Tocal Plan to Profit Course NSW - February 2027 Intake

Harvest is in and the new season has not started yet. For a lot of farmers that gap is the one time of year there is room to sit down with the numbers. The February 2027 intake of Plan to Profit, Tocal College's accredited farm business management course, starts on Thursday 4 February and runs online for 12 weeks, finishing in late April. That way you have a working financial plan for your farm before the autumn break and sowing take over.

What a week on the course actually looks like

Plan to Profit is delivered entirely via Zoom, so there is no travel. The 12 weeks alternate between group sessions and private coaching:

• Week 1 - your course books are mailed out and you get started online
• Weeks 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 - a group interactive Zoom session on a weekday morning from 9am, running two to three hours
• Weeks 3, 5, 7, 9 and 11 - a confidential one-hour coaching session on Zoom, just you and your trainer
• Week 12 - wrap up and submit any remaining assessments

Group sessions are recorded and posted the same day, so if one clashes with a stock sale or a breakdown you can catch up that night. Coaching sessions are not recorded, which keeps your figures between you and your trainer. Allow at least six hours a week including homework. Exact session dates for the February 2027 intake are confirmed by Tocal on enrolment.

Your own farm is the case study

You work through the course in P2PAgri cloud software using your own farm's data, and it stays confidential between you and your trainer. Access to P2PAgri is free for the 12 weeks of the course. After that it continues as a paid subscription unless you cancel under Settings > Subscription, and you can export your PDF reports and CSV cash flow budgets at any time.

There are five assessments. Four of them (1, 3, 4 and 5) are financial reports produced from P2PAgri's PDF reporting, and one (2) is a set of short-answer business planning questions. You get up to three attempts at each, with feedback every time, and everything is submitted by week 11.

By the end of April you will have

• Variable costs and an estimated gross margin for each enterprise, plus your cost of production
• An estimate of the current season's profit, equity, key bank ratios and business efficiency
• An estimated monthly cash flow for the current season
• A working understanding of Return on Assets Managed and Return on Equity
• A business plan for the next three to five years

Who you will learn from

The course was designed by Mike Krause, who has spent 40 years in farm financial modelling, farmer training and agricultural risk management and owns P2PAgri. The course text is his GRDC manual Farming the Business. Plan to Profit is delivered by Mike and Tony Hudson, and your trainer will be Mike, Tony or Peter Hudson. Assessments are marked by James McRae, trainer and assessor for Tocal's online AHC50122 Diploma of Agriculture.

It is great to have everything in one place. It also made me search for information and ask questions. I liked how it showed an overview of the whole business as well as the nitty gritty.

- a previous Plan to Profit participant

Cost and who it suits

The indicative fee is $3,100 (GST free), but the course is fee free for eligible applicants. Tocal confirms eligibility, and a Tocal skills training coordinator can answer questions about it. This is not an entry-level course: you need some basic experience with financial transactions and farm budgeting, a computer, tablet or smartphone with reliable internet, and a willingness to use your own farm data. Tocal recommends everyone on the farm management team takes part.

How to register

Enrol through Tocal's short course enrolment page, or read the full course outline and FAQs on the Tocal College website.

Comparing Tocal Plan to Profit 2027 intakes? If early February is too soon, the March intake starts on 8 March 2027 and the May intake on 17 May 2027. You can also see every upcoming intake. Not sure which one fits your season? Get in touch and we will help you choose.