Applications for the 2025 intake of Rabobank’s Business Management Programs – the Farm Managers Program (FMP) and the Executive Development Program (EDP) – are now open.

Designed for farmers at various career stages, the two available programs – the Executive Development Program for farm business owners or senior managers and the Farm Managers Program for emerging farmers – aim to provide participants with the latest insights in business management.

Announcing the opening of applications for 2025, Rabobank regional manager Australia and New Zealand Mark Wiessing said more than 1400 primary producers from both sides of the Tasman had participated in the Business Management Programs across the past 25 years.

“The programs are incredibly valuable for primary producers as they allow the opportunity to take a step back from the day-to-day operational side of their businesses and spend time developing strategies to help ensure that their operations remain resilient into the future,” he said.

“The programs also provide participants with networking opportunities with like-minded primary producers from different sectors across the two countries and, in many cases, relationships started on the programs continue far beyond the completion of the course. Previous participants tell us these ongoing relationships are a key benefit of the course and we help to foster these via our regular Business Management Program alumni events across Australia and New Zealand.”

Mr Wiessing said Rabobank’s long-term support of the Business Management Programs, was aimed at assisting farmers to grow and build resilience. “And in this way, the bank also contributes to strengthening rural communities – with rural and regional communities benefiting from a financially-healthy local agricultural sector,” he said.

Mr Wiessing said this year’s FMP program – for young and emerging farmers – will be run in Victoria’s Yarra Valley from June 15 to 20 this year.

“The FMP provides a forum for farmers from across a range of agricultural sectors to find out what is working for them in their farming roles,” he said.

“The program will help participants enhance their leadership and operational skills to prepare themselves for future management roles, and includes sessions on topics including communication and influencing skills, conflict management, sustainable farm business planning, financial management and managing people.”

Mr Wiessing said the Executive Development Program, which runs as two one-week long residential modules approximately a year apart, will be held at Macquarie University in Sydney, with the first module running from August 24 to 29 this year and the second scheduled for late July 2026.

“The EDP helps participants build strategic planning capabilities and commercial management skills to help drive business growth,” he said.

“Key topics covered on the program include formulation and implementation of long-term strategy, applying effective economic rationale to goal setting and decision making, and effective leadership skills.

“Between the first and second modules of the program, participants are also tasked with developing a management project which explores opportunities to make improvements within their own farming operation.

“This element of the program gives participants an opportunity to immediately apply the skills and knowledge from the first EDP module and, over the years, we’ve had some fantastic ideas outlined in these projects which have resulted in significant positive benefits for our participants’ farming businesses.”

EDP alumni and winner of the 2024 Dr John Morris Business Development Prize – a prestigious trans-Tasman business prize awarded annually as part of the program – Stuart Tait believes the course was exactly what he needed to continue to develop his career and management skills.

“I applied for the Executive Development Program with the aim of developing a strategic plan for the next 10 to 15 years for our beef-cattle breeding and trading, and dryland winter cropping business, and to learn how to identify and analyse various opportunities which may present themselves,” he said.

Mr Tait, based near Mandurama on the NSW Central Tablelands, said the course allowed him to remove himself from the day-to-day workings of the business and to gain an arm’s length view of the enterprises and where they are heading.

“The EDP was very well organised and structured, each and every session was well aimed to complete the strategic puzzle for a modern farming business,” he said.

“The course provided the tools to really break down the intimidating goal of creating a strategic plan into simple and actionable tasks,” he said. “It was a positive environment to be involved in, with over 30 successful and progressive farmers to learn from.

“I have already recommended the course to several friends and would certainly recommend it to anyone looking to take their farm leadership and management skills to the next level.”

With numbers on each course limited to maintain group dynamics, positions on the programs are set to be highly contested, with farmers selected to attend from a wide range of commodities and geographical regions across Australia and New Zealand.

Applications for the FMP and EDP close on Monday, March 31. Further information and applications can be found on the Rabobank website, or at Business Management Programs.