RCS Australia (Resource Consulting Services)

RCS Australia: training and consulting for agricultural producers

Resource Consulting Services (RCS) is an Australian company that works with producers and graziers to improve the management of their properties. Its activity combines courses, personalised advice and coaching programmes focused on grazing management, business skills and financial literacy. The firm states it has been helping thousands of producers in Australia since 1985.

Farm management courses

RCS's training catalogue is structured around several face-to-face and online programmes:

• Grazing for Profit: a 6.5-day grazing and livestock management course, presented by the company as its flagship agribusiness course in Australia.
• Grazing Clinics: a 2.5-day intensive version.
• Business Fundamentals Workshops: workshops on business fundamentals.
• Online Courses: distance learning.
• Keep In Touch (KIT): a follow-up programme.
• Free Farm Field Day: a free field day.

The company also publishes a map of courses in Australia to locate upcoming sessions.

Advisory and coaching

The advisory area includes the Next Steps coaching programme, the FarmEye business intelligence software, soil carbon and natural capital advisory services, and the firm's team of advisors. ExecutiveLink is a membership-based peer advisory board programme focused on accountability and benchmarking performance.

Resources and tools

RCS makes tools such as FarmEye, the LSU/DSE rating calculator and grazing charts available to its clients, as well as a members' area. It also provides information on grants and scholarships, such as the RCS Rural Profit Scholarship and other funding opportunities.

Projects and natural resource management groups

The company participates in special projects such as Pioneer Plus, Pathfinder, Pioneer, Soil and Landscapes, Grassroots and the Gateway project, and collaborates with natural resource management (NRM) groups by supporting their funding objectives and the adoption of sustainable farming practices.

Educational content and publications

RCS maintains a blog and an educational newsletter, Profitable Paddocks, with regular content on farm management. It publishes producer case studies, such as that of graziers from Roma (Queensland) who share strategies for building drought-resilient businesses, and produces The Warble podcast, dedicated to agribusiness education. The company also organised the Convergence Conference 2022 and has a specific section on women in agriculture.

Team and approach

The firm notes that most of its team are or have been producers, which guides its approach towards the real needs of the sector. David McLean is listed as managing director and as a facilitator of the Grazing for Profit course. Among the published profiles are advisors such as Ben Simpson, a grazier and coach in central-west Queensland, and Richard Page, who heads a fourth-generation family sheep farming operation in south-west New South Wales.

Location and contact

2/75 John St, Yeppoon QLD 4703