Elle Moyle’s skills as a vet lend themselves well to farming. But when she bought a sheep and beef property, she also identified the need to develop her skills in financial planning and accounting to support her business to thrive. Now she’s using these lessons to help other women, delivering financial literacy sessions to women in her community.

Tell us about your background and what you do. What does your day to day look like?

I grew up with my parents and two brothers on sheep and beef properties all over South Australia, NSW and Victoria. From a young age I loved animals, especially horses, and always planned to be a vet. After graduating with a Bachelor of Veterinary Science / Veterinary Biology from Charles Sturt University I worked in private mixed practice in South Australia and northern Queensland. I loved this work, although it was very demanding. In a day, I could be doing anything from a dog caesarean to pregnancy testing on cattle stations to dentistry on horses, with a lot of afterhours call outs!

In 2016, I was offered a position in Agriculture Victoria as a District Veterinary Officer. This role was very appealing as it was based in my hometown of Hamilton and it was something quite different to what I had been doing for the last few years. Shortly after moving back to the Victoria and enjoying the new job, I bought a sheep and cattle property, just south of Hamilton.

I have now been with AgVic for 5 years. Since COVID-19 I have worked from home which has had communication and logistical challenges, but I have adapted and enjoyed it. My days now aren’t any less busy but still very enjoyable. I start with a run on the farm with the dogs, a full day in the office or field in my vet role and working with my excellent animal health colleagues, then after work and on weekends I’m running a 1,100 sheep flock and beef cattle. Sometimes my work takes me away from home for emergency response work such as a bushfire or a disease outbreak and this can be a good learning experience and chance to work with colleagues from all across the state.

Why is it important to you to be a leader in your industry and community?

Since settling in the district I have taken on various roles including in the local Landcare group and Country Fire Service as volunteer treasurer, training officer, firefighter, and 2nd lieutenant. I think it is very important to give back to your community in any way you can. These groups can grow your skills and your networks – which is a bonus!

My work and volunteer roles have also opened up other opportunities for me to build my skills as an advocate for my community. I have recently returned from the National Rural Womens Coalition Muster which brought together 12 women from across Australia to participate in a leadership development and advocacy course in Canberra. This was a good experience to further develop my skills and give back to the community.

As part of this program, we were encouraged to develop a project that benefits our community. I chose to focus my community project on financial literacy as I struggled with learning to run a business and do the books when I first started my farming business.

So, in May I am running an event aimed at improving the financial literacy of women on farms. I know I was not alone when it comes to confidence in accounting, cashflow and budgeting, and I am hoping this workshop will build confidence in rural women and empower them to make smart financial choices. The event will be held on Thursday May 13 at 7pm and is accessible via Zoom. We will also make the event recording available after the event for anyone who would like to access it. You can register here for more information. https://www.trybooking.com/BQKBD