Ben Simpson is a grazier and RCS coach based in Central Western Queensland. Together with his wife, Kim, Ben operates Thistlebank, a
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Judy Pownall brings a strong blend of practical agricultural experience, business acumen, and educational leadership to her facilitation work.
Together with her husband Brian, Judy operates a beef breeding and trading enterprise near Dysart in Central Queensland, alongside a share-farmed cultivation operation. Since purchasing the family property in 1995, Judy and Brian have led significant enterprise development, including a transition from set stocking to time-controlled grazing. These changes have delivered measurable improvements in both land condition and business performance, underpinned by a long-term commitment to continuous learning and evidence-based decision-making.
Judy has completed extensive professional development across grazing management, livestock nutrition, business and financial management, communication, and negotiation. Her training includes GrazingforProfit®, RCS Grazing Clinic, Ruminant Nutrition, ExecutiveLink®, Low Stress Stockhandling, and Negotiator’s Toolkit, among others.
In addition to her on-farm business experience, Judy has over 20 years of experience in education. Beginning her career as an accounting teacher, she has held a range of senior and leadership roles, including Learning Support Coordinator, Acting Head of Department, and Acting Deputy Principal. This background has given her strong skills in facilitation, adult learning, systems thinking, and people management.
Judy’s facilitation approach is practical, supportive, and outcomes-focused. She is committed to helping clients build capability, ask good questions, learn from experience, and make confident decisions that support both business resilience and personal well-being.
Judy’s specialties include:
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Ben Simpson is a grazier and RCS coach based in Central Western Queensland. Together with his wife, Kim, Ben operates Thistlebank, a
Richard and his wife, Bernadette, run Stoneridge, a fourth-generation family grazing business near Young in South West NSW, where they raise sheep
David explains what unpaid labour really means and why it matters when calculating the true profitability of a business. He also explores the implications for cashflow, business continuity and succession when a business cannot afford the true cost of labour.
No plan survives first contact with reality—but successful businesses do. In this article, RCS Advisor David McLean explores why planning is only the first step, and how monitoring conditions and adapting decisions are essential for profitability. Discover practical insights to help you respond confidently to seasonal, market and operational challenges while keeping your business on track.
Profit doesn’t happen by accident—it comes from making deliberate decisions and regularly checking whether those decisions are delivering the results you want. In this article, RCS explores why quarterly profit planning meetings should be a priority for every farming and grazing business, and how using Cost of Production, benchmarking and focused business discussions can turn financial information into practical decisions that strengthen profitability and resilience.
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