Jasmine and Hayden Green run a cattle seedstock program in Uranquinty, as well as offering embryo and semen packages across multiple sales. For them, a diversification of land and business is the safest way to build a successful and thriving business.
Jase Finlay and the team at Oyster Life are using new technology in their farming methods to make sure their business is as resilient as possible against future threats, as well as helping them stick to their four day work week.
Lewis and Pippa Goodman are currently working a piece of land through share farming, while Lewis works for another farmer as well. They see the benefits of working a few different jobs, as well as different properties, to ensure their future stays as stable as possible.
Tamara and Craig Corby are focused on their goal to own their own piece of land one day. Part of that is staying nimble and always ready to change tactics when a curve ball is thrown their way. After going through the 2019 bushfires, as well as droughts, they could see the benefit of having properties in two different climates.
Using regenerative farming methods, Graham Finlayson has been able to help his property survive multiple droughts. Together with his daughter Harriet Finlayson, who runs a chicken enterprise on the farm, they are focused on caring for the land and doing whatever they can to drought proof their business.
In season five of Propagate, we’re talking to young farmers who are throwing out the traditional farming blueprint and embracing new methods to run their businesses. We’re speaking with growers about what resiliency methods they’re using to make sure they’re prepared for whatever the future brings.
Without big capital behind them, Emily and Matt Neilson have had to think outside the box. They’re a bit different to your ‘traditional’ dairy farmers, because they don’t own their land, they lease it.
Courtney Young and Ian Condon started Woodstock Flour at their local farmers market. With community at the heart of everything they do — their flours are milled with Certified Organic grain with love and care.
Lauren and Lachlan Mathers run a free-range regenerative pig farm in southern NSW. They started Bundarra Berkshires because the pair couldn’t source good local pork and wanted a farm full of happy pigs.
Therese and Liam Thomas were city-slickers from Sydney, and now proudly call themselves certified organic garlic farmers. They’ve started small, but just a few years in, they’ve locked in a wholesaler who will take their entire crop.
Bianca Tarrant and Dave McGiveron started Our Cow because they wanted to ensure a stable price for their livestock. Now they employ 40 people and have recently raised $2.4 million to grow their meat subscription empire.
Sarah Sivyer started Just Been Laid Eggs in the Hunter Valley in 2017. With a subscription and a wholesale arm, Sarah’s business is built on the idea that her eggs are the freshest you’re going to get.
In this new season of Propagate, we're speaking to farmers running value-add businesses. We’re spotlighting a generation of growers focused on sustainability, regenerative land management and closing the gap between producers and consumers.
Hayley Pattison and her husband Matt weren’t planning on taking over their families’ farms. They wanted to make it on their own, and build the farm of their dreams under their own steam. What they weren’t expecting was that things would take off so quickly.
Mel Kiel trained and worked as a nurse, but discovered a love for cattle trading that turned into a lifelong passion. Her business only requires a small amount of land and the high turnover is great for cashflow. Here’s how she and her husband turned their home into a successful livestock trading enterprise.
Christine Miles had always dreamed of becoming a farmer, but chose a mining career instead. It wasn’t until she moved to a regional town where people practiced both that she began her gradual transition into the farmer she’d always hoped to become.
Sam Maiden’s organic Dorper farm in Broken Hill looks like something out of an old Western movie. Maybe that’s why tourists and film producers love it so much. To land this property (and eventually the neighbouring one too), Sam and her husband Richard started out by purchasing in town at the lower end of the market. Over the years, they turned a 25,000 starter house into a sizeable farm deposit, and bought their dream farm.
When Matt Flick started contracting, he was only hoping to make a bit of spending money on top of his farm work. He never imagined it would turn into a full time business with huge demand across Central Western NSW. Over the years, the growth has enabled Matt to purchase tractors and spray rigs, and hire two staff members to help meet the workload. He says it’s good practice for the farm he hopes to own one day.
Carissa Wolfe and her partner Karyn knew they had a lot to learn before they could run their own dairy. So they gave themselves ten years to travel around America and work on farms of all sizes and practises. They dubbed their journey the “Education Years”, and when it was complete, they brought their loaded toolkit of skills back to NSW and launched Benmar Farm.
Fresh out of high school, Tim and Hannah were on the brink of securing a huge agri-tourism deal on a Central Coast property. It was meant to be their big farming break. When the rug was pulled out from under them, it took all their strength to get back on the horse. They worked hard, planned, and strengthened their relationships in the community. From the ashes of their first loss, 'The Food Farm' was born.
Mitch Highett has farmed around the world, worked on the land in NSW, and experienced the business side of ag in Sydney. Today, he runs his own farm management business, and he’s got a plan to use it as a stepping stone to farm ownership.
In this new season of Propagate, we're speaking to farmers from all over NSW who haven't inherited a farm. Instead, they're forging their own path to farm ownership and showing you how you can too.
When Scott and Renae got married and started a family, they dreamed of having their own dairy. It made perfect sense to team up with Scott’s parents in the family dairy business and begin what they thought was a clear succession plan road map. But balancing the family relationships alongside the business put the pressure on, and soon the cracks began to emerge. In this episode Scott and Renae share the ups and down of the first years of succession planning. Propagate is brought to you by the You...
When Scott and Renae got married and started a family, they dreamed of having their own dairy. It made perfect sense to team up with Scott’s parents in the family dairy business and begin what they thought was a clear succession plan road map. But balancing the family relationships alongside the business put the pressure on, and soon the cracks began to emerge. In this episode we hear from Scott’s parents and learn how the family got their succession plan back on track. Propagate is brought to y...
Peter Leitch and his wife Margot started succession planning when their three daughters were teenagers. Their story shows it’s never too soon to start these conversations, and that building structures around the farming business can help the next generation navigate working together. Propagate is brought to you by the Young Farmer Business Program, an initiative of the NSW Department of Primary Industries.
The Longworth’s run South Bunarba - a large property near Mungindi in northern NSW, just south of the QLD border. It’s been in the family for 4 generations, and succession planning has been something the family have talked about for years. The kids always thought they’d come home one day, but when they were thrown the curve ball of a divorce and a sudden illness, their best laid plans were put to the test. In this episode – the family share how they pushed through some hard times and took the fa...
For farming families, conversations about succession planning can be tough. The stakes are high, and it can be hard to get everyone on the same page. Succession planning experts Isobel Knight, Lyn Sykes and accountant Tom Larkin understand why it’s important for farming families to tackle these tricky conversations head on. If you’re asking - what the hell is a succession plan and why do I need one? This episode is for you. We’ll break down what a positive succession plan looks like, and the ris...
The Longworth’s run South Bunarba - a large property near Mungindi in northern NSW, just south of the QLD border. It’s been in the family for 4 generations, and succession planning has been something the family have talked about for years. The kids always thought they’d come home one day, but when they were thrown the curve ball of a divorce and a sudden illness, their best laid plans were put to the test. In this episode – sisters Rebecca and Annette, and Annette’s husband Sam – recount the fir...
Country lawyer Claire Booth has worked with farming families on succession and estate planning for over a decade. She’s seen the best and the worst of it. Inspired by the mistakes she’s seen farming families make, and the financial fall out of these decisions, she applied for and was awarded a Nuffield Research Scholarship. Claire’s research went deep on the relationship between succession planning and a business’s bottom line. Talking with families all around the world who are running farming b...
Country lawyer Claire Booth has worked with farming families on succession and estate planning for over a decade. She’s seen the best and the worst of it. Claire is also a first generation farmer, and she and her husband are determined to not make the same mistakes. In this episode Claire lifts the lid on how a first generation farmer can develop an airtight business plan and build a farming asset that can set you up for retirement and give you something to pass on to the next generation. This f...
