Organisation: Local Land Services
Job Title: Land Services Officer
Word Limit: 2 Pages Cover Letter Style
Location: Illawarra and South Coast
NSW Government
Local Land Services
Re: Land Services Officer, 00003M5H
In response to your advertisement for Land Services Officers, I would like to offer my application. As my attached resume indicates, I have significant experience, skills and qualifications in agricultural production and management, as well as in the planning and implementation of programs to achieve required production and business goals. In addition, my previous work experience with local farmers and communities has provided me with the opportunity to refine my ability to develop relationships with all stakeholders. With a particular interest in agricultural productivity through research projects and hands-on farm management, I have a range of skills in this area to bring to the role.
Please find below my responses to the selection questions.
Provide an example where you have ensured information is accessible through mediums which are appropriate to the local community
As an Agronomist for the Lebanese Farmer Corporation, part of my role pertained to the running of trials and dissemination of results to local farmers in the community. To achieve this, I was intrinsically involved in the organisation of community meetings and conferences to ensure that the information was accessible and relevant to the needs of all local farmers. Some of the trials we ran included tests to reduce the amount of water wastage occurring, tests to determine the best application rates, as well as techniques and timing for the chemical spraying of crops.
The meetings and conferences held would attract hundreds of local landowners and farmers alike, allowing us to pass on the results of our research into areas such as pests and disease control, as well as production maximisation, with ways to save money spent on inputs while still producing quality produce. This face-to-face medium was appropriate for the audience at hand and therefore used frequently within this position. In other roles, it may be more productive to disseminate information via social media, web resources or through chemical sellers and agents. Reports can also be produced relating to the trials to be made available for purchase or as a download.
A broad range of recommendations were given to farmers using this method, including spray rates, the timing of spraying relating to weather and climate, watering rates and methods to reduce water wastage, as well as producing better fruits and vegetables for market including the appropriate packaging of the said produce to ensure it survives transportation.
The information provided through the Lebanese Farmer Corporation was appreciated and actioned by local farmers. I also often attended on site visits to give more detailed information in relation to a specific farm.
Describe your experience in collaborating and building partnerships to support the delivery of natural resource management, agriculture, biosecurity, emergency management and natural disaster emergency management outcomes to customers and stakeholders
During my partnership and farm management role at AHA Fresh Veggies, I fostered and developed productive working relationships with distributors, chemical suppliers and staff to ensure the smooth running of the enterprise. I entered this particular farm as a partnership with another person, and was successful in leveraging further relationships to support the delivery of agriculture whilst ensuring that bio-security was consistently maintained.
I demonstrated my bio-security knowledge on one occasion when it became clear that one of our greenhouses was infected with a disease. Once I was certain it was affecting the tomatoes exclusively in the one greenhouse, I made a call to the Department of Agriculture as the disease was not one that I could identify myself. The Department of Agriculture visited the site to gain samples, and upon testing the disease was identified as the Potato Spindle Tuber Viroid (PTSVd) disease, a rare disease for tomatoes within the county. The greenhouse was immediately quarantined, and all equipment and people working within were sterilised to contain any further exposure. Of the utmost importance was making sure that it would not spread to other farms. From that time onwards, all staff were required to sterilise their hands and shoes when entering or exiting the greenhouse, while the entire crop of tomatoes were picked and discarded. This was a seed-borne disease, which came into our farm through seeds purchased elsewhere. As it stands, it is still only the second recorded incident of such an event within Australia.
In addition to on farm changes, I spoke with farmers in the surrounding areas to alert them of the disease and to advise them of restrictions if they came onto our property. These quarantining and information strategies were successful in preventing the spread of the disease and ensuring that this disaster was managed within the confines of only the greenhouse in question.
Other capabilities I can bring to this role include:
Strong agricultural knowledge, including experience in bio-security and quarantine procedures
Excellent communication and interpersonal skills and the ability to work together as a team
Both fostering and maintaining collaborative partnerships within the community
Demonstrating skills and communicating appropriately with a wide diversity of people
Well-developed commercial business acumen and understanding of rural earnings
Positivity and enthusiasm, with a can do attitude and an ability to motivate others
High level analytical and problem solving skills implemented through a hands-on approach
Proven ability to coach and train employees to achieve goals
My roles both in Australia and abroad have demonstrated my skill as a productive and successful farm manager, along with giving professional evidence-based advice to farmers and groups, resulting in high production and minimisation of water and chemical use. These skills, combined with my experience in budgeting, expenditure monitoring and workplace health and safety commitment will make me a valuable asset within this role.
