Failed plans prompt farmer’s podcast on succession

South Australian farmer Gillian Fennell has launched a podcast to call attention to the challenges of succession planning.

For Marla farmer Gillian Fennell, more than two decades farming and failed succession planning is proving to be something of the “norm” for Australia’s producers.

“We’re starting to get anxious about our future and have tried unsuccessfully for about 10 years to even start the conversation in a productive sense,” Ms Fennell said.

“Despite being here for 22 years working for [my husband’s] family, we still don’t have a succession plan.”

Her familial experiences with trying to plan for future generations and secure a viable future have inspired her six-episode podcast, ‘Suck-cession’.

A recent Grant Thornton survey report showed 72 per cent of responding families labelled succession planning crucial for their businesses’ short-term futures, but 15 per cent had no plans in place for succession.

“We’re not the exception, we’re the norm in Australian agriculture,” Ms Fennell.

Ms Fennell has three children, aged 18, 13 and nine. She said her and her husband had encouraged their children to pursue formal qualifications and secure financial independence.

She is now a mature-age student in her first time studying – and the first in her family to pursue tertiary education – with a Bachelor of Communications at the University of South Australia.

Her podcast initially started as an assignment for her degree, which led to her further exploring the dynamic on Australian family farms.

“There are really bright, intelligent, industry leaders this is happening to,” Ms Fennell said.

“And that made me think ‘that’s a bit like bullshit’.”

The podcast features NFF chief executive Tony Mahar, Dr Lucie Newsome on gender roles in farm succession, ‘The Rural Mum’ Katja Williams, a financial planner and solicitor, and more.

Ms Fennell said she decided to manage a survey, which had already collected 160 responses – with about one third of the responses from men.

“This lack of attention is slowly eating away at the fabric of Australian agriculture,” she said.

“It’s a black mark against our industry.”

She encouraged farmers to ensure agreements were solidified in writing.

“If we’re serious about being world leaders, we need to look at all the aspects of our industry,” Ms Fennell said.

“I want a better life for my kids.”