Mecardo Blog

A perceived major issue in Ag is the labour employment challenge, and with every innovation, we see less labour employed as a result. So how substantial is this labour crisis really? This decline in labour employed may be more a symptom of a changing Agriculture industry. A new generation is stepping up to the challenge and with fresh blood comes fresh ideas.

In many areas of the country the outlook for the crop looks bleak. There are many farmers out there who have forward sold grain and will not have the production to deliver.

Washing out a forward sold grain contract is a stressful action. In this short article, we will look at washouts and rollovers - and why it is so important to look at it early. 

The Sheepvention name captures the remarkable story of a sheep show that has survived where many other regional events have long ago shut up shop.

The P & A Society members who 40 years ago decided to re-invent (and re-name) a dying sheep show by thinking outside the traditional and accepted model are to be applauded.

As part of the Ruralco network, Mecardo are strong advocates of the work conducted by crisis support and suicide prevention charity Lifeline Australia. Since 2015 Ruralco have had a corporate partnership with Lifeline, engaging in a number of initiatives to support Lifeline in assisting those in rural areas who are in crisis. 

In a new initiative the two organisations are rolling out the first nation-wide survey into how rural communities and farmers cope with life’s difficulties, the Farmers and Rural Communities Survey.

We have seen some optimistic headlines recently about the prospects for agriculture.

“Mining boom to dining boom” and “Australian farms to be the food bowl for Asia” are recognizable newspaper headlines that capture the promising outlook.

And when you look at where the growing population lives, there is no doubt that Australia is well placed to service this potential.

The wool market has finally shaken off the disappointing prices of the 1990’s and early 2000’s to currently sit at levels many wool producers have longed for.

As in the past when markets surge, the underpinning fundamentals for the strong market support a positive outlook into the future.

In recent years overseas travel has become cheaper and easier and people are travelling to more exotic and ‘unusual’ destinations.

This travel brings with it the risk of disease spread on the feet of travellers, the worst of which is the dreaded foot and mouth disease. 

There’s no question that the live export trade is the headline hogger of the agriculture industry. It’s a topic that, whether for or against, many people feel strongly about and so emotions and ethics tend to drive a lot of the passion fuelled debate at public and government level.

As you know, at Mecardo we like to strip things back to the raw data and facts but this time we need your help to collect them.

For a business to perform, it takes cooperation from everyone. A true team effort and is when everyone is doing their best and moving in the same direction. 

Guest blog by Josh Peters of National Agri-Solutions.

Mecardo are pleased introduce Josh Peters as a guest author, who will be writing a series of articles to assist both job seekers & recruiters. In this first article, Josh discusses the importance of good communication, and how it can improve teams.  

Communication plays a huge part in being able to work with other people. If people aren't aligned with their communication, it can cost a business money to correct misheard messages, requests or advice.