1MG FlippingBooks
Banking that backs regional growth
Regional Australia Bank is helping innovative farmers unlock productivity, diversify income, and build stronger regional businesses.
Across Australian agriculture, forward-thinking farmers are increasingly looking beyond traditional production models to improve profitability, manage risk, and build long-term resilience. Diversification, value-adding, and regional tourism are becoming powerful tools in strengthening farm businesses.
In Batlow, NSW, third-generation apple grower Dave Purcell has turned that thinking into reality through Apple Thief Cider House, transforming orchard fruit into a thriving agribusiness destination.
After launching Apple Thief Cider in 2013 using fruit from his family farm, Dave had long envisioned building a home for the brand. That ambition accelerated following the Black Summer bushfires, when the Snowy Valleys community faced immense loss.
“Crisis was the catalyst,” Dave says. “We wanted to rebuild something that would give back to the region that raised us.”
Turning that vision into a viable business required more than determination. Like many regional operators, Dave and his partner Mel Dickson found traditional lending models struggled to understand seasonal income, diversified revenue streams, and the true economic value of regional investment.
“At the start, it was just a concept,” Dave explains. “Having the backing of Regional Australia Bank gave us the confidence to keep the dream alive. Without their financial support, the project simply wouldn’t have happened.”
Rather than applying metropolitan benchmarks, the Regional Australia Bank team took time to understand the business model, combining tailored agribusiness finance with government recovery funding and private investment.
“They understood what being regional meant,” Dave says. “Metro parameters don’t work in the regions. They spoke our language, shared the vision and backed the potential.”
Today, the cider house is driving tourism into Batlow, creating local jobs, strengthening supply chains, and delivering flow-on economic benefits across the region.
For Regional Australia Bank, it reflects a broader commitment to helping farmers improve operational effectiveness, support diversification, and invest for sustainable growth. Through relationship-based banking, flexible cash-flow solutions, and agribusiness lending designed for real farm conditions, Regional Australia Bank partners with farms to turn innovation into long-term business success.
Looking ahead, expansion plans are already underway, including on-site accommodation and increased production.
For farmers navigating a changing agricultural landscape, the message is clear: with a bank that truly understands regional business, growth opportunities become achievable.
Regional Australia Bank is a customer-owned financial institution serving more than 100,000 members across regional Australia. Built to support the needs of regional communities, the bank provides personal, business and agribusiness banking backed by local knowledge and relationship-based service. As a member-owned bank, profits are reinvested to improve services, strengthen communities and deliver long-term value to customers, ensuring the success of regional Australians remains at the centre of everything it does.
Website: www.regionalaustraliabank.com.au/?utm_source=Australia+Farmer&utm_medium=referral
Email: enquiries@regionalaustraliabank.com.au
NEWS
After four years of customer research and 500,000 test kilometres, Ford says the Ranger Super Duty brings farmer-driven customisation into the factory, with more towing, payload, and durability built in.
StockLive runs weekly online commercial sales for cattle and sheep —
giving agents, producers and buyers a simpler, more transparent way to
trade livestock nationally.
YaraRega helps macadamia growers improve nutrient efficiency and operational flexibility through fertigation or dry application, supporting consistent tree performance, productivity, and seasonal nutrient management
The global agricultural landscape is currently weathering a perfect storm. With ongoing conflict in the Middle East and instability involving major trade routes, the supply chain for traditional synthetic fertilisers has been pushed to the brink. For Australian farmers, this isn’t just a headline, it’s a direct hit to the bottom line, with skyrocketing costs and looming shortages threatening the next harvest.
The U10 Pro Range redefines what a top‑tier full‑size UTV can be, launching a bold new era for the UFORCE family — now offered in three distinct models
Australian farmers are facing overwhelming pressure. They shouldn’t have to face this alone.
