{"id":11786,"date":"2026-09-11T11:30:57","date_gmt":"2026-09-11T01:30:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mli.org.au\/home\/?p=11786"},"modified":"2026-09-11T11:44:34","modified_gmt":"2026-09-11T01:44:34","slug":"case-study-conversations-that-matter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mli.org.au\/home\/case-study-conversations-that-matter\/","title":{"rendered":"Case Study: Conversations that matter"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wpb-content-wrapper\"><p>[vc_row][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/3&#8243;][vc_single_image image=&#8221;11787&#8243; img_size=&#8221;large&#8221; css=&#8221;&#8221;][vc_single_image image=&#8221;11788&#8243; img_size=&#8221;large&#8221; css=&#8221;&#8221;][vc_cta h2=&#8221;Key Facts&#8221; css=&#8221;&#8221;]<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>20 participants attended<\/li>\n<li>Agricultural Women\u2019s network environment<\/li>\n<li>Skills gained in Xero and Farm Business<\/li>\n<li>Future learning topics identified<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>[\/vc_cta][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;2\/3&#8243;][vc_column_text css=&#8221;&#8221;]<\/p>\n<div class=\"content-block issue-block\">\n<p><strong>A workshop discussion revealed the importance of creating safe spaces where people can openly share experiences, seek guidance, and find support.<\/strong><\/p>\n<h2>The issue<\/h2>\n<p><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW138942525 BCX0\">The sudden loss of a key family member carries a great deal of sorrow<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW138942525 BCX0\">.<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW138942525 BCX0\">\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW138942525 BCX0\">B<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW138942525 BCX0\">ut when that person was also the primary decision make<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW138942525 BCX0\">r<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW138942525 BCX0\">\u00a0and business manager, the emotional toll is even greater. Navigating a new position in the business,\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW138942525 BCX0\">maintaining<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW138942525 BCX0\">\u00a0farm operations, managing finances, and making decisions can leave family members feeling isolated without adequate support.\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW138942525 BCX0\">Although t<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW138942525 BCX0\">hese themes were not the intended focus for our recent workshop,\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW138942525 BCX0\">appropriate plan<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW138942525 BCX0\">ning<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW138942525 BCX0\">\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW138942525 BCX0\">preparation allowed for\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW138942525 BCX0\">unforeseen<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW138942525 BCX0\">\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW138942525 BCX0\">conversations<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW138942525 BCX0\">\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW138942525 BCX0\">to\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW138942525 BCX0\">emerge<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW138942525 BCX0\">\u00a0and bring meaningful connections to\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW138942525 BCX0\">the\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW138942525 BCX0\">event.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"content-block solution-block\">\n<h2>The solution<\/h2>\n<p><span class=\"TextRun SCXW70448887 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-AU\" xml:lang=\"EN-AU\" data-contrast=\"none\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW70448887 BCX0\">The Farm Business and Xero Efficiencies workshop was held in Temora on the 9<\/span><\/span><span class=\"TextRun SCXW70448887 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-AU\" xml:lang=\"EN-AU\" data-contrast=\"none\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun Superscript SCXW70448887 BCX0\" data-fontsize=\"11\">th<\/span><\/span><span class=\"TextRun SCXW70448887 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-AU\" xml:lang=\"EN-AU\" data-contrast=\"none\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW70448887 BCX0\">\u00a0of April. This was a Landcare led workshop funded through the Local Land Services Climate-Smart Agriculture<\/span><\/span><span class=\"TextRun SCXW70448887 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-AU\" xml:lang=\"EN-AU\" data-contrast=\"none\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW70448887 BCX0\">\u00a0<\/span><\/span><span class=\"TextRun SCXW70448887 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-AU\" xml:lang=\"EN-AU\" data-contrast=\"none\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW70448887 BCX0\">funding project. Presented by Carmen Quade from Agrifocused, the workshop was a\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW70448887 BCX0\">hands-on<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW70448887 BCX0\">\u00a0demonstration for participants to improve their knowledge in bookkeeping, payroll, invoicing, tax coding, emails, and using the Xero software platform more efficiently. The topic was very well received<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW70448887 BCX0\">\u00a0by<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW70448887 BCX0\">\u00a020 participants,\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW70448887 BCX0\">predominantly made<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW70448887 BCX0\">\u00a0up of women from farming families.\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW70448887 BCX0\">A g<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW70448887 BCX0\">roup learning environment<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW70448887 BCX0\">,<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW70448887 BCX0\">\u00a0centre<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW70448887 BCX0\">d<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW70448887 BCX0\">\u00a0on\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW70448887 BCX0\">peer-to-peer<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW70448887 BCX0\">\u00a0learning,\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW70448887 BCX0\">encouraged<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW70448887 BCX0\">\u00a0shared experiences, group bonding and buil<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW70448887 BCX0\">t<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW70448887 BCX0\">\u00a0trust between participants. This was a dynamic that Carmen Quade excels at within her workshop presentation.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><span class=\"EOP Selected SCXW70448887 BCX0\" data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"content-block impact-block\">\n<h2>The impact<\/h2>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">This supportive atmosphere was\u00a0demonstrated\u00a0through the lunch discussion, where women shared the recent loss of a husband,\u00a0father\u00a0and farm business manager in a vulnerable moment.\u00a0\u00a0The space allowed for the women present to connect through honest discussion about grief, resilience, and how they moved through the stages of farm business succession in a time of loss.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">While the workshop\u00a0was\u00a0very successful, with participants going home with gained skills, it was the added emotional reassurance and guidance that stood out. The\u00a0participants\u00a0feeling understood, and not alone in facing these circumstances,\u00a0became one of the most valuable outcomes of the day. It\u00a0demonstrated\u00a0the importance of creating an environment where people are comfortable to\u00a0share and\u00a0reinforced\u00a0the strength of agricultural networks for providing support to overcome challenging times.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">Inspired by the conversations and the clear need for ongoing support, our future follow up workshop will focus on succession planning and strengthening the networks that help farming families prepare for change.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\"><a href=\"http:\/\/mli.org.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Murrumbidgee-Landcare-Inc-Conversations-that-matter-Case-Study.pdf\">Case Study: Conversations that matter<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Author: <em>Brittany Hicks<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"tag-line\">Capacity building\u00a0&#8211;\u00a0LEP23_036_LLC4_10<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[vc_row][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/3&#8243;][vc_single_image image=&#8221;11787&#8243; img_size=&#8221;large&#8221; css=&#8221;&#8221;][vc_single_image image=&#8221;11788&#8243; img_size=&#8221;large&#8221; css=&#8221;&#8221;][vc_cta h2=&#8221;Key Facts&#8221; css=&#8221;&#8221;] 20 participants attended Agricultural Women\u2019s network environment Skills gained in Xero and Farm Business Future learning topics identified [\/vc_cta][\/vc_column][vc_column [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":31,"featured_media":11787,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"saved_in_kubio":false,"pmpro_default_level":"","iawp_total_views":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[341],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11786","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lep-case-studies","pmpro-has-access"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mli.org.au\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11786","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mli.org.au\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mli.org.au\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mli.org.au\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/31"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mli.org.au\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11786"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/mli.org.au\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11786\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11791,"href":"https:\/\/mli.org.au\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11786\/revisions\/11791"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mli.org.au\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11787"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mli.org.au\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11786"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mli.org.au\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11786"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mli.org.au\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11786"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}