Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Katie Woolf spoke to NT Farmers CEO Paul Burke

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Katie Woolf spoke to NT Farmers CEO Paul Burke · 360 with Katie Woolf

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  Speaker 1: Three sixty with Katie Wolf on Mixed one oh four
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  Speaker 1: point nine thanks to Joyce Main Darwin. And we know
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  Speaker 1: that a lot of businesses around the Northern Territory are
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  Speaker 1: having to diversify and do things a bit differently in
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  Speaker 1: order to kind of, you know, I keep things moving
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  Speaker 1: and to try and get people visiting the territory, particularly
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  Speaker 1: when you talk about our tourism industry, but when you
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  Speaker 1: talk about our farming industry, it's no different. And we
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  Speaker 1: know that as part of a concerted effort really to
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  Speaker 1: bring valuable tourism dollars to regional Australia and also help
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  Speaker 1: our farmers diversify their income, AIRB and B is teaming
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  Speaker 1: up with our peak farming organizations across a number of
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  Speaker 1: states and joining me on the line right now to
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  Speaker 1: tell us a bit more about this. NT Farmers CEO
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  Speaker 1: Paul Burke, Good morning, Paul, Good.
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  Speaker 2: Morning, Katie, Good morning listeners.
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  Speaker 1: Mate. This sounds really interesting what exactly our farmer's NT
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  Speaker 1: farmer is going to be doing with AIRB and B.
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  Speaker 2: So we've created a partnership with AIRB and B in
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  Speaker 2: the Northern Territory to assist farmers to look at ways
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  Speaker 2: to diversify their income streams and potentially put another string
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  Speaker 2: in their bow. We know that some of our farms
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  Speaker 2: are located in some really beautiful parts of the Northern Territory,
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  Speaker 2: so there's an opportunity there to harness those natural assets
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  Speaker 2: and create a business on the side that can potentially
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  Speaker 2: support their their business in drought times and difficult times.
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  Speaker 2: So that diversification, so multiple income streams on the farm.
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  Speaker 1: I reckon this sounds like a great idea, you know,
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  Speaker 1: for us townies that maybe don't get out to, you know,
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  Speaker 1: to some of those more rural locations at different times.
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  Speaker 1: I just think it sounds like a really different kind
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  Speaker 1: of way to be able to experience the Northern Territory
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  Speaker 1: or indeed, you know, different parts of Australia.
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  Speaker 2: That's exactly right, Katie, and we see there's an opportunity
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  Speaker 2: for us to integrate better with people from the town
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  Speaker 2: so they know what we do out in the country.
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  Speaker 2: So when we're having those hard discussions around water use
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  Speaker 2: or land clearing or whatever it is, they actually have
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  Speaker 2: some empathy and they understand what we're trying to do
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  Speaker 2: out in the country and it's a different holiday. Maybe
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  Speaker 2: we'll get some of them convinced to pick mangoes.
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  Speaker 1: While they're there working holiday. Look, I reckon. It's like
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  Speaker 1: I say, I reckon, it's a really good idea, and
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  Speaker 1: I'd sort of thought about it. I've got family that have,
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  Speaker 1: you know, larger properties around Cans and Tully. I think
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  Speaker 1: you and I have spoken about that before, and you
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  Speaker 1: sort of go, it's a really you know, it is
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  Speaker 1: a really different way of experiencing some of these locations.
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  Speaker 2: Oh absolutely, And I think people will be surprised at
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  Speaker 2: how those operations work and just seeing a farm working
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  Speaker 2: and being in that area will be invaluable. And you know,
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  Speaker 2: I take my little one to farms all the time.
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  Speaker 2: You know, she gets a real buzz out of it,
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  Speaker 2: and you know, she gets right on a tractor and
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  Speaker 2: do a whole different thing. So I think we can
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  Speaker 2: create some really exciting holiday experiences for people to come
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  Speaker 2: up to the territory.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, one hundred percent. Now, how are things going for
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  Speaker 1: you guys at the moment? I know that you know,
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  Speaker 1: I've heard reports in recent days about the mango season
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  Speaker 1: that being you know, there has been a certainly a
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  Speaker 1: loss comparatively to other years.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah it was last year, was it last season is
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  Speaker 2: certainly a very difficult season. But we've got a very
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  Speaker 2: strong wet season this year, and all indications moving forward
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  Speaker 2: is it's going to be a bumper crop. So I
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  Speaker 2: guess we'll be talking about workforce for the rest of
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  Speaker 2: this year as well.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, I was going to say, in terms of those
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  Speaker 1: those pickers and packers, you know, is it looking like
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  Speaker 1: it's it's you know, going to be more manageable with
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  Speaker 1: some of the agreements that are in place now with
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  Speaker 1: the federal government and the territory government.
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  Speaker 2: So the pathways are there, we've just got to make
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  Speaker 2: sure that they're workable and we can actually access them.
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  Speaker 2: We've got twenty team or less day people arriving today
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  Speaker 2: to assist with the melon season, and we're hopeful that
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  Speaker 2: we're going to bring twenty in a week for the
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  Speaker 2: next twelve weeks to get the melons off and get
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  Speaker 2: them into the supermarkets and into the shop so Territorians
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  Speaker 2: can enjoy a melon.
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  Speaker 1: And will that be enough, you reckon, Paul? Will that
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  Speaker 1: go far enough? Hopefully it does.
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  Speaker 2: It'll go far enough for the melon season, but we
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  Speaker 2: will need to bring at least seven hundred and fifty
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  Speaker 2: people in under the seasonal worker program to get through
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  Speaker 2: the mango season. So we're already starting to work with
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  Speaker 2: government to work those pathways out well.
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  Speaker 1: In the meantime, any Territorians out there thinking about maybe,
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  Speaker 1: you know, getting out to a farm, having a bit
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  Speaker 1: of a farm stay, that is sort of a different
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  Speaker 1: way of maybe trying to help some of our wonderful
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  Speaker 1: farmers to diversify their income.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, absolutely so any farmers that want more information jump
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  Speaker 2: onto our Facebook page Farmers and we've got a workshop
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  Speaker 2: on the nineteenth of March at three o'clock to give
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  Speaker 2: you all the information if it's something that interests you
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  Speaker 2: with your business.
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  Speaker 1: Have you had many interested at this point?
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  Speaker 2: Actually we have. It's interesting and where those calls are
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  Speaker 2: coming from, they're coming from a pretty diverse range of people.
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  Speaker 2: So I think it'll be quite successful. And you know,
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  Speaker 2: it may not be for everyone, but I'm sure we'll
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  Speaker 2: get some success in there.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah. Any locations Paul that you reckon are a must
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  Speaker 1: see or just everywhere really around the territory.
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  Speaker 2: Wow, it's the territory, so you know everywhere you go
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  Speaker 2: there's something beautiful to see and do.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, o spot on. I think it's a really good
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  Speaker 1: idea and I hope that you know that lots of
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  Speaker 1: our farmers get to get on board, but also that
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  Speaker 1: heaps of Territorians decide that it's you know, a bit
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  Speaker 1: of a different holiday and worth doing.
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  Speaker 2: Thanks Katie, and thanks listeners.
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  Speaker 1: No worries. It all good on your Paul. Thank you
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  Speaker 1: Paul Burke there nt Farmers CEO. And I tell you
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  Speaker 1: what the reason that I reckon it would be so
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  Speaker 1: thing that's a bit different and worth a go. I
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  Speaker 1: referred then obviously to my family in Tully, but we
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  Speaker 1: took the kids to Tully and one of my cousins
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  Speaker 1: has got a much bigger property there just outside of Cans,
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  Speaker 1: or a couple of hours outside of Cans. You know,
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  Speaker 1: the kids rode on the quad bikes. They were able
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  Speaker 1: to you know, see the kelpies sort of rounding up
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  Speaker 1: the small head of cattle that they've got and able
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  Speaker 1: to kind of experience things that they don't really get
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  Speaker 1: the opportunity to do in their day to day lives
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  Speaker 1: here in Darwin. You know, even things like having a
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  Speaker 1: swim in the creek that was on that property as well.
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  Speaker 1: It's just a nice way of doing things and sort
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  Speaker 1: of taking you back to the basics. I guess of
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  Speaker 1: how many of us might say that we know lived
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  Speaker 1: when we were younger, or the way that you're able
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  Speaker 1: to live a little bit more freely when we were
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  Speaker 1: in our younger years.