Central Western Queensland primary producers have the opportunity to expand their knowledge, free of charge, at a series of Rabo Client Council workshops designed to help provide the financial skills essential to managing an agricultural operation.

Longreach and Blackall will host the practical Financial Skills Workshops – providing producers with an opportunity to both upskill and network – in late November.

The initiative has been spearheaded and funded by food and agribusiness banking specialist Rabobank’s Rabo Client Council, a group of the bank’s farming clients who volunteer their time implementing programs that contribute to the sustainability of rural and regional communities.

Offered at no cost to participants, the interactive workshops provide practical, hands-on advice for understanding financial statements and banking requirements and explore topics such as taxation versus management accounting, essential business management ratios and understanding key components of a business’s financial profile.

Rabobank Northern Queensland and Northern Territory Rabo Client Council member and Aramac-based beef producer Lee-Ann Boyd said financial skills “are critically important for our primary producers and future primary producers”.

"And it's exciting to bring these workshops back to the Central West,” she said. “Early last year we hosted a financial skills workshop in Blackall, and we are looking forward to delivering the workshop in Longreach for the first time,” Ms Boyd said. “In Longreach, we will be delivering Module One content and in Blackall, Module Two content. However, participating in the previous session is not a pre-requisite to attend.”

Ms Boyd said the workshops will explore financial reports, “one of the most useful and underutilised reports for many grazing businesses”.

“Module One, presented at the Longreach workshop, will help producers gain an understanding of how to read, interpret and use these reports for agricultural businesses,” she said. “This module provides knowledge and insights for running and managing the day-to-day aspects of an agricultural operation from a financial perspective.

“In the second module, delivered in Blackall, we take an enterprise-focused approach – we will consider cash flow implications of a variety of enterprise choices. The module will also focus on preparing annual cash flow budgets.”

Rabobank head of relationship management for Northern Queensland and Northern Territory Craig Burkhardt said the workshops provided a very useful learning opportunity, structured under the guidance of the Rabo Client Council members, and specifically targeted to meet the needs of those involved in operating and/or managing agricultural businesses.

“And Rabobank managers will be on hand to share insights into some of the key principles of rural lending, explaining the importance of understanding these principles and their impact on banking relationships,” he said.

Mr Burkhardt said producers who were “keen to attend the workshops, interested in meeting other leading producers and also increase their financial literacy and skills” should confirm their place before the courses are fully allocated.

The workshops – which will be limited to 30 participants each and are not restricted to the bank’s clients – will be presented by director of Hudson Facilitation, Tony Hudson.

Workshop dates and locations are:

• Monday, 27 November 2023 – 9:30am – 4:30pm – Longreach (Module 1)
• Tuesday, 28 November 2023 – 9:30am – 4:30pm – Blackall (Module 2)

To register to participate, please click here.

Morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea catering will be provided.

 

 

Rabobank Australia & New Zealand is a part of the global Rabobank Group, the world’s leading specialist in food and agribusiness banking. Rabobank has more than 120 years’ experience providing customised banking and finance solutions to businesses involved in all aspects of food and agribusiness. Rabobank is structured as a cooperative and operates in 38 countries, servicing the needs of approximately 8.4 million clients worldwide through a network of more than 1000 offices and branches. Rabobank Australia & New Zealand is one of Australasia’s leading agricultural lenders and a significant provider of business and corporate banking and financial services to the region’s food and agribusiness sector. The bank has 93 branches throughout Australia and New Zealand.

Media contacts:

Denise Shaw
Head of Media Relations
Rabobank Australia & New Zealand
Phone: 02 8115 2744 or 0439 603 525
Email: denise.shaw@rabobank.com

Will Banks
Media Relations Manager
Rabobank Australia
Phone: 0418 216 103
Email: will.banks@rabobank.com