry. So if you get the chance to grab some merchandise and spread the word about biosecurity – make sure you do! And that’s the next tip: Pack light & leave room for goodies!

I spent the rest of the day skiving off from serious conference stuff and wandered aimlessly chatting to people (the professional term for this is ‘networking). I spent some time with Natasha Lobban & Alex McLaughlin from the Auctions Plus news team which is always lots of fun. I also managed to catch up with Ange Hutchinson – ag industry superstar and one of my old board mates from Cattle Council. We had a good chat about the state of the environment – literally – and the policy framework in which we are forced to operate as cattle producers. It’s always good to catch up with those who have invested a lot of time and energy into examining these topics in depth. The amount of expertise and knowledge that we have available to us all when we network at these conferences is astounding. 

For those of you who don’t know me that well, you may not be aware that yes, I used to live in Queensland and yes, I have a cousin who played professional rugby league, including a stint in the Queensland State of Origin team (that’s kind of a big deal – just in case you didn’t know). And so I happily used that information to connect with the guest speaker Billy Slater just before he took the stage for the late afternoon session – which brings me to my next tip: It’s not what you know it’s who you know – and don’t be afraid to use it!

The evening dinner was a nice change to the usual mid-conference mediocrity. A chance to dress up, chat and relax and a great way to continue conversations, meet new people and celebrate ourselves. The amazing Rhiannon Schilling (SA count – 3) explained quantum computing in a way that I could actually understand during a panel session and I got to sit with Peter Thompson & his lovely wife Nikki. I met a very interesting engineer from nbn® Australia. A quick chat with Fiona Simson, Kate Andrews (someone else new that I met that very evening!) and Rachel Mackenzie on my way out the door and then the night was over (for me anyway).

Day 2 – Professional Yapping

It was no great surprise to me that it was a pretty slow start to the day compared to day 1, the great enthusiasm many people had at the dinner the night before must have exhausted them all and they needed a bit of a lie-in to recover. Which would be my next tip: Pace yourself & plan accordingly.

I myself was in no position to criticise because I avoided the breakfast sessions like the plague and ambled over dead on 9am – and got a coffee from the on-site barista, an absolute blessing of a human who made my iced latte just the way I liked it.

The star of the show on the morning of Day 2 was undoubtedly Olly Harrison DL aka Olly Blogs of YouTube fame. He gave us a fascinating insight into his farming journey that has included advocacy, charity, innovation, connection and diversification to build the unique operation that he has today. He gave us an entertaining and engaging look at the challenges and opportunities that farming in the UK has compared to Australia, and I really enjoyed catching up with both him & Martin afterwards. They have an open invitation to visit my place anytime (and Annabelle is coming as tour guide).

More aimless wandering – I mean networking – occurred during the day while SA ag identities took their place on the stage Emily Buddle, Natalie Sommerville & John Gladigau bringing the SA stage appearances to 6. I spent a lovely time catching up with the ifarmwell team, a brief hello to Sally Murfet and managed to catch Stevi Howdle as well. These conversations enabled deep and meaningful exchanges of ideas and feedback on current campaigns and programs – which is so very important if we’re going to make sure that they are relevant for the people who they’re designed to help.

I conned Carissa Buckland out of some Nutrien merch while I borrowed their trade stall for place to eat my lunch and then suddenly it time for the great debate & my time to shine:

The Great Debate: Does the lack of subsidies make Australian farmers more efficient, or simply more exposed?

Does the lack of subsidies make Australian farmers more efficient, or simply more exposed was the question and David ‘DJ’ Jochinke & I were ready to take on Georgia Campbell and Martin Murray. It was great fun and the crowd really got behind it – although I worry that some my references to Shakespeare and the poetry of Banjo Patterson was lost on the younger generation. Despite Su McCluskey declaring that Australian agriculture was the winner I firmly believe that DJ & I won the day. The Q&A session afterwards was an excellent opportunity for the crowd to get involved and it’s that type of direct access to leaders and policy makers that is one of the most valuable aspects of this event. I also managed to upset a carbon aggregator to the extent that Matthew Warnken had to seek me out afterwards to have a chat – but it’s all good. We had a very good discussion and he was kind enough to explain to me that not all aggregators are created equal.

My lovely friend Allan Parker, OAM had come back to the conference just to see the debate and we did our best to have a proper catch up afterwards. There is never enough time at these events to talk to everyone you want to – but we tried our best to solve the biggest problems for Australian agriculture in a single conversation.

I also got to meet Karen Penfold which was an event highlight for me. I’ve been a long-time admirer of the work of Karen and her family do with their paddock to plate operation Four Daughters Beef, and she did not disappoint. I think I love her. 

And that’s that. The conference was over. SA speaker total ended on 7 for the entire event -no one had better question our relevance or expertise as an agricultural state ever again. It was an amazing few days with some incredible people, the direct access to industry leaders and innovators is unprecedented. I know that this article may appear to be a wanky attempt at name dropping but what I’m actually demonstrating is how easy it is to get involved and to engage with the people that represent Australian agriculture and farmers. I haven’t always been an industry leader, I was once just a cattle producer from literally the middle of nowhere with a Twitter account and a desire to tell the story of people like me to anyone who would listen.

These conferences are your opportunity to speak directly to the people who are representing you and to listen to what they have to say. These events are fun, yes, but they are also informative, challenging and present endless opportunities for you to learn, grow and engage. So I would encourage any and all who are involved in Australian ag, to take to opportunity to attend in the future. Remember the tips I’ve given you & make sure to say hello if you see me!