Behind every great family meal is a Farmer! by Anna Redden

Introducing Anna Redden. Anna and her family, farm in the Somerton region of NSW.

Stud summary – Triple A Angus Stud was established in 1997, by sisters Eliza, Anna and Emma Redden. Since this day through natural increase and guidance from our Stud Principles (Mum and Dad) we have watched the ladies grow in numbers.

Eliza, Emma and Anna Redden

1. It is exciting for us to announce we are joining eighty females this year, seventy of which to AI and are looking forward to increasing our number of bulls for sale as well as adding depth and excellence of genetics to our existing “boutique” female herd.

Triple A Angus is a family run operation. Initially our stud was managed by our wonderful parents, however sadness and Cancer has left our Mum, Janet Redden, as the “Chief of Staff”.

With over thirty years experience in the commercial livestock industry our Mum, with Dad watching over, soundly excels in the nutrition and health of all animals at “Koorooya.”

Between the three stud principles (Eliza, Anna and Em) we share the tasks of calving, weaning, branding and AI-ing our growing heard, whilst we all work off farm in our respective industries.

Eliza in business management and banking with Westpac, Anna through public relations with Sefton&Associates and Em in her final year at Armidale’s UNE studying B. Agri Business.

Triple A Angus bulls

2. Collectively we sat around the kitchen table and brainstormed what it is that we love about farming and working within the Agricultural industry.

The best lifestyle factor of being a farmer and the one that we all most enjoy is the ever changing possibilities that comes with working under the weather patterns the livestock prices and all in between- the busy lifestyle keeps you motivated to reach results and keeps you open to innovation and the best way forward.

I love nothing more than coming home from a days work in the office and being able to jump on my horse canter up the back and see how our girls “triple a cows” are going and trotting past the boys “triple a bulls” and admiring the muscles growing.

That time, in which you can digest the day in the office and still feel challenged or proud by what you might find in the paddock is priceless.

The Redden girls enjoying their time together on the farm

3. Our biggest short term challenge that we see as young farmers and also see it amongst our peers is the lack of understanding of the Ag industry to those outside it. Agriculture is such a small word for such a broad term and for what it entails and I think as producers we find ourselves defending too often rather than promoting the great things we do.

Ag is rarely published in a positive light to those audiences who live outside it- we often see some of the best cover pieces on programs like ABC landline, or Outback magazine or even Beef Central online which when it comes down to it are only communicating these great messages to those who are already supporting the industry.

And long term I see “a lack of successful succession planning” as a great concern of all farming families making the end all decision to hand over the family farm to the next generation.

How can we expect to influence change and ensure young professionals return to the land and or stay on the farm as producers if there are no plans in place for them to do so?

Triple A Angus stud Somerton NSW

 4. Our city cousins are also our consumers which makes it vital for them to understand how and why we produce the food and fibre they like to eat and why it is important to support the Australian agricultural industry.

Maybe a good question or activity for city families to visually see- is a farmer to walk into a city family home after the week’s grocery shop and from those bags of shopping take out all of the items produced by Australian farmers, from your pastas, breads, milk and cheese- beefe&lamb and all meats through to your jams and weetbix and see what is left. Visually I think this would be very impressive to see and a quick answer to why we need to support Australian farmers as they are really putting the food we eat on the table!

I think education and communication is the key and what the Australian Government need to get busy in doing is including agriculture in every school syllabus, not to only entice young people to consider agriculture as a career but to also educate students on where their food and fibre comes from and how it gets onto their plate.

The PIEF report is just the sorts of hard facts we needed to see as a nation to get up and get the word out there in promoting Australian agriculture and all the great things we do!

 Message for Collins Street: “Behind every great family meal, is an Australian Farmer?”

www.tripleaangus.com.au

Facebook: www.facebook.com/TripleAAngus

Twitter:  @koorooya

This is blog number 15 in my quest to feature 52 farming blogs in 52 weeks. It’s my way of celebrating the Australian Year of the Farmer. enjoy.