Machinery Investment Workshops next week!
Machinery investment is one of the biggest and riskiest financial decisions in a farm business. Get it right, and machinery boosts efficiency and profitability. Get it wrong, and it quietly erodes margins, cash flow, and resilience. This January, Eyre Peninsula growers will have the opportunity to step back from day-to-day operations and take a clear, practical look at whether their machinery investment is really working for their business.
AIR EP is pleased to host a five-session regional workshop series focused on making better machinery investment and replacement decisions. Delivered by Peter Newman (Planfarm) and Andy Bates (Bates Ag Consulting), these interactive sessions will provide growers with practical tools, benchmarks, and confidence to assess machinery costs and make informed decisions that suit their scale and system.
Each session runs for 3 hours (including a mid-session break) and is capped at 12 farm businesses to allow for discussion, activities, and peer learning.
đź“Ť Session Dates
Monday 19 January – Smoky Bay Community Club | 2–5pm
Tuesday 20 January – Port Kenny Sports Club | 2–5pm SOLD OUT – put your name on a waitlist or select another location
Wednesday 21 January – Lucky Bay/Cowell (venue TBC) | 2–5pm
Thursday 22 January – Port Neill (venue TBC) | 2–5pm
Friday 23 January – Coffin Bay Sporting Club | 1–4pm
What Will Be Covered?
Participants will work through:
Farm business ratios, including machinery-to-income benchmarks
Calculating your own average income and machinery ratio
Machinery investment across different farm scales
Replacement planning and schedules
Funding options: hire purchase vs cash
When (and why) it may make sense to break the rules
The sessions are practical, numbers-based, and designed to be directly applicable to individual farm businesses.
Why Attend?
Understand whether your machinery spend matches your business performance
Gain clarity around replacement timing and funding decisions
Learn from experienced consultants and fellow growers
Build confidence in machinery decisions before the next investment cycle
Numbers are limited and interest is expected to be strong.
Check out our events page for registrations.
For further information, contact Naomi Scholz, eo@airep.com.au or 0428 540 670.
RDA Eyre Peninsula is pleased to support these workshops through the Small Business Fundamentals Program’s drought support activities. The program is an initiative of the Government of South Australia’s Office for Small and Family Business and the South Australian Small Business Strategy 2023 – 2030.
