Farm Management Through ‘The Looking Glass’

Farm Management Through ‘The Looking Glass’

Factoring in the price of carbon, water availability and the expected rapid growth in demand from our Asian neighbours for food and fibre will be all in a day's work for New Zealand farmers in the not-too-distant future.

Equipping young farmers with the nous and know-how to effectively manage macro agricultural issues as they arise will be one of the key focuses of Rabobank’s Farm Managers Program in 2010, says Neil Dobbin, group executive country banking for specialist agribusiness lender Rabobank.

“Agricultural markets are evolving at such a rapid pace that tomorrows farm leaders will need to master the art of change management in order to prosper,” says Mr Dobbin.

“Theyll need to anticipate and address the „big trains that are coming around the corner. For example, for dairy farmers this might mean working out at what point a future carbon tax will impact on their profitability and plans to cater to the increased demand from China.

“The Farm Managers Program not only provides a forum for young farmers from across New Zealand and Australia to discuss these challenging issues, but also how to drive the strategic direction of their farm business to proactively handle change before it begins to adversely affect their bottom line.”

The 2010 Rabobank Farm Managers Program will be held at Clear Mountain Lodge in Brisbane, Australia from 18 to 22 October, with the number of participants limited to 36. The program, which is now in its fifth year, is modelled on the banks highly-respected Executive Development Program (EDP) and aims to strengthen the operational and strategic skills of tomorrows farm leaders, covering topics around leadership, business planning, financial and economic management and succession planning.

Rabobank business programs manager Skye Ward says the five-day residential course has received considerable praise from past participants. “Last years graduates gave the course a satisfaction rating of five out of five,” says Ms Ward.

Scott Levings, who completed the Rabobank Farm Managers Program in 2009 and manages a 640-cow dairy operation in Central Otago, says the agricultural focus of the program was what initially drew him to it.

“Unlike most of the attendees, I had not grown up on a farm and my earlier career was in engineering,” he says.

“The FMP is perfect because it is directly geared towards farm management and, although there are many similarities across management, there are also a number of nuances in agriculture that other sectors do not have to deal with.”

Mr Levings manages a dairy farm that is owned by his parents-in-law Gaynor and Grant Scott, who have both attended Rabobanks Executive Development Program. He says his father-in-laws enthusiasm for Rabobanks business management programs encouraged him to attend.

Neil Dobbin

Scott Levings

ENDS

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