Serving up online resources
When Airlie Trescowthick turned to the online world to access agricultural information she saw a number of gaps in the resources available for farmers needing to gather data quickly, so she developed her very own website The Farm Table.
Not only is the website a one-stop shop full of resources, but it is a place where farmers can go to connect with other producers and where agricultural students can gather information quickly and easily in a user-friendly format.
Ms Trescowthick first started developing the idea for The Farm Table about 18 months ago.
Now based in Orange, she hopes to expand the website even further.
"I can't wait for the content to continue to develop. I want to keep building and expanding the Central Information Station, the Sheep and Cattle Toolboxes. Then, my real passion is to get research and trial information to farmers in an accessible and meaningful way," she said.
"Also, I would love to create a podcast that looks at major issues and themes confronting producers and speak with experts and farmers to create an informative and engaging podcast that people can listen to on the road (I do a lot of driving and listening to a lot of podcasts), on the tractor or on the motorbike whilst mustering stock."
Being the creator and developer of the website Airlie has spent countless hours learning about small business, web design and development, market research, financial and business management, and social media and marketing.
"I was fortunate enough to be named an AMP Tomorrow Fund Grant Recipient in 2015, which afforded me a grant to continue to develop the site," she said.
"The AMP Tomorrow Fund will assist me in developing the content for The Farm Table website, enable me to engage with as many farmers as possible to ensure the content is what they want, and to market the website successfully."
The site is now approaching 16,000 visitors.
Ms Trescowthick's ultimate goal for The Farm Table is to continue to coordinate the industry's information in a more meaningful way to assist producers to access resources online as well as to celebrate and promote our industry to the rest of the country.
"I'm passionate about rural and regional Australia and I hope that The Farm Table is of value to people," she said.
"I hope The Farm Table is useful to people in linking them to online learning and resources to assist them in their day-to-day business."