Rabobank provides online farm financial skills workshops

Primary producers across Australia have the opportunity to expand their knowledge, free of charge, at Rabo Client Council online workshops designed to help provide the financial skills essential to managing an agricultural enterprise.

The practical Financial Skills Workshops will be held online in August and September.

The initiative – which provides farmers with an opportunity to upskill – has been led and funded by food and agribusiness banking specialist Rabobank’s Rabo Client Councils, a group of innovative, forward-thinking farming clients who are passionate about making a difference in their communities and support a range of activities designed to make a meaningful impact on the vibrancy and resilience of rural Australia.

Offered at no cost to participants, the interactive workshops provide practical, hands-on information on 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 head of community and client engagement Glenn Wealands said the workshops, which are specifically designed for farm owners and managers, aim to enhance participants' financial knowledge and expertise.

Mr Wealands said the workshops were being offered online to provide an alternative to the ongoing face-to-face program of Financial Skills Workshops that continue to be rolled out nationwide. “This recognises the challenges that some farmers may face in taking time away from their operations, or being in remote locations where they are unable to attend any of the workshops in person,” he said.

The online workshops will be delivered in two half day sessions, with Module One – which focuses on understanding how to read, interpret and use financial reports – held across Thursday August 14 and Friday August 15, 2025.

Module Two workshops – which focus on gross margin analysis, a critical step in farm planning and decision making – will be held on Thursday September 11 and Friday September 12, 2025.

Mr Wealands said the Module Two workshops would take an enterprise-focused approach, with content tailored to suit the operations of participants. “We will consider cash flow implications for these enterprise choices and explore preparing annual cash flow budgets,” he said.

Mr Wealands said past attendees had found the Financial Skills Workshop information valuable and immediately applicable to their businesses.

“Since launching in 2018, the Rabo Client Councils have so far extended this valuable learning opportunity to over 5,000 farmers across Australia and New Zealand,” he said.

The virtual workshops will be presented by director of Hudson Facilitation, Tony Hudson.

Online workshop dates:

Measuring Financial Performance workshop

Thursday 14 and Friday 15 August 2025

East Coast: 8.50am to 12.00pm AESTCentral: 8.20am to 11.30am ACSTWest Coast: 6.50am to 10.00am AWST

Gross Margin Analysis and Cash Flow Budgeting workshop

Thursday 11 and Friday 12 September 2025

East Coast: 8.50am to 12.00pm AESTCentral: 8.20am to 11.30am ACSTWest Coast: 6.50am to 10.00am AWST

To register to participate, please visit the Rabobank website or click here.