GrainGrowers recently celebrated the graduation of the 2024 Australian Grain Leaders Program in Adelaide, with participants from across the country stepping into the future of the agricultural industry. Among them was Renae Piggott, a Bindoon-based farm management consultant with AgAsset, whose passion for financial literacy is reshaping how young farmers approach the business side of agriculture.
“As part of the program, we had to pick a topic that we wanted to investigate which was going to guide our journey. Mine was financial literacy in young farmers.” In her business as a farm management consultant, Renae works with a lot of family businesses and had observed that the next generation coming on board were at best not enthused, and at worst overwhelmed when it came to the business side of running a farm.
“I thought, ‘Oh, there might be a real spot here for someone to come and help educate young people.’
“I developed a framework for the workshops, which was really fun, because I had to educate myself about different learning styles, how to appeal to young farmers, and actually get them through the door to a workshop about finance.”
Renae learnt that, despite her palpable love of finance, not everyone coming to see her felt the same. After some trial and error — “I finally got 15 people that wanted to come and talk about finance with me and I think I killed them with slideshows,” she laughs — she has settled on a formula that works.
“My workshops are light hearted, but serious. I explain equity and debt to income using M&Ms, but those basic skills are essential and underpin pretty much every single farm business that you look at.
“The way that farming is structured now, with high land pricing and high input pricing, you must have secure plans, otherwise you won’t be in farming for very long. It’s very difficult to run a profitable farm business without knowing your numbers.”
By August, Renae’s workshops across the Wheatbelt were well-attended with around 75 participants, and the program has her enthused for what lies ahead. “It’s easy to get stuck in your bubble, but programs like this introduce you to people who have great ideas and similar mindsets,” she said.
GrainGrowers CEO Shona Gawel praised the graduates for their dedication to shaping the future of the grains industry. “Each new group commencing the year-long program is full of possibilities, and I am always excited to see the personal growth of participants,” Shona said. She noted that many graduates have already stepped into leadership roles, and she expects the 2024 cohort to continue the trend.
Renae said, “I’m going to now try and reach out and get more involved in my community in ways that I can lift other people up or educate them.
“Conducting the workshops is a big passion, but my bigger goal is to be a leader that empowers others to stand up and be their best selves.”
If you would like to know more about the AGL program or are interested in hosting a workshop, you can contact Renae via email at renae@agasset.com.au.
