The current global health emergency may have thrown normal operating procedures out the window, but Australia's agriculture industries have met the challenge head on.
For many, this has come in the form of adjusting their business models to offer food deliveries to households, ensuring that as many products as possible are getting into the hands of people who need it.
The TSBE Emerging Exporters Program recognised this redirection of products as one of the first trends in adapting to the current climate, and has been helping businesses by linking them to grants and opportunities.
In the case of Jim's Jerky, the Toowoomba-based family-owned and run business which sells jerky products sourced from Australian beef producers, this business model change has come through selling their products online, and selling new items including showbags and isolation packs.
Jim 's Jerky CEO Emily Pullen said that a significant part of their business model was attending shows and markets across Australia.
"With the cancellations for the foreseeable future, we've been redirecting people to our website, recently launching our showbags online," Ms Pullen said.
"We are still wanting people to feel the show spirit, and they are able to have that delivered to their door."
The Jim's Jerky showbag has the top five different flavours of their jerky product, while the isolation pack has eight snack products they thought customers might like to eats while isolating.
Now, the company is looking into new products to expand their range and cater to their market.
TSBE export manager Justin Heaven said it had been able to support Jim's Jerky, understanding with the sudden changes how the business has needed to adapt to continue to operate.
"With certain difficulties with export, TSBE has been working to understand what opportunities are closer to home for Jim's Jerky and where the short-term effort needs to be focused," Mr Heaven said.
General manager of TSBE Food Leaders Australia, Bruce McConnel said the speed at which the region's food producers were able to adapt had been absolutely outstanding.
This means they have been able to capture opportunities during a time of such uncertainty and see their businesses continue to hold staff and create economic growth for the region, he said.
"We are now seeing that the panic buying of products off the shelf is starting to slow down, and export markets are now opening back up again," Mr McConnel said.
"So now, the food businesses are needing to pivot back to traditional export markets or markets they haven't seen before, and again, they are doing that in an incredibly rapid way."
Mr McConnel said one of greatest threats to food production in the region right now was the possibility of having COVID-19 in the workplace of those producing the food.
"We continue to ask our food producers to make sure they have contingency plans in place to ensure they have an active workforce, even if one staff member returns with a positive reading," he said
"We do not want to see our food businesses shut down, and in particular our animal-based businesses.
"It's vital that businesses either create or review their contingency plans to make sure they are well prepared for any situation."
Helen Walker
Helen is the Toowoomba-based journalist who loves nothing better than covering anything horse sport related, however she covers all commodities and personality yarns. Over the years she has lived in Brisbane, Rockhampton, Longreach and Roma filing stories for the 'bible of the bush'. Contact 0459 827414.
Helen is the Toowoomba-based journalist who loves nothing better than covering anything horse sport related, however she covers all commodities and personality yarns. Over the years she has lived in Brisbane, Rockhampton, Longreach and Roma filing stories for the 'bible of the bush'. Contact 0459 827414.
