Featuring insights from Karen McFarland (Whitney Consulting) and Anna Dixon (BlueSalt Consulting) from the CRISP Wireless Webinar: Connecting Sheep Farmers.
During the CRISP Wireless webinar, one of the most practical questions came from a sheep producer wondering if it’s okay to use ChatGPT or AI tools when preparing their Farm Business Transition Grant application.
Grant writing can feel daunting, and with the rise of AI, many are looking for ways to save time. But as Karen McFarland and Anna Dixon explained, while AI can help tidy your answers, it can’t replace your knowledge or your story.
Karen McFarland, Funding/Project Lead at Whitney Consulting, addressed the question head on:
“AI is always an interesting question that comes up. Will you be penalised? No, you absolutely won’t. Will it help you? Well, that’s dependent on how much work you’ve already done in pulling together your information.”
She reminded producers that AI doesn’t understand their unique circumstances.
“There is a bit of an idea that AI can answer all of these questions for you, but it can’t because it doesn’t know your business. It doesn’t know the facts and figures that we have recommended that you pull together.”
So yes, you can use AI, but you still have to do the hard yards.
“The short answer is can you use it? Yes, you can if you are comfortable using AI, you know how it works, definitely. Can AI tidy up or streamline your answer for you? Yes, it can.”
However, Karen warned that it can’t do the thinking for you:
“But you can’t ask AI to just answer the question and not give it any information, so it’s not going to take you away from needing to do your research. It’s not going to take you away from having to create your story... It can help you, but it can’t replace you.”
She also gave a timely privacy reminder:
“Also, probably I would add with ChatGPT, be aware it’s not confidential. Anything that you put into that; it’s an open arena… you’re talking to a machine that collects information. So just be aware of that.”
Anna Dixon, Director of BlueSalt Consulting, built on Karen’s advice with a clear caution for applicants:
“I think you covered it really well, Karen. I think also just being aware that AI can provide answers that sound really fancy but actually say nothing. So just check on that.”
Anna explained that while AI generated text can look polished, it often misses the substance that assessors are looking for.
“You’ve only got 6000 characters, making sure you’re really using them well and it’s not a bunch of fluff that just got in there. You think that sounds really fancy, but it doesn’t actually answer the question.”
That means applicants should focus on clarity, evidence and alignment with the grant objectives, not just smooth writing.
She added a smart way to use AI safely and effectively:
“You could also ask ChatGPT or whatever you use, I’d maybe suggest using one that you pay for, so they agree they won’t use your information to train on. You could give it the grant conditions and ask it to review what you’ve done and give you tips on how to strengthen your application.”
The message from both experts was clear:
AI can help tidy your writing or review your work, but it should never replace the authentic story of your farm and your business journey.
When it comes to Farm Business Transition Grants and live export phase out funding, assessors want to see that you, not a robot, understand your plan, your finances and your goals.
At CRISP Wireless, we’re proud to help farmers access the right information, technology, and support to navigate this transition. Technology can connect us, but the story of regional WA, its farmers, resilience, and hard work, is still best told in your own words.
Watch the full webinar replay and download the resource pack below:
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