2024 Wrap Up

20 Dec

2024 WRAP UP

As we come to the end of my first full year as CEO, it is with enormous pride that I reflect on the significant growth Food & Fibre Great South Coast has achieved in this time. Through the strategic development of partnerships, collaboration with stakeholders - as well as the wider community - and thoughtful planning, Food & Fibre Great South Coast is now in a prime position to capitalise on opportunities as they arise, and create our own narrative in 2025.

The year began on a high with the development of the Great South Coast Food & Fibre Prospectus in collaboration with Deakin’s Economic Futures department. Together, we launched this comprehensive document at AgriFutures evokeAG in Perth, where significant interest was shown in the investment potential of our region, and several important connections were made providing immediate value to Great South Coast producers.  We are currently working on our 2025 presence at evokeAG in Brisbane which will include a post-event tour of the region where investors will see first-hand the existing strengths and wider potential of the Great South Coast, with visits to Deakin’s Hycel research facility and a selection of innovative local producers.   Many thanks to Deakin’s Marlien Lourens for her energetic and insightful assistance with this project.

Our key focus this year has been attracting funding to sustainably support meaningful projects that align with FFGSC’s strategic aims.  On this bent, the attainment of a Victorian Government Vic Grown grant mid-year allowed us to realise an objective that has been at the heart of FFGSC since its inception.  Staging the first ever Great South Coast Food & Fibre Showcase in October, celebrating all things locally grown and produced, was undoubtedly one of the highlights of the year.  The number of local producers that put their hand up to exhibit at the Showcase (over 40!!) far exceeded our expectations, as did the support and interest of the wider community.  Feedback from the event has been overwhelmingly positive from both stallholders and attendees, and the broader goal of raising awareness of the many and varied local producers in our area, and the huge potential to value add to our existing commodities, was indisputably achieved.   

 A healthy by-product of the Great South Coast Food & Fibre Showcase was the opportunity to work with renowned food writer Wendy Hargreaves to create a YouTube feature celebrating connectivity between local producers and makers entitled Your Neck of the Woods. 

We worked with Wendy over a wet and windy week in September to create two separate episodes focusing on the Koroit region and Timboon. Featuring local growers, these episodes highlight the strength of our local communities in supporting each other in the development of innovative food & fibre ventures that not only add to the appeal of our region from an agri-tourism perspective, but also improve the experience of living and working in the Great South Coast. We aim to attract additional funding in 2025 to feature even more local networks across the region.

Another exciting initiative in the agri-tourism space is the launch of the Great South Coast Tipple Trail, hot off the press this week. Featuring a group of local producer-owned wineries, breweries and distilleries who have developed a collaborative approach to work together across the South West, the Trail is now available on our website and brochures have been printed and distributed to Visitor Information Centres and tourist locations across the region.

It would be remiss of me not to acknowledge the incredible work of local graphic designer Amy Creek from Mr. Walter in the delivery of all these projects. Her creative genius and invaluable knowledge of what makes our great region tick were key to the high quality offering we were able to deliver.

Whilst we acknowledge the highs, 2024 also presented significant challenges for our local producers with dryer than usual climatic conditions coupled with volatile livestock prices in the first half of the year.  Reliable rainfall and access to ground water has always been the Great South Coast’s primary competitive advantage, yet the past season has shown that it is imperative to also put measures in place to support our producers through unpredictable dry spells. 

With this in mind, FFGSC this year partnered with Southern Farming Systems to successfully tender to implement the Regional Drought Resilience Plan.  Collaborating with a wide range of stakeholders including local LGAs, Catchment Management Authorities, Traditional Owner groups and industry peak bodies, the aim is to put in place systems that increase the capability of our region to build drought resilience, not just for our producers but for the regional communities that rely on the ongoing prosperity and function of our food and fibre sectors.  This work will be delivered over the next twelve months with an opportunity for additional funding at the conclusion of the project. 

Current climatic conditions aside, the sustainable and effective use of water to drive value add in our region will continue to be one of the main pillars of FFGSC.  Meaningful engagement with Southern Rural Water is continuing with the aim of removing barriers to trade and educating licence holders to increase the use of existing available water resources.  To this end we welcome the launch this week of Southern Rural Water’s online trading platform for catchments in southwest Victoria. This trading platform will make it easier and more transparent for licence holders to access groundwater when needed. We know that the effective use of groundwater is the key to unlocking the huge potential of this region to increase agricultural output, and by encouraging trade this online platform will ensure more of our available groundwater is used to sustainably increase the value of production in the Great South Coast.

In addition to our work with Southern Rural Water, a working group of key stakeholders has been coordinated to develop a clear and united message to take to the Department representing this region in relation to accessing available water.  We invite feedback and involvement from anyone in the region with an interest in sustainably increasing the value of production through the use of our abundant water resources.

Alongside this ongoing work, FFGSC has partnered with key stakeholders this year to bring together our food and fibre communities at events aimed at preparing them for future trends and challenges.   Earlier in the year, our Cyber Security Workshop, held in partnership with Charles Sturt University focused on Farmer cyber security issues, practices, available technologies, technology maturity and awareness levels.  More recently we partnered with Deakin University and AgriFutures to present ‘Future Horizons – Food & Fibre’ which brought together an impressive line-up of experts in their respective fields to discuss the future of food & fibre in the region, igniting inspiration, expanding awareness and encouraging our local industry to embrace the future of food & fibre production.  We envisage delivering more of these events over 2025.

Together with the successes we have achieved this year, the most fulfilling part of my role has been meeting and developing meaningful relationships with the industrious, innovative and entrepreneurial producers and stakeholders that make the Great South Coast one of the highest grossing agricultural regions in Australia.  From major local employers like Midfield, Waltanna Farms and Great Ocean Abalone to smaller, but no less innovative, players such as Volcano Produce, Warrnambool Timbers and Schultz Organic Dairy.  The energy and passion evident in our local food & fibre sectors is contagious and the team at FFGSC looks forward to continuing to represent our food and fibre communities and work towards building even greater value and capacity for the benefit of our great region in 2025.

I would like to thank our volunteer FFGSC Board, energetically led by Oonagh Kilpatrick, for their guidance and support over the year.

From all at Food & Fibre Great South Coast I wish you a very Merry Christmas and safe and prosperous New Year! 

Nicole Newman

CEO