In 1982 Pat returned back to Oxton Park after completing a degree in Agricultural Science at the University of New England, and is one of six siblings. Being part of an intergenerational business and representing his entire family everyday is the aspect of Oxton Park that Pat enjoys most.
Pat has made many areas within the machinery and cropping practices his own over the years, and believes staying relevant in farming practices in an ever-changing world will continue to be a challenge for family farming businesses.
“It may not be us determining our farming future. Dealing with climate change will be a daily challenge for us”
Pat O’Connor
Like Peter, the use of technology in agriculture is another area Pat is passionate about, as he continues to see it gain pace. Inspecting crops remotely and machinery automation are just two of the areas Pat expects the efficiencies to continue to evolve over the coming years. Amongst others, Pat attributes scale at Oxton park as a strong factor to its’ success over the years. “Operating the business with a cost focus, while taking a corporate view in running a family farm aids this way of doing business”