Two harvests, one future
The land.
The next generation.
Courageous Farms brings together regenerative agriculture, enterprise and a belief in young people.
A farm can produce more than food. It can be a place to discover an interest, take responsibility and see what happens when you put your own effort into something real.
Through a livestock investment, practical experiences and conversations with mentors, young people begin to understand money, develop confidence and explore what matters to them. Agriculture is the classroom. Their future is their own.
The 2027 pilot brings this approach to a small group of six to eight young people, alongside school and family life.
The founder
Tom Boyle
More than thirty years in agriculture. A belief in the value of starting young.
Tom's experience spans livestock production, wool markets, meat processing, agricultural advisory and investment. He has owned and managed agricultural properties across Victoria and New South Wales, with practical experience in regenerative land management.
Along the way, he discovered how much he valued mentoring young people. Seeing confidence and independence grow through practical experience became the seed of Courageous Farms.
Where it began
Inspiration.
Then action.
At around twelve, Tom came across the story of Sir Sidney Kidman. What stayed with him was the beginning: a young person leaving home at thirteen with a horse and very little money, then building something extraordinary.
It gave Tom a possibility to work towards. If he wanted to own a farm one day, what could he start doing now?
On his thirteenth birthday, he started a small crutching contract business. For almost four years, he worked, saved and kept building. When an opportunity to buy a farm came at sixteen, his savings were almost exactly what he needed for the deposit. With his father's backing, he was ready to act.
Timing mattered. So did the years of preparation before it.
Why Courageous Farms exists
Be ready when
something sparks.
You cannot always know when an opportunity will come. You can begin preparing for it.
For Tom, the spark was Sidney Kidman and agriculture. For another young person, it might be sport, art, business, the natural world or something they have not discovered yet.
Courageous Farms gives young people room to explore those possibilities, with the skills and confidence to take a first step. Learning to earn, save, invest and understand risk is part of that foundation. Starting early gives those habits time to grow.
The aim is freedom to pursue a life that matters to them, with a clearer sense of who they are and what they could contribute.
Bringing the idea to life
A long-held belief.
A practical program.
In 2010, Tom leased out his farm and moved to Melbourne to pursue an initiative called Courageous. Over three years, he worked alongside youth and community organisations, exploring how business could help sustain meaningful opportunities for young people.
Courageous Farms brings that work together with his agricultural experience. A real enterprise gives young people something to follow, decisions to understand and progress they can see.
Explore the pilot program