When Belle Binder sees a problem, she finds a solution

Finding reliable farm labour can be difficult; Left Field aims to solve this problem in a way that benefits both growers and workers. 

Based in northern Tasmania, Belle Binder came to the agriculture sector in a slightly unconventional manner. She and her husband bought an existing but outdated labour hire company in 2020 and immediately saw its potential. 

“I saw a gap in socially responsible labour hire within agriculture,” Belle said. “Workers and farms were often mismatched.” 

Farmers had got used to dealing with low productivity, patchy commitment and high turnover in their seasonal workforce. Plus, agriculture can be an industry wedded to tradition. Belle got used to hearing naysayers. 

“Initially, growers couldn’t quite see the vision I had. Comments like ‘It’s always been like that, good luck changing it’ were common. But I was determined.” 

Belle Binder. Photo: AgriFutures

After nearly five years – and with five kids in tow – that determination is paying off. Left Field’s reach and reputation for positive change continues to grow through the sector. 

“Our goal has always been to raise the standard, bringing reliability and a better working culture to ag,” said Belle. “We’re now evolving into a trusted partner for growers, delivering not just labour but also a movement to evolve the industry.” 

Left Field’s labour hire model means that it shoulders the costs of accreditation, insurance, training and organisational administration. With a firm philosophical foundation in social responsibility, Left Field promises higher productivity, lower turnover and less hassle for growers, along with safety, security and variety for workers. 

In 2024, Belle was recognised for her innovative approach and was the recipient of the $15,000 Tasmanian AgriFutures Rural Women’s Award – a recognition she calls ‘an incredible honour’. She’s invested the money into bringing Left Field’s Farm Work Loop initiative from Tasmania to mainland Australia. 

The Farm Work Loop is an exciting proposal. Pitched squarely at backpackers, the Loop matches workers with farms across the country, giving them steady employment while meeting seasonal labour needs of all types of growers. For workers, it’s essentially a farm-based Contiki tour. For farms, it’s a guarantee of the right skilled labour in the right amounts at the right time. 

“We source workers from a balanced mix of local Australians, backpackers and, soon, the PALM scheme,” said Belle. “This blend ensures versatility, cultural diversity and reliability throughout the peak season.” 

Because Left Field directly employs the farm workers, it maintains its own PALM accreditation and manages that end of the arrangement. It is already used to navigating the sometimes tricky aspects of hiring labour, such as adjusting to recent employment law changes in how farm workers are paid and managing the potential friction between the new minimum wage rollout and farmers’ need to maintain their productivity rates. 

Left Field’s assessment questions – the extensive series of detailed queries new hires encounter when signing up online – have attracted a fair bit of attention in the industry. Left Field conducts stringent assessment when taking on new workers. If you’re applying for work, expect to answer questions like ‘When was the last time you stayed up all night working on something because you chose to, not because you had to?’ and ‘What is your favourite flavour of ice cream? What do you do if your favourite flavour isn’t available?’ 

They might appear to be a bit, well, left field, but Belle says they’re a critical component of the enterprise’s success. 

“They might seem completely unrelated to farm work, but there’s a lot of psychology, thought and strategy behind them. Nothing is a standalone question; they work in combination. From there [the first application stage], if people reach the second stage we continue with a pretty straightforward process.” 

The detail involved in these assessments speaks to the integrity of Left Field as a project. Belle’s not just interested in getting working bodies onto farms, but in making sure the people doing the farm work are fulfilled, happy and gaining valuable experience. 

“Once they get to the farm, we’ve established if they’ve already got experience in where they’re going. Sometimes it doesn’t work out from entry level – they might be a wonderful worker with a great attitude, but just have a skill set that isn’t a match. If that happens, we pivot them to another farm. It might be that a completely different job is perfect for them.” 

It seems like Belle is making a lot of perfect matches. In 2023, Left Field got 155 workers onto 52 farms, totalling over 86,000 hours. Its agile structure means it has got teams out within 48 hours’ notice after other labour hire providers fell through. And it’s getting excellent feedback from growers. 

“One of the farms here in Sassafras had accepted that high turnover and retraining was just how it was. When we applied this new operational structure, compared to last year’s season, the productivity and retention was right out of the ballpark.” 

Left Field has now opened a Farm Work Loop hub at Corindi Beach near Coffs Harbour, New South Wales. After four years of seeing her hard work pay off, Belle is looking forward to another year of growth, collaboration and change. 

“The Farm Work Loop and its operational structure have won multiple awards and our partner farms are seeing real-time results,” she said. “It’s creating a snowball effect, and now that we’ve launched nationally, we expect this momentum to grow even faster as more partner farms experience the vast difference in cost savings and productivity we bring.” 

Visit https://leftfield.net.au for more information. 

Applications for the 2026 AgriFutures Rural Women’s Award will open in September 2025. Find out more at https://agrifutures.com.au/opportunities/rural-womens-award. 

The Farm Work Loop is pitched at backpackers and matches them with farms across the country, giving workers steady employment while meeting seasonal labour needs of all types of growers. Photo: AgriFutures

Terrence Rattray, Yum Tasmanian

Terrence Rattray is a potato and onion farmer in Tasmania’s north. He’s been working with Belle since she took over the labour hire company that became Left Field. 

“Belle always sends us good people who are keen to work,” Terrence said. “She screens them really well and they always seem happy, which is good.” 

The Rattray’s farm has several busy periods when they need extra labour, often at short notice. While the onions are busy from January to late July and require about 30 workers, the potatoes are, as Terrence says, 24/7, 365 days. The farm takes on about 18 people to work the full year – but even the stalwart potato can have its surprises. 

“We don’t normally have people on the weekends unless it’s for harvest, and that’s where Belle’s very handy. When we need someone for harvesting she can get them really quickly. Sometimes the harvest is a bit late notice, because you need extra stock for a surprise order or you’re just chasing the window in the weather whenever the window opens.” 

While the initial outlay from the farm is higher than it might be with other organisations or when hiring ad-hoc, the Rattrays are convinced of Left Field’s value. 

“The good thing with productivity with Belle’s crew is that she screens them well so you don’t get the slackers. That makes a difference,” Terrence said.  

The variety and job security Left Field can provide also makes for a dedicated workforce. 

“Because she works with a lot of different types of producers, she can provide virtually full-time work for a backpacker for their 88 days of regional work, but they might go between 10 different farms. We’ll be harvesting this week and they’ll be with us, then they’ll go to harvest with someone else.” 

As a grower, Terrence has been able to let Left Field pick up a lot of the difficult parts of hiring labour, including the legal and administration aspects. He’s also able to rest easy knowing that Belle has cleared his farm as a safe place for her employees to work. 

“If we get an employee who’s not performing, we don’t have to worry about any redundancy, unfair dismissal or anything. We just say Belle, don’t send them again, and that’s it. Also we don’t have to worry about workers comp and the complexities of that, as long as we operate a safe workplace. That’s one of Belle’s attributes as well: as the employer, she doesn’t supply people to anywhere that’s not safe.” 

“But the big thing for us is the productivity,” Terrence said. “You know you’re going to get fairly productive people.” 

This article was first published in the Summer 2024 edition of AFG.