06 August 2026

Get Ahead Of It: Farmers urged to seek clarity before a crisis

Rural Financial Counselling Service Southern Queensland (RFCSSQ) is urging farmers to seek clarity before a crisis, with more primary producers seeing the benefits of asking for help early.

Farmers are responding to tougher economic conditions by reaching out for independent, practical and impartial support that is making a real difference to their financial and personal outlook.

Business and Rural Solutions (BRS) Rural Program Manager Kim Corfield oversees the service delivery activities of the RFCSSQ said that being proactive can bring clarity before a crisis hits. 

‘By being proactive early, primary producers can gain peace of mind and a greater understanding of the positive steps they can take before things get worse.

‘Having a farm health check, a fresh look at cash flow, and mapping out a plan backed by a team of experts can make a huge difference. That is what seeking clarity before a crisis is all about.’ she said.

The Get Ahead Of It webinar series offers practical, up to the minute information and guidance to primary producers, delivered by trusted experts including local Rural Financial Counsellors (RFCs).

Get Ahead of It aims to help primary producers to do exactly that. To give them the confidence to seek the help that is available before financial, business or personal pressures risks becoming a significant crisis.

The webinar series features topical issues each month with the topic for August being What Your Cashflow Is Trying To Tell You. Registered participants will be able to watch live and ask questions of invited industry experts.

Rural Financial Counsellor and webinar guest Michael Fagg has supported Darling Downs primary producers in Toowoomba and surrounding areas for over 20 years and with his strong agricultural banking background warns that primary producers may encounter additional pressures because of the recently declared El Niño conditions.

‘In June the Bureau of Meteorology announced the return of El Niño conditions. It is even more important for primary producers to review their potential financial and operational challenges associated with a drier climate outlook.

‘Our network of experienced and trained Rural Financial Counsellors are embedded in rural and regional communities. Our local knowledge ensures that we provide tailored, free and confidential support to primary producers in hardship, or at risk of being in hardship’, he said.

At the August webinar, BRS Board Director and agribusiness specialist Leanne Rudd will share her 34 years of expertise in taxation, wealth management and financial oversight. With over two decades of board-level experience, her insights reinforce that now is the right time for primary producers need to look at their books.

‘With the new financial year off and running now is the right time to review your cashflow position, consider the seasonal outlook and ensure that you are as best prepared as you can be for what lies ahead,’ she said.

‘As a BRS Board Member I am extremely proud of our RFCs for stepping up to deliver the ‘Get Ahead Of It’ webinar series.

‘The webinars offer practical information and are easily accessible to primary producers who can choose to register for the live event where they can interactively ask questions, watch on demand on YouTube afterwards or listen to the conversations in the tractor cab or on Spotify.

‘We are really working hard to get credible, valuable information in the hands of our primary producers and invite them to talk to us early’, she said.

Get Ahead of It is for primary producers to do exactly that – giving them the confidence to seek the help that is available particularly before financial, business or personal pressures risk becoming a significant crisis. Register for the webinar on 20 August 2026 at 12pm at www.getaheadofit.org.au

About Business & Rural Solutions Queensland

Business & Rural Solutions (BRS) t/a Rural Financial Counselling Service Southern Queensland is a leading not-for-profit organisation focused on being the preferred provider of valuable support to rural and small businesses and their communities. Commencing in 1999, we have continuously partnered with local, state and federal government and philanthropic bodies to undertake proactive service delivery that empowers the rural and small business sectors.

BRS owns and manages the programs of its primary brands, including RFCS Southern Queensland, Small Business Financial Counselling Service Southern Queensland (SBFCSSQ), and Rural Solutions Queensland (RSQ).