There is something special about the spirit of collaboration. Working together has been shown to increase creativity and innovation, broaden perspectives, help businesses be agile and flexible; even to improve workplace mental health.
Being a third-generation farmer, Peter Greensill doesn’t really know any other way. Working together has been the foundation on which the family business has grown over the past 75 years – from a small sugarcane farm to a large-scale operation growing sweet potatoes, peanuts and a variety of hay crops, including lucerne and winter cereals.
It is this spirit of togetherness that has seen Greensill Farming partner with other Bundaberg Region farmers and businesses to help boost jobs, the local economy and the agri-business sector. Most recently they have joined forces with Oreco Group for the processing and production of high-quality lucerne product.
“We started growing lucerne and varieties of hay as complementary crops,” Peter said.
“Growing these in rotation to our main crops means we decrease the reliance of soil amendments and fertilisers. With the addition of compost from Green Solutions Wide Bay we are able to create healthy soil biodiversity to consistently grow and produce a premium quality product.”
Working with Oreco, Greensill Farming has been able to streamline the harvest-to-drying process, delivering cut lucerne directly to the Oreco factory in Childers.
“The quality of the lucerne leaving our farm is then complemented by the way Oreco are able to dry and process that product to a very accurate standard, that gives them the opportunity to create a variety of fibre sizes and different products to suit the market and service a wide range of customers,” Peter said.
“Whether it is for an animal in a zoo, or a guinea pig in somebody’s home, a horse or a stud bull – it is a diverse group to be catering for and this is a really exciting partnership and future for us, as people are becoming more focused on animal health and wellbeing.
“Bundaberg is fortunate to have a lot of great farming families in the Region that we can look to and work with as our business moves forward. I think we are producing some really wonderful outcomes for our customers and the people we work with.”