Anna Cotton
A sixth generation Tasmanian farmer is calling on Australian family farms to embrace diversification, stronger community connection and proactive policy engagement to remain profitable, resilient and environmentally responsible into the future.
Anna Cotton, 2024 Nuffield Australia Scholar from Swansea, Tasmania, has released her report Future proofing the family farm, exploring the growing pressures facing family farming businesses including rising land values, climate volatility, increasing input costs and shifting consumer expectations.
Supported by Rabobank Australia, Anna’s research draws on insights from Australia and overseas, including Brazil, Zimbabwe, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and New Zealand, highlighting practical strategies farms are using to stay competitive while strengthening their social licence and environmental stewardship.
“Family farms remain central to Australia’s identity and our future. We manage most of the agricultural landscape, so we are also uniquely placed to influence environmental outcomes. But we cannot rely on tradition alone. We need to be proactive, listen to markets, and evolve with confidence,” Anna said.
The report outlines how diversification can reduce risk and create stability through additional income streams such as agritourism, value adding products and renewable energy, while also helping rebuild connection between urban and rural communities through on farm experiences and storytelling.
Anna also examines how policy settings can shape the future of family farms, pointing to international examples such as changes to inheritance tax in the United Kingdom and emerging tax discussions in Australia. She emphasises the importance of early succession planning and the need for clearer distinctions between passive landholding and active land management in policy design.
“The future of the family farm is bigger than any one family. It is about the people we employ, the communities we support, and the responsibility we carry as custodians of the land,” Anna said.
Investor Information:
Rabobank Australia is a part of the international Rabobank Group, the world’s leading specialist in food and agribusiness banking.
In addition to agribusiness finance and business support, Rabobank provides access to a host of specialists whose expertise ranges from succession planning and business management education through to commodity price and foreign exchange risk management, as well as 90 international food and agribusiness analysts and an impressive global network of farming clients in 38 countries.
Website: www.rabobank.com.au
