Agriculture

Agriculture

Dairy, meat and livestock, grains and horticulture

We help farmers make sound decisions that support them achieve their business objectives. We collect information, talk through issues and analyse business records to help individual farmers and industry groups to improve their enterprises.

RMCG has technical, business management and extension capability in:

  • Cropping
  • Dairy
  • Extensive livestock (cattle and sheep)
  • Intensive livestock (pork and poultry)
  • Horticulture, viticulture and vegetables
  • Irrigated agriculture.

Agriculture Services

  • Farm business advice   View 

  • Agribusiness investment, performance review and due diligence research   View 

  • Financial analysis and management   View 

  • Benchmarking   View 

  • Loss assessment   View 

  • Research, development and extension (RD&E) and capacity building   View 

  • Succession planning

  • Leadership development, coaching and mentoring

  • Irrigation design and management   View 

  • Water portfolio management   View 

  • Biodiversity and conservation management

  • Climate change (mitigation and adaptation)   View 

  • Strategic planning   View 

  • Rural land use planning   View 

  • Evaluation   View 

  • Communications

  • Soil health and sustainable land management   View 

  • Carbon farming and carbon accounting   View 

  • Geographic Information Systems (GIS)   View 

  • Workforce planning and development   View 

  • Circular organics, compost and food waste   View 

  • Waste management   View 

  • Agricultural and horticultural wastes

  • Manure and effluent management

  • Agricultural land capability assessment

Agriculture Team

Dr Doris Blaesing

Dr Doris Blaesing

Associate

Dipl.Ing.Agr., Dr.rer.hort.

Doris has extensive experience in agricultural business development, resource management and R&D. She has a good understanding of agricultural production systems and supply chains. Her strengths are strategy and concept development, innovative thinking, problem solving, multi-disciplinary project management and communication on all levels with a broad range of people. Doris worked in public and private research, education, export and agribusinesses.

Daryl Poole

Daryl Poole

Principal

B.Ag.Sci. (Hons), CPAg., GAICD

Daryl has over 20 years of experience is in the areas of agribusiness and farm management, particularly the dairy industry.   He has a diploma in Human Resource Management (Dairy) and can assist farming businesses with their employment practices to ensure their workforce is both effective and compliant.  Daryl also has an in depth understanding of water policy and what it means at the farm level which allows him to assist irrigation businesses develop their water risk management strategies.   Daryl has both facilitator and strategic planning experience and can assist farming businesses and organisations to achieve their goals.

Dan Armstrong

Dan Armstrong

Senior Consultant

B.Ag.Sci. (Hons), M.Ag.Sci. (Economics)

Dan has 25 years’ experience working in agricultural industries and previously ran his own consulting business specialising in farm business management for 11 years.  His multi-disciplinary skills, strong advisory experience and broad contacts in the agricultural industries add strengths to RMCG’s work in the agriculture sector.

 

Adrian Kennelly

Adrian Kennelly

Associate

B.Ag.Sci. (Hons), M.Ag.Sci., CPAg.

Adrian has more than 30 years’ experience in agricultural business and natural resource management research, policy, education and extension. He is a specialist farm business management adviser, who consults to medium to large-scale private farmers, agribusiness investors, agricultural industry groups and government agencies.

Adrian has specific skills and experience in strategic planning, business analysis, impact and loss assessment, facilitation, and training and education in rural Australia.  Adrian chairs the advisory boards of a number of family farming operations in south-eastern Australia and has undertaken due diligence exercises for several domestic and international investors.

In addition to this, his most recent industry project work includes the development of an Investment Attraction Program for Rural Councils Victoria, an agricultural impact assessment of the Western Highway bypass of Ararat and the development of a business planning program (Our farm, our plan) for the Australian dairy industry.

Dr Anne-Maree Boland

Dr Anne-Maree Boland

Principal

PhD., B.Ag.Sci.

Anne-Maree has 25 years’ experience in dealing with natural resource and water management in agricultural industries. This has included research and development and consulting in the areas of sustainable management practices, water use efficiency, recycled water and environmental management systems. Anne-Maree has been a Non-Executive Director for GWRDC and IAL, is a Churchill Fellow and recipient of the University of Melbourne Chancellors Prize. She has extensive experience as a knowledge broker and establishing partnerships with diverse stakeholder groups including government, water and agricultural industries.

Charles Thompson

Charles Thompson

Senior Fellow

B.Sci. (Ag.) (Hons), CPAg.

Charles has 20 years consulting experience and over 25 years’ experience in farm business and natural resource management. This includes water quality, salinity, irrigation, drainage, horticulture, community consultation and extension. His special fields of competence technical resource assessment; extension and advisory services to horticulture and agriculture; nutrients and water quality; and benchmarking horticultural enterprise management.

Rob Rendell

Rob Rendell

Senior Fellow

B.Eng. (Ag), CPAg., GAICD

Rob has more than 40 years’ experience in irrigation, groundwater drainage, salinity management, project management, extension, reclaimed water re-use, practical irrigation farming and farm management, agricultural industry benchmarking and sustainability indicators.  Rob’s wide range of experience from the practical to the technical/managerial and also to strategy and policy, gives him ability to contribute at many levels. He is recognised as a leader in the water and irrigated agriculture sector.

Shelley McGuinness

Shelley McGuinness

Associate

B.Ag.Sci. (Hons)

Shelley has strongly developed strategic planning skills and an ability to develop and apply logical methodologies to complex problems resulting in workable, robust strategies and policy solutions. With over 25 years’ experience she has an in-depth understanding of rural communities, industries, environments and natural resources, their inter-relationships and inter-dependencies. Her skills and experience have been applied to rural and regional strategic land use planning, agricultural industry analysis, assessment of land capability and suitability, land use conflict and environmental planning.

Dr Kristen Stirling

Dr Kristen Stirling

Associate

PhD., B.Ag.Sci.

Kristen is an experienced researcher and industry development specialist. She successfully combines project management skills and technical expertise to deliver projects in agriculture and water related industries. She enjoys working with landholders and large organizations to inform and clarify decision-making. Areas of expertise include strategic planning, stakeholder consultation and program evaluation.

Donna Lucas

Donna Lucas

Principal

B.App.Sci. (Hons)

Donna is an agricultural consultant with experience in business management, research and extension. She is adaptable with an ability to contribute to projects at a strategic level.
Donna has specialist knowledge in workforce development and planning, resource recovery, carbon farming, greenhouse gas/carbon accounting and project evaluation. Her strengths include driving execution, building connections and problem solving.

George Warne

George Warne

Associate

B.Building

George is recognised as a leader in the rural water sector. After ten years in the commercial construction industry, George became the inaugural General Manager and CEO at Murray Irrigation from 1992 onwards, leading the reform processes in water management, environmental responsibility, infrastructure management and water service delivery in southern NSW. George has also been responsible for major change management within organisations whilst dealing with severe water shortages caused by droughts-of-record.

Jencie McRobert

Jencie McRobert

Associate

B.Sci., Grad.Dip.Eco., Assoc.App.Sci.

Jencie understands the science and economics of natural resource management and has grounded and practical experience in soils, mixed farming and viticulture. She has highly developed skills in evaluation of agricultural and natural resource management programs, business case writing, greenhouse emissions analysis and sustainable resource use, and catchment management.  Jencie knows and appreciates the issues affecting communities in rural and regional Australia.

Matt Shanahan

Matt Shanahan

Principal

B.Tech. (Env.)

Matt has been working in the water/irrigation industry for the past 15 years, having spent the last 12 years with RMCG consulting to a range of private and government clients.  Matt has worked extensively in the field of recycled water and organics management, having prepared master plans, land capability assessments, irrigation management plans and environmental management plans for a range of clients.  He is also experienced in the development of works approval applications and undertaking technical assessments involving the management of soils, nutrients and salinity/sodicity.

Clinton Muller

Clinton Muller

Senior Consultant

M.Sust.Ag., B.Bus. (Hons), B.A.

Clinton has extensive experience in sustainable agriculture, with a specialist focus on horticulture and intensive production systems. With a strong agricultural industry focus, Clinton has worked across a range of agricultural commodities and natural resource management issues in Australia and internationally.  Clinton’s diverse range of capacities including program design and management, stakeholder engagement, partnership management, monitoring evaluation and reporting, extension, facilitation, action research and science communication.

Carl Larsen

Carl Larsen

Associate

B.Env.Sci., B.Soc.Sci. (Env.), PG.Cert.CCPI.

Carl is a socio-environmental scientist with 15 years’ experience in planning, delivery and evaluation of agriculture and natural resource management programs, integrated water management, climate change and stakeholder engagement. He understands the practical implications of policy and science on communities and agriculture. Carl has worked with a range of government departments, resource management agencies, research and development corporations, private organisations and communities around Australia on catchment management, sustainable water use, resource management in agriculture/horticulture, land use, climate change, strategic planning, industry development, extension and practice change.

Dr Claire Feniuk

Dr Claire Feniuk

Senior Consultant

PhD, MSc., BSc. (Hons)

Claire is passionate about working on the interface between research, policy and practice to support sustainable land management. Through her research and policy experience, Claire has gained insight into a wide range of approaches to agriculture and natural resource management worldwide and brings an international perspective to our team.

Dimi Kyriakou

Dimi Kyriakou

Communications Consultant

B.Comm. (Journalism)

Dimi is RMCG’s first dedicated Communications Consultant with expertise in content and strategy development, editing, website and social media curation, survey design and analysis, desktop publishing, media relations and crisis communications.

Dimi is passionate about delivering clear communications services to Australia’s agricultural, environmental and regional community sectors. She is skilled in communicating complex information in a clear and informative way that is easily understood by the target audience.

Ossie Lang

Ossie Lang

Consultant

B.Ag.Sci., Cert IV Project Management

Ossie provides project delivery and technical capability. His key areas of expertise are in farming systems, data management, client and supplier relations, logistics and business support. He is the VegNET Tasmania regional development officer for the vegetable industry, delivering extension and technology transfer to the vegetable industry.

Tristan Wardley

Tristan Wardley

Senior Consultant

B.Ag.Sci. (Hons)

Tristan is an experienced economics consultant at RMCG. He has worked across the agriculture and horticulture industries and has experience in natural resource management. Tristan is experienced in business and financial planning and decision analysis.

He has a thorough understanding of business structural change, specialising in micro-economic investment and production decisions, with a particular interest and skill set in risk analysis. His experience within the agricultural industry through private and public forums has given him the opportunity to contribute to progressive agricultural research.

Tristan has a developed commercial, operational and strategic skill set, and a deep understanding of sustainable and profitable business models.  He has extensive experience in stakeholder engagement and understands the range of factors influencing a business owner’s needs, risks and aspirations.

 

Deb Prentice

Deb Prentice

Senior Consultant

B.A., G.Dip.Bus., Dip.NRM.

Deb’s key areas of expertise are in community engagement, facilitation and strategic thinking. She has experience in both public sector and corporate organisations and her relevant training underlies a commitment to build team and community capacity, sustainable health and wellbeing and improving equity and diversity. Deb has led regional and corporate teams, formally and informally, in community engagement and activation to reach decisions and efficiencies around strategic action planning, cultural diversity, performance planning, workforce diversity and inclusion and stakeholder mapping. Her experience in working with diverse communities including people with disabilities, Aboriginal staff members, Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) Communities to roll out programs and enable joint direction setting provide her with a deeper understanding into people’s values, experiences and needs.

Emily Tee

Emily Tee

Senior Consultant

B.Ag.Sci., Grad.Dip.App.Sci. (Hort), Dip.Bus.

Emily is a multi-skilled professional with experience in design, delivery and review of programs and projects in the environmental and agricultural sectors. She combines excellent strategic thinking skills with a proven ability to problem-solve and effectively communicate with colleagues and stakeholders. Emily has particular skills in relationship building and collaboration with individuals, teams and industry groups to lead and implement change and deliver on outcomes.

Morag Anderson

Morag Anderson

Consultant

BSc (Hons), Dip.Proj.Mgmnt

Morag is an experienced project manager, with a great ability to synthesise technical information and communicate it to a wide audience.  She has a great understanding of regulatory processes. She also brings critical thinking and an awareness of individual differences and needs to projects.  She has a science background with a broad understanding of environmental disciplines.

Jake Gaudion

Jake Gaudion

Consultant

B.Sc. (Ag.Sci), M.Ag.Sci. (Food Sustainability)

Jake is a driven Master of Agriculture Science graduate passionate about the interaction between agriculture, the environment and communities across the world. He is eager to utilise his agricultural, scientific, social and natural resource management knowledge to contribute to a more sustainable future.

Jake developed a strong passion for agriculture during his studies, particularly the environmental aspects of food production. He has a comprehensive understanding of the importance of improving efficiency of food production to improve overall sustainability

Natasha Frazer

Natasha Frazer

Consultant

BSc (Chemical Systems)

Natasha has recently joined RMCG and has a degree and experience in Chemical Systems. She has an interest in the agri-food and environmental sectors and has theoretical and practical knowledge in process engineering, sustainability, agriculture and waste management.

Nick Beresnev

Nick Beresnev

Consultant

B.A., B.Comm., M.Env.Sci. & Policy

Nick has over 15 years’ experience in Australia and internationally as an economist, project manager and policy advisor, with a focus on natural resource management, climate change, agriculture, forestry, energy, water and international trade.

He has expertise in project- and industry-level economic analysis in a range of sectors as well as extensive experience in project design (including monitoring frameworks, work plans and budgets), primary and secondary research (including survey design and community consultation) and stakeholder management at a government and private sector level.

Nick has excellent communication skills, covering technical publications, monitoring reports and policy briefs.

Case Studies

Opportunities for CALD communities in agriculture

22 MAR 2023

People from CALD backgrounds make up a minimum of 11% of Australia's agricultural workforce. However, an opportunity exists to capture their diverse skills, experience and ideas to fill skills gaps in...

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High-tech horticulture in Australia: What could it look like?

08 FEB 2022

In 2021, RMCG's team of horticulture experts and economists worked with the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) and global urban agriculture consultancy Agritecture to investigate effective urban f...

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Organic waste opportunities in Tasmania

16 DEC 2021

Tasmania is a state of great natural beauty with many unique and protected environmental values as well as productive agricultural lands, vibrant manufacturing industries, and an innovative hospit...

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Coordinating pest and disease R&D for the Australian potato industry

15 NOV 2021

Kristen and Doris coordinated the Australian potato pest and disease R&D program, funded by Hort Innovation, from 2018 to 2021. Key activities to inform industry of pest and disease research outco...

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Developing irrigated agriculture in southern Victoria

03 NOV 2021

A willingness to invest in agriculture is currently strong in Victoria's central Gippsland region, given high demand for quality food supply, low interest rates, good access to markets and the natural...

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A practical guide to effective landholder engagement

07 SEP 2021

When engaging with landholders, we are often asking them to change practices on their property. This is not a straightforward request, and the term 'practice change' is often used without understandin...

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An agricultural workforce plan for Tasmania’s north west

31 MAR 2021

Agriculture is a significant contributor to the Tasmanian economy at $2.4 billion annually. While the sector has undergone a significant technological evolution over the past couple of decades, resul...

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GIS in practice: Using spatial data to add value

29 MAR 2021

Culturally and Linguistically Diverse workforce gaps in agriculture We conducted research for Agriculture Victoria to identify where Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) communities are co-l...

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Roadmap to a resilient Goulburn Murray region

20 AUG 2020

In the coming decades, agriculture and land management within Victoria’s Goulburn Murray region will face many major changes associated with climate change, water recovery for the environment, techn...

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Profitable Integration of Cropping and Livestock

19 FEB 2019

As a national project partner, RMCG was engaged by Rural Directions to collect and analyse benchmarking datasets for mixed farming businesses across Southern and Northern Victoria. Working with 20 pro...

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