Farmers recognise that upskilling is key to better businesses
15/5/2018
Peter Knoblanche the CEO of Rabobank in Australia cautions the agriculture industry that leadership skills and business management are going to be key skills for the success of Australia’s agricultural operations.
Peter Knoblanche the CEO of Rabobank in Australia cautions the agriculture industry that leadership skills and business management are going to be key skills for the success of Australia’s agricultural operations.“The time when farmers just had to be good at production alone to run a successful farming business is frankly completely behind us now,” he said. “Those skills are a given. The best operators and those who will succeed and thrive into the future are those who are also exceptional business people and leaders.
“Being a good farmer is not just about growing and managing your crops or livestock well. As farmers are well aware, it is a very complex industry which involves everything from cutting-edge financial management through to commodity hedging and other risk management strategies to supply chain management, consumer research and marketing, the use and application of ag tech, human resource management, governance and sustainability management – to name just some of the elements.”
Knoblanche was speaking at the Rabobank Business Management Program for this year. He shared how farmers in Australia are now recognizing more than ever that investing in their business skills is a good idea.
A survey recently undertaken by the bank showed that farmers are now showing they understand that education and training can help to upskill and thereby manage their farm businesses better. 70% of those surveyed agreed that upskilling via training and education is important to their business. The survey was done with farmers that made incomes of more than $500,000 and had different farm sizes and differing commodities. When it came down to commodities, the strongest interest was beef, sheep and cotton producers.
The two annual business management programs put on by Rabobank were created to provide farming operations with the building blocks they need to get their businesses to the next level. These are the Executive Development Program and the Farm Managers Program for up-and-coming farmers.
Peter Cooper, a lamb and island seed potato producer, was one of the 2017 graduates of the Executive Development Program. He was recognized as a future leader for the potato industry in 2016, receiving the Ruralco Industry Award and the Rabobank Potatoes South Australia award. Included in these awards was a scholarship to attend EDP.
Cooper explained that the opportunity came at the right time helping his business to move in the direction he knows he should be heading.
“I will say that in that first week I did feel a little overwhelmed. It really made me realize that although I thought I had nailed down our long-term plans I still had a lot of work to do,” he said.
“The program forced me to get my plans down on paper, it showed where I had holes in my information and the bits that weren’t as comprehensive as they needed to be.”
For 2018 the Farm Managers Program will be held in South Australia’s Barossa Valley from the 17th to the 22nd of June. The second will be held July 14th to 19th 2019.
