Each year, GrainCorp’s teams connect with growers at field days, pre-harvest meetings and on-farm to understand their businesses and build strong working relationships, season after season.
Recently, our Grower Services team in Victoria took a different approach. The team invited 21 growers aged between 20 - 35 to tour GrainCorp’s Geelong Port, creating an opportunity to connect with the industry’s next generation.
The group took a rare look at the step beyond our receival sites, to see what happens to their grain once it leaves site. Some growers had delivered grain into Geelong before, but had never been beyond the truck delivery point.
They followed the export journey through the port, from truck receivals and storage through to testing, sampling and loading onto a vessel.
A walk through our laboratory also offered a closer look at the quality assurance processes used to prepare grain for international customers.
For many in the group, the highlight was boarding a vessel and watching woodchips being loaded into the hatch, offering a firsthand sense of the scale of the port’s operations.
Danielle Lang works with her family near Nareewillock, growing vetch, canola, lentils, barley and wheat. As a truck driver who delivers grain to GrainCorp’s Charlton site, she said the tour gave her a new perspective on the final stages of the supply chain.
“It was really interesting to see how the grain is handled at the port, and to witness what is essentially the last step of the supply chain before its exported,” Danielle said.
“I loved the opportunity to meet some other young people and especially some other women – it was a very interactive day and I learned a lot,” said Danielle.
For fifth-generation Charlton grower Ryan Stewart, it was his first visit to the port. His family grows vetch, lentils, wheat, barley and canola and has delivered to GrainCorp for decades, while this season is Ryan’s first time delivering grain from leased land of his own.
“I was amazed at the sheer size and scale of operations at the port,” said Ryan.
“It was really eye opening for me to see all of the different processes in place, and it was great to be able to share the experience with both new and familiar faces,” Ryan said.
GrainCorp Grain Marketer and tour organiser Jacqui Freeman said these types of events are an important way to strengthen our connection with the next generation of growers.
“As the future of our industry, we want to continue building strong relationships with young and upcoming growers across Victoria,” says Jacqui.
“The event provided a great opportunity to hear their perspectives and give them greater insight into GrainCorp’s purpose and value in the supply chain,” Jacqui says.
With Victoria’s winter crop harvest shaping up to be a busy one, it was a timely chance to connect and wish growers all the best for the season ahead.
