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12/11/2024
Paige Moloney is looking forward to another busy harvest on her family’s cropping property
Dust, flies, and nervous excitement fill the air as the carefully choreographed procession of headers, chaser bins, and trucks take centre stage across rural Australia.
Grain harvest time is an adrenalin-fuelled race around the clock to get the crop off amidst the ever-looming threat of weather.
For Rabobank’s Albury-based Senior Credit Analyst, Paige Moloney, being part of this action is an annual highlight.
Paige is one of a number of the Rabobank team who take ‘harvest leave’ – an opportunity for her to remain engaged in her family farm, whilst enjoying a professional off-farm career.
Having joined Rabobank after finishing University six years ago, this capable young woman takes time off during harvest annually to drive a header on the Moloney family’s Riverina cropping operation.
“My sister and I drive the header and I have another sister who drives the chaser bin, and an uncle and dad in the trucks – we make a good workforce, and harvest really does depend on us all being home,” she smiles.
Growing up on the family’s intergenerational Oaklands property, Paige always knew her future lay in ag, and after a Bachelor of Ag majoring in Economics from the University of Melbourne, the business side of the industry piqued her interest.
Paige gearing up for harvest
“I’d always known of Rabobank and I was fortunate to secure a job in the Shepparton branch,” she explains. “It was daunting and I didn’t know what to expect, yet the beauty of working for an organisation dedicated to ag is that everyone is quite likeminded.
“Everyone is extremely client-focussed and striving for the same thing, which is getting the best and most timely outcome for our farmers.”
Originally envisioning herself in a client-facing relationship role, Paige very quickly gained a passion for the credit analyst space.
“I love gaining an understanding of a client’s business, and working with them to help achieve their goals.”
“Having a farming background has certainly been beneficial, it’s half the puzzle, and I’ve enjoyed the challenge of getting a grasp of the financial piece.”
“I’m constantly learning, and the exposure to different businesses and commodities keeps my role really interesting and fun.”
What she didn’t expect when beginning her Rabobank career was the flexibility afforded around harvest leave.
“It’s a terrific proposition, being able to remain hands-on helping my family during harvest each year – it’s a nice break from the office and I come back really refreshed – I also think this is a huge part of me being so happy in my job.”
“My dad and his brother have been on the property their whole life, and my Pop has only recently retired, and still ducks out to check how it’s all going, he hasn’t quite let go yet!”
“Harvest is such a special time for our whole family to work together, and while it can be stressful, it’s so rewarding to see the hard work of the season come to fruition.”
The Moloney Family’s 2023 harvest
While many areas in the State have been impacted by a dry season or late frosts, Paige is hopeful their crops avoided any major damage and have benefitted from some late rain.
“We won’t really know until we get the headers in there,” she explained. “We’ve been fortunate compared to many, although we’re still a few weeks off harvest, so it remains to be seen.”
Harvest is a family affair for the Moloneys
Adding value to clients beyond the farm gate
During her Rabobank career, Paige admits she’s continually heartened by the extra services provided to help support strong businesses, and community.
“From the outside looking in you think you’re just going to have a banking career, but at Rabobank we have so many initiatives and teams dedicated to adding value to our clients,” she explains.
“The Rabo Client Council is made up of volunteer clients advising the bank on where to best direct resources and funding for a meaningful impact in the community, and they’ve developed some terrific initiatives over the years.”
Financial Skills Workshops and Business Transition & Succession Planning Sessions were two such initiatives she believed were of great value to the community.
“Having farm-specific financial literacy early in a career is something all young farmers and farm managers benefit enormously from, even people with strong accounting knowledge find these workshops beneficial as they’re interactive and farm-business relevant.”
“Succession is also a crucial conversation in rural Australia, and one people can be uncomfortable to have. Having an initiative to provide families with an opportunity to start these conversations is very worthwhile.”
Rabobank’s encouragement of the team’s ongoing contribution to community is also an aspect of the role Paige enjoys.
“Recently we had a community leave day helping Boys to the Bush, a local organisation supporting vulnerable young men in the region, which Rabobank is a keen contributor to. We ran the BBQ and hosted a sports station at their annual round-robin sports carnival, and it was extremely heartening to have the opportunity to give back.”