FlourishFiles

Time for a little (blogging) competition!

 

Could you call the number of farmers now blogging a revolution? 

I’m not sure, but the social media visibility agriculture has started achieving in the last 12 months is pretty exciting.

While some farmers had already embraced social media some years earlier, the catalyst for increased adoption seems to have been the Landline story featuring Troy and Stacy Hadrick; ranchers from the US who toured Australia to encourage more uptake of social media by farmers.

Their tour roughly coincided with the live export ban, which was a stark reminder of agriculture’s weakness in telling our stories. While opponents of trade utilised social media as part of their strategy to shut down an industry worth $1 billion, agricultural peak bodies were left trying to play catch up through conventional media channels.

Indeed the Hadricks were spurred on to social media by a negative article printed about them after hosting a journalist on their farm.  After seeing the article, they decided:

 “We are not ever going to let anybody else tell our story for us ever again."

Powerful stuff.

There are farmers in every State and Territory in Australia. And that geographical spread means we are spoiled in terms of diversity of available produce, but it also remains one of our sector’s main weaknesses. Farmers are so geographically isolated that they often feel powerless to change government policy or public perceptions.

Recognising this, almost every industry conference now seems to have a session on social media and how agriculture can better tell its story. 

Embracing social media and particularly blogging, connects famers with urban consumers and develops relationships that increase two-way understanding. I’m excited by the number of farmers and others involved in our sector telling their stories and sharing their lives through regular blogging.

The next step to encourage more in our sector to take the challenge is to nominate these blogs for the Sydney Writers’ Centre Best Australian Blogs Competition.

Having a large number of agricultural blogs nominated not only raises our sector’s profile, but exacts some rigour on the professionalism of our current blogs. We know how important it is to subject ourselves to industry benchmarking, and blogging is no different!

I encourage you to enter your own blog or nominate your favourite.

I have entered. Will you?

 

New Year - New Office

This year we moved, so I was forced to pack up the files and find a new workspace for Flourish.

I've already blogged that working for yourself can sometimes get a bit lonely (I’m the only one who turns up for 5 o’clock drinks) but the upside is having design control of the new office.
 
Coming from a background of agriculture, government and the not-for-profit sectors meant my work environment tended to centre around themes of “partition chic” or 1970’s DPI hand-me-downs (or both, in the instance of one job).
 
What a revelation to discover I could break away from brown padded vinyl chairs and grey carpet! But this excitement was mixed with some reservations. I’m not a fancy city PR hack. I didn’t want to lose perspective, after all farmers, and the bureaucrats and researchers who serve them, are still my clients. Doyens of style all, but I still wanted a workspace that reflected my personality and history and made my clients comfortable.
 
So, welcome to my new workspace!

The blackboard serves as a place to capture ideas and make lists, as well as providing a diversion for the toddler when he pays a visit.

I’ve admired this Cole & Son wallpaper for a long time and am thrilled I finally get to use it. It is a classic motif, with a modern feel and adds perspective to the space making it feel larger. 

The couch is a no-brainer. Seen as a luxury by many organisations, couches are where all the best ideas are made. I have two, so hopefully that doubles the creative output! This is a King Furniture “Houdini” combo, with a two-seater and chaise.

I love the desk from Ikea. The colour says “serious, industrious” the legs say “elegant, fun” a lot like agriculture really!

And the paperweight on the desk. I made it!

A close up of the chaise with cushion. The colours bring to mind my family holidays on Gippsland dairy farms where "black and whites" in vibrant green pasture is one of the enduring memories of childhood. 

Both my husband and I are confirmed city-dwellers, both from the suburbs of capital cities, but we both have agricultural links in our family histories. As Gen-X’ers we may be the last cohort of Australians with a connection to farming with over 80% of the population now living within an hour of the coast.
 
My mother is from a large family and grew up on a farm in Heyfield, Vic. I had two uncles dairying while I was in school, but I think we're now reduced to one cousin still farming in Gippsland.

The corner of my office includes a Glasshouse fragrance diffuser called "Saigon" which is gorgeous. I've never been to Saigon, but apprarently it smells "citrus-y" with a bergamot undertone. This sensory attack is complimented by the vase of cuttings from fruit trees and herbs from our garden. 

This side of the office also features a bit of family history on my husband's side.

Until the 1950's my husband's family (on his mother's side) were prominent figures on the then largely rural Mornington Peninsula, including father and son Shire Presidents. The family company, Lloyd's Bacon, was a major smallgoods manufacturer and they also ran the (then) cutting-edge Eulalie Poultry Farm at Frankston. 

The two small prints are copies of advertisements that ran in a booklet celebrating the Centenary of Victoria in 1934.

The vagaries of family politics and history mean these businesses are lost to us now, but there is still a significant chicken industry in Mornington (notably Inghams Chicken).

I love coming to work in this space and these keepsakes inspire me everyday.

Thank you for visiting. Next time you're in Canberra, please drop by for a beverage!