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Name: Joe
Role title: Senior Farm Business Analyst
Location: Department of Primary Industries, Box Hill
Description of work undertaken
Joe works on a financial analysis program for the dairy industry. This involves collecting, collating and analysing physical and financial data to compare the productivity and profitability of different dairy farms across Victoria. This is called benchmarking. Reports are produced every year and are available for farmers involved in the project and for staff who work for the Department of Primary Industries. These reports can also be purchased by other dairy farmers to help them make decisions on their farm.
Course studied
Tertiary / post secondary
Joe completed a Bachelor of Agricultural Science at LaTrobe University (Bundoora) and then investigated ‘shifting calving patterns to take advantage of seasonal milk price incentives’ for his Honours studies. He then completed a Masters of Agriculture at Melbourne University looking at ‘Economic evaluation of dairy forage production’.
Advice to students:
Students up to Year 10
Don’t worry too much because you will probably change your mind a number of times along the way. I wanted to leave school and become a farmer. My family didn’t support this and I finished VCE and went to university to be a farmer. Along the way I decided I wanted to be an animal production consultant, however, towards the end of my course I found that I was more interested in the numbers than the animals, so I shifted towards economics. Keep your options open and try to find out as much as you can about different opportunities.
VCE students
Try things out and make sure you do the subjects you need to. For example, maths if you want to be an economist. Remember that not making a decision is a decision in itself.
Tertiary students
Learn as much as you can in your area of study and interest. For example economics involves making a lot of assumptions. I have found that having a background in agricultural systems means that I am more likely to make reasonable assumptions about economics in the dairy industry.
What careers have other graduates from your course entered?
Agronomy, banking/finance, research scientist, academia, farming, family, swim teacher, selling farm chemicals.
Farm Forestry for Teachers
A ‘School Plantations and Farm Forestry – Trees at Work’ professional development workshop was recently held for teachers and organised by DPI’s Landcare Education Officer and LandLearn.
The day involved talks and advice on school plantation management by Jon Lambert of Woollybutt Forestry Services and Andrew Lang of Smart Timbers. A tour of a nearby school and farm plantations followed including a pruning demonstration.
Teachers participated in hands on activities including tree measurement, assessing timber samples, the benefits of trees on farms for timber resources, the environment and Greenhouse gas absorption.
Landcare Education officer Jim Mead presented activities from the “Farm Forestry –Trees at Work” curriculum resource, which was developed by the Department of Primary Industries Private Forestry staff.
Contact Jim Mead, Landcare Education Officer on 0408 547 760 to find out more about the ‘Farm Forestry – Trees at Work’ CD or email landlearn.program@dpi.vic.gov.au to obtain a copy.
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Professional Development Update
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