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34 | OUR STORY: SWAN

Swan Agri’s 180ha of centre pivot irrigation enables them to grow out their own steers and other traded cattle during the year. The four pivots have been sown to lucerne and
ryegrass or fescue, chicory and white clovers.

Iwouldkickmyselfharderifwedidn’t
taketheopportunitiesthatare
theretogrowthebusinessorgrow
thecommunity.

- CRAIG SWAN

problem onto a property, for real estate it is a
‘where am I going to live problem?’ and for the Chelsea Swan with some of their Angus steers on an irrigated lucerne pasture. Their steers are grown out to
farm it is food for the future.” 470kg to 525kg and sold to Thomas Foods International’s Southern Cross feedlot at Tintinara.
Operations manager Shaun Cunneen has
been working for Swan Brothers for 21 years
and has progressed through the ranks from Since then he has worked in nearly every She says being situated only an hour and a half
driving spreaders and making hay deliveries to facet of the business from driving a B-double to to Adelaide and in close proximity to markets also
coordinating logistics from the office. spreading fertiliser and working in the depot. puts the “region in the box seat”.
“I really enjoy the work and working with the He is particularly enjoying learning more about “Land prices are still comparably cheap,
people in the office and chatting to the clients,” business management and fertiliser contracts. compared to the South East, Mid North and Hills,
he said. “Being a small country town, there are limited and our climate is quite temperate,” Kerry said.
“About five years ago the work started getting job opportunities if you don’t want to work on the Both Craig and Kerry are bullish about the future
massive with more trucks and more spreaders farm, so it is good to be able to offer that diversity of agriculture and see a “long runway for growth”
so I started helping Craig out and now organise to keep young ones here,” Michael said. especially applying their business professionalism
the freight and coordinate everything around the “The diversity puts the business on a solid and investing in technology.
depot.” platform to continue well into the future.” “You take the last three to five years. I wouldn’t
Three members of the next generation of the Chelsea, who started work at Swan Agri after want to be anywhere else but agriculture. It really
Swan family are also employed in the Swan finishing her Certificate III in Agriculture in 2021, did dodge any significant influence from the
Group - Luke Medlow in tech systems, Chelsea sees a big future in agriculture, especially with so COVID restrictions and the boom in protein and
Swan on the farms and Michael Greenwood at many other young people in the sector. grains over that period has been phenomenal,”
the fertiliser depot - but Craig and Kerry say there “I have always loved cattle, it is nice and quiet Craig said.
is no formal succession plan at this stage. out here and I like the open spaces,” she said. Craig says it is difficult to predict what might be
“It is our dream for them to take over although it Bullish in ag next for the Swan Group but will continue to grab
needs to be their dream to take it on as there are opportunities as they come along.
very few long lunches or gala dinners,” Craig said. Craig and Kerry believe they are well placed “You only live once. If we do something and it
“They all bring their own strengths and for the Swan Group to continue to grow in the doesn’t work I am not that fussed about it,” he
abilities. Whether they do or they don’t go the coming decade. said.
full distance, right now it is nice to have them “Pre COVID, I often used to talk about Meningie “I would kick myself harder if we didn’t take the
involved in the business and provide them with a and the Coorong region as being the Kangaroo opportunities that are there to grow the business
platform of opportunities,” Kerry added. Island of the mainland - if you look at our basin or grow the community.”
Michael remembers first sweeping the sheds here we have fishing, beef, goats, honey and
at the depot during school holidays and after sheep,” she said.
school. “There is a lot of diversity in our production but
In 2012, after a few years working in Adelaide we haven’t worked out how to harness it, people The Swan family run a top quality herd of more
in earthmoving and a stint traveling, he joined the are just getting on raising their cattle or collecting than 1000 Angus breeders on their properties,
business. their fish.” which calve in March and April.