General News
18 October, 2024
National magazine spotlights local farmers
Warracknabeal farmer Julia Hausler has been featured in the October issue of RM Williams' Outback Magazine after she was interviewed for an article on Australian agribusiness.
Mrs Hausler grew up in New South Wales and her parents owned and worked on a farm, with her father also working in grain accumulation.
She attended university where she received a Bachelor of Economics and a Masters of Agribusiness, and began her career at an American multinational company, Cargill.
Mrs Hausler then moved to Toowoomba in Queensland with Cargill where she worked with summer and winter crops before returning home to New South Wales to help with the introduction of soy beans into farming systems.
After making her final move to the Wimmera with Cargill where she handled grain marketing and accumulation, she met her husband Tim.
Now, 24 years later, they are running Batchica West Farms, a family farm 9km north of Warracknabeal.
Mrs Hausler is a director of GrainGrowers Limited and is on the Pulse Council for Grains Australia Limited.
She also holds a part-time director position at Wimmera Southern Mallee Development (WSMD) in Horsham and is on the regional committee of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD).
Mrs Hausler said she took a call from the RM Williams' Outback Magazine one day and the rest was history.
"It was an honour to be asked," she said.
"It's really nice to be recognised."
The article looks at some of Australia's largest conglomerates such as Elders and GrainCorp and some small but innovative companies (including A2 milk) and how they are supported by farmers.
Mrs Hausler spoke about how they managed their grain logistics between bulk handlers, private stores and on-farm storage.
"They could've just looked at the agribusinesses and not the farmers," she said.
"It has a good link between farmers and agribusiness.
"We're reliant on one another: they need us and we need them."
She also welcomed the industry push for using Australian canola to establish an Australian sustainable aviation fuel as a renewable diesel.
"It would be great if we could grow canola to decarbonise our own economy," she said.
The RM Williams' Outback Magazine October issue is on sale now.