GRDC Farm Business Update, online – Getting new farm staff up to speed quickly, safely and confidently

Mia Hansen from Regional Skills Training

Finding and retaining skilled staff continues to be a challenge for grain growers, particularly as many new employees enter the industry with limited on-farm experience. Getting training right is critical—not only for productivity, but also for safety, staff retention and long-term business performance.

This session will explore practical, proven approaches to training inexperienced staff in a farm environment. It will cover where training commonly breaks down, how to support skilled workers who are responsible for training others, and what an effective, structured training approach looks like in practice. The session will also address supervision requirements, how to assess when staff are ready to work independently, and the role of formal training and compliance in building a capable workforce.

Presented by Mia Hansen from Regional Skills Training, this session draws on extensive experience working with agricultural businesses to develop practical, fit-for-purpose training systems. Mia brings a strong understanding of the challenges faced by grain growers and offers clear, actionable strategies to help build staff capability, improve efficiency, and reduce risk on farm.

Date: Thursday 23 April, 2026
Time: 1:00 – 2:00 pm (AEST)
Venue: online
Cost: Free registration

GRDC Farm Business Update National Livestreams are topic specific, interactive, interview style discussions that address key farm business management improvements common to grain growing businesses across Australia.

A recording of the livestream will be available on the GRDC website here