Online portal connecting farmers to each other
Online portal connecting farmers to each other
A NEW online initiative helping farmers connect and share information from all over the country will be promoted at a special event in Toowoomba on Wednesday.
Young and older farmers from any commodity group are invited to the free event at The Spotted Cow from 5.30pm on April 11 to discuss the Farmer Exchange online platform.
Organiser Airlie Trescowthick and her team are travelling the country, meeting producers, introducing them to the platform, helping them to set up their own profile and seeking their feedback.
“Current social networks do not have the farmer front and centre of their design and functionality,” Ms Trescowthick said.
“On other platforms, there is often only one vertical stream of conversation. In a matter of hours (sometimes minutes), a thread can disappear out of sight, making it difficult to continue to engage, or find it weeks or months later.
“Farmer Exchange, built by farmers, for farmers, will connect us in order to transfer knowledge in a way we have not seen before.”
Farmers using the platform have their own unique dashboard which archives their questions, sends messages to other farmers and allows good-quality answers to be upvoted, allowing the most useful answers to be ranked at the top.
Innovation will be a major theme at the event, with Rural Business Collective Australia founder Fleur Anderson speaking to attendees about the top five trends changing the face of business in the bush.
The Farmer Exchange pilot has been primarily funded by the Australian Government’s Farm Co-operatives and Collaboration Pilot Program, with the support of AgriFutures Australia and the Farm Table.
The Farm Table is partnering with Condamine Alliance and Rural Business Collective Australia for the event.
The event is free and light refreshments are available. Registrations for catering purposes are appreciated via https://farmtable.com.au/ag-event/farmer-exchange-roadshow-toowoomba/
Local businesses interested in working with the Farmer Exchange for the event are encouraged to email Airlie Trescowthick at airlie@farmtable.com.au.