The Queensland Dairyfarmers’ Organisation (QDO) has welcomed Damien Ferguson and Torie Harrison to the team in supporting the Queensland dairy industry as it continues to recover from the impacts of last year’s Cyclone Debbie.
Torie and Damien’s positions are funded through the Queensland Government’s Natural Disaster Industry Recovery and Resilience program and they will work closely with affected farmers in the Scenic Rim and Lockyer Valley dairying regions.
Damien Ferguson brings to QDO over six years of experience as Project Leader with AgForce assisting graziers and grain growers as well as many decades of financial planning experience. In particular, Damien’s passion for addressing succession planning within the agriculture sector will be of great use within the Queensland dairy industry.
It is no secret that succession planning is an important and current issue within our industry. Helping the existing and next generations of dairy farmers in developing a clear path forward will go a long way towards building resilience and longevity.
As Industry Development Officer, Torie Harrison brings expertise in animal health and agricultural science to the role as well as a background in working on her family’s dairy property in Mt. Kilcoy.
Getting natural disaster recovery right is extremely important. In agriculture, some things hold true: with the right preparation and planning, things often work out for the better. The same can be said for natural disasters. If farmers recover properly, they improve their reliance and turn-around during the next natural disaster occurrence. This is why recovery is all about making considered decisions before the event to ensure future impacts are lessened.
Torie and Damien will contact dairy farmers in the Scenic Rim and Lockyer Valley over the coming months so I encourage all farmers to make the most of their expertise. I also encourage dairy farmers to attend the QDO workshop series on industry recovery in the coming weeks, details of which will be released shortly.