NEWS RELEASE January 30, 2025
Trust in the next generation key to success of historic family business
Crestmead, Queensland (30 January 2025) — THE Brimblecombes have been farming in Queensland's salad bowl, the Lockyer Valley, for close to 150 years with a story that begins with a shipwreck and very nearly ended during World War One.
For family patriarch Linton Brimblecombe, a key attribute that has been shared down the years has been keeping an eye on the future.
"Empowerment of the next generation is just something so key to this conversation," Linton said.
Each steward of the family property has brought their own approach, starting with grazing and fodder production, before transitioning to cotton and later vegetables.
"My great, great grandfather came in with the gold rush heading to Ballarat in the mid-to-late 1800s but he got shipwrecked off the coast of Newcastle," Linton said.
"He let a lady, got married and had two boys, John and William, and they made their way to Queensland to farm the black soil plains of Forest Hill.
The shot that changed their lives
"The call of war came with World War One and my grandfather, who was student teacher, joined the light horse in 1917."
His campaign ended in a bloody battle which killed five of his eight men, and left him with gunshot wounds to his wrist and hip. In 1925 he bought the block that remains in the family almost a century later.
"Grandpa lived with that challenge of his war wound for the rest of his life," Linton said.
"He retired in his fifties and said to my dad, 'Allan, I want you to have this and I think that expression of faith in the next generation started at that point.
"And in the same way, I guess I'm a little tired now and my son Mitch has taken over the management of the farm."
Mitch said it was a daunting challenge at the age of 20 but he had wanted to be a farmer for as long as he can remember.
"When I'd get home from school I'd want to go out and follow dad around and probably was more of a hindrance than a help," Mitch said.
"But it's always been a passion. It's a great industry with a lot of great people and there's so many different aspects of the business whether it's agronomy, machinery operation, earthworks, finance or future direction."
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Linton says "You need someone like John Deere Financial to go on that journey with you".
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Linton Brimblecombe and son Mitch at their cotton and cropping operation, Moira Farming, in South East Queensland.
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Mitch says it was a daunting challenge becoming a manager at the age of 20, but wanted to be a farmer as long as he can remember.
Financing for the future
Planning has been a critical part of the Brimblecombe's management at Moira Farming, particularly with the operational needs of a farm that grows cotton and vegetables across hundreds of hectares.
"To be a farmer you need a few more tools in your toolkit and they're generally big and expensive," Linton said.
"So you need someone like John Deere Financial to go on that journey with you."
John Deere Financial Territory Finance Manager, Shawn Procter, said it was important to make the process simple but also tailored to each business.
"We like to make life as simple as possible, so we use things like e-signatures and online application processes," Shawn said.
"We're really trying to find a way to give them ease of operation and do things on their own time because they don't have the time throughout the day."
Mitch, who recently completed the purchase of a John Deere 8R tractor, said he valued the efficiency of the online application process.
"The reason I recommend John Deere Financial to other people is I was lying in bed at 9pm in my pyjamas when I signed the deal on my iPhone to buy this tractor, and then went to sleep," he said.
"It's easy, it's convenient and we can see them being part of our business for a long time to come."
To see the Brimblecombe's story watch the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKhR69F6MzE.
To find out more about how John Deere Financial can help your operation, including with online applications, paperless contracts, fixed rates, and no early exit fees, head to https://www.deere.com.au/en/finance/financing/.
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Matt Wordsworth
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