Tammy Kruckow

Nuffield Australia 2020 Scholarship winner

From Katherine in the Northern Territory, Tammy Kruckow receives the Northern Pastoral Scholarship, supported collectively by the Australian Agricultural Company, Consolidated Pastoral Company, Elders and S. Kidman & Co. Tammy will use her scholarship to research how the northern pastoral industry can successfully retain and develop its workforce.

As part of the Consolidated Pastoral Company (CPC) portfolio, Tammy and her husband currently manage ‘Manbulloo’ Station and several agistment properties in northern Australia. A large-scale breeding, backgrounding and finishing enterprise, it comprises 16 staff that oversee the export of 25,000 head of cattle.

Tammy previously coordinated CPC’s recruitment and training programs across all of its 16 properties located in the NT, QLD and WA. During that time, she observed the narrow pipeline of talent coming through and the need to have adequate succession plans in place.

“Australia’s northern beef industry faces major challenges around attracting and retaining the right staff, especially at the middle management level. With younger people looking elsewhere, on top of an ageing workforce, we need to promote the industry as a long-term career choice,” Tammy said.

“My study program is focussed on identifying successful retention and development strategies from around the world, with a goal to apply those learnings to an Australian context and help build a more skilled and sustainable workforce for northern beef enterprises.”

Tammy will examine HR strategies from leading farm businesses in China, New Zealand, North America and South America, as well as developing countries such as Indonesia, to understand the importance of culture to drive productivity.