Central West farm benchmarking project

Project overview

Farmers and producers in the Central West are boosting their farm’s profitability and sustainability through this benchmarking project with Central West Local Land Services (CWLLS).

Adapt 2 – Optimising resources for enhanced production – builds on previous successes with the CWLLS Adapt project to reduce threats to agriculture in the region, which include:  

• low ground cover causing soil to erode
• insufficient knowledge of land management practices and appropriate intervention actions
• limited knowledge about sources of on-farm emissions and emission reduction practices
• a changing climate and rainfall patterns resulting in variable seasonal conditions and financial returns.

During the project period from April 2025 to December 2027, participants are receiving:  

• coaching
• guidance
• resources  
• ongoing support to improve their farming business. 

Project objectives

This project establishes strong, long-term peer-based networks across the Central West NSW region to drive business improvement, highly efficient production and careful nurturing of natural on-farm assets. 

This project assists Central West farmers and producers to:

• adopt practices that reduce emissions
• build resilience to climate change
• drive sustainable agricultural growth
• improve production efficiency
• participate in carbon and natural capital conservation.

The first step in this process is ensuring their agricultural businesses are profitable and sustainably productive.

Project delivery

This project brings together farmers from across the region into economic benchmarking groups coordinated by farm economic benchmarking consultant Agrista.  

Business benchmarking focuses on finances and emissions to identify areas for improving production efficiency.

In addition to benchmarking and financial upskilling activities, CWLLS is delivering production focused training to participants on complimentary demonstration sites to facilitate paddock-based learning and farmer-driven solutions. 

Farm benchmarking meetings  

The benchmarking component comprises 2 parts:  

• dataset baseline data entry to help build individual farm business benchmark reports
• group analysis meetings, managed by Agrista.  

The Agrista team is providing a combination of support to help participants obtain their benchmarking datasets. This includes online financial literacy training workshops and one-to-one data entry assistance as well as group face-to-face sessions.

Using participant benchmark reports, there are 2 group interpretation meetings held in person each year to present the results and discuss trends. In these sessions the group looks at key drivers of business performance and where improvements may be possible. 

Benchmarking reports  

The benchmarking report provides an analysis of financial performance.   

It is calculated using metrics for the whole farm, per unit area (ha) and per unit of livestock production per Dry Sheep Equivalent (DSE).   

This includes: 

• calculation of gross profit
• enterprise expenses
• overhead expenses (including depreciation of plant and equipment at market value and excluding capital expenditure from repairs and maintenance).   

Using this information, the benchmarking report provides productivity measures at a whole farm level, including: 

• return on assets managed
• operating return on equity
• operating profit (% gross profit)
• gross profit per full time equivalent labour unit
• scale (DSE managed).

Production-focused training  

Producers are required to attend at least 2 training sessions per year.  

Examples of workshops Local Land Services staff are equipped to deliver include training and advice on:

• cropping practices
• pasture assessment
• fodder conservation
• carbon farming
• natural capital
• livestock assessments
• soil masterclasses
• and many more.

Activities will be driven primarily by what is relevant to the benchmarking group.  

At one of the first training sessions, CWLLS will help producers obtain their net carbon emissions baseline.   

Use of data

Ownership of the benchmarking data is retained by the business contributing the data. Agrista and Local Land Services reserve the right to use the data. More information is provided in the application form.

Eligibility

Farmers and producers interested in collaborating with Local Land Services to trial and demonstrate the use of benchmarking for improving production efficiency are eligible to apply provided their farm is:

• a registered business with financial records from the 2024 calendar year onwards
• based in, or have part of their farming business located in, the Central West LLS region.  

Commitment

The project involves 2 benchmarking meetings per year as well as 2 production training sessions.

To be eligible, you must be willing to:  

• attend a minimum of 2 benchmarking meetings and 2 training sessions per year in 2025, 2026 and 2027
• travel up to 3 hours to attend meetings due to the size of the CWLLS region – participants will be grouped geographically where possible to minimise travel. 

Cost

The cost of entry to this project is only $500 per business per year (a fraction of the commercial rate of $3,000 to $6,000).

Places are limited.

How to apply

The project commenced in March 2025. Those interested in participating in the project or hearing the results can contact the project team for further information or lodge an application form. 

Submit an EOI

Project timeline  

2025–27   

• Select participants and establish work agreements (participant selection will conclude in 2026). 
• Facilitate benchmarking groups and deliver individual reports to participating farmers and producers.
• Deliver 2 production-based training sessions per year for participants.
• Deliver 2 benchmarking workshops per year to present insights and the levers driving productivity.
• Establish demonstration sites for participants to build skills, knowledge and confidence in applying new learnings. 

2028 

At project close on 30 June 2028: 

• A total of 6 benchmarking workshops delivered for participants.
• A total of 6 production-based training sessions delivered for participants.
• 90 farm benchmark datasets delivered for calendar years 2025, 2026 and 2027.
• 20 demonstration sites or on-farm trials delivered.
• Outcomes reporting.  

Funding and partnerships

Our key delivery partners are:

• farmers
• private land and livestock managers
• Agrista farm economic benchmarking consultant.

This project is supported by the Australian Government through funding from the Natural Heritage Trust under the Climate-Smart Agriculture Program and delivered by Central West Local Land Services, a member of the Commonwealth Regional Delivery Partners panel.