How do you pull off a forecast record production for grain with only a limited workforce? For Western Australian farmers, it’s a conundrum edging closer, with industry projections indicating farmers to be short around 1,000 workers (including header and chaser bin drivers Australia) this harvest.
However, a new sector-wide initiative involving agribusiness employees could be the answer.
Grain Growers Ltd has teamed up with the industry’s top WA agribusiness bodies to mobilise a consolidated workforce, connecting farm-ready employees to harvest work.
Harvest Force is a practical, innovative solution to source willing, qualified and experienced grain harvest personnel from the agribusiness sector and the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development to assist WA farmers with this season’s anticipated record crop.
Leading WA agribusinesses including CSBP, CSBP Fertilisers, Nutrien and Elders are giving employees leave without pay to help cover some of the labour gaps for Harvest 2021.
Many agribusiness workers who have on-farm experience possess valuable skills, like machinery operation, and will require minimal training to assist with the grains harvest.
Registering online through the Harvest Force website, agribusiness employees from peak agricultural industry bodies can be connected to call-outs made by farmers in WA looking for harvest workers.