Farming, Family, Future
Australia’s next generation of agricultural leaders will take centre stage at the Agribusiness Summit 2026, a two-day event bringing together farming families, agribusiness professionals and industry leaders to explore the future of family business, succession and sustainable land management.
Held in Goondiwindi on Thursday, 12 and Friday 13 March, the Summit will combine a high-impact conference, an evening networking event and a hands-on field day, all designed to support stronger, more resilient farm businesses across generations.
Conference Day – Thursday, 12 March.
The Conference Day will focus on integrating family and business, preparing future leaders and navigating succession with clarity and confidence.
The program will be hosted by Jack Cresswell, founder and host of the Farms Advice podcast and will feature a diverse lineup of speakers sharing real-world insights from successful family enterprises and specialist advisory roles.
Confirmed speakers include:
• Karen Penfold, Four Daughters Beef – We Are Family, We Are Four Daughters Beef, sharing the story of building a brand and business as a family.
• Malinda Guest, Boundless Psychology – delivering a practical workshop on communication, equipping families and workplaces to navigate difficult conversations before crises escalate and maintain family harmony.
• The Coggan Siblings, Coggan Farms, Meandarra – a large beef, lamb and grain operation on the Western Downs, recently featured on the Humans of Agriculture podcast in the episode “Stronger Together”. Tom Coggan will speak on what the next generation can bring to the family business.
• Jim Benson, Transition Partners – an expert in family business transition and succession, having presented at Beef 2024, Jim will provide practical tips on how families can successfully navigate generational transition and how to prepare the next generation for future success.
Evening Family BBQ – Thursday, 12 March
The summit will continue with an informal BBQ networking event at the Goondiwindi Race Club, providing delegates, speakers and sponsors the opportunity to connect in a relaxed setting. Guest speakers from leading family operations may also feature during the evening.
Field Day – Friday, 13 March
The field day will deliver a practical, on-farm learning experience hosted by Tom and Antoinette Archer at one of their family properties. The Archers are renown leaders in farming across the Goondiwindi region with their holistic and regenerative management practices having transformed their once tired and degraded properties into profitable and productive enterprises.
MC’d again by Jack Cresswell, the field day will include:
• A guided farm tour observing the Archer’s winter dominant pastures grown under centre pivots, how they use the Optiweigh system to monitor growth and weights of cattle and their simplified electric fencing system to manage cattle rotations.
• Insights into the Archer’s carbon project being undertaken with CarbonLink, one of Queensland’s first carbon projects and now in its final stages.
• Leading perspectives on regenerative agriculture and natural capital.
Confirmed speakers include:
• Tom Archer, Archer Pastoral – local Goondiwindi grazier, well respected across the country for his regenerative management practices.
• Terry McCosker, CarbonLink – one of the great innovators of Australian agriculture, Terry founded CarbonLink to assist farmers in carbon sequestration and soil enhancement and thereby create a reliable future for their farm, business, community and the environment
• Stuart Austin, Audacious Ag – formerly general manager of Wilmot Cattle Co and a leading Australian voice in regenerative and natural capital management.
Building Stronger Farm Businesses For The Future
Steve Wakerley, coordinator for Macintyre Ag Alliance says: “The Mac Ag Agribusiness Summit 2026 is designed for farming families, next-generation leaders, advisors and agribusiness professionals seeking practical tools, honest conversations and future-
focused strategies to ensure long-term business success.”
* Tickets for the Agribusiness Summit 2026 are available now: events.humanitix.com/agribusiness-summit-2026
