New podcast series explores managing risk
Business ManagementFollowing the Future Business Risk Management workshops held in October and November 2019, APAL has developed a five-part podcast series on a range of business-related issues. Click on each of the topics below to hear the conversation.
Crisis Management 101: Rachel Mackenzie, Berries Australia
It’s safe to say that no-one could have predicted the disruption that occurred in September 2018 with the “needles in strawberries” food contamination crisis. APAL interviewed Berries Australia Executive Director Rachel Mackenzie to discuss:
- How the crisis unfolded and how the industry was impacted.
- How growers can prepare for risk when it can come in so many forms.
- Advice for managing risk after a disruptive event has taken place.
Managing Change: Rob Blakey, Stemilt
Speaking from the US, Rob Blakey (R&D Manager at Stemlit Growers in Washington State) discusses the risks involved in resisting change. The conversation will cover:
- Why growers cannot afford to resist change in a context of increasing input costs and stagnant returns.
- Emerging AgTech that growers can’t afford to ignore and why they risk losing competitive advantage by refusing to adapt.
- Advice for growers who wish to keep abreast of AgTech.
Traceability: David Ironside, Australian Government Department of Agriculture and Water Resources
Traceability is key for managing the quality and safety of your product. Not only can growers use traceability to understand where the good and bad actors are in your supply chain, but it can be used to trace a product back to an orchard in the case of a product recall. Traceability is also going to become increasingly important to combat counterfeit products in Asian markets. We talked about traceability with David Ironside, Assistant Secretary at the Australian Government Department of Agriculture and Water Resources. In his five-minute podcast, David discusses:
- Why traceability is important, particularly in the context of Australian plant exports.
- The two types of traceability – traceability “back” and traceability “forwards”, and how they can help us protect our export markets.
- Next steps for the apple and pear industry in terms of moving forwards with traceability.
Embracing Energy Efficiency: Justin McFarlane, Rethink Sustainability
With energy costs rising, there is a significant risk involved in failing to invest in energy efficiency in your orchard. Justin McFarlane, Executive Director of Rethink Sustainability, spoke with APAL about:
- Saving money through small, low-cost changes to improve energy efficiency around the orchard.
- Some exciting examples of larger-scale investment in energy efficiency.
- Tips for starting your journey towards increased energy efficiency.
Netting: Jeremy Griffith, APAL
Netting provides a key example of the risk-management conundrum: it’s expensive, but it may prove more expensive not to make the investment. We interviewed APAL’s Head of Government Relations, Jeremy Griffith, to understand:
- The main benefits of netting and the risks that netting helps mitigate.
- The costs involved, and why over 60 per cent of Australian orchards are still unprotected by netting.
- How to understand the ROI for netting, create a business case and approach a lender to access finance for netting.
