December 2017
I am originally from Tocumwal in the Southern Riverina of NSW. I was awarded a Nuffield Scholarship in 2002 to identify Integrated Farm Management Systems (FMS) and Environmental Management Systems (EMS), and supported by Australian Rice Growers. I travelled throughout the UK, USA and Canada and outcomes included a review of multiple programs to manage agri-data, and that data recording was not a strong trait of farmers. One recommendation from the study was that the Australian agricultural industry should consider developing a “National Agricultural Data Co-operative”, where farmers were members of the coop, owned their collective data and all the systems would integrate and talk to each other, to present QA reports to satisfy end users.
From there, the end result was that we were able to demonstrate a pilot working to industry bodies, but none wanted to provide funding to assist its growth. We were told that we were 10-15 years ahead of our time! (Report here)
In 2005, my family and I moved to Darwin and managed our own landscaping company for ten years. From there, I wanted to get back into agri-business in some form, so I traded in my shovel and crowbar and on a laptop, re-educated myself and became a Finance and Mortgage Broker. After two years cutting my teeth on residential home lending and refinancing, I’ve now expanded the skillset to include all things agri-finance and mortgage broking. From helping finance property and equipment purchases, to assessing existing loans and providing comparisons and other options that can result in significant savings.
With offices in Darwin, Brisbane, Port Macquarie and now Jerilderie I am enjoying this next challenge in my career. And having returned to the Southern Riverina with wife, Shaye and family, I am based out of the Jerilderie office.