Farm management today is more complex than ever because the ability to produce a viable crop or animal production is no guarantee for success. This course is ideal for farm owners or managers, retail agricultural suppliers or anyone interested in an agricultural career.

Our Certificate of Farm Management is a professional development course that equips you with the practical skills to run a successful, sustainable farming operation.

Learning Outcomes

Outcomes achieved by undertaking a farm management course include:

• Analyse the Australian agriculture sector and apply core farm management principles

• Develop and implement a comprehensive farm business and strategic plan

• Interpret financial statements and manage budgets, cash flow, and profitability

• Plan and coordinate crop and livestock production activities effectively

• Apply sustainable and climate-smart farming practices

• Identify and manage operational, financial, and biosecurity risks

• Implement workplace health and safety and emergency management procedures

• Develop marketing strategies across local, wholesale, and export markets

• Apply leadership, communication, and people management skills within a farm business

• Manage resources, contractors, suppliers, and compliance obligations effectively

 

The 10 Biggest ‘Farms’  In Australia

As the sixth-largest country in the world, Australia spans a staggering 770 million hectares. And according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, over 62 per cent of that is privately owned. Here are the country’s Top 10 biggest agricultural portfolios as of 2019, which include families that have farmed their land for generations to multinational companies after a bit of Australia’s farm management action!

#10 – Brook family

Organic food enthusiast David Brooke and his family own and operate several farms in South Australia and Queensland with a combined area of over 3 million hectares. All of their farms and the products produced – including their beef – are certified organic and free of pollutants, chemicals and additional hormones.

#9 – McDonald family

One of Australia’s largest beef cattle operations, the McDonalds runs over 175,000 head of cattle over 3.36 million hectares in the heart of Queensland. Family-owned and operated, they represent six generations of beef producers and have over 190 years of experience in Australian agriculture.

#8 – Terra Firma Capital Partners

Australia’s largest privately-owned beef producer, the Consolidated Pastoral Company, is majority-owned by Terra Firma Capital Partners a business run by UK investor Guy Hands. It owns and operates nine cattle stations with a carrying capacity of over 300,000 head of cattle over 3.6 million hectares.

#7 – Macquarie Group

The Paraway Pastoral Company is a privately owned operating entity of the Macquarie Group and runs 27 stations across New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland. The company has the capacity to run over 250,000 sheep and 220,000 cattle, as well as a mixture of dryland and irrigated cropping across 4.48 million hectares.

#6 – Williams family

In 2019, the Williams family’s cattle company acquired Anna Creek Station in South Australia to add to the six stations already owned. At 2.36 million hectares, it is the world’s largest working cattle station. The maximum carrying capacity of the seven stations across 4.5 million hectares exceeds 36,500 head of cattle, with five of the stations organically certified.

#5 – Crown Point Pastoral Company

The company acquired Clifton Hills last year, one of the world’s biggest stations at 1.65 million hectares in size. Their portfolio covers four stations of around 30,000 cattle near the South Australian border. The stations — New Crown, Andado, Horseshoe Bend and Lilla Creek — comprise a total of 4.6 million hectares and are managed by members of the Costello family.

#4 – MacLachlan family

Established by patriarch H. P. MacLachlan in Adelaide in 1888, Jumbuck controls 11 properties across 5.7 million hectares in New South Wales, South Australia, Western Australia, and the Northern Territory. It runs cattle in WA and the NT and sheep on stations across three of those states, and the company is Australia’s chief wool supplier.

#3 – The North Australian Pastoral Company

From humble beginnings in 1877, The North Australian Pastoral Company has expanded to over 6 million hectares of farmland and is one of the country’s largest beef producers. It manages over 200,000 cattle across Queensland and the Northern Territory.

#2 – Australian Agricultural Company

Dating back to 1824, the Australian Agricultural Company is the oldest continuously operating company in Australia and the country’s largest integrated cattle and beef producer. British tycoon Joe Lewis is the major shareholder, and the company owns and operates properties in Queensland and the Northern Territory covering over 6.4 million hectares.

#1 – S. Kidman & Co Pty Ltd

Mining magnate Gina Rinehart teamed up with China’s Shanghai CRED in 2016 to buy the lion’s share of S. Kidman & Co. —the largest individual private landholding on the planet at over 8 million hectares. With a herd of over 171,000 cattle, the company is one of Australia’s largest beef producers and exports to the USA, Japan and South-East Asia.

 

Emerging Technologies In Agriculture

For Australian farmers, time is precious, and there is increasing pressure in farm management to maximise productivity and produce more with less. However, farmers are also dealing with rising overheads and natural disasters such as bushfires and floods, all the while trying to minimise environmental impact. And that’s where technology comes into play! Here are some emerging agricultural technologies, according to a 2018 report by the rural industry research group AgriFutures Australia.

 

Internet of Things/Sensors

The Internet of Things (IoT) is a network of entities connected wirelessly via sensors. These include humans, plants, animals, and infrastructure such as buildings and equipment. Although not new to the sector, technological advancements in quality, cost, and sensor robustness, as well as in data analysis and connectivity, have accelerated the potential of IoT device installations. In fact, it is predicted that their usage by the sector will have increased by over 20% annually by 2022.

 

Blockchain

Blockchain is essentially a database invented by the creators of the cryptocurrency Bitcoin, and it focuses on a shift away from inefficient, costly and centralised record-keeping. In the agriculture sector, it is used in conjunction with IoT devices, such as scanners and sensors. This removes the human-error component of ledger data entry and can help reduce costs, improve food safety controls, and create incentives for economically and ecologically beneficial production practices.

 

Artificial Intelligence (AI)/Big Data

Big Data refers to data sets that are so complex and large that traditional data-processing applications are inadequate. AI refers to intelligent machines that ‘learn’ from experience by accomplishing specific tasks that require the processing of large amounts of data.

Big Data and AI technologies are playing an increasingly essential role in the sector due to the volume of data collected on farms through more complex machine sensors.  Applications range from thermostats regulating greenhouse air temperatures to complex algorithms that provide growers with recommendations on automated management interventions. With a multitude of sources, AI increases the value of data collected, analysed, and converted, thereby supporting farm management decision-making.

 

Nano Materials Data

Nanomaterials are about one billionth of a metre in size and have most recently been used in environmental science, medical, and food processing sectors. Their potential for agriculture lies in detecting pathogens and pesticide/herbicide residue, and in improving seed germination and growth. The ultimate result is increased crop yields, environmental benefits, and minimised input costs.

 

Automation/Robotics

Robotics is the science and technology of movable, mechanical structures that function under some form of autonomous control. Robotic technology can substitute for human functioning to complete tasks deemed too dangerous, repetitive, or impossible for humans.

In agriculture, it can be used to complete tasks such as harvesting, spraying, surveying, and dairy milking, helping growers increase reliability, efficiency, and productivity while minimising environmental impacts.

 

Satellites

Satellite technology assists farmers by observing, measuring and responding to intra and inter-field variability. Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) technology has provided significant benefits to the agricultural industry through practices such as soil data analytics, yield mapping, and topographical mapping.

This allows farmers to access real-time data on their farm operations and make more precise, informed decisions. There is also the potential for satellite technology to measure vegetation health and growth at different stages of a crop’s life. This may increase the lead time for crop yields, which could positively impact supply and price trends.

 

Keen to analyse, diagnose and make viable management decisions to optimise the success of a farm or agricultural enterprise? Nurture your skills and grow your career with our Certificate of Farm Management!