Riverina Nutrition | Q&A

Vanessa Thomas, Technical Manager - Nutrition

Vanessa is the Technical Manager of our in-house nutritionist team, who offer our customers a tailored, individual approach to meeting production and health goals on farm. We sat down to chat with Vanessa about her role at Riverina and how the nutrition team operates within the organisation to support customers and retailers.

Q: What got you involved in a nutrition career? Where did it start/what did you study/pathway to industry?

A: I’m a Brisbane girl originally, so I grew up in the city but I always wanted to work with animals. After school, I completed my degree at the University of Queensland, and in my fourth year at uni I completed a research project out at Longreach in Central Western Queensland. That research project was the topic of my final thesis, and it focused on supplementing sheep in remote areas.

That led me into my first job out of uni, which was on a sheep property in South Australia. I spent three years there and gained a lot of invaluable experience on the ground. It was a totally different world to where I’d been living previously and I learnt so much.

Q: Tell us about your industry experience prior to Riverina.

A: After my stint in SA, I moved on to work for Elders in Bendigo (VIC). I worked with the stock and station agents to develop nutrition programs for lamb feedlots. That meant lots of time on stations, evaluating the herd, completing weigh-ins and then advising diets. It was great to be a part of the process from start to finish, and to be able to see the results of my recommendations.

After three years down south, I came back to Brisbane to work for a pre-mix company which supplied additives and minerals to companies like Riverina. This role kept me busy looking after clients and gave me a solid foundation in the logistics around feed production and manufacturing.

Q: What roles have you held while at Riverina?

A: Since I started with Riverina in 2015, I’ve worked as a nutritionist and progressed into the role of technical manager.

I enjoy the variety of work that my role encompasses, and it’s always rewarding to be a part of the effort that goes into servicing a customer – whether that’s through an improved feed formula, a pasture assessment to make diet recommendations, or a simpler product description to help them decide what product they should purchase.

Both roles have allowed me to visit customers on-farm, which I really enjoy. It’s great to see up close the variety of species and operations which Riverina caters for. We provide feed for pretty much anything - rabbits, guinea pigs, alpacas are all part of the customer base as well as horses, cattle and sheep. While sheep are my passion, it’s great to get involved in so many different operations with a team that’s fully qualified to advise across large and small animals.

Q: What’s your day to day look like?

A: What we do each week varies based on what our mill facilities need, and the season our customers are having around different parts of the country. Our nutrition team is responsible for every formula that is put through the mills, so we have to make the changes to the mix and ensure every facility is supplied with the correct amount of products to fill their orders.

We also fulfil the same role for our sales reps, so I field a few enquiries each day from this department. These requests will normally come through after hearing from or visiting a customer on-farm. The sales rep will talk through the issue with our customer, which could be due to a change in the weather or a drop in pasture quality, then get in touch with myself or one of our team to find a solution.

We spend around two weeks each month evaluating all of the formulas at our mills based on the protein, availability and cost of the gran and protein meals coming in. We aim to keep costs manageable for our customers, while maintaining the nutritional specs of each product we produce.

Q: How do you support customers within your role as a nutritionist?

A: The goal for our nutrition team is to visit on-farm at least once a month, to evaluate pastures and get a first hand understanding of any issues which the producer may be facing. 

We generally liaise with customers through their sales rep, but If the customer has a more intensive operation, such as dairy, piggeries or poultry farms, we will make routine visits to ensure their nutrition program is on track. 

Throughout the year seasonal changes often affect the performance of animals, and we will often consult with dairy farmers to improve butter fat levels and milk production. In Queensland especially, heat stress is a common issue for any animals not under shade structures, so we quite regularly respond to customers who are trying to deal with this environmental factor.

Another common one is feedlotting - when the price is right people will look to set up a short-term feedlot with their lambs or weaner cattle. We can develop feedlot rations, concentrates or pelleted feeds to meet requirements.

Q: What do you enjoy about working with Riverina and its customers?

A: I really enjoy working with Riverina’s team and our customers, and I love being able to get out on-farm. It’s great to be able to see progress of your recommendations in the paddock. 

It gives you confidence when you can see the animals thriving based on your feeding program, and besides the nutritional gains it’s very rewarding to help fix a health issue and improve animal welfare and quality of life.

Another thing I like about Riverina is that we service multiple species - we have a great variety of customers and that keeps it interesting and challenging for our team.

I’ve always enjoyed having a connection to the rural industry, and Riverina keeps me in touch with that even while I’m based in Brisbane.

Q: Anything you’re looking forward to in your role or career in the near future?

A: As the world becomes more acclimatised to COVID, our team has been getting more invitations to industry events and face to face opportunities like workshops, exhibitions and field or sale days.

It’s been great to see that start up again, and I’m looking forward to being in the room with farmers and retailers more often to share information and discuss nutrition at the producer’s level.

To contact them or learn more about our nutrition team:

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Riverina Stockfeeds was established in 1927 in the Riverina District of NSW and has been manufacturing and providing Australia and international countries with high-quality dry stock feeds, grain mixes, and liquid supplements.