Farmers in WA’s Ongerup district have the opportunity to expand their knowledge, free of charge, at a Rabo Client Council workshop designed to help provide the financial skills critical to managing an agricultural enterprise.
The practical Financial Skills Workshop – providing farmers with an opportunity to both upskill and network – will be held in mid August.
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.
The complimentary, interactive workshop provides practical, hands-on guidance 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 regional manager for Western Australia Steve Kelly said the workshop aims to connect participants’ farming expertise with financial knowledge.
Mr Kelly said some farmers may find financial reporting and banking requirements unfamiliar, despite having extensive on-farm experience, or may just want to refresh existing knowledge regarding financial analysis of their business.
The workshops – which will be limited to 30 participants each and are not restricted to the bank’s clients – will be delivered by director of Hudson Facilitation, Tony Hudson.
Mr Hudson will share knowledge on gross margin analysis and cash flow budgeting and build on this understanding by taking an enterprise-focused approach, separately looking at mixed cropping and sheep and wool businesses.
Mr Kelly said Rabobank’s Rabo Client Council network is focussed on developing meaningful grassroots initiatives to support key themes focusing on agri education, rural wellbeing, sustainability, adaption and creating rural/urban connections.
“The Financial Skills Workshops will help primary producers to effectively use financial reporting and navigate banking processes, ultimately strengthening the resilience and prosperity of local farming businesses,” he said. “As a result, rural and regional communities also benefit from a financially-healthy agricultural sector.
“Farmers who had attended previous Rabobank Financial Skills Workshops have told the bank the information provided is ‘real and valuable’.
Mr Kelly said since the launch of the workshops in 2018, the Rabo Client Councils had extended the valuable learning opportunity to over 4,800 farmers across Australia and New Zealand.
“If you’re interested in attending this workshop, keen to meet other leading producers in the agri sector and increase your financial literacy and skills, confirm your place before the courses are fully allocated,” he said.
Workshop date and location:
- Tuesday, 13 August 2024 – 9:00am – 4:00pm – Ongerup
To register to participate, please visit the Rabobank Australia website, or click here
Morning tea and lunch catering will be provided.
Please contact rabocommunity@rabobank.com with any queries about the workshops.
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Disclaimer
The Financial Skills Workshop is for information purposes only. Its contents will be general in nature and does not take into account your personal objectives, situation or needs. Rabobank Australia Limited ABN 50 001 621 129 AFSL 234700 and Coöperatieve Rabobank U.A. (Australia Branch) ABN 70003917655 AFSL 238446 (collectively referred to as, ‘Rabobank Australia’) recommend that you seek independent professional advice before making any decisions related in any way to the contents of this information session.
Media contacts:
Denise Shaw Will Banks
Media Relations Media Relations
Rabobank Australia & New Zealand Rabobank Australia
Phone: 02 8115 2744 or 0439 603 525 Phone: 0418 216 103
Email: denise.shaw@rabobank.com Email: will.banks@rabobank.com
About us:
Rabobank Australia & New Zealand Group is a part of the international Rabobank Group, the world’s leading specialist in food and agribusiness banking. Rabobank has more than 125 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 more than nine million clients worldwide through a network of more than 1000 offices and branches. Rabobank Australia & New Zealand Group 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 90 branches throughout Australia and New Zealand.