The Hidden Economics of Farm Life: Succession, business and drought
Farm life can sometimes be romanticised, with the wide open spaces, animals and the freedom to do what you want. You might love the bush and your community…but are you actually happy?
There are many factors that influence our wellbeing. This includes how well the business is running financially, farm succession (including whether it has been worked out or not) and your experiences of drought and natural disaster (including how many times you’ve been impacted). Then of course, all of these factors intersect. So, that’s why we’re looking at these issues altogether.
Indeed, 49% of women are contributing to farming community value, but only 10% of family farms are being succeeded by daughters.
Hear from:
Alice Byrnes - Family lawyer and Co-Director at Cheyney Suthers Lawyers. She shares her own personal experience of growing up, when her grandparents died unexpectedly, without a clear plan for what would happen to the farm.
Prof. Jacki Schermer - lead researcher on the Regional Wellbeing Survey team at the University of Canberra. Her research has found that happiness in rural areas has gone down recently.
There are big and sometimes difficult conversations that need to be had when working with family on the farm.
This episode will remind you why it’s so important to have them… and have them often enough to keep up with the inevitable changes and unpredictable events that come with life on the land.
Resources:
From Crisis to Clarity Report: Proactive and Collaborative Farm Succession - Cheney Suthers Lawyers
The Regional Wellbeing 2025 survey is open to responses now!
Follow Ducks on the Pond on Instagram. This is a Rural Podcasting Co. production - we help you tell your own story. Love this podcast? You might also like: Two Smart Blondes and Town Criers.
