Client Victoria’s Mike Weise

FARMERS can find out how to set up farm advisory boards during a series of free workshops across Western Victoria.

Client Victoria is hosting upcoming workshops in Terang, Hamilton and Ararat to explain the benefits of establishing farm advisory boards and how they work.

Client Victoria’s Mike Weise said a number of large farm businesses were setting up advisory boards to improve performance in a more strategic manner and use regular board meetings to work on the business not in the daily operating thick of it. The advisory board concept could applied to all farming operations, he said.

“Farm advisory boards are becoming more widely established, often by larger farm owners aiming to improve their decision making, increase farm returns and reduce risk.

“The boards bring together family members and farm advisors to plan and monitor farm performance. It is important that the farm management decisions remain the owners but the discussion through a farm advisory board almost always drives up the quality of those decisions,” Mr Weise said.

Most farmers buy expert advice to help them manage crops, livestock, markets, legal matters and taxation, but few bring them together to consider the farm’s strategic direction in a board setting, he said.

The workshops will be at Terang from 11am February 29, Hamilton 1.30pm on March 1 and Ararat at 1.30pm on March 2.

Mr Weise said the workshops were targeting farmers thinking about establishing a farm advisory board or keen to find out how they could benefit from them. The two-hour workshops will cover what farm advisory boards do, who sits round the board table, their benefits, and when and how to establish one.

Mr Weise is an agriculturalist, a professional director, a member of the Australian Institute of Company directors and is currently chairman of South West TAFE.

To register for a workshop contact Client Victoria on 0490 267 503 or email [email protected] Numbers for each venue are restricted.