A symposium in Armidale later this month will attempt to establish if superannuation-funded agribusinesses represents a good deal for rural Australia.
Also up for debate is whether the small farm family enterprise model is suitable for growth funded by outside equity.
The Rural Focus 2016 symposium aims to improve links between commercial enterprises and the University of New England’s (UNE) education and research platforms.
Former National Farmers Federation president and current director of industry rural and regional superannuation fund, Prime Super, Duncan Fraser, heads a line up of industry presenters.
He is concerned some regulatory controls imposed on Australian super funds restrict their ability to invest more widely in long-term agricultural projects.
Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce has been a strong campaigner for a greater share of the super fund pie to go into rural infrastructure.
Mr Fraser, also chairman of the Sheep Co-operative Research Centre, will look at some of the larger farmland ownership models spreading through rural Australia.
The symposium, organised by the Robb College Foundation, will explore farm sector investment themes covering agribusiness models, employment and careers and technology and efficiency.
Primary producers, agricultural policy makers, rural investment brokers and agriculture students will attend the event which precedes the Farming Futures Expo at UNE on July 29.
Large corporate models are not new in Australian agriculture and have had their share of notable successes and failures.
Mr Fraser said finding new funding or business models was one of the seven strategic challenges facing agriculture in Australasia identified in recent industry reports.
He said making a suitable rate of return for lenders and shareholders while managing the widely fluctuating weather, water, pest and market prices facing agriculture in Australia was beyond the normal algorithms used by the current investment market.
Chief executive officer of American-owned integrated cotton and grain business, Auscott, Harvey Gaynor, will also speak.
Auscott has operated successfully in Australia for more than 55 years.
Mr Gaynor will discuss how the company, which grew from family based values, has been so successful, also identifying methods used to help reduce risk.
Another strategic issue is retaining a quality workforce.
Asia Pacific corporate affairs head with crop protection and seed giant Syngenta, Andrew McConville will share details on that company’s best practice methods for recruiting training and retaining a quality agricultural workforce.
To register for the symposium go to www.une.edu.au/ruralfocus.