Welcome to the Adelaide Hills & Fleurieu Farmcast – the monthly podcast where we let you know what we’ve been up to on our farm and on our clients' farms to help inspire and guide you on what makes sense for you to be doing on your farm or lifestyle property.

In this episode we explore two services that will help you manage your small acreage farm or property more efficiently and effectively; cow and sheep scanning, and integrating electric fencing.

Our special guest host is Steve Davis from The Adelaide Show and Talked About Marketing, who also raises the issue of "backyarders" popping up in the Adelaide Hills and Fleurieu area, undercutting farm services professionals and putting properties and property owners at risk.

If you’d like to suggest a topic for future episodes, please send us an email.

00:00 Adelaide Hills & Fleurieu Farmcast July 2023 Edition

Introduction

Amid a busy week on the farm, Belle also took time out to attend an Adelaide Business Hub, Women In Business event in Victor Harbor.

She got to meet Small Business Minister, Andrea Michaels, and Adelaide Business Hub Chief Executive, Lyn Hay.

Belle and Steve discuss this briefly and if you'd like to learn more about the Women In Business mentoring, which Steve conducts as part of the program, email him at steve@talkedaboutmarketing.com and he can point you in the right direction.

04:05 Backyarders At Work In The Adelaide Hills and Fleurieu Region

Steve asks Belle to reflect on the rise of backyarders who are throwing some tools into a ute or onto a trailer and undercutting farm services professionals in the area.

She says she's all for "having a go" but it can be a short-sighted decision to opt for these casual operators due to varying degrees of experience, lack of insurances (to protect them and you), and possible lack of a safety ethos when it comes to selecting materials on your property.

10:36 Cow And Ewe Scanning

Belle explains the latest addition to the Adelaide Hills and Fleurieu Farm Services list of offering, a service scanning cattle and sheep for pregnancy.

As opposed to the old way of scanning involving hands and very long gloves, Belle explains how a probe is used to provide a scan that is similar to an ultrasound.

The big benefit that comes from knowing if cows or sheep are pregnant is that decisions can be made quickly and efficiently, as Belle discusses.

She notes that vets will always have a role but her scanning service can bring peace of mind quickly.

22:14 Electric fencing on your property

Belle explains the benefits of incorporating electric fencing, whether for new fences or for retro fitting existing fencing.

She says this is part of a trend to move away from barbed wire.

Steve is surprised to learn that the "zap" of an electric fence is not there to be punitive but rather to be educational.

As Belle explains, most livestock are very smart and once they have the first couple of zaps, they learn that fences are a no go, especially when coupled with some visual cues.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to the Adelaide Hills & Fleurieu Farmcast – the monthly podcast where we let you know what we’ve been up to on our farm and on our clients' farms to help inspire and guide you on what makes sense for you to be doing on your farm or lifestyle property.

In this episode we reflect on our Farm Fencing Demo Days that were held on May 12 and 13, right after our Tractoring For Women course on May 11, 2023.

Our special guests for this episode are Daniel Stuart from Gallagher, along with Alex Thomas from #PlantASeedForSafety, Jackie Davies from Emmetts, and Tim Glover from Ramsay Bros.

So, join us as we put all our cards on the table and give you a good sense of what's in store as we try to be the rising tide that lifts all boats for fellow contractors and fellow small acreage farmers and hobby farmers in the Adelaide Hills and Fleurieu.

If you’d like to suggest a topic for future episodes, please send us an email.

00:00 Adelaide Hills & Fleurieu Farmcast June 2023 Edition
Introduction

Just after packing up on Saturday evening, May 13, Belle Baker sat down with Daniel Stuart from Gallagher to talk about electric fencing and other items of discussion arising from the Farm Fencing Field Days.

The discussion covers some interesting insights about structuring electric fences and an innovative rat and mouse trap.

Plus we hear from some attendees at the Farm Fencing Field Days.

Alex Thomas, #PlantASeedForSafety

The wonderful Alex Thomas, #PlantASeed4Safety, spoke at the Friday Farm Fencing Demo Day to raise the concept of realistic work and health safety for Farm Fencing Contractors.

As you'll hear, the concepts were surprising, and well received, and raised questions, which is the precise outcome Alex wants. After all, where else do down-to-earth people actively start a conversation about WHS?

25:51 Farmcast Interview: Jackie Davies, Emmetts, John Deere

Belle Interviews Jackie Davies, from Emmetts Murray Bridge, who was on site for the Tractoring For Women workshop.

You'll hear a little bit more about her farming background and the importance of tractor familiarisation.

35:02 Farmcast Interview: Tim Glover, Ramsay Bros, Case IH

Belle Interviews Tim Glover, from Ramsay Bros, who was also on site for the Tractoring For Women workshop.

You'll hear a little bit more about his farming background, Belle's very personal motivation for making Tractoring For Women happen, and some common sense discussion about owning and operating tractors.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to the Adelaide Hills & Fleurieu Farmcast – the monthly podcast where we let you know what we’ve been up to on our farm and on our clients' farms to help inspire and guide you on what makes sense for you to be doing on your farm or lifestyle property.

In this episode we dive deeper into our Farm Fencing Demo Days to be held on May 12 and 13, right after our Tractoring For Women course on May 11, 2023.

Our special guest for this episode is the star attraction of our Farm Fencing Demo Days, Tim Thompson.

So, join us as we put all our cards on the table and give you a good sense of what's in store as we try to be the rising tide that lifts all boats for fellow contractors and fellow small acreage farmers and lifestyle farmers in the Adelaide Hills and Fleurieu.

If you’d like to suggest a topic for future episodes, please send us an email.

00:00 Adelaide Hills & Fleurieu Farmcast May 2023 Edition

Introduction

Tractoring For Women - Thank You Jeremy Clarkson

I snagged the name ‘tractoring’ from the hilarious television series Clarkson’s Farm.

In episode one, Jeremy Clarkson coined the term tractoring and it’s stuck with me!

If you haven’t seen Clarkson’s Farm, you’re missing an absolute treat. Love him or hate him, he has done a wonderful job highlighting farming practices in the UK and the red-tape and archaic laws that farmers have to deal with to get their products to market.

There are 3 seasons and they can be viewed on Amazon Prime.

So, if you’re a little like Jeremy Clarkson and you have ‘truly no idea what to do’, Tractoring For Women is the workshop for you.

We’re going to take you through everything you need to drive your tractor safely, and nothing you don’t. We’ll have at least four different types or brands of tractors on site and with careful planning, we’ll match you up with a tractor similar to what you have at home.

Initially, David Evans will take you through the basics of where everything is on a tractor, prestart checks and what you need to know before driving. David will work with our guest, Alex Thomas, the dynamo behind #plantaseedforsafety and #savealifelistentoyourwife and together they will highlight the risks and how to prevent machinery accidents on farm.

After lunch, its time to get in a tractor for a test drive. You’ll be in the hands of the dealership reps – no one will know their tractors better than them and you’ll learn how to start, stop and drive and to operate the front end loader. You can have a go at moving hay bales with the fork and you’ll learn how to swap between the forks and bucket. We’ll also have a slasher on site so you can learn how to attach three point linkage implements.

It's going to be a wonderful day – we’re so grateful for the support of our guest speaker, Alex Thomas and the Dealerships that are supplying tractors: Emmetts Oakbank, Ramsay Brothers, G & J East, and ND & JA Giles.

Farm Fencing Demo Days

Friday 12th of May is our Farm Fencing Demo Day specifically for Farm Fencing Contractors. The Saturday 13th of May is for the general public and anyone who wants to learn the fencing basics.

We are so fortunate to have Tim Thompson, the poster boy for Australian fencing and you tube sensation with over 50,000 followers here over the two days and instead of me telling you all about the events, I’m going to let you hear it straight from Tim.

04:10 Farmcast Interview: Tim Thompson

Belle Interviews Tim Thompson ahead of our Farm Fencing Days.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.