Media Release
April 8, 2008
1
Positioning for a winning year –primary producers embrace new
age of farm management
Whilst recent dry seasons have left many farmers battered and bruised, young producers are
honing their business management and leadership skills to give them the right preparation for
a winning year ahead.
In a new age of farm management, where volatility is a constant, Rabobank Business Programs
Manager, Kobie Tesoriero says that farmers’ willingness to invest both time and money in training is
testament to the professionalism and progressiveness of the country’s producers.
With applications soon to close for the third annual Rabobank Farm Managers Program (FMP), a
course for farm managers who aim to run and take ownership of a farm business, Kobie says that
interest in this year’s course is strong.
“It is terrific to see primary producers keen to develop their business management and leadership
skills. Successful farm businesses are run professionally with managers having business acumen that
positions them well to create and realise the opportunities that are available for innovative and
forward thinking producers in what is a very volatile and competitive agricultural environment,” Kobie
said.
The week-long course seeks to address the many questions that managers have in facing the new
challenges of a modern, evolving farm business, covering topics from business planning, people
management, financial management, time management and succession planning, with the content of
each session developed and presented in a way that is directly relevant to young farmers.
Hugh Cruikshank works for the family farming business, Quinn and Cruikshank in Coolamon NSW
and was one the 36 promising young farmers from across Australia and New Zealand who completed
the FMP in October last year. He says the course has helped him to gain the skills needed to realise
opportunity in a new age of farming where good business skills are as essential as good farming
skills.
“Farming in the next five to 10 years will turn around and there is going to be a big change in the
agricultural industry as the world population gets bigger and demand for food grows. The FMP gave
me more faith in my ability and a clearer vision of my goals for the future,” Hugh said.
Kobie says that the popularity of the FMP illustrates that successful primary producers are not only
exceptional farmers, but also innovative and savvy business men and women.
“The FMP aims to give participants a wider concept of the overall picture of farm management and
the varied practices and approaches to a ‘new age’ of farm management. It instils in farmers a new
confidence going forward in implementing fresh ideas and business practices to produce greater
efficiency and better outcomes.
“Importantly it also makes participants aware they are not alone with the problems they face,” Kobie
said.
Hugh agrees, saying that the he left the course with greater confidence and a network of like-minded
producers that he will keep contact with going forward.
Media Release
April 8, 2008
2
“I met a group of peers, some doing things better than me and some not as well – we all had the
opportunity to learn from each other, to take ideas and apply them to our own operations,” Hugh said,
adding that it was one of the most valuable parts of the course for him.
“I was definitely a little apprehensive about stepping off-farm and into an environment that is very
foreign, but it was very practical and relevant to me and I walked away thinking of it as an invaluable
experience. I would encourage others to invest the time and money in doing the FMP. I’m a better
business person for it and as a result I think I’ll be a much more successful farmer,” he said.
Applications for the FMP are now open and close on 25 April 2008. The course runs from 16 to 20 June in
Christchurch, New Zealand. For more information on the FMP or the 2008 Executive Development Program
designed for farm owners, please contact Kobie Tesoriero, Business Programs Manager on: 02 8115 2241,
email bmp@rabobank.com, or contact your local Rabobank rural manager.
Rabobank Australia is a part of the international Rabobank Group, the world’s leading
specialist in food and agribusiness banking. Rabobank has more than 100 years’ experience
providing customised banking and finance solutions to businesses involved in all aspects of
food and agribusiness. Rabobank has a AAA credit rating and is ranked as one of the world’s
safest bank by Global Finance magazine. Rabobank operates in 42 countries, servicing the
needs of more than nine million clients worldwide through a network of more than 1500 offices
and branches. Rabobank Australia is one of Australia’s leading rural lenders and a significant
provider of business and corporate banking and financial services to the Australian food and
agribusiness sector. The bank has 49 locations throughout Australia.
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Media contacts:
Denise Shaw
Jen Reid
Public Relations
Public Relations
Rabobank Australia & New Zealand
Rabobank Australia & New Zealand
Phone: (02) 8115-2744
Phone: (02) 8115-4861
Email: denise.shaw@rabobank.com
Email: jen.reid@rabobank.com
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