On Friday, September 16th , Nutrien Ag Solutions Albany, in collaboration with Oyster Harbour Catchment Group Inc. and Southern Beef, held the much-awaited Hay Silage and Pasture Field Day. Over 100 producers and suppliers, including Coerco, Southern Wire, Cyclone, Waratah and representatives from the animal health industry, attended the event.
A recently converted sheep sheering shed, hosted various presentations throughout the day covering a wide range of topics including, animal health, agronomy, farming economics and other agriculture-related fields. The field day was planned and hosted by Bianca Drage of Nutrien Ag Solutions in Albany, along with the full support of Branch Manager, Todd Keeffe. It was Bianca’s vision and tireless effort of the Nutrien Albany branch to create a truly unique event in the region, which turned out to be an undeniably successful event.
Despite the gloomy weather, and as if to signal the commencement of the event, the clouds parted, the sun came out and at 10am the gates opened to the first of many attendees, as representatives from varying suppliers and members of the animal health industry prepared to provide solutions and expert advice, including guest speaker presentations throughout the day.
The MC for the program was Johanna Thomlinson, Chief Operations Officer of South Coast Natural Resource Management. Different topics were discussed during the entire program ranging from increasing production to animal health and management, presentation of new products, varietal trials, and many more.
Guest speakers shared their experiences and expertise in their field. For instance, Milly Nolan of Livestock Collective Feed and Disease Management spoke about live export ships and feedlots. There was also Dan Parnell who talk about the daily economics around Silage and Doctor Jess Shilling, conducted a survey for clover diseases in cattle.
Lunch was also something to look forward to as it was prepared by Messy Fingers who specialise in mouth-watering gourmet finger foods. There was also Denmark Butchers, known for their superior quality meat produce, custom cutups, and in-house artisan small goods. With these two popular catering services, everyone certainly found themselves wanting more.
Overall, the day went off without a hitch, well planned, and enjoyed by all who attended. To mark the end of a long and successful field day, a sundowner was held where everyone was able to share their valuable stories and experiences. Coerco thanks and appreciates the opportunity to support Nutrien Albany on their inaugural Hay & Silage Field Day 2022.