AFIA Board Meeting Report to Members – Monday 14 October 2019

The Board of Directors of AFIA met on Monday 14 October 2019 in Melbourne for a quarterly Board meeting.  A number of issues were discussed as part of the agenda for that meeting and we are pleased to report to the AFIA membership some of the key outcomes and decisions from that meeting:

1. AFIA Strategic Plan
   • The AFIA Strategic Plan 2017-2020 was reviewed by the AFIA Board. The plan includes five strategic areas of focus, being:
     1. Protecting and Promoting the Australian Fodder Industry
     2. Membership Growth and Engagement
     3. Sponsorship Growth and Engagement
     4. Marketing, Communications and Extension
     5. Industry Stakeholder Engagement.
     6. Several operational issues and actions have arisen as a result of this review which will be implemented over time by the CEO and AFIA staff.
2. National Hay Safe Day 2019
   • A media release and social media posts were developed and distributed for National Hay Safe Day 2019 (Friday 25 October).  AFIA has also released its first version of a Hay Safe Information Guide which aims to provide those involved in fodder production with information on how they can limit their exposure to potential risks, making the workplace safer for everyone.
   • The guide is available free from the AFIA website via this link: https://afia.org.au/index.php/projects/safety/hay-safe-information-guide
3. Membership Database
   • AFIA’s new Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system has now been implemented.  There is no direct impact from this new system on our membership, but it will improve productivity and efficiencies for AFIA staff.
4. 2019 National Fodder Conference
   • There was a comprehensive discussion and review of the 2019 National Fodder Conference undertaken by the Board with the AFIA staff at the meeting.  Feedback and concerns from some members on several conference-related matters have been noted and actions agreed.
   • The 2020 National Fodder Conference has now been booked for 3-5 August 2020 at the Novotel Sunshine Coast Resort, Queensland.
   • Discussions and considerations for the venue for the 2021 National Fodder Conference are also progressing.
5. AFIA Staffing
   • John McKew has been working on a review of AFIA staffing needs as a result of the recent departure of Jemma Stefanou, Industry Development Officer.
   • A key component of this review, which has been endorsed by the AFIA Board, is to contract a dedicated communications specialist for the Association.
   • This new, contracted role, will be for a Media & Communications specialist to work with John and Pru to manage more effectively AFIA's communication needs including developing media releases, improving the profile and reach of AFIA on social media (i.e. Facebook, Twitter and Instagram), managing the content and production of our Focus on Fodder magazine, managing the production of our FODDER on the fly e-newsletter, conducting more in-depth interviews and profiles of our members and sponsors (telling your story), improving the marketing and promotion of our National Fodder Conference and building up a comprehensive image library.
   • AFIA recognises and understands that to grow our Association, improve the awareness and understanding of AFIA within our own industry as well as related, dependent industries, we need to significantly improve our marketing and communication efforts.  To do that, we need to invest in an expert to help us.  We hope to make an announcement on this important change shortly.
6. Next Meeting
   • The AFIA Board has decided to hold a monthly AFIA Board teleconference between their face-to-face, quarterly meetings.  The first of these is scheduled for Monday November 11, 2019.
   • The next AFIA Board meeting has been tentatively scheduled in Melbourne for Monday 17 February 2020.  This precedes the 2020 EvokeAG event, the Asia Pacific regions largest agrifood tech event, which will be held in Melbourne on the 18 & 19 February 2020.