Extended stay in the cane
Honing her knowledge, building relationships
IF SHIFTING two horses and a dog the 3500-odd kilometres from Perth to Mackay isn’t putting some skin in the game, then nothing is.
Eight months ago, Zoe Eagger arrived at Mackay Airport with her life in a suitcase, barely even knowing what a ratoon might be, to start work with agronomy firm Farmacist.
It’s a long journey that began with spending weekend afternoons watching Landline in the suburbs of Perth with her dad, and falling in love with the idea of agriculture.
That intuitive connection undoubtedly also had its roots in family farming history, with Zoe’s father coming from sheep and dairy farming in New Zealand, and her mother’s family involved in hops and cattle.
A Curtin University Bachelor of Science graduate, majoring in agriculture and agribusiness, Zoe said she was fortunate to have been selected for one of six graduate placements via the Queensland Government-funded Reef Extension Agriculture Work Placement Initiative, administered by the Queensland Farmers’ Federation.
“In my final year of university, we did a unit on extension work, and I fell in love with the concept – the idea of building relationships with farmers and developing programs. But when I looked into it, there was not so much of that available around Perth,” Zoe said.
“Of course, being Perth, it was all about sheep and wheat. So being chosen for a placement in Queensland and with cane was unexpected. But I think all the matches between the extension workers and their placements on the program have been very good.”
Since arriving, she has quickly developed a strong understanding of the industry, thanks to the support offered by mentors and colleagues at Farmacist, in-service training and networking opportunities offered through the QFF reef extension program, and from the growers themselves.
“Growers have been so lovely. They have accepted that I was new to the industry and have taken the time to simplify things for me. They have been the greatest teachers,” she said.
“That relationship-building with growers has been one of the most interesting aspects of the past eight months.
“The growers we work with are so genuine about wanting to develop more sustainable practices, and I am amazed at how willing they are to do these trials, even to invest their own money sometimes.”
Zoe said she had also had the opportunity to develop knowledge in other areas because of Farmacist’s broad footprint, gaining experience in horticulture practice in Bowen and the Burdekin, and cattle and pasture work in locations such as Nebo on Queensland’s Central Highlands, and at Laura, on Cape York.
She had also benefited from contact afforded through employer links with key organisations such as Sugar Research Australia, Reef Catchments, Mackay Area Productivity Services and the Queensland Government Department of Agriculture and Fisheries.
“I’m extremely appreciative of everything QFF, Farmacist and the growers have done for me throughout this placement,” Zoe said.
The young extension officer is finding her foothold, and is developing programs around on-farm chemical usage, and assisting with projects integrating a raft of strategies to improve the quality of stormwater run-off, including the use of reduced tillage and
❝ The growers we work with are so genuine about wanting to develop more sustainable practices. — Zoe Eagger
maintaining cover crops between plantings.
Beyond benefits to local waterways on-flowing to the Great Barrier Reef, these practices can not only benefit farmers from reduction of labour and input costs, but improve the long-term sustainability of maintaining the property.
Zoe said while there remained instances of exceedances in waterways, often exacerbated at times by unpredictable rainfall patterns running at cross-purposes to fertilisation regimes, there was a genuine interest in improving sustainability practices.
“A lot of farmers have adapted and developed fantastic sustainability practices,” she said.
“Change takes a long time, but many farmers are doing everything within their means.
“Some, particularly smaller operators, can’t afford changes in equipment and so on. But that is where we can help and see what funding might be available.”
She felt that a lot could be gained in advancing sustainability practices and improved productivity by developing opportunities for the various agricultural industries to share information and learnings.
Zoe is now confidently presenting at grower meetings, creating industry publications and actively participating in innovative research projects funded by various industry boards.
“Without a program such as the one Queensland Farmers’ Federation has provided, I wouldn’t be where I am now,” she said.
“It is so critical for emerging graduates to be placed in a workplace where they can learn and be guided by industry professionals and this program has certainly given me that opportunity.”
Moving into the future, Zoe wants to build upon the connection she has developed with Mackay region growers and colleagues, and with the broader sugar industry.
She plans to continue to build her career in extension work and to maintain Mackay as a base when the traineeship ends in August.
She is looking towards buying property in the area, somewhere her horses and dog can all have a good stretch.
“It’s like a family here,” she said.
“In the future, I would like to be still working with Farmacist, and maintaining those relationships with growers: me learning from them, and they learning from me.
“It’s an industry that I love, with such great people.
“Long-term, I would like to open a training property, to teach school students and the public, so that they could be more aware of the great, innovative work that farmers are doing.”