A candid new series featuring leading primary producers will address some of the biggest issues in farming and put forward solutions aimed at future proofing Australian family farms.

Farmers, fishers and other primary producers are known for their resilience, but in the last few years they have faced unprecedented challenges: drought, fires, floods, global commodity and export market impacts, COVID-19 restrictions, issues highlighted in the Banking Royal Commission and investment barriers pushing more family farms to outside ownership. Co-operative farming is seen as one model that can assist, giving farmers competitive advantage and market power by scaling, collaborating and innovating.

A new and unique live streamed series, Co-operative Conversations, hears from farmers and producers who are successfully using co-operative farming business models to transform their business and communities. Hosted by renowned agricultural journalist Pete Lewis, the series showcases candid conversations and the real-life experiences of Australia’s farming frontline. Through a range of interviews and roundtables, primary producers and the businesses they work with will get a closer look at co-operative business models in the face of a challenge or crisis, where the model does and doesn’t succeed, and just how relevant and transformational it can be.

The ten-episode, fortnightly series will be released on 17 June and run until 23 October 2020. For more information and to register: Co-operative Conversations