Ag Tech Sunday - New digital platform to help Farmers transact rural properties
- By: "Farm Tender" News
- Ag Company News
- Sep 08, 2018
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By Lisa McFadyen
I had always hoped to continue the farming family tradition and become a fourth-generation farmer. However, a lack of upfront capital, and no financial alternative to purchase the farm proved to be a barrier to fulfilling this dream.
Today, I’m the CEO and founder of Secure Impact, a digital platform developed to help farmers with the transition process of transacting rural properties. It’s a proposition based on trust and transparency – two of the very things farmers seek in business relationships.
Our farm was no different to any other Australian farm
Having always been actively involved in farming, I recognised my family situation was no different to many other family farms in Australia. In response, I began researching the alternative property ownership structures in Australia and internationally.
While various structures had positive and negative features, I found no real solution to the liquidity problem agriculture has, and the limited opportunities to access alternative capital sources.
I want to be part of the change and future of Australian agriculture, providing options for those in the industry and those wanting to be in the industry.
Starting my career as an agronomist and eventually moving into rural property valuation, I understand the complex and dynamic nature of agriculture.
Going back to our farming story, my father was becoming increasingly 'worn out physically' from the daily farm work – an incredible business which our parents had worked hard for decades to create. So, I raised the possibility of leasing or sharefarming the property to make time for them to enjoy themselves, take a holiday, and alleviate the stress of manual labour.
I wasn’t in a financial position to take on the farm, but my message to Dad was this is the time to take control with how the farm continues, take control of who will now manage it, of who the new custodians of the farm will be, caring and nurturing it how you have always done.
Stress from a lack of planning
I’ve heard too many distressing stories of family farm breakdowns due to poor or no planning.
If you don’t plan now, it’s not just going to be your problem, it’ll be a bigger problem for your family. There are emotional and economic consequences that will more than likely result in having to leave the property, seeing it sold, and family members possibly not talking.
Leaving some ‘skin in the game’
Dad’s choice was difficult, but taking control of the decision to entrust the property to energetic and passionate young sharefarmers is what he’s now very happy about.
Sharefarming is a viable option for many farmers to take control and ensure that they can still have a financial interest - still leaving some ‘skin in the game’.
Today, Dad has an active involvement in the farm, but his focus has shifted to the administrative and business side of the business, with the manual work left to the sharefarmers.
Preparing for the future
Through the development of Secure Impact, I’ve created a path to help farmers transition like my family has, helping existing farmers expand whilst opening opportunities for investment into the industry.
I want to be part of the change and future of Australian agriculture, providing options for those in the industry and those wanting to be in the industry.
The Secure Impact platform gives more control to the farmer on how they want to do business. If they want to buy more land, sell land, lease land or sharefarm land, the Secure Impact platform has the capability that allows farmers to create a listing themselves, or to use their agent or trusted third party representative, such as a solicitor or accountant.
It provides a decision-making tool for farmers to address the implications of farmland transition, the high cost and no liquidity problem, which was once was a major barrier to farmland ownership.
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