Strengthening the Future of WA Broadacre Farms
Practical training, tailored support, and real-world outcomes for farming businesses across Western Australia
The Farm Business Resilience (FBR) Program, jointly funded by the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund and WA’s Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD), delivered practical, hands-on business training tailored to the needs of Western Australian broadacre growers. Bringing together in-person workshops, on-farm advisory visits, peer learning, and flexible online support, the program helped growers strengthen financial literacy, improve business decision-making, and build long-term resilience to climate and market variability. The program engaged growers from across WA, providing a blend of bootcamps, farm visits, expert coaching, and targeted follow-up support.
Practical, in-person bootcamps delivered across the region
Peer learning opportunities connecting growers with shared challenges
Online training sessions and recorded expert content
Financial literacy and farm business management workshops
One-on-one on-farm advisory visits providing tailored business support
Follow-up check-ins and personalised action planning
The FBR Broadacre (Grains) Program supported 28 individuals from fifteen WA broadacre grain businesses – spanning the Wheatbelt, Great Southern and Esperance regions – to strengthen business planning, drought preparedness, natural resource management capability, and long-term resilience. Participants included owner–operators, successors, and multi-generational family enterprises, representing a diverse mix of wheat, barley, oats, oilseeds and pulse cropping businesses. Together, these businesses undertook a structured learning journey that combined workshops, one-on-one advisory sessions, targeted online training and whole-farm business planning to build capability, confidence and clear forward pathways.
Real Stories. Real Impact.
Meet the growers who strengthened their business resilience through the FBR Program!
The House-Vaux Family
Thank you to our Mentors and Facilitators
Thank you to our participants
Key Activities
In-Person Bootcamps: Perth & Kojonup
The program included two immersive bootcamps – one in Perth and a second delivered regionally in Kojonup. These sessions offered:
- Strategic business planning foundations
- Climate and drought risk analysis
- Financial literacy and cost-of-production tools
- Communication, leadership and intergenerational planning skills
- Practical frameworks for setting long-term business direction
Delivering bootcamps in multiple locations created a strong sense of community and demonstrated the value of a travelling program model, bringing learning directly to regional areas and supporting more intimate, place-based workshops tailored to local context.
One-to-One Farm Business Planning Visits
Every participating business received a dedicated full-day on-farm session, enabling personalised, context-specific support. These visits enabled each family to:
- Complete or refresh their farm business plan
- Assess climate and drought risks
- Examine financial performance and enterprise structure
- Clarify roles, succession pathways and next-generation involvement
- Identify actionable priorities for the next 12–24 months
This personalised support was consistently highlighted as a standout element of the program, helping families progress conversations that are often difficult to prioritise amidst day-to-day operations.
The most exciting thing out of it all is the new energy!
Online Training and Specialist Sessions
Specialist online sessions complemented the in-person learning, offering growers targeted insights to support drought readiness and improved resource management.
Tools, Platforms and Data-Enabled Learning
Throughout the program, participants were exposed to technology, tools, and platforms such as MyFARMSMART that supported improved business and decision-making. Post-program survey results show an increased intention to use digital tools to improve financial oversight, planning accuracy and production-to-profitability analysis.
Participant Learning Journey and Capability Development
Learning Preferences: Before and After the Program
Pre-program surveys showed strong preferences for:
- Practical, hands-on learning
- Formal workshops
- Peer-based discussions
Post-program responses demonstrated strengthened preferences for these formats, along with increased openness to:
- Informal/self-directed learning
- Online and digital platforms
This shift suggests greater confidence in utilising blended learning approaches – particularly digital tools – after experiencing them in a structured and practical context.
Intergenerational Dynamics and Business Communication
Before the program, several businesses reported that intergenerational decision-making could be complex, time-consuming or limiting for younger family members’ confidence.
Post-program responses reflected:
- More constructive dialogue
- Greater clarity around roles and responsibilities
- Improved confidence in business planning conversations
- Increased momentum towards succession planning
Families noted that the process created space for structured discussion, shared understanding and clearer long-term direction.
It's helped us facilitate some of the important conversations that we might not have had
Shift in Business Goals: Before vs After
Pre-Program Goals
Participants commonly identified goals such as:
- Reducing debt
- Purchasing or leasing land
- Increasing machinery capacity
- Building off-farm investments
- Preparing for succession or retirement
Post-Program Goals
Following the structured planning process, goals became more specific, actionable and supported by digital tools. These included:
- Adopting platforms such as AgriMaster, Figured, AgriWebb, Agworld or MyFARMSMART
- Continuing or accelerating debt reduction
- Investing in infrastructure to support newly expanded landholdings
- Preparing intentionally for retirement and succession
- Strengthening financial planning and record-keeping
- Using data to guide cropping decisions and long-term strategy
This demonstrates a shift from broad aspirations to clear, targeted, tool-supported business actions shaped by the program.
Overall Program Impact
Across all activities, the program delivered a comprehensive and tailored learning experience that enabled participants to:
- Strengthen business planning and decision-making capability
- Improve understanding of climate and drought risks
- Increase confidence in managing natural resources and environmental assets
- Build stronger intergenerational communication
- Clarify long-term business goals and next steps
- Develop actionable farm business plans
- Engage with modern digital tools and platforms
Participants consistently described the program as practical, relevant, insightful and transformative for both business and family communication.
We are doing a lot more as a team now than we ever did before
What’s Next
Building on Momentum
The FBR Program demonstrates the ongoing need for practical, personalised, and relationship-centred training for broadacre growers. Future delivery models will continue to blend hands-on workshops, peer learning, tailored advisory support, and digital tools to meet growers where they are – both geographically and in their business journey.
It’s made us think more strategically about where we want to go
