Since commencing as Food Farmers’ Commissioner late last year, I’ve travelled across Queensland, listening to farmers in regions like Atherton, Bundaberg, Mareeba, Bowen, and Fassifern Valleys, the Scenic Rim and the Granite Belt.

One question that keeps coming up time and time again in our work is how do we make the invisible, visible?  

Let’s make something abundantly clear: growers are a tough bunch. Given the choice between asking for help and pushing through alone, they’ll almost always choose the latter.

For over a century, agricultural extension has been the invisible force ensuring that research and new technology makes its way into the hands of farmers working with them to adapt to an ever-changing landscape.

The relationship between growers and traders is more than just a transactional exchange; it is the foundation of livelihoods for many in the horticulture industry.

At QFVG we constantly measure industry outcomes. We work hard to understand what approaches work in horticulture and what approaches should be left alone and we think we’ve found the magic formula for achieving shared goals for individual growers and wider industry. It’s about doing it with purpose… or in this case ‘PURPPOCE’.

Turn on our listening ears – this was the key lesson from our time with international disaster recovery expert Elizabeth McNaughton.

Why is it that in this current era of significant challenge within not only the horticultural industry, but wider agricultural industries, do we see voluntary membership numbers across the board to industry groups declining?

At the end of last year, I found myself curious about why we humans see a new year as a fresh start. What is it about flipping a calendar page that inspires a renewed sense of purpose and possibility? A quick google search revealed some fascinating insights. 

This week we sat down to our Christmas feasts featuring (hopefully) an abundance of fresh fruits, vegetables, and nuts alongside that seafood platter and beautiful roast meats.

Last December, we watched on as Ex-Tropical Cyclone Jasper left a trail of destruction across Far North Queensland. The wild weather cutting deep scars across properties and people’s lives.