This special a friend of Mine episode is a live, roving interview from the 2024 Almore Field days.

Over three days, tens of thousands of visitors are expected through the gates to explore more than 700 exhibitors.

At times, you will hear the sounds of our surroundings, whether it's the chatter of visitors, machinery, or perhaps the odd pa announcement.

I feel like these sounds make you feel like you're standing right there with us, having a quick catch up.

So let me introduce you to some new friends of mine.

The scent of freshly popped corn is undeniably enticing and draws a crown to Emma Kennedy's stall.

Emma and her husband started Kennedy food produce in 2018 during a challenging period of drought on their farm in Corop, Victoria.

Seeking alternative income streams, the couple began experimenting with value adding to their existing crops, leading to the creation of their unique popcorn product.

Emma speaks about the challenges her business has faced, as well as her passion for helping people understand where their food comes from.

Hello, Emma, and welcome to the podcast.

Oh, thanks, Kimberly, thanks for having me.

You would have the best smelling stall here at the Elmore Field days.

There is something about the smell of popcorn that takes me back to my childhood.

I'm sure it's a draw card.

Tell me a little bit about your business.

Yeah, so, Kennedy Farm produce, we established in 2018, we were going through some fairly rough times on the farm with drought, so we were kind of looking at what other options we could maybe create a different flow of income with, and we started to look at what we already grow on the farm and how we could value add onto that.

So, yeah, the business was created from that point and just experimenting with how we might be able to create, creatively cook popcorn in the microwave with a brown paper bag.

And that's it.

You can cook popcorn, the kernels in a paper bag in a microwave.

It's incredible.

It's obviously a lot healthier too, I'm assuming.

Absolutely.

So what we do is hand pick the cob.

So you're actually putting the full cob and not the kernels themselves.

So the whole cob goes in the brown paper bag on high for two minutes in the microwave and it pops directly off the cob.

No oil, no butter, no salt added.

But at the end, if you wish to flavour, you can do that.

Do you find that some people are surprised when they look at your product and realise just exactly what the corn cob looks like and that's where popcorn comes from?

Absolutely.

And I think that's what I really love about it is like, oh, so that's what popcorn looks like in the paddock.

And that's what we really want to portray to people, that it's fresh, straight from the paddock, handpicked, and then it's in its natural form as well.

So to see a bag of popcorn kernels versus the cob, it is that.

Oh, moment of wow, that is amazing.

But also, I think it's important to note that it's not sweet corn dried.

So it's a specific popping variety of corn.

I'm learning something.

I didn't realize that it's not just you run of the mill cob.

Yeah.

So it's a specific variety for popping.

Yeah.

So.

And I suppose then from there we decided, well, can people grow their own popcorn at home?

So that's why we created things like our little growers packs and just our packet of popcorn seeds, so you can have a go grow it in your own backyard.

That is incredible.

There's such an education piece that you're building on.

I think that's really important when we think about agriculture and teaching the younger generations where their food comes from.

Absolutely.

I think there's been a big importance and emphasis on knowing where your food comes from.

Having that connection with the farmer.

Yeah.

And just thinking, oh, this was just literally down the road grown and now we're enjoying it with our family and having an experience with that food.

Let's talk about Elmore field days.

You've been here before.

I've smelt the stall before.

I've walked past before.

What number are we up to and why?

Do you love coming back?

I think this is about number four that we've done.

Yeah.

There's something just really lovely about being in your own backyard, Nelli.

A community event that you can come along and not only show your own products, but support other people in the business as well, because small business has been a hard slog, especially lately.

So it's really nice to be able to go and spend some of your own money as well.

Now, you have some little helpers here today.

I mean, I've brought mine along today as well.

Tell me, do you come along to more field days to other markets or is this sort of it?

When I started, I had my two daughters, so we did a lot more markets and we had fresh produce at the time as well, vegetables and different things to offer at that time.

Now we've got four children, I find it really challenging to.

To be able to have that time to pack everything up and set up and also have someone looking after the children whilst you're at market.

Yeah.

So I do less and less markets, but events are a great way to get out there and meet people too.

In terms of your business, have you seen it grow?

And what do you think the key to that growth is?

Can I answer that really honestly?

That's the only way we want to hear the answer.

It's been truly challenging.

When we first started, the growth was probably beyond what I ever could have imagined.

And then I think with challenges like Covid, floods and just the general economy, it's been really hard, mostly of late.

So, yeah, there's been a real curve in the business and, yeah, just tricky to continue, really.

So what pushes you forward?

What's something that you remind yourself of to keep going every day?

Yeah, it is a hard one because I think at times I wonder whether I've lost my spark for the business.

But then coming to an event like this, like.

No, actually there still is definitely that passion for farming, passion for educating people and offering the best produce that we can.

I can relate to that.

I think that loneliness of working by yourself solo, we need people around us.

We need people to get excited about the product, to see people engage with the stall.

One more question before I go.

I want to know who else should I drop in and see while I'm here at the Elmore field days?

Oh, there's so many beautiful options here, especially in the general interest pavilion.

But my mates at Pepo Farms, they have some amazing products and I absolutely recommend going and seeing them.

What's my favourite product is probably the chocolate coated pumpkin seeds.

Amazing.

Again, who would have thought?

Chocolate coated pumpkin seeds.

I'm gonna go fill up.

There's no way you can stand around this store without taking some popcorn with you.

Well done on a fabulous product and I hope we'll obviously have all the links in our show notes, but to head along, have a look.

Someone could grow their own popcorn.

If not, this is such the perfect thing to do for school holidays, especially if you're a grandparent or just in that terms of that educational piece, isn't it?

Brilliant idea.

Thank you so much for having me, Kim.

Now the shearing industry is experiencing a notable increase in female participation, marking a significant shift in a field that has traditionally been male dominated.

This change not only empowers the women currently involved, but also serves as an inspiration for future generations.

In this interview, Alice McKay shares her.

Journey into the shearing profession.

The 24 year old grew up on a sheep and cropping farm in Dromarton, Victoria, where her love for sheep began.

After leaving school, Alice started her career in wool handling before taking a leap into shearing, a decision that has allowed her to travel extensively and experience various shearing environments, including her recent work in England and New Zealand.

Hello Alice, and welcome to the podcast.

One of my favourite things to do at the Elmore Field days is to come past where they're doing the shearing demonstrations.

And you know what?

Over the years I've seen more and more females up on that stage and it's so empowering to see it.

So inspiring.

Tell me, how you, how did you get into shearing?

So I grew up on a sheep on cropping farm out in dramatin and I've always had a big passion for sheep.

And then once I left school, I went wool handling, so working in the sheds and I just fell in love with it.

And then I went wool classing, which I done that for two years before I started shearing.

So I started shearing about just over two years ago.

I got into it, like I'd always shorn, like the odd few when I was working in the sheds.

Like classing, like I got the hang of it and I fell in love with it.

But I always thought, oh, it'd be too hard.

But then one day I thought, I'll just give it a go.

And yeah, I fell in love with it and here I am.

Now, what other career aspirations have you had?

Or is this sort of, is this all you have your eye on at the moment?

Well, sheep's definitely all I've loved.

I love the farm at the moment.

I probably spend nine months of the year working the shearing and I spend three months on the farm.

Like all the busier times I still spend on the farm.

So like, the big grand plan is to one day be full time on the farm, but for now, I love shearing.

I love that I can travel anywhere with it, which obviously I can't do that kind of things on the farm.

So that's kind of, I suppose what got me into cheerleader and was all the travelling I love here.

Now you mentioned travelling.

I've just heard that you've come back from overseas.

Yeah, yeah.

So I just spent three months in England.

I've done too much here in England and I've done a month travelling around Europe.

I spent a year in New Zealand last year.

And yeah, I've been all over Australia with it, all sorts of places.

Yeah, it's awesome.

You can just go anywhere with it.

Yeah.

What are the differences between here in Australia with our shearing industry versus say, New Zealand or even the UK.

So New Zealand is pretty similar.

Like, the sheep probably shear a bit better over there, but England's completely different.

Like, we're shearing merinos today and they're just unheard of over there.

Like, they don't have very nice wool, like, and they're all different types of cross spreads.

And you're always shearing pretty much all the time outside on a trailer, so you're pretty much just out in the elements.

Like a couple of times I was out there shearing in the rain and wind and.

Yeah, just everything.

It's completely different to heard.

I know usually you're in really nice sheds, get fed, you're warm, you heat up quickly because it is such a physically demanding job.

So tell me about that.

I suppose that physical side being female, do you notice it?

Have you been given any tips?

What is it that is hard about those sheep?

Because some of them are really damn big.

Yeah, it definitely is hard physically.

Like, at the start, while you're building up that strength, it's definitely, like that first year is a stretch struggle, but once you get through that, it definitely gets a lot easier.

But, yeah, I've got, like, a lot of support from the crew and everyone's been like a really good help.

But, yeah, definitely physically it has been harder for me, but I think a lot of women concentrate a lot more on their technique because it is more that physically hard.

And, like, we work out better ways to shear the shape that you're not putting so much pressure on your body all the time.

And a lot of blokes, they've got the, they're tall and they've got the strength.

So I suppose they don't put as much effort into their style all the time.

Definitely plenty do.

But even though it is physically hard, I think that's why I love it so much.

And being a woman, like it, it's a challenger.

Are you seeing more and more women come into the industry?

Yeah, definitely.

Actually, when I was in England, it was only three of us sharing like three stand trailer.

But yeah, all three of us were women and that was just unheard of over there.

Like, they were so excited to have that.

Yeah, we probably have, yeah, like four women that I work with quite often on our team.

And most teams, you'll go in now and there'll be a lady shearing.

Not all the time, but, yeah, like ten years ago even there wouldn't have been anywhere near that.

Like, it was pretty unheard of.

But we had a six stand shed of just women in Bendio, not far from Bendio last year.

It's definitely not what it used to.

Be in terms of.

I mean, I'm looking at the audience sitting here waiting for, for the next demonstration to start, and there's some, you know, there's some young girls in that audience.

What's your advice to them in terms of starting a career in sharing as a female?

Yeah.

So if sharing is something like you're looking to do, I'd definitely find a good team.

Like, don't just go for any old team.

Like, find a team that you've been recommended to and that, you know, have got, like, good people on it.

Like, my team's amazing and that's what pushed me through.

Like, I work with unreal people all the time and every day I go to work and I have, like, I love going to work.

I have a good day.

It's lots of fun.

And that sort of pushes you along on the hard days.

Definitely gets you through, is just a team and find what makes you love it.

Like, everyone has something different that makes you love it.

And then every hard day just keep telling yourself again and again what makes, like, this is why I'm doing it.

This is why I love it.

Yeah.

If you weren't doing this, what do you think you'd be doing?

I've definitely, when I was wool classing, I was very passionate about it.

I would have probably got into something to do with wool, like wool brokering or just something and that side of things.

Like, I just always love sheep.

In terms of the rest of the year, what's on for you?

Any big highlights?

Any more trips overseas?

No.

So I've actually already had a massive year.

Like, I spent the first month in Tassie and I went to WA to do rural inner station, which is like one of the biggest, most rural stations in Australia.

So that was really cool.

Yeah.

And then the three months in England.

So I'm actually pretty happy and excited to be back home for a bit.

Yeah, I've only.

I drive the header over harvest, so I'll just keep sharing for another month or so until harvest starts and then they'll be the rest of the year on the header.

Yeah.

Well, thank you for being a guest on the podcast, Alice.

Amazing to see you up there and I know that you're inspiring other people.

Like, it is such a different thing for us to see females in such a male dominated industry.

So well done.

Thank you so much.

Now, before you take off with all.

That inspiration and knowledge, we'd love for.

You to leave a review on our podcast so that we can continue to.

Amplify women's voices in the media.

And if you have any questions, we'd like to celebrate a win.

You can always connect with us on Facebook and Instagram.

Oak magazineau I'm so glad we've met.

And that now you know a friend of.