Latest news with #Bignell
The Age
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Age
These farming women are bursting with creative pursuits. Just don't call them ‘trad wives'
In 2022, she expanded into homewares, a 'bit of a gamble' to make her art more accessible, and last year launched a separate clothing business called Far Mer., which features her Wild West-centric art and its rodeo motifs, sepia colours and the occasional Stetson. In the middle of it all, she uploads snippets to Instagram: a short natter about pop culture while she's reversing the ute for Tim, footage of their three sons chasing each other around the yard in gumboots as the peachy sun blooms, her unedited thoughts on Married at First Sight (which screens on Nine, owner of this masthead) or the 'trad wife' movement, which Spicer finds thoroughly entertaining. The growing cultural awareness of country life, spurred in part by those earnest homemaking women, Yellowstone's success and Beyonce's timely switch to Nashville-happy beats, is a source of inspiration for Spicer, whose edgy cotton tees, vibrant bandanas and pastel sarongs sit on shelves in rural boutiques and inner-city stores. 'I really don't know what the future holds, but we're just rolling with it,' she says. 'I definitely feel a huge support from women in rural communities. [My business] started with a rural base, and they're still there. Living in a rural town has not been a hindrance to my business at all; it's because of it that I've been so successful. Rural women just get behind other rural women.' 'I'm happier in the country': Meg Bignell, 50 Before marrying into a big farming family in Tasmania's Bream Creek, 45 minutes from Hobart, author Meg Bignell, whose own father is a hops farmer, worked as a nurse, TV producer and medical adviser for Australian hospital dramas. Dairy cows were not necessarily on her radar. These days, when she's not busy with farm life and raising her three children, Bignell writes novels inspired by the Tasmanian experience. Her latest, The Good Losers, out in July, is loosely inspired by Bignell's weekly journey to Hobart to support her daughter's rowing and schooling. Her previous book, The Angry Women's Choir, captured the power, fury and wonder of the Tasmanian spirit through the voices of 10 passionate women. Writing for both took place on the family's dairy farm, at a small desk in her bedroom overlooking Marion Bay and the milking sheds. While her books don't directly cover agricultural experiences, Bignell says the peace of this landscape, the rhythm of farming operations, and the time she has to herself when the dairy churns to life before the sun rises, enables ideas to flow more freely. 'You can't get much more of a set routine than a dairy farm. You milk twice a day, calving happens twice a year, harvest in the summer, harvest in the autumn; it's just so set,' she says. '[But] no two days are the same … the busier you are, the more you get done. I do tend to go around in circles if I've got too much time, and also I just would never have had any inspiration [for the books] if I didn't have my domestic side.' When it comes to her role on the 2000-acre property, which includes running the family's consumer dairy business, market stall and occasionally moving cattle, Bignell admits to still feeling some imposter syndrome. Loading 'I don't put the cups on the cows to milk them, but in later years it's become clear to me that a farm has to operate with both the farmers as well as the support network that allows the farmers to do what they do,' she says. 'Being the mother and the person who picks up the [machinery] parts from Hobart, and the person who makes sure there's food in the fridge – that is a part of the farm operation. 'When I'm working at the farmer's market, I know that I'm going to see my community, and they're doing the same things. That's so comforting, and I think that's part of the reason why I'm happier in the country. People are just doing their thing.' 'We are not invisible any more': Lisa Addinsall, 64 Creativity and resourcefulness run in the veins of proud sixth-generation farmer Lisa Addinsall. Every morning, on her 2½-acre property in Tarrington, 300 kilometres west of Melbourne, she toils over swelling gardens of dahlias, snapdragons and cosmos. Flowers are one of the great loves of her life, alongside art, teaching and her family. Hours before she welcomes students, who will paint still-lifes of the blooms they pick in these paddocks, she's preparing bouquets for the farmgate store, tending to vegetables, running her floristry business and meeting orders for weddings, events and locals. She documents moments on social media, educating followers about the rural experience (and gardening 101) with humour, grace and colour. 'What I'm doing – and other people are doing this as well – is creating connections between the community and people, so they see farming in a different way,' she says. 'It was a bit of a closed gate [before]; you never got to get on a farm if you didn't have farming friends. I think women have been the leaders of this changing – we have diversified what being in agriculture means.' A lifelong teacher, Addinsall ran art retreats in a woolshed in the 1980s, a natural precursor to the classes she launched on her current farm in 2021. She hosts bouquet-crafting, wreath-making and painting classes alongside flower-growing lessons and farm tours, through which she demonstrates mulching, seed-saving, water preservation, slow and low-tillage farming practices – the same methods that keep her gardens bountiful and replenish the store that sits outside her front gate. A paintbrush and notebook are never far away. 'They're traditional cultural things [in farming], and I'm still working in that way, but I'm using Instagram and Facebook and modern ways of bringing people in to see what I'm doing,' she says. It's a different agricultural industry than the one her mother experienced, and will be different again for her eight grandchildren. 'Behind the scenes, women were always farmers, but it was always the male farmer who was the 'seen' person,' she says. 'My mum had times when the bank manager would only talk to my dad. You can see women in agriculture now – they're not invisible any more.'
Sydney Morning Herald
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Sydney Morning Herald
These farming women are bursting with creative pursuits. Just don't call them ‘trad wives'
In 2022, she expanded into homewares, a 'bit of a gamble' to make her art more accessible, and last year launched a separate clothing business called Far Mer., which features her Wild West-centric art and its rodeo motifs, sepia colours and the occasional Stetson. In the middle of it all, she uploads snippets to Instagram: a short natter about pop culture while she's reversing the ute for Tim, footage of their three sons chasing each other around the yard in gumboots as the peachy sun blooms, her unedited thoughts on Married at First Sight (which screens on Nine, owner of this masthead) or the 'trad wife' movement, which Spicer finds thoroughly entertaining. The growing cultural awareness of country life, spurred in part by those earnest homemaking women, Yellowstone's success and Beyonce's timely switch to Nashville-happy beats, is a source of inspiration for Spicer, whose edgy cotton tees, vibrant bandanas and pastel sarongs sit on shelves in rural boutiques and inner-city stores. 'I really don't know what the future holds, but we're just rolling with it,' she says. 'I definitely feel a huge support from women in rural communities. [My business] started with a rural base, and they're still there. Living in a rural town has not been a hindrance to my business at all; it's because of it that I've been so successful. Rural women just get behind other rural women.' 'I'm happier in the country': Meg Bignell, 50 Before marrying into a big farming family in Tasmania's Bream Creek, 45 minutes from Hobart, author Meg Bignell, whose own father is a hops farmer, worked as a nurse, TV producer and medical adviser for Australian hospital dramas. Dairy cows were not necessarily on her radar. These days, when she's not busy with farm life and raising her three children, Bignell writes novels inspired by the Tasmanian experience. Her latest, The Good Losers, out in July, is loosely inspired by Bignell's weekly journey to Hobart to support her daughter's rowing and schooling. Her previous book, The Angry Women's Choir, captured the power, fury and wonder of the Tasmanian spirit through the voices of 10 passionate women. Writing for both took place on the family's dairy farm, at a small desk in her bedroom overlooking Marion Bay and the milking sheds. While her books don't directly cover agricultural experiences, Bignell says the peace of this landscape, the rhythm of farming operations, and the time she has to herself when the dairy churns to life before the sun rises, enables ideas to flow more freely. 'You can't get much more of a set routine than a dairy farm. You milk twice a day, calving happens twice a year, harvest in the summer, harvest in the autumn; it's just so set,' she says. '[But] no two days are the same … the busier you are, the more you get done. I do tend to go around in circles if I've got too much time, and also I just would never have had any inspiration [for the books] if I didn't have my domestic side.' When it comes to her role on the 2000-acre property, which includes running the family's consumer dairy business, market stall and occasionally moving cattle, Bignell admits to still feeling some imposter syndrome. Loading 'I don't put the cups on the cows to milk them, but in later years it's become clear to me that a farm has to operate with both the farmers as well as the support network that allows the farmers to do what they do,' she says. 'Being the mother and the person who picks up the [machinery] parts from Hobart, and the person who makes sure there's food in the fridge – that is a part of the farm operation. 'When I'm working at the farmer's market, I know that I'm going to see my community, and they're doing the same things. That's so comforting, and I think that's part of the reason why I'm happier in the country. People are just doing their thing.' 'We are not invisible any more': Lisa Addinsall, 64 Creativity and resourcefulness run in the veins of proud sixth-generation farmer Lisa Addinsall. Every morning, on her 2½-acre property in Tarrington, 300 kilometres west of Melbourne, she toils over swelling gardens of dahlias, snapdragons and cosmos. Flowers are one of the great loves of her life, alongside art, teaching and her family. Hours before she welcomes students, who will paint still-lifes of the blooms they pick in these paddocks, she's preparing bouquets for the farmgate store, tending to vegetables, running her floristry business and meeting orders for weddings, events and locals. She documents moments on social media, educating followers about the rural experience (and gardening 101) with humour, grace and colour. 'What I'm doing – and other people are doing this as well – is creating connections between the community and people, so they see farming in a different way,' she says. 'It was a bit of a closed gate [before]; you never got to get on a farm if you didn't have farming friends. I think women have been the leaders of this changing – we have diversified what being in agriculture means.' A lifelong teacher, Addinsall ran art retreats in a woolshed in the 1980s, a natural precursor to the classes she launched on her current farm in 2021. She hosts bouquet-crafting, wreath-making and painting classes alongside flower-growing lessons and farm tours, through which she demonstrates mulching, seed-saving, water preservation, slow and low-tillage farming practices – the same methods that keep her gardens bountiful and replenish the store that sits outside her front gate. A paintbrush and notebook are never far away. 'They're traditional cultural things [in farming], and I'm still working in that way, but I'm using Instagram and Facebook and modern ways of bringing people in to see what I'm doing,' she says. It's a different agricultural industry than the one her mother experienced, and will be different again for her eight grandchildren. 'Behind the scenes, women were always farmers, but it was always the male farmer who was the 'seen' person,' she says. 'My mum had times when the bank manager would only talk to my dad. You can see women in agriculture now – they're not invisible any more.'
West Australian
24-06-2025
- Business
- West Australian
WA beef producers report growing confidence in industry outlook among changing trade and weather
WA beef producers are more optimistic than six months ago but still remain the least confident out of any state or territory, according to Meat & Livestock Australia's most recent Beef Producer Intentions Survey WA producers held the lowest sentiment in the beef industry in MLA's November survey, but have reported to have grown in confidence in the April survey despite changing trade and weather conditions. Of the 252 beef producers surveyed across the country, 59 per cent said they intended to maintain the size of their herds in the next few months, while 21 per cent planned to increase and 20 per cent intend to decrease their herd sizes. The other 2864 beef producers across Australia held similar intentions with 56 per cent reporting they intended to maintain the size of their herds in the next 12 months, while 26 per cent planned to increase and 19 per cent intend to decrease their herd sizes. The survey captures a snapshot of herd demographics, producer sentiment, breeding and sales intentions, and market dynamics. Producers in northern WA reported an increased sentiment due to stronger seasonal conditions. MLA market information manager Stephen Bignell said the figures in the April survey are consistent with the preceding survey, and reflect a stable outlook for northern and southern production systems. 'These intentions reflect a cautious but optimistic approach by producers,' he said. 'The majority are maintaining herd size, which suggests confidence in current market conditions, but also awareness of ongoing risks such as trade uncertainty, concern about weather, and prices and input costs.' Beef producers in northern Australia and southwestern Queensland provided limited survey participation due to significant rainfall and flooding. Breeding and sales strategies have been influence in South Australia due to dry and drought weather conditions. Producer sentiment has been shaped by changing global market dynamics as a result of increased demand from China, the United States continuing to rebuild their herd, and tariff arrangements that continue to evolve. Producers reported a total of 4.82 million head of cattle sold, or expected to be sold, in the first half of 2025. Producers in southern Australia reported higher sales in the first quarter of 2025, and northern producers anticipated stronger activity in the second quarter of the year. 'Southern producers' higher sales in Q1 are primarily due to earlier seasonal turn-off patterns and the need to manage feed availability during drier conditions,' Mr Bignell said. 'In contrast, northern producers are likely benefiting from improved pasture conditions following significant rainfall, allowing them to hold stock longer and plan for increased sales in Q2.'
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Nike Has a New Chief Innovation Officer
Nike Inc. has a new chief innovation officer. Tony Bignell, the vice president for running footwear, has been promoted to chief innovation officer. He will report to Phil McCartney, executive vice president, chief innovation, design and product officer. According to an internal memo obtained by FN, Bignell has started transitioning into his new role, in partnership with John Hoke. More from WWD Every Nike Kobe Sneaker Releasing in 2025 Nike's Most Popular Air Max 95 OG Big Bubble Releases Are Getting Restocked What Nike, Hoka and Other Brands Are Doing to Celebrate Global Running Day Hoke, the departing chief innovation officer, is a 33-year veteran at Nike is retiring. He will stay on through October. Bignell's mandate is to advance the vision of the Advanced Innovation Collective across Nike's portfolio of brands, sports, products and platforms. He has 30 years experience as a product designer, developer, and innovation visionary. Most recently, he led the Footwear Innovation team for nine years, and played a role in creating new footwear platforms such as Next%, VaporMax, React and Joyride. He was also part of the core team leading Breaking2, a project aimed at breaking the two-hour marathon barrier. Bignell also spearheaded a reset of Nike's marketing for running footwear, driving gains in consumer engagement. There have been a number of recent executive changes at Nike following Elliott Hill's appointment as CEO last October. 'Elliott is absolutely the best choice for this position, and I'm so happy to see the brand make the right decision and put him in the job,' Matt Powell, advisor at Spurwink River and senior advisor at BCE Consulting, told FN at the time. 'He has all the qualities that are necessary to help the brand turn around. He has deep experience, both U.S. and global., he understands the culture, he knows of the retailers.' Some of those shifts include last month's promotion of Amy Montagne as Nike brand president and McCartney's promotion to chief innovation, design and product officer. (At the same time, the company disclosed that Heidi O'Neill, president of consumer, product and brand, will be retiring.) And Tom Clarke, who was strategic advisor to the CEO and members of the senior leadership team, took on the new role of chief growth initiatives officer. The company is expected to disclose Bignell's successor 'shortly,' according to one individual familiar with those plans. The flurry of executive moves are believed to be part of Hill's effort to 'accelerate' Nike's progress against it 'Win Now' action plan, which was developed in December. The strategy is based on new priorities centered around five fields of play, three countries and five cities. Best of WWD All the Retailers That Nike Left and Then Went Back Mikey Madison's Elegant Red Carpet Shoe Style [PHOTOS] Julia Fox's Sleekest and Boldest Shoe Looks Over the Years [Photos]
