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18/06/2025
Josh Wholagan at the Rabobank Young Farmers Forum
To pioneer a first generation farming future takes work ethic and determination, to grow it takes strategy.
For 35-year-old Josh Wholagan, years spent living in caravans, working around the clock, and juggling various jobs helped the Western Australian roof carpenter realise his farming aspiration - and defy the odds of farm ownership from scratch.
And now, having grown a 2.5 hectare hobby block into a 2,000 hectare cropping operation, the self-made farmer is looking to work smarter, not harder.
“I’ve gotten to where I am through sheer determination and hard work, I was willing to battle, but now I’m realising that’s not necessarily the right mindset going forward, it’s about working more strategically,” he believes.
“When I look back at how far I’ve come, it’s exciting to imagine how far I can go by working smarter – I know I can work hard, now it’s time to look at the other side of the business to really take it to the next level.”
Recently participating in the Rabobank Young Farmers Forum held in Busselton further strengthened his resolve to invest in himself.
“The networking opportunity was incredible, just to tap into everyone’s knowledge – we’re all on the same page, but do things differently in various regions, so it was great to get everyone’s insights and ideas.”
“There was a definite theme of focussing on the one percenters you can improve, and it gave me motivation to tighten the business and step it up.”
Realising an ambitious vision
At just 21, with no agricultural background or exposure, Josh invested his apprenticeship savings into 2.5 hectares in Keysbrook, running a few cows and sheep.
From this point on, he smiles, there was no turning back.
“I just fell in love with it all, I learnt how to shear, which I just thought was unreal, and I knew that farming was what I wanted to do.”
Josh enjoying the knowledge-sharing of the Young Farmers Forum
To grow his holdings he sold his 2.5ha and purchased 200ha in the Pingelly region, all whilst continuing to do roof carpentry, shear and work on his neighbour’s farm.
Recognising the constraints of running small acres, he initially set up an intensive lamb feedlot to make the area viable and complement his shearing enterprise, and was able to continue incrementally growing his acreage through the purchase and leasing of nearby farms.
“I secured an additional lease in 2022, which gave me enough land to support a cropping operation, so I shut down the feedlot, and have added a few more acres on in the meantime.”
Growing his infrastructure stock was an equal lesson in patience.
“In the early days I had to rely on contractors, and in 2019 I purchased my first header,” he explains. “Since then I’ve continually bought older gear, done it up, and then upgraded so that today, although my fleet is all second-hand, we look after it and it does the job well.”
A cropping challenge embraced
A neighbour who generously mentored Josh through those early years remains the source of great admiration, and Josh admits he is still a ‘sponge for knowledge’ in his presence.
“I was scared of cropping, I didn’t know anything about it, but I knew I couldn’t run a viable sheep operation with the size of the blocks split across different areas, it made a lot more business sense to crop.”
With a mix of wheat, canola and barley, as well as export hay depending on the season, the production cycle of cropping has well and truly captured his heart.
“I love putting so much passion and energy into growing a crop – battling against Mother Nature and juggling precision timing, machinery breakdowns and market forces – there are so many challenges to overcome that make getting that crop in the bin so exhilarating.”
Rabobank by his side
A move across to Rabobank in recent years has also streamlined his operation, and Josh admits it’s the first time he hasn’t been treated like a ‘hobby farmer’.
“Rabobank has been unbelievable in supporting my farming journey, and I’m so grateful – from crop finance to farm visits, I’ve been so impressed by the attention I get from my manager Nat Purdy.”
“From my initial meeting with Rabobank, Nat and Jo Thomas sat at my dining table and we were talking air seeders, and the fact I could talk about machinery with two bank managers who really knew their stuff blew me away.”
Rabobank’s Nat Purdy and Josh.
Rabobank’s All-In-One product has also streamlined his business considerably.
“Previously I had finance sourced from a few places, and accounts everywhere, it was a bit of a nightmare, but the All-In-One is so simple and it makes accessing money and day-to-day admin so much easier having everything in one account.”
For now, Josh is taking stock of his position, and plans to “hold tight for a couple of years to learn as much as I can an become really efficient”.
“After that, I’ll be ready to step up again, but I don’t want to be big for the sake of being big, I want strategic growth – I want to do it well.”
Josh and Rabobank’s Ian Donaldson go through the figures at the Young Farmers Forum
Reflecting on his impressive growth journey, Josh admits he’s grateful he started young – and doubts he could do what he did now.
“I did it pretty tough to get where I am, every dollar was stretched and I missed out on a lot of things working 24/7,” he explains. “Now I’m 35 with two young children and a wonderful partner, I’m looking forward to enjoying more of a lifestyle whilst continuing to build a strong and efficient business.”