About Us

Sean Kenny

Principal Consultant

Sean started the Rural Consulting Group in 2011 after many years working across government, university and not for profit sectors. He has worked on national agricultural RD&E projects, supported the development of national, cross organisational strategies, designed and delivered agricultural extension for a range of industries and researched and wrote extensively on the critical nature of client centred approaches to change management.

Sean also has significant experience in community development, mobilisation and fundraising through his many voluntary roles, with the most recent being as President of the Warrnambool Student Wellbeing Association and Woodford School Council. Originally qualified as a marine ecologist, Sean has also completed an action research-based Masters Degree in Agriculture and has a Master of Divinity, majoring in integrative pastoral care. Sean is currently based in Warrnambool in SW Victoria where he manages a 500 acre prime lamb operation.

Geoff Drysdale

Senior Consultant

Geoff joined RCG from the Department of Primary Industries, Victoria, in February 2013 after designing, delivering and evaluating dairy industry development programs as the Victorian Evaluation Manager. Geoff also worked extensively in North East Victoria as Regional Industry Development Officer. Prior to his dairy industry involvement, he worked in irrigation, conservation and mine reforestation roles.

Originally qualified in Agricultural (Diploma/ Graduate Diploma) and Life Science (Degree with Distinction), he has postgraduate qualifications in Agribusiness (Grad. Dip. Agribusiness), Evaluation and Assessment (M. Ed.), and has recently completed an Honours degree in Social Science (Psychology). His extensive professional experience combined with advanced training in agribusiness, evaluation and psychology, provide a rich blend of skills for consulting across a range of change management scenarios. Geoff is currently based in Geelong, 45 mins west of Melbourne.

Dan Armstrong

Associate

D-ARM Consulting specialises in providing services in farm systems analysis, economics and farm business management to the Australian agricultural sector. D-ARM Consulting was established by Dan Armstrong and is based in Gippsland.  Dan has over 20 years’ experience working in agricultural industries in southern Australia in both the public and private sectors. 

Dan’s areas of expertise include economic and risk analysis, farming systems analysis, irrigation, water policy and extension. A comprehensive understanding of farm business management provides the basis to provide relevant services to industry, government and agribusiness organisations.

Clients include Dairy Australia, Department of Primary Industries Victoria, CRC for Dairy Futures, Geoffrey Gardiner Dairy Foundation and individual farm businesses.  Dan is also a sessional lecturer in Farm Business Management at Latrobe University and a director on the Board of GippsDairy.

John Taylor

Associate

John has held senior Government positions, most recently as State-wide Bio-security Manager for Victoria’s Plant and Chemical Operations and has worked closely with local, state and federal government agencies on a range of natural resource management and biosecurity projects. A past president of The Grasslands Society of Victoria he has represented Victoria on technical committees of the Murray Darling Commission, the National Land and Water Action Plan and the National Plant Bio-security Surveillance Program. He is the winner of a Victorian Landcare award and national finalist in the Impala Biosecurity.

John graduated with an Ag Science Diploma and began his career in agriculture working in the pasture seed industry and then forged a platform as a pasture agronomist in Southern Victoria.  Studying environmental science he then focused on merging productive perennial pasture systems with natural resource and catchment management. He has always kept close ties with primary production and on his own property produced fine wool, prime lambs and turned off vealers.  He now has 40 years experience in agriculture, horticulture and natural resource management including research and development, regulation, extension practice and hands on farm management.  He currently provides consultancy services across a broad range of fields, including investigation and assessment of broad acre crop insurance claims and manages a commercial farm forestry operation in Central Victoria.

Through their various professional and pro-bono work, RCG consultants have developed a range of specialist skills, tools and processes in the areas of:

  • Project design
  • Program development
  • Evaluation
  • Continuous improvement
  • Community engagement
  • Strategy development
  • Capability assessment and planning
  • Farm business analysis and planning