Farm Safety Advice Now Available at the Click of a Button

Article by: Hari Yellina

A forthcoming farm safety webinar will attempt to cover ever-changing COVID-19 workplace policies along with completing company risk assessments. Subtropical Dairy will host the webinar, which includes chemical training, water and effluent safety, working at heights and restricted spaces, and tractor, quad, and motorcycle safety. These webinars walk you through Dairy Australia’s Farm Safety Manual, giving you practical information, discussions with dairy farmers, and compliance assistance. They are organised by Subtropical Dairy Far North Queensland regional extension officer Joanna Srhoj, who says farmers utilise the forums to ask about their current initiatives and challenges. “One of the farmers from Far North Queensland was building an on-farm chemical storage facility and was able to demonstrate the progress while receiving helpful criticism on other aspects to consider,” says the presenter.

Participants contribute images of their own farms for evaluation and community discussion on a regular basis. Sara and Markus Bucher of Kenilworth, Queensland, developed a bank of 20 standard operating procedures that were tailored to their 400-cow farm Obi Obi Dairy through these webinars. They expect to have these up and running soon. Moreover, working via Dairy Australia’s Farm Safety Manual, according to Mrs Bucher, streamlined Obi Obi Dairy’s safety protocols and allowed them to broaden their farm safety research with industry-specific data. “Farm safety is such a large responsibility that it can be overwhelming,” she remarked. “The workshops provided a practical, step-by-step approach that was both rational and disciplined. The webinar covered 14 critical areas of farm risk, which are well detailed on the People in Dairy website.

Dairy Australia formed eight regional teams to foster innovation, research, extension, and promotion across northern NSW and Queensland. Subtropical Dairy is one of these teams. In 2020-21, it allocated $1 million to programmes aimed at increasing the profitability and long-term viability of dairy farms. Dairy Australia and the Dairy Services Levy provide the majority of Subtropical Dairy’s funding.