Propagate

Mel Kiel trained and worked as a nurse, but discovered a love for cattle trading that turned into a lifelong passion. Her business only requires a small amount of land and the high turnover is great for cashflow. Here’s how she and her husband turned their home into a successful livestock trading enterprise.

Christine Miles had always dreamed of becoming a farmer, but chose a mining career instead. It wasn’t until she moved to a regional town where people practiced both that she began her gradual transition into the farmer she’d always hoped to become.

Sam Maiden’s organic Dorper farm in Broken Hill looks like something out of an old Western movie. Maybe that’s why tourists and film producers love it so much. To land this property (and eventually the neighbouring one too), Sam and her husband Richard started out by purchasing in town at the lower end of the market. Over the years, they turned a 25,000 starter house into a sizeable farm deposit, and bought their dream farm.

When Matt Flick started contracting, he was only hoping to make a bit of spending money on top of his farm work. He never imagined it would turn into a full time business with huge demand across Central Western NSW. Over the years, the growth has enabled Matt to purchase tractors and spray rigs, and hire two staff members to help meet the workload. He says it’s good practice for the farm he hopes to own one day.

Carissa Wolfe and her partner Karyn knew they had a lot to learn before they could run their own dairy. So they gave themselves ten years to travel around America and work on farms of all sizes and practises. They dubbed their journey the “Education Years”, and when it was complete, they brought their loaded toolkit of skills back to NSW and launched Benmar Farm.

Fresh out of high school, Tim and Hannah were on the brink of securing a huge agri-tourism deal on a Central Coast property. It was meant to be their big farming break. When the rug was pulled out from under them, it took all their strength to get back on the horse. They worked hard, planned, and strengthened their relationships in the community. From the ashes of their first loss, 'The Food Farm' was born.

Mitch Highett has farmed around the world, worked on the land in NSW, and experienced the business side of ag in Sydney. Today, he runs his own farm management business, and he’s got a plan to use it as a stepping stone to farm ownership.

In this new season of Propagate, we're speaking to farmers from all over NSW who haven't inherited a farm. Instead, they're forging their own path to farm ownership and showing you how you can too.

Country lawyer Claire Booth has worked with farming families on succession and estate planning for over a decade. She’s seen the best and the worst of it.

Claire is also a first generation farmer, and she and her husband are determined to not make the same mistakes. In this episode Claire lifts the lid on how a first generation farmer can develop an airtight business plan and build a farming asset that can set you up for retirement and give you something to pass on to the next generation.

This final episode of Season 2 of Propagate will give the fire in the belly and inspiration to future proof your farming business.

Propagate is brought to you by the Young Farmer Business Program, an initiative of the NSW Department of Primary Industries

The Longworth’s run South Bunarba - a large property near Mungindi in northern NSW, just south of the QLD border. It’s been in the family for 4 generations, and succession planning has been something the family have talked about for years.

The kids always thought they’d come home one day, but when they were thrown the curve ball of a divorce and a sudden illness, their best laid plans were put to the test.

In this episode – the family share how they pushed through some hard times and took the family business to the next stage.

Propagate is brought to you by the Young Farmer Business Program, an initiative of the NSW Department of Primary Industries.