SEVEN families from central SA have signed up for the recently-launched Pork Farm Business Strategic Review program.
The free program, launched at Mannum last week, will help producers to improve profitability and productivity by developing a strategic action plan in their businesses.
It has been developed on the back of the highly-successful Dairy Farm Business Strategic Review, which ran for the past two years and assisted more than 50 dairy family businesses.
Australia-wide, there are 1500 pork producers, with 10 per cent estimated to be corporate – the balance are family businesses.
Rural Business Support development manager Nigel Robinson said the program would provide on-farm support to help pork family businesses to identify and adopt proven practices.
Families that participate will attend a strategic workshop followed by three on-farm sessions with a farm business specialist.
“New web tools linked to a new pork benchmarking system will be used to quickly review the business and identify opportunities for improvement,” Mr Robinson said.
“The fundamental questions of ‘Where are we? Where are we going? How do we get there? How much will it cost? Will the bank support us? And who will help us?’ will all be addressed.”
The program was developed by RBS, with support from PIRSA, Australian Pork, Pork SA and the Pork CRC.
Once the month-long pilot program has been completed in SA, another pilot pork program will be rolled out to producers in Vic.
Pig industry consultant Graeme Pope said farms involved were all family owned and operated.
“This is about working with some solid family farms in SA and getting them to the point where they have a business strategic review done for their businesses to keep the family farming,” he said.
