Applications will close at the end May for the 2011 Rabobank Executive Development Program, an agricultural business management course.
This farm business management program has now been running for twelve years. It provides an opportunity for farmers from across Australia and New Zealand to develop their farm business management skills.
Nerida Sweetapple, Rabobank business programs manager says of the program, “A core focus for this year’s program will be to provide the participating producers with a range of commercial management skills to help them handle the increasingly changeable and challenging agricultural environment.”
Delivered in two week-long residential modules held across consecutive years, the program covers many topics and explains how these can be applied directly to individual farms.
Topics covered include:
- Farm business management
- Leadership
- Value chain management
- Marketing
- Strategic planning
- Finance
- Human resources
Only 36 applicants are accepted for each year’s intake. The successful applicants are selected from a group of leading farmers and represent a range of commodities. They come from locations across Australasia.
Sweetapple continues, “What they take away from the program is a commercially-driven perspective on farm management and the management tools that enable them to put systems and structures in place to manage growth. Plus they get inspiration and stimulation from both the program’s industry-leading presenters and their fellow participants.”
The first module of the Executive Development Program will be held in Sydney from August 21 to 26, 2011. The second will take place in July, 2012.