Profitable Farmer (Farm Owners Academy)

Summary of Episode 2

• Why working harder is NOT the answer
• Having goals is important, but there are many other things you also need to work on
• If you don’t believe you can ever run a great farm, you won't
• The number one thing you need to work on to be a highly successful farmer.
• The habits of a top performing business owner

Summary: 

• Why you need to learn business skills to be a top 5% farmer
• The definition of a real business and why most farmers never achieve this
• A summary of the skills that you need to master to run a great business
• Why you need to think very differently if you want to run a great business
• The steps you need to take to get your farm to operate without you there

Once again, we are reminded that no two seasons are the same.

Distinct from prior seasons, we find ourselves in a new business environment where, like diesel prices, the cost of many farm inputs has increased by 30% plus.

The result of COVID and fuel prices on freight, combined with the Russia - Ukraine conflict, we may be looking at a situation where some inputs are in short supply at the farm gate.

In this podcast, and on the back of a local meeting with a buying group I am part of, I invite local Cootamundra Nutrien Branch Manager, Timothy Callan, to join Greg Johnsson and me to discuss this issue.

In this, we explore:

• what Nutrien are seeing in terms of input pricing and availability;
• what is causing these issues;
• where the problems are (Urea in particular);
• what is the outlook for this, and how long might it last; and
• what to do about it.

In addition, I ask FOA Co-Founder Greg Johnsson to discuss:

• the mindset we need to have around this;
• the need to keep perspective and see the whole picture when making decisions;
• the concept of farming for margin at this time;
• understanding the law of diminishing returns;
• using the analytical tools available to support decision-making; and
• the value of quality agronomic / business advisers at this time.

A relevant topic and an important conversation.

With favourable prices across most commodity categories at present, there is an immense opportunity this year IF we analyse well, make strong and early decisions and farm for margin and not yield.

Thank you all, and all the best as we get underway with this unique and new season.

Keep winning!

Hutch

When you’re ready to take the next step and work with us, here are three things you can do:

1. Subscribe to our ‘Profitable Farmer’ podcast This free audio podcast delivers ideas to help you run a great business, leading to more profit, control and freedom – Click here.
2. Join the Farm Owner Academy’s closed Facebook group ‘Profitable Farmer’ Our new Facebook community is where smart farm owners learn how to get more profit, control and freedom, and you can connect with like-minded farm owners – Click here to join.
3. Work with us privately If you’d like our team to help you scale up your farming business or create a ‘freedom farm’ just email us at support@farmownersacademy.comand put “Private” in the subject line… tell me a little about your business and what you’d like to improve and I’ll send you the information you need to get started!

A mate of mine described Brett Stevenson as ‘a legend in our industry’. In 1996, Brett founded Market Check, now Australia’s most highly respected and widely used independent grain marketing company for Australian farmers. Having navigated 3 years of very challenging seasons, like many farming families, Market Check is now a growing team of 15+ representatives supporting a client base of over 1,000 farming families – equally one of Australia’s real recent success stories. In this interview with Brett, we get his helicopter view of how harvest is unfolding across Australia; what prices have done and will do; the impact of China at this time; his view on global grain production this year; and what all that might mean for farming families this year and into the new season. With a successful career as Founder & Managing Director to Market Check, Brett is sharing his reflections and some valuable insights on his last 25 years in building that national & independent business and team, and how they have navigated the volatility and vagaries of domestic and global commodity markets. Resilience personified. Business and life. In 2010, Brett’s life changed forever, when on a beach family holiday, he dived into the ocean and broke his neck. Brett is generous enough to share his personal story of overcoming that significant adversity, and how perhaps that challenge has played its part in underpinning his life and business over the last decade. Some valuable business insights, and a wonderful discussion, with a modest and very impressive Australian Business Leader. Brett, I thank you for your time.  To find out more about Market Check, visit their website: www.marketcheck.com.au Sincerely, Jeremy PS - tickets for our TOP Producers Workshops next year are filling up fast! Secure yours now by clicking here: TOP Producers Program 2-Day Workshop

Our work ethic is legendary. No question.

Our ability to handle volatility, variability, risk, genuine adversity, constant change, and daily corrections is to be truly admired.

Equally, business ownership AND farming can be a lonely place.

Many of us have been here – playing full tilt, often without regular breaks for years.

It is no wonder so many of us, over time, become tired, stressed, overwhelmed, and fatigued.

Ladies & gentleman, BURNOUT in business is a very real thing!

Many of us are so entrenched in the busyness of our farms and lives that we don’t stop to check-in, or even acknowledge it.

Let me be clear: burnout is the single biggest reason for small business failure GLOBALLY. It is why only 6% of businesses that start do not get to celebrate their tenth birthday.

Where are you in relation to burning out?

I have been there – and it’s not much fun.

In this important podcast, Farm Owners Academy’s Head Coach and Personal Development Guru, Tracy Secombe, and I discuss burnout:

• What it is
• What causes it
• How to self-assess
• How to overcome it
• How to support others you might be concerned about

I predict many Aussie farmers are somewhere on the burnout scale and that this reality has just become our new norm.

We cannot be effective when we’re burnt out. We cannot be at our best when wrestling this; and we cannot lead our families and farms when this is our reality.

That is why all Farm Owners Academy’s programs start with MINDSET. Click here to learn more.

Please take time to stop, grab a cuppa or sit under your favourite tree and really listen to this episode. If there is someone in your life that you are concerned about, I encourage you to share this with them.

Tracy is incredible in this space, and we are proud to have her as part of our team.

Thank you.

Jeremy

PS: Interested in a journey with us to help you make a shift? Click here.

PPS: Interested in understanding more about Tracy? You can find her on the Farm Owners Academy website or Tracy’s Realise Your Potential website.

PPPS: Please share this with others in our industry and give us a review on Facebook or Google … and thank you for helping us share stories like these more broadly.

Where have you learned leadership? 

On the farm? In a day job? Inherited perhaps? 

For most, NONE have learned the vital art and science of leadership. 

It is a learned skill. One we can all commit to and master.  

One we all need to be successful in life and business, and in succeeding in the pursuit of a family farm that can transcend generations… 

It is a privilege to introduce Paul Ainsworth, Managing Partner of Lincoln Institute to you in this episode - one that speaks deeply to the heart of leadership, resilience, and the power of community. 

Over 15 years, and after a decorated career in the Australian Army, Paul has helped shape leaders in the veterinary and agricultural industries. A graduate of the Australian Defence Force Academy and the Royal Military College Duntroon, Paul served as an Infantry Officer with international deployments across five foreign countries, culminating in a role as a military observer in the Middle East.  

His leadership journey continued beyond the Army, first as the inaugural Director of ALDI Foods in Australia and then, as CEO and Board Chairman of Australia’s fastest-growing company in the energy sector.  

Now, as the Founding Principal of the Lincoln Institute, Paul is dedicated to equipping veterinary and agricultural professionals with the leadership, management, and communication skills they need to thrive.  

Leadership is more than just making decisions. It’s about connection. It’s about knowing when to step forward and when to step back. It’s about building a team that isn’t just technically strong but also aligned, empowered, and accountable. 

Here Are Some of The Key Leadership Lessons from This Episode: 

• How self-aware are you as a leader? How you think you come across isn’t always how you do. Where might there be a gap between your intent and your impact? 

• Who’s in your corner? Isolation is the enemy—whether you’re a vet, a farmer, or a business owner. Who do you lean on? How are you building a strong support network? 

• Are you pushing yourself and your team to grow? Real learning happens outside the comfort zone. Where are you playing it too safe? 

• Are you empowering or micromanaging? Move from telling to coaching. Teach the standard, then trust your people to own it. 

• Do your people know what’s expected—before there’s a problem? The best way to avoid hard conversations is to set clear expectations from the start.  

• Are you creating clarity or confusion? Strong teams don’t need coddling—they need to know where they stand, what success looks like, and how to get there. 

We are delighted that our FOA Platinum Mastermind & Alumni Members have access to the Lincoln Institute Emerging Leaders Programs. For more information about FOA’s programs and our connection with Lincoln, book a Complimentary Coaching Call here. 

Paul and his team at Lincoln Institute have been working alongside farm owners, veterinarians, and business leaders for years—helping them not just lead, but lead well.  

This is a conversation about what really makes a difference in leadership—the moments that test us, the decisions that define us. 

A sincere thanks to Paul for joining us in this conversation. Your knowledge, wisdom and insights are so valuable and transferrable.  

Sincerely,  

Jeremy Hutchings and The Farm Owners Academy Team  

Once again, our world has taken a surprising and unprecedented turn - on the back of fires, COVID, floods… and now war. 

After a period of economic expansion and optimism, we now find ourselves experiencing a global shift to the market we operate in. 

To explain and explore this highly significant shift, I am delighted to welcome back our resident investment specialist Terry Tran, founder of The Freedom Trader. 

In this episode, we explore the likely combined impacts of:

• inflation,
• interest rates,
• recent government stimulus,
• gross indebtedness,
• corporate earnings activities, and
• the liquidity cycle.

   

Importantly, and as Terry does so well, we unpack what this means for you as an investor in the stock market. How to be proactive in reviewing and re-shaping your off-farm investment portfolio, and how to position yourself to take advantage of the very real opportunities that now present. 

For those wanting more in-depth insight and training on this topic, as well as strategies for creating real wealth through off-farm investing, we highly recommend registering for Terry’s upcoming, FREE & LIVE online wealth creation Masterclass - ‘How to Create Real Wealth Outside Your Farm Safely’ being held on Wednesday 23rd March 2022. 

Thank you, Terry, once again for your brilliance and your insight. 

I trust this discussion is of value to you. 

Enjoy! 

Jeremy 

P.S. For more information about Terry Tran’s free online training event, ‘How to Create Real Wealth Outside Your Farm Safely’ or to register – click here!

I have said before that there is so much we can learn from business leaders and entrepreneurs outside of our industry.

In this episode, I interview Jim Gall, now CEO of RB Sellars.

There is no doubt that RB Sellars has been established as an iconic brand across our landscape. Jim reminds us that success in business doesn’t happen overnight and that the strong position they have developed in the market has come from a leadership team with a clear focus. Focusing on a sustainable commitment to a consistent and high-quality product range with outstanding service has led the brand to where they are today.

Jim also reminds us of the importance of creating a culture of trust, creativity and innovation to inspire our teams to be actively in pursuit of continuous improvement.

He emphasises the importance of encouraging a culture of radical candour, where teams feel safe and empowered to speak their truth and contribute fully and openly at every opportunity.

Have you created a culture and focus like this in your business?

Besides Jim’s current contribution at RB Sellars, his entrepreneurial back story is just as impressive.

Raised on a family farm near Euroa in Victoria, Jim’s enthusiasm to share his family’s farming story led him to establish Redhanded Creative, a national marketing, communication & advertising agency for Australia’s regional and agri-businesses. 12 years on, Redhanded Creative was acquired by global marketing agency, Clemenger. In the ensuing years, Jim established himself as a natural leader in the company, taking over the CEO role at Clemenger Australia & New Zealand.

On his journey through Australia’s Corporate landscape, serving and growing many of the major agribusiness brands we now interact with, Jim has always retained his humility, authenticity and connection to his farming routes.

It was wonderful to connect with Jim again after so many years and to have the opportunity to share his insights into our industry, our people and all things leadership.

I feel the iconic RB Sellars business and brand are in good hands.

Thank you, Jim.

Hutch & the Farm Owners Academy Team

As the finish line to another calendar year arrives, I cherish the opportunity to share the stories of some of our incredible community members - to celebrate their success in all they do as business owners and farmers.

Martin & Hayley Grosser own and operate MHG Farming Enterprises, a mixed sheep and dryland cropping operation at Kaniva in Victoria’s Western Wimmera. Their success in farming over the past 10 years, to say the least, is deeply impressive.

From a standing start to over 5,000 acres under management, Martin & Hayley have been stand-out members and incredible contributors to the Farm Owners Academy community.

In this interview, we share their story and reflect and celebrate:

• the courage they have shown to scale in today’s climate successfully;
• their ability to back themselves and make bold growth decisions;
• the importance of strong financial acumen AND a positive money mindset;
• the value of benchmarking and regular farm performance analysis;
• the power of a concise strategic plan and feeling aligned as a family and on-farm team; and
• the confidence that strong mentors, coaches and community can play in supporting your success.

Whilst very different in personality, I am always so impressed by the love and strength shared between Hayley & Marty. They truly make a fantastic team.

Marty & Hayley, congratulations on your success over the last 5 years, for your courage, optimism and determination. You deserve all the success that comes your way.

Your comments in this podcast are worthy of bottling and will offer genuine inspiration to so many husband & wife farm teams across our industry.

Thank you for your openness and reflecting with me on your journey.

We value you greatly and cannot wait to see what the future brings as you build from the incredible farming platform and leadership capability you have created.

Congratulations, and thank you.

To your success,

Hutch & Team

As we reset for 2025, many are feeling the weight of a brutal 2024. And to be completely honest — when you're staring down a decile one year, it’s hard to know where to start.     How do you budget with confidence? How do you front up to your bank when the season doesn’t go your way?    So here is the truth: waiting it out isn’t a strategy. Hope isn’t a business plan. And if you want to lead your business forward, now is the time to level up how you turn up.    In this episode, I am joined again by Jeff McDonald, Founder & Director of RLS Agribusiness.     Born and bred on an irrigation property in Loxton, SA, Jeff stepped off the farm and into finance, spending 20 years inside a major bank before founding Riverland Lending Services.     Today, Jeff leads one of the largest Agri-finance brokerages in the country. His team settles over $200 million in Agri finance each year, and through RLS Agribusiness, he advises farm businesses on everything from strategy and succession to governance and growth.    Jeff has worked with hundreds of producers, and his insight is gold because it’s built on experience and not theory. He knows what banks are really looking for and how the best operators are preparing — strategically, financially, and emotionally — for what's next.    This episode is not about hype. It’s about truth. It’s about acumen. And it’s about how we all step forward, more commercially aware, more proactive, and more in control.    So, here’s your call to action:    If you’ve been flying under the radar... waiting to see how it all plays out... hoping the bank gives you another run  - I hope this episode provides insight into how to take a hard look at your business, forecast with clarity and lead with courage.    Sincerely,   Jeremy Hutchings and the Farm Owners Academy Team    P.S. Ready to take your leadership, financial clarity, and business strategy to the next level? Join us at the next TOP Producers event – live at the Melbourne Convention Centre or virtually on June 23 & 24. With early bird tickets on sale now and the last three events completely sold out, get in quick – secure your spot today and get ready to shift gears in your business.

Leadership is about giving those around you certainty. 

Making strong predictions based on quality information and taking proactive action in tough times is a hallmark of strong leadership.

Many Aussie farmers have experienced a marked drop in meat prices in recent months, impacting their realities and outlook significantly.

As in Episode 121 with Grain & Oilseeds Lead Analyst - Stefan Vogel, I once again call on the elite Rabobank Research team and Senior Analyst – Animal Proteins Angus Gidley-Baird to help us understand what has happened and what to expect in the red meat markets in the near to medium term.

In addition, I call on the experience of Farm Owners Academy Co-founder and Director Greg Johnsson to offer his insights on this important topic and some guidance on where we need to focus as farmers to best navigate this period in our industry strongly and strategically.

In this episode, Angus, Greg & I explore:

• what has happened;
• why it has happened;
• recent supply chain dynamics;
• consumption trends, locally and globally;
• how this will impact us;
• meat price predictions; and
• where we should be focusing as farmers.

It is time to focus on what we can control, accept what we cannot, and be proactive in challenging our business models, our production costs, and their suitability for what lies ahead.

We need to be right on top of our budgets and cashflows and proactive in our conversations with suppliers, clients and financiers.

I hope insights from this interview support you to make clear predictions, take decisive action and look for the opportunities available to us all at this time.

All the best, and sincerely,

Hutch & Team

It’s incredible seeing the results members of our Platinum Mastermind are achieving, their commitment to the program and the progression of their business and personal development.

FOA Alumni Members David (Diesel) & Rhianne Low, make a great example of this.

Commencing the program in July 2017, Diesel & Rhianne have become valued members and real contributors to our growing community. Starting as a mixed farm struggling for profitability, the operation was completely dependent on them, with Diesel typically working 80 hours per week. It is fair to say that they have completely transformed their business and lives.

Benchmarking and the support of our Analytics Team helped them decide to focus on ONE enterprise to achieve more focus and scale.

Forecasting and Decision Support Tools have allowed them to set down a financial roadmap that provides them more confidence in the resilience and performance of their business model for years to come.

Their 2 Page Strategic Plan helps them remain aligned and focused together as they prioritise business improvement through structured annual and quarterly meetings.

Having a Business Coach dedicated to their success has helped them navigate some challenging business and personal times, and consistently held them accountable for the implementation of their plan and toward their compelling goals.

FOA’s Personal Development Training has helped them together move from a mindset of blame, lack and hardship to one of positivity, abundance and gratitude.

The Business Development Training has supported them to set down structures, systems and professional disciplines that drive on-farm efficiency, and support an on-farm team that helps them get it done and enjoy more balance, fun and freedom in their lives.

Last, but certainly not least, the friendships and the community they are now part of is a highlight of their 7-year journey with FOA.

The FOA Team are delighted to welcome Rhianne Low into our Team as an Accountability Coach. We also highly value Diesel’s contribution as a mentor to others in the program.

Diesel & Rhianne, thank you for your positivity and for being such dedicated members of the FOA Alumni & Community. And thank you for sharing your story and FOA journey with us.

Simply, incredible.

Jeremy Hutchings and the Farm Owners Academy Team

It gives me great pleasure to welcome Andrew Roberts ‘Robbo’ back to the Profitable Farmer podcast. Not only is Robbo one of the founders of Farm Owners Academy and the previous host of this Podcast, but he has also been my Business Coach and great friend for over 15 years. It is always compelling to catch up with Robbo and ‘shoot the breeze’. In this conversation, we explore the definition of a successful business, the construct of being FREE from your business – having it resourced and set up so that it can work without you! This is ultimately what investors are looking for, and this is, in my opinion, the ultimate legacy we can pass on to future generations. Importantly, we explore what needs to happen both in business and on farms in order to move in this direction. We touch on the strategy, systems, structures and resources required to get there, and we explain the set path to follow to make this a reality. We also discuss the MINDSET and IDENTITY SHIFT needed to move from being a busy technical farmer to a Freedom Farmer and the CEO of a growing farm business. This shift starts with a clear intention and a strong goal and then requires a change in mindset, beliefs and focus. I am proud that Robbo has enjoyed 12 months free from business, entirely focused on all things freedom and family. I am also proud that Farm Owners Academy exists to help farming families achieve the same. Robbo, as always, it was great to connect and incredible to have you back on Profitable Farmer and the FOA Freedom Farmer Movement. Thank you. Jeremy PS: Interested to make a shift and want to learn how to create freedom in your business? Join Take Control 2.0 Program Now. Click here! PPS: Please share this with others in our industry and give us a review on Facebook or Google … and thank you for helping us share stories like these more broadly.

Let’s be real for a moment; business ownership is one of the world's toughest assignments. Even more so is farm business ownership, with its numerous complexities and subtleties. At the same time, business ownership AND farming can be very lonely places.

In our roles on-farm, and as we all know, we have “ups and downs”.

And so, my question is:

who do you have in your corner?

… who do you have around you helping you be at your best?

… who do you call on to ensure you are resilient, confident and competent?

Engaging a psychologist was a turning point for me - one of the greatest choices and changes I have made. Truly a life-or-death decision. A very real ‘sliding doors moment’ for me.

As a result of my decision to seek professional help and get my head right, my life now is beyond my wildest dreams.

Given this, it gives me great pleasure to welcome Dr Dave Anthony to our podcast.

Dave is a registered psychologist with an impressive list of qualifications, affiliations and experience under his belt. He is passionate about changing the way men engage in therapy and improving their quality of life.

Dave is the CEO and Co-Founder of Mantle - a national, confidential, virtual mental health service for men. Their mantra is to see men across Australia move from ‘below average to good’ and from ‘good to great’… to help them grow and be better versions of themselves.

Join us for this incredible interview in which we explore:

• how are men wired;
• what drives us?;
• what is it we actually want?; and
• where we need to focus to be at our best.

Dave, congratulations to you and your team for all you are pioneering and achieving in support of the great men across Australia - our landscape is better for your efforts.

To make contact with Mantle Health, visit: www.mantlehealth.com.au

• Click on the green “BOOK A TIME” button
• Select service type (Clinical or Performance)
• Then “Any practitioner” to find next available (you can check out the team bios first, by clicking the “Our Team” page). 

Alternatively, call 1300 646 753, or submit an enquiry via email info@mantlehealth.com.au. Regardless of how contact is made, Mantle Health will respond to all enquiries within one business day

NB: if you don’t have a treating GP, Mantle can assist you in accessing a Mental Health Plan through their partner GP telehealth service for a Medicare rebate of part of the session cost.

Stay strong, everyone.

Jeremy

P.S. for a link to “supporting the men in your life” conversation guide and 4 R’s we referenced during this podcast, click here!

When you’re ready to take the next step and work with us, here are three things you can do:

1. Subscribe to our ‘Profitable Farmer’ podcast This free audio podcast delivers ideas to help you run a great business, leading to more profit, control and freedom – Click here.
2. Join the Farm Owner Academy’s closed Facebook group ‘Profitable Farmer’ Our new Facebook community is where smart farm owners learn how to get more profit, control and freedom, and you can connect with like-minded farm owners – Click here to join.
3. Work with us privately If you’d like our team to help you scale up your farming business or create a ‘freedom farm’ just email us at support@farmownersacademy.comand put “Private” in the subject line… tell me a little about your business and what you’d like to improve and I’ll send you the information you need to get started!

Business can be a very lonely place. Farming can be isolating.    Sometimes… no, often… we can feel like we are ‘going it alone’.    Our challenges, failings, and issues can feel unique to us.    In my experience, when you commit to joining a Mastermind Group, everything can change. There is much wisdom to call on from those around us, and we quickly realise we are not alone and our issues are not our own.    In a Mastermind, we get to surround ourselves with like-minded, growth-oriented peers. We get to stand on the sturdy shoulders of giants.    As we arrive at the end of 2022, it gives me great pleasure to reflect on the year that was with four incredible families and Platinum Mastermind Members.    In this episode, I invite Michael & Simone Hughes, James & Kylie Armstrong, Luke & Betty-Lou Haydon and Luke & Danielle Wiese to join me for a chat and to reflect on their journey with Farm Owners Academy so far.    Four great Australian families and four simple questions: 

• Where were you, and where are you now? 
• What have you achieved? 
• What are you most proud of? 

• How has the Farm Owners Academy community helped you?  

… and so many great lessons and incredible insights.    Simply, Business Coaching works. Accountability helps. Being part of a Mastermind Group can change everything.    We are proud of what our members achieve, and these members are no exception. Congratulations to you all.    Enjoy hearing this episode's stories and how being part of our program and community can genuinely help you thrive.    For those interested in commencing a journey with Farm Owners Academy in 2023, our TOP Producers Program 2-Day workshop is a great place to start. We highly recommend this to you.    This will be our last podcast for 2022. We will be back for more from January 15, 2023, after a well-earned break for our entire team.    Thank you all for being so loyal to our podcast. Thank you for all you do and for the contribution you each make to our industry and our rural communities.    All the best for the end of this season, for a wonderful Christmas and a rich and rewarding festive season. I hope Santa is kind to you.    Merry Christmas, From Hutch & the entire FOA Team

Right now, there are many farming families facing real challenges. Extended rains, widespread flooding, the prospect of failed crops, wet paddocks and the complexities all this brings for hay carting, harvest and the end of our season.

A season that promised so much.

A cost-base inflated by the aftermath of a global pandemic.

Seven years ago, Platinum Mastermind members Troy and Nette Fisher, Ashmore Rams (Woolshed, SA) were decimated by the Pinery Fires.

Three years ago, Farm Owners Academy Coach David ‘Westy’ Westbrook dedicated months on Kangaroo Island, supporting fire-affected members of our community with their recovery efforts.

I asked them to join me for this episode to offer some hope and inspiration to those experiencing challenges and their own version of adversity – large or small.

In this episode, I reflect with Troy and Nette on where they have arrived to on the other side of their adversity. I also ask Westy to reflect on what our Farm Owners Academy community on Kangaroo Island did in the weeks and months that followed the fires that not only inspired him, but allowed them to recover and thrive.

Where Troy and Nette’s business Ashmore Rams is now, is incredible. Their mindset, determination, decision-making and their results speak for themselves. For more information on Ashmore Rams, Click Here.

I hope the insights shared in this episode on gratitude, perspective, calmness, kindness, planning, decision-making, and massive action offer some clarity and direction for all of you as we arrive at the end of a very unique season.

Troy & Nette remind me that there is always a silver lining and that ‘good’ things can come from the ‘bad’ if you stay the course and choose to own the situation we find ourselves in.

Thank you, Troy, Nette and Westy – an uplifting and important conversation.

Be kind, everyone, and let’s nail the end to this season!

Best,

Hutch

If you love food & cooking, Maggie Beer is Australia’s much-loved national icon and go-to authority.

If you love your kids, it’s Maggie Dent!

Well-known to many of you and revered as the ‘The Queen of Common Sense’, Maggie is an absolute champion on all things parenting.

Maggie’s roots are very strongly tied to Agriculture. She is passionate about this community – our strength, endurance, resilience, and success for our families.

She gets it. She gets us.

Maggie has so SO much to offer. During this episode, we scratch the surface on how to be:

• Better husbands and wives;
• mainstays for our boys;
• carers to our daughters;
• rocks in our families; and
• great citizens within our communities.

Maggie has changed Jane & my life, and helped us immensely as we navigate what it takes to raise four little people in our world.

We love her books, we value her courses, and I highly recommend her Podcast – Parental As Anything!

As we navigate COVID restrictions, lockdown challenges and all things involved with remote learning, I hope this Podcast helps you at this time.

I also hope it gives you some inspiration – as she does me – on how we can be a better life partners to that one person we love most in this world.

Thank you, Maggie, for all you do for Australian families and our children.

Simply, WOW.

Jeremy

PS. CLICK HERE to learn more about Maggie and the amazing work she does (including upcoming events and online courses) or dive straight into Maggie’s Podcast – Parental as Anything! By clicking HERE.

PPS: Please share this with others in our industry and give us a review on Facebook or Google… and thank you for helping us share stories like these more broadly.

Farmers can be a humble bunch, perhaps in part a function of a certain ‘tall poppy syndrome’ that exists across our landscape. As a result, as well as the fact that most of us are production-focused and not necessarily marketing-trained, we are not always great at telling our unique stories or promoting our own business ‘brand.’

Taking this further, globally, there seems to be an ever-increasing gap and misunderstanding between the food consumer and the farmer producer.

Simply, there are so many great Australian agricultural stories that need to be shared and so many good things happening in our industry that our food-consuming society needs to hear, understand, and appreciate.

Farmers, if we don’t tell our story, someone else will be…

In this episode, I am pleased to spend time with the Founder of Humans of Agriculture, Oli Le Lievre. Oli & his team are dedicated to bridging this gap and walking alongside people in our industry to help them uncover and share their unique stories.

Personally, I feel this is important work on so many levels. I commend Oli & his team for their endeavour, commitment and pioneering.

Whilst a new and emerging project for our industry, it is my prediction that the Humans of Agriculture movement will make an impact of significance for farming families, for food supply chains and in enhancing both awareness and appreciation for the good work we all do in helping to ‘feed the world.’

For our listeners, who do you have around you helping to uncover your uniqueness – as a business, family, employer and contributor?

www.humansofagriculture.com

Well done, Oli. Keep up the great work, and thank you for all you do!

Keep making great stories.

Hutch

Dave ‘Westy’ Westbrook here – and I have hijacked this episode of the Profitable Farmer Podcast!

For me, true wealth is about the inner success or the ‘inner hero’ that we all have inside us, and, at the end of the day, our farming businesses are tools to help us create the life we desire.

I am so incredibly excited to welcome three special guests to the podcast - Ironman world champion Trevor Hendy, AFL legend Kane Johnson and breath and Ice bath guru Mark Kluwer.

Recently, 16 men from our Platinum Mastermind community and I attended the “Breath and Break Through Retreat” hosted by Mark, Trevor and Kane at Elevated Springs in Hepburn, Victoria. It was an incredible few days together, focusing on self-awareness, connection, personal growth and a deeper understanding of yourself.

“We want to call ourselves successful, but to be successful requires strength and courage, and the biggest strength and courage we can have, is to be our true self.”

In this episode, we explore some important themes in more depth on creating the life you desire, including:

• It’s not what you do but who you are that matters.
• How vulnerability opens you up to new opportunities.
• Why most of us are in burnout.
• Breathing and how it scientifically impacts us.
• How to stay calm in high-stress environments.
• Plus much more…

Make sure you stick around to the end, where we run an activity to help you identify and make desired changes in your life.

We hope you enjoy this episode!

Thanks again for having me,

Westy

P.S. Find out more about Mark Kluwer & upcoming retreats at Elevated Springs by clicking here.

As always, it is great to speak with Terry Tran and get an update on what is happening across our economy and the global investment landscape. In this episode, and 6 months after our last update from Terry, we cover all things interest rates, inflation, commodities outlooks, exchange rates and economies. We get Terry’s valued insight across the USA, China, Russia/Ukraine and other global developments, and how these might impact equity investment decisions in the near and long term. We are excited to bring another exclusive Freedom Trader investment webinar to the Farm Owners Academy community at 7:20 pm (AEDT) on Tuesday, 5th November, details are here. If you are interested in exploring world-class coaching on how to invest successfully in the global market, then we recommend this webinar and Terry’s Freedom Trader program, details here. Thank you, Terry. Congratulations on the work you do supporting so many families to pursue and achieve financial freedom. I look forward to a beer on your new veranda and to enjoying the view across Sydney’s incredible cityscape very soon! Sincerely, Jeremy Hutchings & the Farm Owners Academy Team P.S. If you're also looking to tackle stress and improve your well-being, our FREE 2024 Edition of The Low-Stress Farmer’s Handbook is now available. Discover essential strategies for reducing stress, avoiding burnout, and building resilience. It's packed with practical advice tailored to farmers' unique challenges. Click here to get your copy now: Download the Handbook.

Hi [First Name], 12 years ago, as I hung my shingle as the first business coach in regional Australia, Danny Russell, then a 28-year-old budding entrepreneur with a small cleaning company knocks on my door to tell me he is going to be my first client! …and the rest is history. A cracking entrepreneur and now emerging property developer, Danny & his wife Jill, have become life-long friends and truly inspirational peers and mentors to both Jane & I. In this episode, Danny and I discuss:

• the humblest of beginnings
• a global search
• finding family
• valuing the little things
• being grateful for what we have
• nailing entrepreneurship
• being resilient and stating the course
• fearlessness & being courageous
• playing the long game
• leadership
• making a difference - to your team and to the community you serve

During our business coaching journey together, Danny has taught me so much more than I have him… of that I am sure. For me, he is the most inspirational ‘cleaner’ in Australia. Simply put, Danny Russell is a wonderful human, making a difference through business. It gives me great pleasure to share Danny’s story and link it back to leadership lessons for farming families. Thank you all once again and enjoy. Sincerely, Jeremy PS - tickets for our TOP Producers Workshops next year are filling up fast! Secure yours now by clicking here: TOP Producers Program 2-Day Workshop

The Covid-19 pandemic is impacting our communities and our economy in ways we have never experienced before. All experts agree, we are in largely un-chartered waters… in comparison to the GFC, the recession, wars and even the depression.

Only time will determine the extent of this global crisis, and how quickly Australia can bounce back and recover compared to other nations within our global economy.

In this podcast, Greg Johnsson and I speak with Peter Koulizos – a renowned property market analyst, researcher, investor, developer, author, academic and educator.

As a property expert and active participant, Peter explores:

• the impact of Covid-19 on residential, commercial and property development markets – supply and demand predictions at this time,
• how it is affecting the various categories of individual investors,
• his take on the flow-on effect this will have within the property sector and beyond,
• the harsh reality of what these outcomes will mean for the broader economy,
• the importance of a prompt and proactive return to recovery, and
• for active investors - what to do right now and what to look out for.

The Australian property market and its recovery is pivotal to our local and national economies. Peter’s perspective on how it will navigate Covid-19 is outstanding and immensely informative.

Enjoy!

Kind regards

Jeremy

Technology can be pretty incredible. With its exponential advancement, there is no doubt we are on the cusp of unprecedented change on-farm and across our industry.

Our game is rapidly changing, allowing us to achieve much more with much less.

For me, our future is very exciting.

In this episode, I invite you to join me and an audience of 350 progressive, growth-oriented and passionate farmers at one of our Deep Dive conferences (usually exclusively for our Platinum Mastermind members).

In this, Matthew Prior (Managing Partner – Tenacious Ventures) and I interview the impressive CEO and Founder of SwarmFarm Robotics – Andrew Bate.

Based on-farm near Emerald in Queensland, Andrew and his family run a highly efficient, large-scale broad-acre cropping operation. In 2012, as a ‘side-hustle’ to their farm, SwarmFarm Robotics was created. Now, some 13 years later, this incredible Ag Tech business employs over 25 staff and is firmly placed as one of the pioneers and world leaders in Autonomous Vehicle platforms for Agriculture. Enjoy this interview, with questions coming from many of our Platinum Mastermind audience members throughout. Undoubtedly, Andrew Bate and his team are transforming how we think about how we farm. To frame up this interview, you can watch this short video (also shared within the podcast) here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WqfA-nlj29s&t=32s I encourage you to check out their website: www.swarmfarm.com and consider how their technology might have a place on your farm sometime soon!

Congratulations, Andrew and team, for your pioneering and for the contribution you make to our industry.

Wow.

Hutch & the FOA Team

When you’re ready to take the next step and work with us, here are three things you can do:

1. Subscribe to our ‘Profitable Farmer’ podcast 

This free audio podcast delivers ideas to help you run a great business, leading to more profit, control and freedom – Click here.   2. Join the Farm Owner Academy’s closed Facebook group ‘Profitable Farmer’ 

Our new Facebook community is where smart farm owners learn how to get more profit, control and freedom, and you can connect with like-minded farm owners – Click here to join

3. Work with us privately 

If you’d like our team to help you scale up your farming business or create a ‘freedom farm’ just email us at support@farmownersacademy.com and put “Private” in the subject line… tell me a little about your business and what you’d like to improve and I’ll send you the information you need to get started!

As we near the end of another whirlwind year, it’s a chance to reflect, reset, and recharge. The festive season brings its own flurry of busyness, but before we all step into some well-deserved downtime, I wanted to bring you a conversation packed with insight and inspiration to help you wrap up 2024 with purpose and head into 2025 with clarity.    In this episode, I’m joined by Farm Owners Academy’s CEO, Sam Johnson. Together, we dive deep into the year that was — exploring the highlights, hurdles, and lessons learned across our farming community.     We unpack practical ways to stress-test your business model, navigate challenges like rising interest rates and tough seasons, and build resilience into your farm and family operations. We also delve into the important interplay between scale, gearing, and business model and how to assess your farm’s performance against several critical measures.    Sam shares a special reflection on his personal journey this year, showing how resilience isn’t just a business strategy but a life skill, too.    We also celebrate the incredible work of the FOA team — our analytics professionals, coaching leaders, and operational champions — who have supported farming families across the country to benchmark, plan, and grow stronger farming businesses. Thank you, team, we are so grateful for the dedication and ‘above and beyond’ support you consistently provide to our members and community.    Whether you’re looking to refine your vision, strengthen your business, or just find fresh motivation for the year ahead, I hope this episode will help in some way or another.     So grab a cuppa, or keep the tractor running, and join us for a conversation that could set the tone for your best year yet.    Thank you for tracking with us this year. Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and festive season.     Hutch and the Farm Owners Academy team.     P.S. If you know someone who would make an excellent guest for the Profitable Farmer Podcast, you can nominate them by providing their name, contact details and an outline as to why you feel they’d be a cracking guest by emailing us at support@farmownersacademy.com Resources mentioned in the episode:     Complimentary Coaching Call: If you would like to find out more about our Platinum Mastermind – business coaching and mastermind program – and whether this is a good fit for you and your business, you can book your one-on-one coaching call with a member of our business coaching team here. Book your call today.     Cash Flow Optimiser: This short course is designed to help make your financial planning more straightforward and effective. Discover how to turn your farm into a highly profitable business by choosing the right model, leveraging the Profit First Farm Business Model Analyser Tool, and mastering accurate forecasting. Uncover the seven steps to effective business model forecasting (BMF), the difference between budgeting and forecasting, and equip yourself with strategies to benchmark, stress test, and project cash flow with precision. Plus, gain invaluable insights from bonus training and real-world case studies that show what it takes to thrive, even in tough seasons. Check it out here.    TOP Producers Program: If you are ready to elevate your farming operation to unprecedented levels of productivity and profitability, the TOP Producers 2-day workshop is designed specifically for forward-thinking Australian farmers like you, who are motivated to scale up, earn more money, and run a better farm business. Discover innovative ideas, practical strategies, and the latest insights, all tailored to the unique challenges and opportunities of Australian agriculture. We have two events in 2025, attend virtually or in person – dates and locations here.    Ultimate 2025 Planning Guide: this FREE planning guide is here to help you refocus, set meaningful goals, and build a clear plan for a more profitable, sustainable farm business. Reflect on 2024, follow along with templates and tools to help you set up for an incredible 2024 and ensure you start the new year with clarity, purpose and control! Download your free guide here.

Simply this is a MUST LISTEN TO Podcast.

Right now, FEAR and ANXIETY is at a peak, and very real for many / most of us.

Fever pitch even... and only amplified by media at this time.

How we manage our own mental state and deal with the emotions of fear and anxiety is so very important at this time - for us, for those around us and as a local and national community.

I interview our Head Coach and Mindset Specialist Tracy Secombe and we explore this important issue. Importantly Tracy shares with us:

- What fear is and how it turns up for us,

- How we experience anxiety, and

- How we can manage both of them and change our state of mind.

More deeply we explore how we can find gratitude, optimism and meaning at this time, and what tools we can use to remove fear and anxiety from our current reality.

The most important thing we can do right now is to be self-aware, manage our own energy, and ensure we turn up to our family and loved ones with perspective and strength.

As parents, sons & daughters and friends, now is our time to lead and love.

Tracy is simply incredible. Her message so very important at this time.

This one is important - for you and for those around you.

Stay safe, stay strong and enjoy!

Jeremy

We all now know that safety on-farm is an important issue. We also know that most farm businesses have more to do in this area, and it is pleasing to see so many farming families prioritising farm safety as a core part of the business improvement strategies.

SafeAg System is presently leading the way in helping farming families create safer and more professional workplaces; their App & offering are now in place on over 15,000 farms in Australia and overseas.

What I like most about SafeAg Systems is that their solution also helps farm teams operate more effectively AND be safer. Their platform caters for machinery maintenance scheduling, inventory management, human resource management, contractor management, on-farm communications and systems improvement, AS WELL AS safety practices. This App solves a real business management and HR problem for farming businesses, large and small… almost as if a safer farm becomes the outcome.

For more information, click here: www.safeagsystems.com

In this episode, it is great to connect with CEO & Founder Katy Landt. I appreciate her openness and the opportunity to share the entrepreneurial back story to the growth of the SafeAg Systems business.

Succeeding in the tech start-up space is incredibly challenging. Now seven years old and with a dedicated team of over 25 employees, Safe Ag System looks toward its first capital raise and next expansion step.

We can learn so much from people who are courageous and determined enough to pursue this path.

The SafeAg Systems story is compelling and a real credit to Katy, her husband Drew, and her co-founding parents Mark & Caroline. Katy confirms that entrepreneurship is not for the faint-hearted. However, with deep determination, sheer ‘stubbornness’ (as she puts it!) and a genuine passion to make an impact, anything is possible.

Congratulations, Katy and the SafeAg Team. Keep up the great work.

Stay safe, everyone!

Hutch & Team

Strong Commodity Prices, a favourable season (for many!), low interest rates and strong capital gains… have you EVER seen such optimism?

In Greg Johnsson’s opinion – this is (for most!) about as good as it gets.

And he is right – if you are not making solid profits now, there could be something wrong in your farm business.

In this Podcast, I call on FOA Founder and fellow Director Greg Johnsson to answer three key questions:

1. What do we do to make the most of the optimism we are experiencing?
2. How can we justify an expansion step given the current land values?

3. What are the key financial metrics I need to be monitoring to make the best on-farm decisions at this time?

Greg is second to none in the on-farm analysis space and shares the importance of knowing your numbers, benchmarking, and making robust, confident decisions based on the numbers in front of us.

Importantly, for those wanting to develop your financial skill-set, I give a real insight into FOA’s Farm Financial Framework program.

This program is 40 years of Greg’s experience condensed into a practical, applicable finance program designed to help you get the skills & tools you need around you to make the very best farm expansion decisions.

Simply, there is nothing like it in the industry.

We are offering this program at an incredibly favourable price of $1,500 (plus GST), but be quick as this intake (and the last for 2021) will close on Friday 22nd October 2021.

Click here to learn more about the Farm Financial Framework Program.

Your time on the header or in a chaser bin could be very well spent this harvest… focused on this course and on getting the ‘shot in the arm’ you need on this important topic of farm finance.

The formula is simple:

Step 1:   Learn financial management.

Step 2:   Optimise the farm you have.

Step 3:   Expand your optimised farm across more area.

Don’t miss MAJOR expansion opportunities because of a lack of financial management skills. Instead, take yourself and your development in this area seriously.

Your success (in my humble opinion) truly starts here.

Thanks once again, Greg, and well done.

Keep winning, and all the best in this cracking business environment! Hutch

P.S Don’t miss out on joining our 14-week Farm Financial Framework Program. This course is designed to help you profit more and become a stronger farm business owner by learning the language of finance. Please click here to learn more.

*Registrations close 22nd October 2021 or until sold out. 

When you’re ready to take the next step and work with us, here are three things you can do:

1. Subscribe to our ‘Profitable Farmer’ podcast This free audio podcast delivers ideas to help you run a great business – leading to more profit, control and freedom – Click here. 2. Join the Farm Owner Academy’s closed Facebook group ‘Profitable Farmer’ Our new Facebook community is where smart farm owners learn how to get more profit, control and freedom, and you can connect with like-minded farm owners – Click here to join. 3. Work with us privately If you’d like our team to help you scale up your farming business or create a ‘freedom farm’ just email us at support@farmownersacademy.comand put “Private” in the subject line… tell me a little about your business and what you’d like to improve and I’ll send you the information you need to get started!

Land Prices are through the roof, bank lending policies continue to tighten, and the red tape is getting thicker for all across our industry.

If we are serious about farm expansion, inter-generational transition and driving new & improved operating performance, we need to be looking and thinking ‘outside the box’ now more than ever.

With these realities in mind, I call on Collaborative Farming Expert, Jeff McDonald, to explore the benefits of this Farming option.

Jeff is the Founder & Managing Director of Riverland Lending Services and Collaborative Farming Australia. He is also the Chair of many highly successful collaborative farming ventures across Australia – including Bulla Burra, Sherwood Estate and River Wine Collaboratives.

In this discussion, I expected to explore what underpins successful collaborative farming; to learn about some compelling case studies of farming families doing it well and the benefits of this approach to farming... what I didn’t expect, and thoroughly appreciate, is Jeff’s candour and willingness to explore in detail his comment that:

“Good business governance is critical to collaborative and family farming equally. If you are not full bottle on this, you are already on your way out of farming.”

You might not like all that Jeff has to say. You might find it challenging. But in reality, he speaks a truth that farm owners can no longer deny – be professional or perish.

Jeff, thank you for your openness, straight-talk, and insightful explanation of how a collaborative approach to farm business expansion can see everyone involved achieve more.

Thank you all, and I hope you enjoy this discussion as much as I have.

Sincerely,

Jeremy Hutchings

Managing Director, Farm Owners Academy

P.S. If you would like to explore this topic further, you can get in contact with Jeff directly (E) jeff@rls.net.au

When you’re ready to take the next step and work with us, here are three things you can do:

1. Subscribe to our ‘Profitable Farmer’ podcast This free audio podcast delivers ideas to help you run a great business – leading to more profit, control and freedom – Click here.

2. Join the Farm Owner Academy’s closed Facebook group ‘Profitable Farmer’ Our new Facebook community is where smart farm owners learn how to get more profit, control and freedom, and you can connect with like-minded farm owners – Click here to join.

3. Work with us privately If you’d like our team to help you scale up your farming business or create a ‘freedom farm’ just email us at support@farmownersacademy.com and put “Private” in the subject line… tell me a little about your business and what you’d like to improve and I’ll send you the information you need to get started!

At Farm Owners Academy, we are big believers that our mental well-being is closely linked to our physical health AND positive social interactions. 

I am delighted to interview Active Farmer Founder and Director Ginny Stevens in this episode. Over eight years, Active Farmers has grown from an idea and one weekly fitness class in Mangoplah, NSW, to a significant and important national charity supporting thousands of farmers' physical health and mental well-being across 65 rural communities. 

It is an incredible story, and one Ginny Stevens, her family, and her team can feel immensely proud of. 

Now, with a team of 40 fitness trainers, an operational unit of 6 supported by a compelling board and a long list of sponsors and partners, Active Farmers is poised for its next growth step and the opportunity to make an even greater impact on the resilience of our great industry. 

In this episode, I ask Ginny to share her back story and offer an insight into the Active Farmers journey. 

For me, it is a healthy reminder of the importance of making a stand for what you believe in - finding a meaningful social problem to solve, having the courage to pursue your greatest passion, setting down a selfless and inspiring vision, backing yourself… and then just the sheer grit, persistence and determination needed to create something meaningful.  

When we do these things, the ‘universe’ can conspire in our favour, we attract all the people and resources we need, and the impact we can together have can be beyond our comprehension. 

Ginny, thank you for Active Farmers. Thank you for your hard work and commitment to your cause over 8+ years. Thank you for the genuine impact you and your team are having on the health and well-being of Australian farmers AND the impact you are having on the resilience and vibrancy of our rural communities. 

www.activefarmers.com.au 

I look forward to tracking with you and supporting your next chapter across our Australian Farming Landscape. 

Sincerely, 

Hutch & the FOA Team 

I was chatting to a farmer the other day, who in conversation made 3 bold and cocky statements… saying them as if he had some badge of honour:

“I don’t have time for office work”,

“I have no interest in the numbers… I leave that to the missus”, and

“It’s all another language to me… I leave it to the pen-pushers”.

At the same time, he was commenting about how chaotic their life was… and how he… “makes decisions based on instinct & gut-feel rather than on analysis & ‘number-crunching…’”.

I didn’t say it… perhaps I should have… but all I was thinking was “what a bloody peanut”. If you are serious about business and dedicated to being the absolute best farm owner you can be, then being financially illiterate is a sure way to NEVER get there.

NOW MORE THAN EVER FARMING IS A BUSINESS.

CEO’s of ALL successful companies study financial management constantly. Intense analysis, feasibility studies, financial performance monitoring, decision-modelling, forecasting and benchmarking is one of the largest and most important activities they do.

Successful farm owners are across their numbers AND dedicate time in the office to analysing their performance AND making numbers-based performance decisions.

Like it or not, and as Greg points out, "the language of business is finance".

In this important podcast, I interview Farm Owners Academy co-founder, long-time financial analyst and farm financial specialist, Greg Johnsson. We explore the critical reports you have to establish then proactively monitor, AND we explore the core ratios you must measure and benchmark in order to be in control and making meaningful, measured and robust decisions on your farm.

In this webinar, I do not apologise for making an unashamed plug for our new financial literacy training program being launched right now by Farm Owners Academy. It is called the Farm Financial Framework and it commences on 3rd July as a live online in-depth training initiative.

To learn more, CLICK HERE.

If you are serious about profit and creating wealth and, then this is an essential training program I urge you to prioritise. It’s time to get serious! Sincerely,  Jeremy

So much of our focus AND the advice we receive is centred around optimising our Farm Businesses. 

When we think about off-farm investing, we look to shares and real estate as our primary options. 

Remember the small business. Often, the small business we run as a ‘side-hustle’ beside our farms get little attention and are often left to play ‘second fiddle’. 

In this podcast, I propose that perhaps our greatest opportunity is in the small business that sits beside our farm business – perhaps there is MORE value to create there? Perhaps your small business may hold the key to helping you achieve expansion, bolster cash flow and move you to the next level! 

Do not underestimate the importance and power of a cash-rich business that complements the farm business you have. AND, as farmers, don’t underestimate your business acumen and your entrepreneurial ability. 

The business principles and entrepreneurial skills we teach at Farm Owners Academy – when applied to your farm AND non-farm businesses – can together be the perfect combination to set you free! I suggest it just takes a shift in thinking, focus, and a stronger strategic plan to make this happen and THRIVE. 

I see so many great examples of this in David & Bianca from ‘Our Cow’, Tom & Phoebe from LambPro, Neil & Coral from the Junee Licorice Factory, Juliet & Huw from the Long Track Pantry, and Sam & Prue from Holbrook Paddock Eggs (just to name but a few)! They have found a way to SCALE with a focus on BUSINESS just as much as FARMING. 

If they can do it, why not you? 

Remember, TIME is our greatest asset. So if you are squandering time and focusing on low-value activities, I encourage you to STOP, RESET and FIND A WAY to allocate one day per week to working ON YOUR BUSINESS, not in your business… this could be the thing that makes all the difference for you. 

I hope this challenges your thinking and offers you some different and BETTER questions over the Christmas and festive season to turn your mind to. 

Here’s to the importance of good business practice – applied both ON and OFF farm! 

Keep winning! 

Hutch & the FOA Team 

P.S. To speak with us about how we can help you scale your non-farm business… book a ‘let’s have a yarn’ call with Westy by clicking HERE.

Every six months, I like to check in with Terry Tran, our resident investment specialist and founder of the Freedom Trader, to get his insights into the global marketplace, our local economy and investing in the equity market and off-farm.

In this interview, we explore:

• the global economy given the ongoing pandemic;
• the impact that significant government intervention might have;
• what we might expect in terms of inflation, interest rates and economic recovery;
• Terry’s investment philosophy; and,
• his recent client and personal investment results.

We also explore Terry's passion for teaching farming families how to become competent, disciplined and successful investors in an ever-volatile and often unpredictable economic environment.

An essential component of running a successful farming business involves diversifying your asset-base, cashflows and wealth off-farm. Successful intergenerational change and creating meaningful legacies for future generations often depend on this. Terry reminds us why we need to make this a priority to support our farms and families, and why getting started now (or early!) is so important.

We endorse Terry and his Freedom Trader program. We do this because we feel that our values are aligned with Terry and his team, and we like seeing our clients get results! We respect that Terry teaches people to be successful investors in their own right, with first-class mentoring, decision-support and guidance.

Finally, we discuss the Freedom Trader Blueprint version 2.0 - Terry's new program to help people construct growth-oriented, diversified investment portfolios for the long term.

Terry, thank you for your time, your openness and for all you do in support of the growth and advancement of our Farm Owners Academy client community.

To all of you, enjoy, and happy investing!

Thank you.

Jeremy

PS:  For more information about Terry and his programs, click here!

PPS: To download an exclusive free giveaway - the Freedom Trader Stock Checklist, click here!

PPPS: Interested in understanding more about Farm Owners Academy? Click here!

PPPPS: Please share this with others in our industry and give us a review on Facebook or Google … and thank you for helping us share stories like these more broadly.

I have heard it said that “doing a traditional thing in a traditional industry may no longer be relevant.”

I have also heard it said that the point of entrepreneurship is to “create a legacy”…. that is to create something that makes an impact of significance in the market, that will last beyond your life-time.

Certainly there are great examples of individuals and teams out there daring enough to be highly entrepreneurial, deeply strategic and very innovative in finding ways to ‘get it done’.

For mine, Liam Leneghan and his GO.Farm Story presents an outstanding example of this, in modern day Australian Agriculture.

Just over 10 years ago, GO.Farm Australia was simply an idea in the mind of a very credible and progressive Australian Agriculturalist.

Today, GO.FARM’s vision for transforming Australian agriculture has driven the development and management of $1.2B worth of agricultural assets, including 96,000ha of farmland producing high-value crops such as almonds, mandarins, tomatoes, winegrapes, grains, pulses and oilseeds.

With a strong focus on innovation through a Responsible Agriculture lens, GO.FARM’s investment strategies deliver a positive impact for its environments and local communities, while generating significant wealth for its investors.

From an idea, combined with a deep determination to transform Australian farmland… GO.Farm is now a growing team of over 250 people, committed to this vision.

It is a truly compelling story, that I feel we can all learn from. Through this I am reminded of the benefits of being unconventional; that leadership starts with making informed and risk-aware predictions about the future; that business ownership is about being courageous and dertermined; of the power of having conviction; of learning from mistakes and ‘going again’; of the value in making unreasonable request of people with influence; of the importance of a commitment to our own learning and growth; and the importance of surrounding yourself in high-calibre people on this journey we all play in business.

Some individuals are simply truly pioneering and daring to make an impact.

Liam, I commend you on your courage, deep conviction and your modern-day pioneering. I hope our conversation pays some tribute to your impressive career, and the successes of GO.Farm and your team.

Congratulations mate.

Hutch & the FOA Team

So often in this game, we attend only the training put on by the R&D extension agencies or free events by our advisers. So often, we wait for a grant to become available before we commit to a course, or we focus on improving our skills ONLY when there is a subsidy or sponsorship toward the funding of it.  My point is: So many farmers don’t invest enough in themselves! In this episode, Andrew ‘Robbo’ Roberts (Farm Owners Academy Co-Founder) & I re-connect and focus on the impact of making a significant investment in your own development. We reflect on how a commitment of $25,000 toward a business coaching certificate changed everything for each of us. In farming, we will buy flashy cars, new Utes and all the plant & equipment we might need, yet neglect one of the single best investments we can make! In this episode, Robbo & I explore the following:

• the importance of investing in ourselves;
• why people don’t do this and what this can mean;
• why people can be closed to learning new concepts & principles;
• why we seem to prefer to ‘defend what we know’;
• the value of making this your priority; and
• the results that can come in so doing.

We also talk about the TAKE CONTROL Program, why we created it, and the campaign we are running now for our 2023 intake.  Information here for those interested I am constantly so immensely impressed by the investment our Farm Owners Academy Members make in their own development - time & money. I respect just how committed they are to their own growth and improvement. The results they achieve truly speak for themselves. Make an investment of significance in your own growth this year - I promise, the rest will take care of itself!! In learning & growth … Hutch & the FOA Team

Often, it is my observation that succession is made to be a bigger and more complex issue than it needs to be.

Often, in my opinion, good business practice applied to family business can be the key to aligning a family to a common goal and plan; creating meaningful, regular and proactive communications; providing financial clarity and control for all parties; delivering structures and systems to support all team members in their roles; and helping ensure all expectations relating to succession are understood and clear.

Let me be clear, I am not saying succession is easy. What I am saying, is that the timely and proactive application of good business practices have proven to help farm business families be more effective, and then make succession a more palatable and constructive process.

Four weeks ago I was asked to be part of the Annual Pooginook Client Field Day, and be interviewed alongside succession specialist Isobel Knight, Proagtive on the topic of Business & Succession, by interviewer and journalist David Cussons.

Such an important topic, and I hope you find this valuable.

I commend the Pooginook Team, led by John Sutherland (Genetics & Sales Manager) and Andrew Glover (Station Manager), for both the genetic and productive performance advancements they are making for the dual-purpose merinos of Australia, AND also for the innovation they show in facilitating conversations like this one so relevant for their extensive, national client base and so many in our industry.

Based in the Riverina NSW, Pooginook Merino and Poll Stud is one of Australia’s largest and most innovative producers of advanced, highly productive, dual-purpose, mules-free merinos, backed by +80 years of breeding experience and data.  

www.pooginoook.com.au  

To the Pooginook Team, thank you for having Isobel & I – a compelling event for all attending. Well done on your pioneering and leadership, and a special thank you to David Cussons (Director, Cussons Media) for your approach to this interview, and to John Sutherland (Genetics & Sales Manager, FocusAg) for making this happen.

To all, be kind to each other in this process, and be open to doing the deeper work personally, so you can arrive to succession with the compassion, love and respect that each of our families deserve.

Sincerely,

Hutch & Team

P.S. For those who are interested, we will be hosting a free webinar on September 20th – all about how to create a winning team. You can register for the webinar here: Team Webinar Registration

Throughout each year, I value the opportunity to invite our Investment Specialist Terry Tran to join us on Profitable Farmer.

With rising inflation, increasing interest rates, ongoing supply issues and softening commodity prices we are potentially entering a new agri-economic landscape, different from all we have experienced in recent years.

In this podcast we explore how Terry sees the investment landscape at this time. We discuss the important of being proactive and creating diversification with a strong, well-structured, risk-aware off-farm investment portfolio, especially on the back of strong on-farm results.

We discuss in detail Terry’s investment philosophy, his track-record, and how he helps hundreds of farmers and investors across Australia to learn important, value-based investment skills, then take control of their investment portfolios.

Importantly, we explore Robert Kiyasaki’s Cashflow Quadrant (from the book ‘Rich Dad, Poor Dad’) and how each of us can create more wealth with a move over-time from being Employed or Self-Employed to being leveraged and focused as Business Owners and Investors.

For those interested, Terry will be running an Investment Masterclass from 7:30pm on Wednesday 5th April, exclusively for our FOA Community.

You can register for this here: https://www.thefreedomtrader.com/farmownersacademy/

As Founder & CEO to his business Freedom Trader, Terry is a great example of how to create financial freedom and an incredible leveraged lifestyle through strategic investing. We recommend Terry & the Freedom Trader program highly, and encourage you to make this training a priority.

Thank you, and enjoy.

Hutch & the FOA Team

In our estimation, less than 5% of farming families have documented, accurate and meaningful family and business plans.

In this episode, I speak with Farm Owners Academy (FOA), Farm Business Coach, David ‘Westy’ Westbrook about the importance of strategic planning and the method FOA recommend in making our farm business plans compelling, actionable and highly effective.

As Westy and his family embark on their FOA National Farm Client Tour over 12 months, and as they visit and support over 100 of our farming clients on this specific process, I saw it as perfect timing to dig a little deeper on:

• why planning is important;
• what makes up a world-class strategic plan;
• how to keep it from collecting dust in a cupboard somewhere;
• how to bring it to life;
• how to use it as a core leadership tool in aligning and inspiring your team to greater levels of achievement; and
• how this can enrol powers greater than you to see you achieve more in life than you can imagine.

Becky and Westy have been stand-out clients of our program. Westy is now a compelling coach & mentor to FOA Members. We are proud to have him as part of our team, and I appreciate him sharing some fantastic insights as to how to plan in farm business effectively, through our CLARITY ACTION PLANNING methodology.

Out of 10:

…  how do you rate your farm business plan?

…. how aligned are your family and team to one clear vision and direction?

I trust you will find this valuable, and I look forward to your feedback and insights on our Profitable Farmer Facebook feed.

Thank you, and all the best in planning!

Hutch

PS - You can follow FOA On Tour, and to share in Becky, Westy & their families farming tour of Australia this year by jumping onto the Farm Owner Academy Facebook page!

PSS - Got questions about this topic? Feel free to reach out via the Profitable Farmer Facebook page to ask clarifying questions. I’d love to hear from you.

I have heard it said that there is no such thing as a 'perfect family'. Who can relate to this? In business, and within our families, there are so many different personalities… so many complex people that we have to deal with, work with, and lead. For many, THIS can be our greatest challenge! In this podcast, and to complement my prior two episodes on Planning & Negotiation, I explore DiSC Personality Profiling. We will discover how a deeper understanding of our individual Personality Type and Behavioural Traits can see us better communicate and manage our team and families, and help us adapt and overcome the various relationship challenges we may be experiencing. In this episode, I:

• introduce you to DiSC Personality Profiling

• describe in detail the 4 distinct personality types we each fall into
• explore where conflict and lack of cohesion can come from
• explain how we can better understand each other
• how we can better adapt our communication to lead each and every member of your team more effectively.

It is my view that being in business with family can be a real gift. Incredible things can happen when families align, unite and work together constructively in order to pursue a shared Vision in business. What a privilege to be in business with those you love! There are compelling examples of this in so many multi-generational, iconic family brands across the Australian business landscape (the Ray White story comes to mind!) At the same time, it is clear to me, that this is often very difficult to achieve; and in reality, quite rare long-term. It is my hope that this podcast invites a deeper understanding and appreciation for our respective personality profiles and behavioural styles to help you navigate this challenge and help create your own iconic family farm and high-achieving business team. Thank you, and enjoy. Jeremy

PS -  Got questions about this topic? Feel free to reach out via the Profitable Farmer Facebook page to ask clarifying questions. I’d love to hear from you.

We are excited to be kicking off our first podcast of 2023, we hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and New Year break. May 2023 be your best year yet!

One of the great things about this time of year is friends dropping in on their holiday travels.

There truly is nothing like old friendships. Whilst visiting us, I am delighted to once again welcome great mate James Kelly to our podcast. As Managing Director to Alchimie Management Consulting, James and his team dedicate much of their focus to helping high-performing teams overcome communication challenges and aligning executive teams leading major construction and corporate projects.

The other great thing about this time of year, is the opportunity to reflect on the season just gone, and then dedicate real time to setting down the plan for the new year.

In this podcast, and over a coffee, he and I explore the importance of planning, and the keys to aligning a team to a common plan.

At FOA, we recommend getting off-site for ideally two full days, with a clear agenda, and all key decision-makers. We see this as a critical step in moving from reactive to proactive in your business leadership. This brings on-farm business teams together and on to the same page.

In this interview, James shares some compelling insights as to how he facilitates workshops designed to overcome relationship issues, help team members see a higher perspective, and re-align common goals.

There are so many insights here, especially for those working with that important on-farm blend of family and non-family teams.

Enjoy, and share with me your insights in our Profitable Farmer Facebook Group.

Sincerely,

Hutch

There are some genuinely impressive Australian stories of entrepreneurial success in our industry — true, unsung, modern examples of courage, initiative, determination and pioneering.

For me, Dwain Duxson and the Farm Tender story is one of those.

Founded in March 2012, Farm Tender is Australia’s pre-eminent online buying and selling marketplace for farmers and associated agricultural companies, facilitating sales of grain, hay, farm machinery and agricultural equipment.

With over 62,000 farming members, Farm Tender transacted sales of over 100 million in the 2022 calendar year, providing a valuable, efficient, dependable service to our industry.

Success like this doesn’t come easy. Achievement of this sort follows countless mistakes, multiple failures, immense effort and sheer determination.

From humble farm beginnings to real momentum in the online, two-sided marketplace space, Dwain and his team offer us inspiration as to what is possible when as business leaders, we see a small opportunity, commit completely and then determine personally to succeed no matter what.

My key takeaways from my time with Dwain:

• back yourself on your ideas – perhaps playing it safe ‘isn’t it’
• be willing to try, and fail, on multiple ideas until you find the one that will thrive
• genuinely care for your people and look for the one-percenters that will support your culture
• invest intently in your network, actively nurture relationships and build trust with people
• be passionate about what you do, and be determined to stay the course.

For more information about Farm Tender and DelayPay CLICK HERE.

To register for Farm Tenders annual conference, ‘The Business of Farming’ in Bendigo on Friday 3rd, March, CLICK HERE.

Congratulations, Dwain, on all you have achieved. Well done on the service you provide to our industry and the genuine, high-quality way you deliver it.

Your story is one worthy of sharing – I just hope we have done it justice.

Hutch & the Farm Owners Academy Team

Imagine losing your arms, legs, body and your entire outlook on life… at age 19.

Imagine being in the prime of your life, only to have it all taken away.

Imagine having to start over, come to terms with that hardship, yet find the determination to get on with life.

Imagine how hard it would be to ‘stand back up’ and turn up to life again.

Then, imagine successfully re-creating yourself, finding the woman of your dreams and excelling in a 35-plus-year career as a successful farm business owner.

Imagine finding a way to farm, ski, drive, fly and so much more again!

Imagine complementing all of this with a 20-plus year career on the speaking and education circuit; dedicating your life to helping and inspiring men & women and children of all ages to face adversity, overcome their hardship and live their best lives.

Ladies & Gentlemen, meet Sam & Jenny Bailey.

For me, this conversation was a genuine privilege.I love the opportunity I have to share great Australian stories.

Sam & Jenny, you are truly wonderful, on so many levels. You are a great example of companionship, determination, courage and true grit.

We look forward to having you with us at our next FOA event, and to welcoming you into our community.

For anyone wanting to connect directly with Sam & Jenny, you can find them here.

For anyone wanting to read or share their book ‘Head Over Heels’, you can access it here.

And for anyone wanting to help Sam on his mission to be the world’s first quadriplegic helicopter pilot!! you can learn more and do that here.

Thank Sam & Jenny, for helping us all keep perspective and be appreciative in times of need.

Hutch & Farm Owners Academy Team

P.S. Would you like to take advantage of a 60-minute coaching session with one of our leading coaches at Farm Owners Academy?

We are currently offering 15 free sessions to our podcast listeners where you will be able to sit down, overcome obstacles and gain clarity in your farming business with guidance from an experienced coach. Click here to book your session before spots fill out.

2020, for a range of reasons, will be a year we’ll never forget.

Yet, at the same time, I feel it will also be a year many of us will cherish and be proud to remember.

• Adversity has been prominent.
• Families have come together.
• Communities have rallied.
• Hard work has been at the fore-front.
• The important things have been re-established.
• Simplicity has been remembered.
• Self-mastery a requirement.

As we round out this crazy year and complete on a unique season, it is important to take time to rest, reflect, reenergise, and reset.

In this final podcast episode of the year, I invite our Senior Farm Business Coaches to reflect on the year that was, share some of the big wins they observe across our community, and provide some key tips on how to set 2021 up to be our best year yet.

Tracy Secombe, Cheryl Freak and David Westbrook are incredibly passionate and dedicated business coaches to the Farm Owner Academy community. Their support to our members is outstanding.

The transition into the new year is an important time to come together as a team to review the year and then lock in the goals, plans and priorities for the coming year. This is when alignment can happen.

Enjoy hearing how our coaching team do this, and their tips on how to establish a strong plan for 2021.

As promised, we also share our ‘Wheel of Life’ review format AND our ‘Finish the Year Before It Starts’ training.  To access these incredible free resources, please click through using the links below:

Download the ‘Wheel of Life’ Review

Download the ‘Finish the Year Before It Starts’ Training

Congratulations for your determination and resilience this year – especially those fire and drought affected. Your efforts are inspiring and will see you recover and thrive in years to come.

All the best for a fun-filled and prosperous Christmas and festive season!

Sincerely,

Jeremy

PS - tickets for our TOP Producers Workshops next year are filling up fast! Secure yours now by clicking here: TOP Producers Program 2-Day Workshop

Today, we’re diving into a cracker of a conversation with three of our incredible FOA business coaches—Rick Morris, Marina Gregor, and Jack Owen. They not only run their own successful farming enterprises but also help guide others in our FOA community to achieve remarkable results.    In this episode, we reflect on the wins, challenges, and insights that shaped 2024. You’ll hear how these coaches, through bold decisions and a deep understanding of their numbers, transformed their farms by simplifying operations and finding focus. They share firsthand how these changes have driven profitability and reduced overwhelm—an approach that’s reshaping the mindset around diversification in farming.    Before we get into it, I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to Jack, Marina, and Rick for joining me in this episode. Your dedication, commitment, and input to this community are deeply valued. The way you lead by example and share your stories with such authenticity is inspiring. It’s people like you who make this community what it is, and I couldn’t be more grateful to have you as part of the Farm Owners Academy team.    It’s not just about numbers though. This conversation also highlights the role of mindset, strategic planning, and community in navigating tough seasons and setting the stage for success. Whether it’s embracing the three Rs—rest, reflect, reset, or having those all-important planning days off-farm, I hope you’ll leave inspired to tackle 2025 with purpose and clarity.    If you want to set yourself up for success in 2025, The Ultimate 2025 Planning Guide is packed with tools to help you map out your best year yet. Don’t wait – get your hands on it today. You can download it here.   Thank you Jack, Marina and Rick for joining me in this episode.     I hope this conversation brings you value and wish you all the best for the year ahead.     Sincerely,    Jeremy Hutchings and the Farm Owners Academy Team     P.S. Don’t miss out! The early bird sale for the Top Producers Program ends on the 20th of January 2025 (This Monday!). If you’ve been thinking about joining us to take your farm business to the next level and connect with like-minded producers, now’s the time. Secure your tickets today before the sale closes – we’d love to see you there! Secure your spot here.

Do you have an overly active mind and struggle at times with overthinking ??

Trust me on this. YOU ARE NOT ALONE.

As farmers, we often work alone and have a heap of time to think… deeply… about things that serve us AND things that may not.

This interview with FOA Head Coach Tracy Secombe reminds us that we are trained to be ‘in our heads’ and logically problem-solve to ‘manufacturer’ our goals, plans, and futures. This can become exhausting, and perhaps there is an alternative way of creating your future you might like to explore…

I used to overthink intensely, and it has taken me to a chapter in my life where I suffered from low self-esteem, depression and burnout. Learning to take control of this has been a major turning point in my life.

As farm-focused entrepreneurs, being aware of, being able to slow down and then master our thoughts is fundamental to our success.

Not doing this can be a significant contributor to mental fatigue, burnout, low self-esteem and depression.

In this podcast, Tracy & I explore overthinking in detail. The specific things you can do to bring awareness to this and proactively take steps to ‘unclutter’, slow down and move from negative and busy self-talk. And how to reach a calm, composed, positive and even powerful internal thought-process and narrative.

If this is relevant for you, and in the spirit of this month being Mental Health Month, I can personally recommend Tracy’s 7 Day Calmness Code Challenge to help you make a very positive first step in a new and life-changing way forward.

https://go.soulpleaser.com/7-day-calmness-code-challenge41824999

Congratulations on becoming a Director at Farm Owners Academy Tracy, we are delighted to have you part of our Leadership team !!

Thank you, Tracy – incredible as always!

Jeremy

When you’re ready to take the next step and work with us, here are three things you can do: 1. Subscribe to our ‘Profitable Farmer’ podcast This free audio podcast delivers ideas to help you run a great business – leading to more profit, control and freedom – Click here. 2. Join the Farm Owner Academy’s closed Facebook group ‘Profitable Farmer’ Our new Facebook community is where smart farm owners learn how to get more profit, control and freedom, and you can connect with like-minded farm owners – Click here to join. 3. Work with us privately If you’d like our team to help you scale up your farming business or create a ‘freedom farm’ just email us at support@farmownersacademy.com and put “Private” in the subject line… tell me a little about your business and what you’d like to improve and I’ll send you the information you need to get started!

For so many of us, so often our self-confidence and sense of self go up and down with the seasons. We feel good about ourselves when times are good, and we are intently hard on ourselves, and even think we are failing, when the season, the conditions or the markets go against us.

Before Christmas we saw a shock hit the sheep-meat market, impacting meat producers at that time significantly. In many areas of our country, we see farming families navigating extended flood events, and in others extended dries.

In this podcast I invite Tracy Secombe- Director Well-being & Coaching at FOA- to join me and explore this issue, and how- as a farm business owner- we can overcome it and rise above it.

Ladies & gentlemen, we are not our bank account balance. We are so much more than ‘just farmers’ and ‘just farmers wives’. We are leaders of families and great businesses. We are citizens in communities and valued friends to so many. We are good, hard-working, dependable, capable humans doing very good work and making very real differences in so many ways.

As we explore in this important discussion, we have the opportunity to take ownership of OUR IDENTITY. We have the opportunity to change our personal story and realise that farming is what we do, it is NOT who we are.

In the episode, Tracy shares some tips on how to expand our identity, to include all the important roles we play; how to find a greater sense of balance between them; and how to also shift our sense of self to ‘who we are’ rather than ‘what we do’.

Tracy also helps us understand how can best navigate those moments in life when our Identity needs to shift from an active farmer into retirement; from technical farmer to farm business owner; from ‘farmers wife’ to ‘partner in a successful family business’ and from career person to being a Mum & Dad for the first time…

Changing our story and embracing practices that support a strpgner sense- of self and a well-rounded IDENTITY is fundamental in the pursuit of growth and expansion in any area of life.

Elite athletes, musicians, artists and professionals all get coaching on this – Australian Rugby Captain Michael Hooper’s interview with Ben Crowe on his podcast ‘Car Chats with Crowey’ being a great example. Good enough for them, equally important for us.

Thank you Tracy for your time and for your insights on such an important topic at this time.

Thank you.

Hutch & Team

Growing up, like most kids, I had three heroes:

• Mel Gibson,
• Greg Norman, and
• Phil Kearns.  

All Aussies. All champions in their own way in their chosen field.  

To celebrate our 100th Profitable Farmer Podcast episode, it gives me great pleasure to introduce Wallaby great Phil Kearns (OAM).  

Phil is without question one of Australia’s greatest ever Rugby Union players. With 67 tests as #2 for the Australian Wallabies,10 as Captain and 73 games for the NSW Waratahs, Phil was a key contributor to 3 successful Rugby World Cup campaigns, including the memorable 1991 and 1999 victories over England and New Zealand, respectively.  

Beyond Rugby, Phil is a thoughtful, composed and genuine leader. A true gentleman of sport, business and philanthropy.  

I was lucky enough to meet Phil recently when he opened the new clubhouse at the local Cootamundra Rugby grounds. The time he openly shared with my family, the kids of the Club and their families was incredible.  

His passion for Australian Rugby, grass-roots footy, local communities, and youth development is inspiring. His contribution to the game of Rugby and its future in Australia is significant.  

Enjoy this conversation where we connect and discuss:

• the past and future Australian Rugby landscape;
• the process to win the recent Rugby World Cup bid, what this means for Australian Rugby;
• his career as a Wallaby; and
• his take on leadership and how to get the best for & from individuals and teams.  

There is always so much we can learn from spending time with people like Phil. His outlook is clear, concise and refreshing.  

Again, I hope you enjoy this interview just as much as I did recording it.  

Thank you, Phil, and congratulations on an incredible career and contribution.  

Thank you, everyone, for being part of the Profitably Farmer journey – bring on our second century!

Hutch & Team

P.S. Click here to learn more about Farm Owners Academy. You can also click here to book a time to ‘Have A Yarn’ with an FOA coach about how we might best support you on your journey.

When you’re ready to take the next step and work with us, here are three things you can do:

1. Subscribe to our ‘Profitable Farmer’ podcast This free audio podcast delivers ideas to help you run a great business, leading to more profit, control and freedom – Click here. 2. Join the Farm Owner Academy’s closed Facebook group ‘Profitable Farmer’ Our new Facebook community is where smart farm owners learn how to get more profit, control and freedom, and you can connect with like-minded farm owners – Click here to join. 3. Work with us privately If you’d like our team to help you scale up your farming business or create a ‘freedom farm’ just email us at support@farmownersacademy.comand put “Private” in the subject line… tell me a little about your business and what you’d like to improve and I’ll send you the information you need to get started!

It has once again been a unique farming season - perhaps one like no other!

In this episode, and once again, I call on Brett Stevenson, Managing Director & Founder of Market Check – the most influential, independent grain marketing and education service for Australian farmers.

Together we explore:

• an assessment of the current season;
• advice on the importance of proactive grain marketing at this time;
• an estimation of short-term grain price movements;
• a perspective on medium and longer-term price expectations;
• a view on the key influencers right now for local and global grain markets; and
• a reminder of the importance of thoughtful price discovery, offering a commodity at a value and then asking the buyer to arrive to it.

Brett provides some incredible insights, which confirms for me why Market Check continues to be the most respected and credible grain marketing firm in Australia.

In the closing, we touch on Brett’s personal story of adversity. Through this, Brett offers us some important comments on what can help support us through times of challenge, how to keep a deep sense of personal strength and how to find positivity through periods of challenge.

Brett, thank you for your time and generosity. As always, an absolute pleasure.

All the best to you as we move into a harvest season like no other! Sincerely,

Hutch

For many, the last few years have been unique and positive – resulting from low inflation, low-interest rates, above-average commodity prices and above-average production.

Now, our current reality is very different.

We will likely see an extended period of increased inflation, increasing interest rates and softening commodity prices. In addition, from a production standpoint, there is talk of El Nino weather patterns ahead…

The question we should ALL be asking is: Can my farm business model handle this new reality?

In this episode, I call on the “Brains Trust”, inviting Farm Owners Academy Co-Founder Greg Johnsson and Executive Director at RLS Agribusiness Jeff McDonald to join me to explore this question in detail.

We discuss the importance of:

• knowing your numbers;
• presenting proactively to your bank;
• developing a compelling economic model for your farm;
• stress-testing your farming system based on long-term average yield & prices;
• knowing your ‘new’ cost of production; and
• being financially strong as a farm business owner.

In this, we share 2-3 key performance ratios we each need to be aiming for and emphasise the importance of considering these in confirming you have a business model that is agile, flexible, profitable (in most years) and resilient.

For more on this important topic, join Greg Johnsson & me on Wednesday 7th, June for a 90-minute webinar where we will dive deep into the core numbers you need to know and insight into what the top 20% of farmers are doing differently to adapt and thrive in this new agri-economic climate. For more information or to secure your seat, click here.

As always, a compelling conversation when I bring these two incredible minds together.

Enjoy, and all the best as you stress-test the strength of your business model.

Best,

Hutch & Team

It is rare to meet true game changers and genuine leaders of Commerce & Industry, let alone get to interview two! In this episode, we meet Gaethan Cutri and Salah Sukkarieh - both pioneers in their own right. Salah Sukkarieh is the Professor of Robotics and Intelligent Systems at the University of Sydney and CEO of Agerris, a new Agtech startup company from the Australian Centre for Field Robotics, developing autonomous robotic solutions to improve agricultural productivity and environmental sustainability. Salah is an international expert in the research, development and commercialisation of field robotic systems and has led a number of robotics and intelligent systems R&D projects in logistics, commercial aviation, aerospace, education, environment monitoring, agriculture and mining.  More detail here:  The University of Sydney - Salah Sukkarieh Gaethan Cutri is Owner and Managing Director at Cutri Fruits. Under his leadership, and over the past 15 years, Cutri Farms has increased its fruit production and operating scale near ten-fold, expanded its reach globally, and has pioneered the application of intelligent systems and robotics in intensive agriculture. Cutri Farms is now the largest stone fruit producer in Australia, a respected global player, and has the vision of being the first fully automated stone fruit business in the world.  More detail here:  https://www.cutrifruit.com.au I have been looking forward to this interview for a long time!  I am delighted to introduce both Gaethan and Salah, two very humble and unassuming Ag Tech champions, to Profitable Farmer and to you all. In this episode we explore:

• where Ag Tech, open air robotics, and on-farm automation has arrived to over the last 10 years
• the current advancements most impacting our industry
• what we can expect in technological advancement on-farm over the next 10 years
• what is required to make it a commercial reality; and (perhaps) 
• how we each need to change our mindset and perspective in order to embrace the incredible change that awaits us.

Importantly, we get to hear how these two great, passionate, pioneering individuals have come together to apply the latest Ag Tech advancements to Cutri Fruit, and the undeniable impact this is having on driving performance, efficiency, quality, cost-saving and growth in that incredible Australian business. This is a cracker! I hope you enjoy it. Here's to an amazing future in Australian farming. Thank you. Jeremy PS: Interested to make a shift and want to learn how to create freedom in your business? Join Take Control 2.0 Program Now. Click here! PPS: Please share this with others in our industry and give us a review on Facebook or Google … and thank you for helping us share stories like these more broadly.

• Over 15,000 kilometres of new fencing completed
• More than 16,000 kilometres of old fencing cleaned up or restored
• In excess of 11,000 farming families lifted from adversity
• Many thousands of communities deeply impacted
• The lives of so many completely transformed

It gives me great pleasure to introduce Kevin Butler to share his BlazeAid Story.

In the aftermath of the 2009 Black Saturday fires, after a simple request for help to an iconic national community including over 30,000 volunteers… this is truly one of Australia’s greatest regional & rural stories.

The reach and impact BlazeAid has, and will continue to have, on the lives of those adversely affected by fire, flood and the vagaries of our incredible landscape - in terms of both physical farm and individual farmer recovery - is immeasurable.

It is now not surprising to me that when I first called BlazeAid to ask for help on behalf of two of our members, Kevin - its Founder and Chairman - answered my call. On top of that, he was generous enough to take my call only moments before walking into Parliament House to be awarded the Australian Farming Legend of the Year 2021/2022.

Finally, it shouldn’t now surprise me that within 48 hours of that call, a BlazeAid Camp had landed, set up and started operations in Heyfield Victoria. A team of volunteers at the ready to help local farmers conquer their journey to flood recovery.

Kevin’s tireless enthusiasm and deep passion speaks for itself. His determination and commitment to serving others in need and seeing BlazeAid make an impact when it matters to as many as possible is incredible.

Kevin, thank you for your time. We honour the contribution you, Rhonda and your team make to the Australian farming community.

To all those BlazeAid volunteers who dedicate their time to help farmers in need – rural Australia honours you.

To follow the BlazeAid story or join their community, you can connect with them via their website or Facebook page. You can also read Issue One of the BlazeAid Post here - issue two will follow soon, which will include the first of Kevin’s memoirs!

Finally, to those in recovery, all of rural Australia is here for you should you need us.

Thank you.

Jeremy & the Farm Owners Academy Team.

When you’re ready to take the next step and work with us, here are three things you can do: 1. Subscribe to our ‘Profitable Farmer’ podcast This free audio podcast delivers ideas to help you run a great business – leading to more profit, control and freedom – Click here. 2. Join the Farm Owner Academy’s closed Facebook group ‘Profitable Farmer’ Our new Facebook community is where smart farm owners learn how to get more profit, control and freedom, and you can connect with like-minded farm owners – Click here to join. 3. Work with us privately If you’d like our team to help you scale up your farming business or create a ‘freedom farm’ just email us at support@farmownersacademy.com and put “Private” in the subject line… tell me a little about your business and what you’d like to improve and I’ll send you the information you need to get started!

As our world continues to change, our commodity and investment markets continue to be impacted by an ongoing series of externalities.

To help us understand the current market conditions and to offer direction on navigating a significant recent market correction, I invite our resident investment specialist, Terry Tran, back to the Profitable Farmer Podcast.

As always, it is great to connect with Terry and, importantly, understand:

• what’s happening in the equities markets at present;
• how best to navigate a current market correction;
• what’s driving this,
• political pressures from major global players; and
• how to make the most of the opportunities presented.

As leaders, business owners, investors and exporters, it is important to take a global perspective and understand the new dynamics at play.

From Ukraine & Russia to Taiwan, China & the USA, increasing interest rates, inflation, currency and COVID, as always, Terry, it is so valuable to get your insight across all things impacting the investment market.

Importantly, we will be hosting an exclusive 2-hour Investment Webinar with Terry on Wednesday the 24th of August 2022, from 7:30 to 9:30pm. We welcome you to join us as we focus in more detail on how to navigate the current major market correction – click here for more information.

Keep winning.

Hutch & Team

P.S. Want to learn the 6-step system that the top 5% of farm owners follow to run their business? Join Farm Owners Academy Co-Founder Andrew Roberts and Managing Director Jeremy Hutchings for this one-day, one-off business summit on the 15th of September that you can join online from the comfort of your home! Andrew and Jeremy will share the best strategies they have picked up from three decades of coaching and working with hundreds of farm owners. Learn more or secure your seat: https://www.farmownersacademy.com/business-summit/

When you’re ready to take the next step and work with us, here are three things you can do:

1. Subscribe to our ‘Profitable Farmer’ podcast This free audio podcast delivers ideas to help you run a great business, leading to more profit, control and freedom – Click here. 2. Join the Farm Owner Academy’s closed Facebook group ‘Profitable Farmer’ Our new Facebook community is where smart farm owners learn how to get more profit, control and freedom, and you can connect with like-minded farm owners – Click here to join. 3. Work with us privately If you’d like our team to help you scale up your farming business or create a ‘freedom farm’ email us at support@farmownersacademy.comand put “Private” in the subject line… tell me a little about your business and what you’d like to improve and I’ll send you the information you need to get started!

Wool prices have been adversely affected in recent months by the Covid-19 pandemic, no doubt with the potential to severely impact wool producers in the short-term. In this interview, I speak with leading fine wool producer Cameron England, owner of Lyndall Park near Kingston, SE South Australia. Cameron and his incredible family have been members of the Farm Owners Academy Platinum Mastermind Program (an exclusive farm-business masterclass) for the past three years. During that time, they have invested heavily in their own development, embraced their learning, and have established themselves, not only as leading members of our growing community, but also within Australia’s elite farming community. Their inter-generational story speaks for itself, and the benchmark performance results they are achieving, both production and financial, are a credit to Cameron and Katie, and their farm business team. Importantly, Cameron and Katie prioritise family and freedom. Their focus is on building a legacy for future generations whilst establishing the time, team, systems, and financial freedom to be able to cherish the journey with them. They are intent on building a highly profitable farm business that works for them, not the other way around. Lyndall Park is a shining example of how good business, strong strategy, great planning and real focus on key numbers can see you profit and thrive even in times of very real industry uncertainty. To find out more about the Farm Financial Framework please click here. A cracking story from a wonderful family. Enjoy! Kind Regards Jeremy

Happy New Year, and may 2022 be your best year yet!

Up to 85% of our success is determined by the QUALITY of our plan and our ability to implement it consistently – It has been proven!

In this episode, I am delighted to share an interview with Farm Owners Academy (FOA) Member Jack Owen. Jack is a valued Take Control Program Graduate and a current FOA Platinum Mastermind Program member. He runs a high-rainfall, meat sheep operation at Smythes Creek (west of Ballarat) in Victoria with his partner Bonnie.

Jack’s story is a compelling one. From a standing start and with a trade background, Jack has embraced the principles and methods taught by the Take Control Program and is now an incredible example of what can be achieved – currently enjoying a highly profitable, well systemised, organised and focused farm with a very bright future.

Thank you, Jack, for sharing your story so openly. You have added immense value to those moving through their Take Control Program and business development journey.

Please note that this interview took place as part of our monthly Coaching Call offerings included with the Take Control program.

As such, Jack references the strategic plan that he was sharing (that you will not see!) and speaks to an audience of current Take Control clients (that you will hear communicated with!).  Please enjoy this interview for the compelling learnings and inspiring insights Jack shares about his FOA journey so far…

I hope this serves as an inspiration to you as you take the steps necessary to set down a compelling plan for this coming season.

All the best to you for 2022!

Game on.

Hutch

P.S. Our Take Control program is where Jack first started his journey! Click here to learn more information about this program.

P.P.S Think someone you know might be interested in listening to this episode?

Click the link to forward to a friend! Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn  

When you’re ready to take the next step and work with us, here are three things you can do:

1. Subscribe to our ‘Profitable Farmer’ podcast This free audio podcast delivers ideas to help you run a great business – leading to more profit, control and freedom – Click here.

2. Join the Farm Owner Academy’s closed Facebook group ‘Profitable Farmer’ Our new Facebook community is where smart farm owners learn how to get more profit, control and freedom, and you can connect with like-minded farm owners – Click here to join.

3. Work with us privately If you’d like our team to help you scale up your farming business or create a ‘freedom farm’ just email us at support@farmownersacademy.com and put “Private” in the subject line… tell me a little about your business and what you’d like to improve and I’ll send you the information you need to get started!

Who here has felt real financial duress and overwhelming stress and hardship in this game called farming? I feel this is relevant and real for so many - it isn’t always an easy game to play.

In this podcast it gives me great pleasure to interview FOA Alumni Members Cassandra & Andrew (Rusty) Kath.

From start-up to established, from 50 cows to 500 cows, and from financially and personally broken to a professional and lasting success, the Kathleigh Farms story is now just as much one to watch as it is one to appreciate for their achievement so far.

Years ago, Andrew & Cassandra found themselves in a destructive share-farming relationship, placing immense pressure them financially and personally. At rock-bottom, Andrew & Cass dug-deep, focused on themselves and on making meaningful change. They made a massive commitment to join the FOA Community, and with grit, learning and determination have transformed their business and lives.

Over the last 5 years, we have seen Kathleigh Farms grow from humble beginnings to being a truly high-performing and professional farm business. We now see this emerging business with the systems, business model, foundations and team to support continued profitability and sustained growth.

In this interview we explore:

• the importance of focusing on our MINDSET as farmers;
• how scarcity and fear-based thinking can limit us;
• why doing business with people with similar values is so important;
• how surrounding yourself with good people can be a catalyst for change; and
• how making our own growth can change everything for the better.

We are proud of the resilience, optimism and confidence Andrew & Cassandra both now enjoy, the way in which they have overcome adversity on their journey, and the results they now enjoy.

In this interview there is mention of Mark Kluwer’s ‘Breath & Breakthrough’ Men’s Retreat and Tracy Secombe’s Soul Pleaser Program – two programs we recommend to those interested.

Thank you Cass & Rusty for your openness and willingness to share. We feel fortunate to have you such active and generous members of the FOA Community, and such valued members of the FOA Team.

There are some incredible insights in this – for the first generation farmer and for those feeling real stress and pressure in terms of your reality right now.

Use this as inspiration that with focus, better thinking and deep determination good things can come.

Sincerely,

Jeremy Hutchings & The Farm Owners Academy Team

Managing people, both family and in farming business, can undoubtedly be one of our greatest challenges.

Not only do we have to navigate delicate working relationships with our brothers, sisters, sons, daughters, mothers and fathers – grandmothers and grandfathers for some too! But, equally, we have casual, full-time, part-time, contractor, client and supplier relationships to ‘wrangle’, navigate, manage, influence and inspire.

With this in mind in this podcast, I ask Sam Johnsson, the new General Manager here at Farm Owners Academy (FOA), to share his experience and insight into all things leadership.

Sam is a cracking bloke – calm, composed, thoughtful, measured, pragmatic, collaborative yet decisive. He joins FOA after ten highly successful years in management with the leading Australasian advisory & building engineering firm, Aurecon.

Over the past three years, Sam progressed to becoming one of the youngest Directors at Aurecon, responsible for the results and performance of over 65 professionals within his region.

Quite simply put, he has been responsible for managing a diverse range of personalities and individuals, from 18 to 60 years of age, from varied cultural backgrounds, and spanning all abilities.

In this podcast, I ask Sam to share his experiences as a leader of people and performance at Aurecon, speak with me on the subject of people leadership and explore how to:

• manage diverse personalities;
• have straight-up conversations;
• deal with under-performers;
• hold people accountable;
• handle conflict and tension;
• attract good talent;
• off-load the wrong people;
• challenge constructively;
• inspire positive change;
• handle career progression;
• uplift individual performance;
• and so much more!

I highly respect all that Sam has achieved in his professional career to date. I appreciate his authentic approach to dealing with people, managing teams and leading growth in businesses.

For me, this interview emphasises the importance of giving the people management component of our business real time, energy, thought, care and attention.

His quiet passion for business and teams speaks for itself, and I am delighted to welcome Sam into our business as General Manager. We are in safe hands, and our future is bright.

Ladies & Gentlemen, I give you Sam Johnsson.

Keep on leading! Jeremy PS: Heard me speak about DISC Personality Profiling in this episode and want to learn more about individual Personality Type and Behavioural Traits? Click here to listen to Episode 67! 

PPS: Did you enjoy this topic? I encourage you to listen to Episode 57 with James Kelly on Aligning Elite Teams – click here! PPPS: We’d love your ideas and introductions for future Podcast interviews - share your suggestions with us by clicking here! PPPPS: Please share this with others in our industry and give us a review on Facebook or Google… and thank you for helping us share stories like these more broadly.

Are you open to explore a deeper meaning to life? In this episode, I let you in on a secret and introduce you to an important man in my life. Over the last 5 years, I have enrolled the support of Diego (Dig) Bortolin. Dig has been a great friend, confidant, mentor and spiritual guide to me. He has supported me to face my fears; explore my self-doubt; move through my anxieties, challenge my limiting beliefs; work on my primary relationships, develop as a human, and then find my flow, set-down compelling and meaningful intentions and live a rich and fulfilling life…in the moment. Over that time, my life has changed dramatically. I used to try and control and command, out-smart the universe, win at life intellectually, suppress, ignore or avoid my emotions, and not trust my intuition and instinct. I am proud to share that my spiritual journey has been deeply fulfilling and significant for me. I am so very grateful to have an amazing man like Dig in my corner, helping me be at my best as I turn up to my family, my friends, business, farming, the FOA team and this community. I can only advocate the immense value of having a mentor you can call on, depend on, and completely trust. I hope you enjoy this interview and get a glimpse of this for yourself.

Sincerely,

Hutch

PS -  Got questions about this topic? Feel free to reach out via the Profitable Farmer Facebook page to ask clarifying questions. I’d love to hear from you.

In this episode, I am delighted to introduce to you Zoe Lamont, owner of Farm Door Riverina, a growing regional food business providing ready-made, wholesome meals to busy families, retirees and the elderly across Australia.

Growing up on a farm near Junee, Zoe has deep ties to the land and a vision for bringing high-quality, wholesome, locally sourced food to families across Australia.

Zoe shares her journey from farm life to buying and then building a highly successful business, with her husband Frank, that not only supports local producers but also brings the best of what we grow directly to people's tables. We explore:

• The origins of Farm Door Riverina • Frank & Zoe's mission to bridge the gap between farm and table • The challenges and triumphs of scaling a food business • The importance of innovating and adapting your business models in order to grow • How Farm Door is providing wholesome food solutions to busy urban families, retirees and the elderly alike.

A team now of over 30 providing over 3,000 meals per day, Zoe & Frank’s story is a powerful reminder of how good quality food can change lives and bring happiness and wellness to households across Australia. 

It is also a reminder to us all to stay true to our values, even when the chips are down, and put integrity and a commitment to quality at the forefront of everything we do.

If you are looking to provide farm produce more directly to the consumer or explore new ways to diversify your farm's income, this episode will leave you inspired to think bigger about the impact you can have.

More information about Frank, Zoe and the Farm Door story can be found here: https://farmdoor.com.au/pages/our-story

Thank you, Frank, Zoe and your team for all you do. I appreciate you sharing your story.

Jeremy Hutchings and the Farm Owners Academy Team

Hi [First Name],

In leadership, sometimes it pays to take the highest perspective possible. Today, as we find ourselves navigating global political unrest, war, pandemic recovery, disease threat, rising interest rates, inflation and significant seasonal volatility, this has never been more important. For an incredibly insightful global perspective and a highly considered and passionate interpretation tailored just for us – as Australian Farmers – it gives me great pleasure to introduce one of the most brilliant individuals I have ever met! Simon Kuestenmacher is the Co-founder and Director of The Demographics Group based in Melbourne, Australia. Simon holds degrees in geography from leading universities in Berlin and Melbourne and has worked as a business consultant with KPMG Australia for several years. In 2017 Simon, with Bernard Salt, co-founded The Demographics Group. The group provides specialist advice on demographic, consumer and social trends for business. Simon has presented to numerous corporate and industry audiences across Australia and overseas on demographic trends, consumer insights and cultural change in Australia. For a pragmatic, optimistic and insightful view of Australia’s place in the world and a cracking reminder of what is important for our farms, employees, communities and regions… ladies & gentlemen, I give you the outstanding Simon K! Enjoy! Hutch & Team P.S. Want to learn the 6-step system that the top 5% of farm owners follow to run their business? Join us for our one-day virtual Business Summit – click here to learn more.

When you’re ready to take the next step and work with us, here are three things you can do: 1. Subscribe to our ‘Profitable Farmer’ podcast This free audio podcast delivers ideas to help you run a great business – leading to more profit, control and freedom – Click here. 2. Join the Farm Owner Academy’s closed Facebook group ‘Profitable Farmer’ Our new Facebook community is where smart farm owners learn how to get more profit, control and freedom, and you can connect with like-minded farm owners – Click here to join. 3. Work with us privately If you’d like our team to help you scale up your farming business or create a ‘freedom farm’ just email us at support@farmownersacademy.com and put “Private” in the subject line… tell me a little about your business and what you’d like to improve and I’ll send you the information you need to get started!

With R U OK Day taking place last week, I wanted to take a few moments to share a business coaching principle that changed my life.

In my younger years, I constantly struggled with poor self-esteem, low confidence, anxiety and, at times, depression. In addition, I was plagued by an active mindset of sabotaging my own sense of self.

Left unchecked, I hate to think where life might have taken me and where I might be right now.

One of the greatest gifts in my life has been to learn how to do ‘the deeper work’. Focusing on changing my psychology, strengthening my resolve and building my resilience has been an active process that has helped me immensely for over 20 years.

In this episode, I share the concept of the IDENTITY ICEBERG and (hopefully) provide you with a model and process that you can work through to help build your resilience and be at your best.

I talk about the self-development work we need to do around the skills, values, priorities, beliefs and identity that define who we are and who we strive to become.

This is my way of reaching out to our loyal listeners.

I value you greatly, and ask R U OK?

Take care, stay strong and thank you.

Hutch & team

When you’re ready to take the next step and work with us, here are three things you can do:

1. Subscribe to our ‘Profitable Farmer’ podcast

This free audio podcast delivers ideas to help you run a great business, leading to more profit, control and freedom – Click here.   2. Join the Farm Owner Academy’s closed Facebook group ‘Profitable Farmer’

Our new Facebook community is where smart farm owners learn how to get more profit, control and freedom, and you can connect with like-minded farm owners – Click here to join

3. Work with us privately

If you’d like our team to help you scale up your farming business or create a ‘freedom farm’ just email us at support@farmownersacademy.com and put “Private” in the subject line… tell me a little about your business and what you’d like to improve and I’ll send you the information you need to get started!

So many farming families we meet have businesses that are completely dependent on them. In addition, so many farm owners across Australia’s have business models that are not risk-aware, sufficiently profitable, sustainable, or optimal over time.

Is your business model delivering you the outcomes you want from your farm?

So often we see farmers ‘rinsing and repeating’ business models that have worked in the past, only to find they are not optimal or even relevant in our current economic climate.

To quote Einstein: “Doing the same thing over and again and expecting a different result, is the definition of insanity.”

With inflation, increased interest rates and softening commodity prices, it has never been more important to actively stress-test the potential and resilience of the business model you have, then seek to refine, re-engineer and adapt it to ensure it is profitable long-term AND relevant in the current economic climate.

The question is, HOW?

In this podcast, I speak to this, then advocate for a 90-minute webinar that Farm Owners Academy developed, revealing, “Simple Budgeting for a Profitable Farm”.

For anyone wanting to learn how to review, critique and refine their business model… AND master the key skills needed to set down a meaningful budget or cashflow forecast for their business, then click here and watch (a recording of) this webinar:

www.farmownersacademy.com/businessmodelling

There were over 1,100 farmers registered for this event, and so I feel it is relevant for so many of you right now!

Thank you to Greg Johnsson, Sam Johnsson and the FOA Team for the significant effort you have put into making this webinar possible.

Enjoy, and I look forward to hearing the change you make on the other side of this significant session.

Here’s to the crafting of new, current, and winning farm business models across this community!

Sincerely,

Jeremy Hutchings & The Farm Owners Academy Team

P.S. Did you know that our core program – the Platinum Mastermind was created to help you maximise the profitability of your farm? We now benchmark over $2bn in farm assets annually and we work with over 150 farm owners to help them improve their financials. Please email support@farmownersacademy.com or head to our website https://www.farmownersacademy.com/ for more information

There is no doubt a ground-swell of real confidence across our industry is increasing…about bloody time! Much of this, I believe, is the result of real optimism and a positive outlook for the red meat sectors. In this podcast I interview Tom Bull, founder of Lambpro. Based at Kinross Station in Holbrook NSW, Tom and his family are great friends to Jane & I, dating back to intense games of touch footy on the beach over summer holidays at the coast as kids. The Lambpro story is significant and compelling, beginning 35 years ago when Tom was just eight. A self-starter, big-thinker, compelling leader, and outstanding businessman…Tom and Lambpro's contribution to sheep-meat advancement and the Australian Lamb Industry is significant and inspiring. With over 2,500 premium ram sales annually (with the goal to reach 3,000 this year), and 900,000 lambs to be born this year across his national sheep-meat producing client base, the Lambpro business continues to break new ground and lead the industry with and for its clients. Tom and I explore his outlook for emerging trends for the sheep- meat sector and discuss the following:

• the prominent genetic and on-farm advances leading to greater producer profitability,
• the global consumption trends for lamb,
• the importance of a new focus on lamb branding,
• Tom's predictions as to where we need to focus as a sheep-meat sector, AND
• how Lambpro is innovating to deliver on-scale, premium, and highly marbled lamb products to affluent consumers globally.

A cracking story of genuine Australian entrepreneurship. Enjoy! Kind Regards Jeremy

What does moving from a ‘start-up’ to ‘significance’ as an entrepreneur take? Let’s find out.

In this episode, I am delighted to reconnect with my past business coaching client, now successful entrepreneur Steven Mirtschin.

Leaving a successful banking career to back himself in business, Steven now leads over 13 businesses and a team of over 150. Over 15 years, Steven has successfully scaled a combination of franchise-based businesses in the fitness and hospitality sectors. He has sought out team members and others to partner with, created immense opportunities for those within his team, established a small business empire that delivers first-class service to those he serves, and proven results for all involved.

There are so many insights to come from this discussion. For me, Steven shows us that successfully scaling up in business requires:

• a shift in mindset from an operator to manager and strong leader;
• a long-term commitment to a clear and compelling vision;
• constant adaptation to your business model;
• immense persistence despite obstacles;
• a willingness to invest in and build people up; and
• a genuine care & concern for the opportunities you can create for those you employ.

Steven has always been an impressive, confident, humble, and thoughtful business leader. He is also a deep-thinking and highly strategic business mind.

Working with him over 13 years ago was a pleasure, and it is no surprise that Steven now arrives to lead a group of high-performing businesses that prides itself on excellence and growth.

It is also great to see him turn his attention back to agriculture and to helping families become more aligned as they consider succession and their business improvement.

Thank you, Steven. Some cracking insights within this conversation, and well done on all it is you have achieved.

Sincerely,

Hutch

In life, we have the opportunity to meet some remarkable people. Those individuals are often quietly determined to serve others and make a meaningful impact.

I met Mike Stephens, Founder, Director and Lead Consultant of Meridian Agriculture, as an overly enthusiastic and bullish 25-year-old. I have regarded him as a role model and mentor ever since.

One of Australian agriculture’s truly great personalities, Mike has dedicated his career to farmers, to families getting on and to effective farm succession.

Two and a half years ago, he completed the largest piece of research into farm succession globally. The insights from this are significant, and Mike shares some of them with us in this interview.

Combined with this is Mike’s incredible ability to communicate and facilitate. As others committed to helping with succession, the depth and accuracy of the questions he asks of individuals and families and the process he takes you through to optimise a succession outcome for you is deeply impressive.

Mike and his team at Meridian Ag are experts in this space and are available to help you move through the succession planning process.

You can find them here: https://meridian-ag.com.au/

I think it is fair to say he and they are qualified to do so!

Congratulations, Mike, on a lifetime of work helping farming families across Australia and overseas to create legacies that can transcend generations. Congratulations also on 40 years in farm consultancy.

For an article overviewing Mike’s findings, click here.

Thank you for your contribution, hard work and quiet, respectful determination to make an impact.

It is always great to connect with those that have in some way shaped you.

To all of you, I hope that this serves you.

Hutch & Team

CULTURE - we all have one, whether we like it or not. Within our business, our family, even our community.

Leaving our culture unchecked can be a disaster. Accepting a sub optimal culture can be destroying... for you AND those around you.

At Farm Owners Academy, we believe deeply in creating high-performing teams and cultures, both in family AND business.

Once again giving you special insight into our Platinum Mastermind program, this episode is an excerpt from a previous 'Growth Call' webinar that I run monthly with our members.

In this particular coaching call, I call on my old mate and past business partner, Simon Harris to dive deep into the essential elements of building a thriving culture within your farm business. Si brings a wealth of experience and insights into creating an environment where your team can excel and your business can flourish.

Specifically, we explore:

• What is company culture
• What are the 6 types of cultures
• How does your culture rate
• What we can do to improve the culture of the companies we lead, and
• The unique set of 'SOFT & FLUFFY RITUALS' that can be the key to the foundations of a great team and high-performance culture.

Throughout our conversation, we emphasise the impact that a positive culture can have on overall business performance. From increased employee engagement to improved operational efficiency, creating the right culture is a game-changer for any farm business. Si provides actionable tips and real-world examples that you can implement in your own operations to start seeing immediate benefits.

Whether you're struggling with team dynamics or looking to take your farm's culture to the next level, this episode is packed with valuable insights and practical advice. Tune in to discover how you can create a thriving culture that drives success in your farming business.

Enjoy!

Jeremy Hutchings and the Farm Owners Academy Team

We all have 2 or 3 people who truly inspire us, for me Ricky Dumigan is one of those people. An incredibly disciplined, dedicated, and resilient high-performance specialist; Ricky has trained elite military teams, the highest echelons of rugby and sport and some of the most significant executive leadership teams in our country. He is passionate about what it takes to nurture and create true cohesion and alignment within elite teams, and he has a wonderful ability to condense that down into bite-size chunks for people to learn from and use. Equally, he has achieved some amazing life challenges, including running Kokoda, kayaking Sydney to Brisbane, running marathons and extensive remote leadership retreats. In all of his accomplishments, Ricky has established a determination and mindset that supports incredible achievement for himself as a human. It is with real pleasure that I introduce a very good friend of mine to you, where we chat about what it takes to be at your best and lead great teams. Enjoy! Kind Regards,

Jeremy

To speak plainly, family relationships need to be resilient in family business.

To be honest - so often, behind closed doors, simply, they are not.

As Part II on the topic of RESILIENCE, I speak with Farm Owners Academy Director and Soul Pleaser Program Founder, Tracy Secombe – our resident authority on this topic.

In this episode, Tracy & I more deeply explore:

• how families can compromise an individual’s resilience;
• how we can improve family relationships and strengthen their resilience; and
• for family relationships to change, first, I must change how I turn up to those relationships.

So often, we find ourselves in an unhealthy dynamic, whereby the strength of family relationships are left unchecked.

Tracy is a true genius in supporting individuals to reflect on, review and transform important family relationships. Her program “People Pleaser to Soul Pleaser”, and now her recently released best-selling book, is dedicated to helping people do the deeper work on this - creating opportunities for new, vibrant and more resilient family relationships.

To support our discussion, please find a related article from Tracy that might assist you – Click Here to access.

Tracy, on behalf of our entire community, thank you for all you do and your support in helping people foster stronger and more resilient family relationships. Farm Owners Academy is lucky to have you.

Enjoy this podcast and use it as your opportunity to make meaningful changes for the better within your families.

With respect,

Hutch

Succession is a misunderstood and very challenging issue for many Australian farming families. Many of us have tried this and had a negative experience and therefore choose to lock it down, not discuss inter-generational transfer at all and get on with running the farm... rather than constructively planning for the future together.

In this podcast, we interview Managing Director of Catapult Wealth, Tony Catt.  Tony is an expert on farm succession and is passionate about helping farming families proactively develop a plan for their futures together.

Tune in as we explore:

• Why this is so challenging for so many,
• What farm succession really is,
• Through good business practice and 'governance' we can make succession more successful for families,
• The 4 clear, written plans we really need to make this truly effective in practice,
• Why the younger generation might need to be respectful and patient in the process,
• How to include family members and bring them along for the ride,
• How frequently to be discussing this and refining your plan, AND
• How to get started.

At Farm Owners Academy, we recommend Tony and Catapult Wealth…we believe that proactive business planning can complement and form the basis for stronger succession planning and more meaningful intergenerational transitions for all.

Enjoy this interview... ideally over a cup of tea, and as a family. We hope this enables you to reflect on where you are at on this journey, agree how to move forward together, and also, who you need around you to give yourselves every chance of success.

The key is to come together and get started!

I look forward to hearing your family’s success stories in all thing’s succession.

Kind Regards,

Jeremy

My podcast has been hijacked!!!

In this Episode, Farm Owners Academy’s Farm Business Coach, David Westbrook, takes the reins and interviews an extraordinary woman making a big, big difference in the lives of thousands of families.

Back in 2016, David experienced a life-changing lesson.

That lesson?

‘Humans sacrifice their health in order to make money. Then they sacrifice money to recuperate their health.’ - Dalai Lama

Through the curiosity of this lesson, David & his wife Becky went searching for mentors to improve their health. That’s when they came across Jo Whitton.

Jo is best known for helping people journey to good health through healing foods and ‘food as medicine’. She has over 270,000 Facebook followers and uses her social media platforms along with her cookbooks and retreats to educate people to a better way of living using a healing, whole food diet without the overwhelm.

In this episode, you will learn how you can change your life through some simple lessons. This is a game-changer where David & Jo explore…

• their personal stories and how Gut Health has impacted them;
• how to get started with gut-healing foods;
• what is the GAPS (Gut and Psychology Syndrome) diet;
• how you can take steps towards a better way of living; and
• why fad diets have confused us all.

We hope this podcast will impact you and help you make meaningful and lasting changes in your and your families health, just as these lessons have for the Westbrook family.

Here’s to good, wholesome health.

Well done Westy!

Hutch

PS. Interested in learning more? You can listen to Jo’s A Quirky Journey podcast, join in conversations on the Quirky Cooking Facebook pageand Instagram, as well as in the Quirky Cooking Chat Group

PPS: Please share this with others in our industry and give us a review on Facebook or Google… and thank you for helping us share stories like these more broadly.

We find ourselves in unprecedented times, like no other in recent history. Crazy, in many ways... following prolonged drought and recent fire events.

It is our view that we will navigate this well as a nation. We will handle this strongly as an industry. We are resilient and fortunate at this time to be farmers. Please be sure to look out for those around us more adversely affected.

In this Podcast, I interview Managing Partner & Financing Specialist, David Charge from Sprout Agribusiness.

David and his team are Commercial Financing Specialists to Australian Agribusiness, supporting farming families across Australia. David is measured and pragmatic, and his advice and assessment of this current crisis is both thoughtful and thorough. He offers us some strong support and guidance as farmers at this time.

In this interview, David & I explore:

• The impact of Covid-19 on Agriculture,
• How to best navigate this crisis as a farming business,
• State and federal assistance / concessions now available to you,
• How the financing sector is responding,
• The challenges our local bank managers face (post royal commission),
• How to proactively engage with your lender,
• The role and benefit of an independent finance specialist in your business,
• How to make the most of the current low interest rate climate, AND
• How to take greater responsibility for your financial situation and your long-term financial success.

My learnings from this discussion with David is to stay focused, plan proactively, build your financial management skillset, and make the most of financing and other opportunities that now exist.

Another great interview with another emerging leader in our industry.

Once again, enjoy!

Jeremy

It is always a pleasure to catch up, shoot the breeze and reflect on all things finance, farming and family with Tony Catt, Director at Catapult Wealth.

Tony and the team at Catapult Wealth specialise in accounting, wealth creation and succession planning for Australian farming families. As one of FOA’s referral partners AND as our resident succession planning specialist, we recommend Tony and his team highly.

In this podcast, Tony and I take the opportunity to re-connect and reflect on a range of important topics impacting farming families, including:

• the current state of our economy,
• interest rate expectations & inflation,
• property prices & land value,
• financing, funding & the banks,
• professionalism in farming,
• families in farming, and
• Tony’s latest thoughts & insights on navigating succession in this new climate.

Tony is a rare and engaging individual with a deep passion for helping farming families create wealth and thrive!

It’s always a lot of fun and incredibly insightful sharing some time with him.

Enjoy.

Hutch

When you’re ready to take the next step and work with us, here are three things you can do:

1. Subscribe to our ‘Profitable Farmer’ podcast This free audio podcast delivers ideas to help you run a great business, leading to more profit, control and freedom – Click here. 2. Join the Farm Owner Academy’s closed Facebook group ‘Profitable Farmer’ Our new Facebook community is where smart farm owners learn how to get more profit, control and freedom, and you can connect with like-minded farm owners – Click here to join. 3. Work with us privately If you’d like our team to help you scale up your farming business or create a ‘freedom farm’ just email us at support@farmownersacademy.comand put “Private” in the subject line… tell me a little about your business and what you’d like to improve and I’ll send you the information you need to get started!

I have heard it said in my travels that success leaves clues.

I have also heard it said that history often repeats itself.

In this podcast, we hear the story of a 95-year-old gentleman - also a great Australian businessman and entrepreneur.

This story is told through the eyes of his now 62-year-old son – also a great Australian businessman and entrepreneur. This is a story of initiative, passion, grit, determination and persistence.

We hear how important traits of success in leadership and life can be passed down through generations, and how these traits are perhaps the most important things we can wish to inherit from the generation before us or provide to the generations that follow.

We hear about dedication to making a significant difference to an industry that he and his incredible wife genuinely love.

We hear of how it feels for that same husband and wife team to see their 38-year-old vision and dream become a reality.

In this Podcast, we also get to learn about:

• what it takes to truly succeed in business;
• what is missing in most Australian farming businesses that truly holds them back;
• what it means to identify ‘a gap’ in the marketplace; and
• what it takes as an entrepreneur to back yourself and those around you to fill ‘that gap’ and create something truly meaningful that adds real and lasting value to those you choose to serve.

A highly compelling story, from a man I am now proud to call my friend, mentor and business partner.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you Greg Johnsson and the Farm Owners Academy story.

Thank you.

Jeremy

PS: Interested in the Take Control Program mentioned in this Podcast? To learn more and get involved, click here.

PPS: Please share this with others in our industry and give us a review on Facebook or Google … and thank you for helping us share stories like these more broadly.

PPPS: Know a regional legend we should interview? Get in touch via the Profitable Farmer Facebook page. We are always looking to share compelling success stories.

In this Podcast, I am delighted to interview my good friend and FOA Business Coach Sam Pincott, sharing with you the story of Holbrook Paddock Eggs.

With so many emerging businesses, especially those that dare to be different, we face a multitude of headwinds, challenges and even criticism. In their careers, Sam and his wife Prue have faced their fair share of all of these. I have genuinely admired the true commitment, determination and persistence they have shown over their 13-year journey.

It is an absolute credit to them to now see their business is really hitting its straps. With a dedicated and loyal team, a strong brand and client base, a scalable business model supported by strong systems, Holbrook Paddock Eggs is now firmly placed as a great example of the ‘paddock to plate’ concept we so often hear about.

With over 15,000 free-range chooks and leading a team of 10, Sam and Prue are a great example of a farming family who have dared to be different while remaining true to their values and pioneered a new and different means by which to succeed in this game of Agriculture.

Importantly, it is also an example of how we can CREATE NEW VALUE by building a business system that works to complement the farm.

We are proud to have Sam as a Coach at Farm Owners Academy, helping other farming families dare to be and do the same!

Congratulations, Prue and Sam, and thank you for openly sharing your story.

Jeremy

P.S. You can learn more about Holbrook Paddock Eggs by clicking here.

When you’re ready to take the next step and work with us, here are three things you can do:

1. Subscribe to our ‘Profitable Farmer’ podcast This free audio podcast delivers ideas to help you run a great business – leading to more profit, control and freedom – Click here.
2. Join the Farm Owner Academy’s closed Facebook group ‘Profitable Farmer’ Our new Facebook community is where smart farm owners learn how to get more profit, control and freedom, and you can connect with like-minded farm owners – Click here to join.
3. Work with us privately If you’d like our team to help you scale up your farming business or create a ‘freedom farm’ just email us at support@farmownersacademy.comand put “Private” in the subject line… tell me a little about your business and what you’d like to improve and I’ll send you the information you need to get started!

Let me be straight for a moment.

Many of us are making tax ‘minimisation’ decisions at tax time that constrict our growth.

Many of us are expecting more of our Accountants than they are equipped to offer.

Finally, many of us do not have the people around us that can truly support our professional and business advancement.

These three things, especially at tax time, can be costing us a fortune.

In this episode, I welcome farm finance specialist Jeff McDonald, Executive Director at RLS Agribusiness, back to the show. I also speak with two FOA Platinum Mastermind graduates and leading farm financial controllers, Emma Strong and Mel Crockett. They share how investing in their financial development has forever changed their farm business performance.

In this important conversation, we explore:

• how Super, FMD’s and spending money at tax time can, in fact, impede your progress;
• how to turning a profit and paying tax is a good thing (that should be celebrated);
• how as farm owners, WE need to TAKE RESPONSIBILITY for how we present to the banks and do the ‘heavy lifting’ for our bankers; and
• how building your financial acumen is CRITICAL to your success and advancement.

Speaking plainly once again, perhaps this is you holding your business back?

Perhaps a stronger advisory team AND an investment in yourself can be the key changes you can make to move your business forward.

Perhaps there are some better, higher-level questions we can each be asking…

Perhaps the Farm Financial Framework is for you: www.farmownersacademy.com/fff

Thank you all. Thank you, Jeff, Emma & Mel, and enjoy.

Hutch

P.S. You will hear me speak about the Farm Financial Framework course during this episode. A program I believe deeply in that has helped so many and can create long-lasting change for farm business families. To learn more about the program or join our upcoming our next intake, please CLICK HERE.

‘Farm Systems’ or ‘Grower Groups’ play a pivotal part in our farming landscape.    Of these, Birchip Cropping Group (BCG) is the pinnacle.    Providing large-scale, in-season crop & pasture production trials, the latest research intelligence and important production improvement training to progressive farmers across Victoria’s Wimmera & Mallee for over 30 years, BCG is one of our nation’s major contributors to in-paddock production advancement.    Perhaps equally important is the community assembled, the farm management support provided, the collaboration now possible, and the knowledge-sharing and the boundary-pushing outcomes achieved for bringing many hundreds of passionate, forward-thinking farm owners together.    In this episode, I speak with Harm van Rees, a legend and gentleman of our industry, who has been part of the BCG story since its inception.    With BCG Founders Ian McLelland and John Ferrier, and as an independent agronomist for over 30 years, Harm has pioneered countless research and extension projects that help farming families push the boundaries of production. He has consulted directly to many hundreds of farming families over his career, and travelled the world on behalf of GRDC, CSIRO and other research institutes always with a dedication to pushing production boundaries.    Farm Owners Academy is proud to be partnering with leading Grower Groups across Australia, and bringing our business education and coaching capability to their communities. If you are part of a leading Grower or Farming Systems Group in Australia or New Zealand, please reach out to us here to explore opportunities to collaborate.    I hope this discussion with Harm van Rees does both his important career and the BCG story justice.    To CEO Fiona Best and the entire BCG team, and on behalf of our industry (if I may be so bold), I want to say thank you, well done and congratulations on your passion, dedication and support to Australian Farming Families.    Thank you Harm, wonderful to connect, and here’s to a positive finish to this production season!    Jeremy Hutchings & the Farm Owners Academy Team    P.S. If you're looking to tackle stress and improve your well-being, we have just released our FREE 2024 Edition of The Low-Stress Farmer’s Handbook. Discover essential strategies for reducing stress, avoiding burnout, and building resilience. It's packed with practical advice tailored to farmers' unique challenges . Click here to get your copy now: Download the Handbook. 

For me, Farm Owners Academy is a strong example of good business practice, well-applied. We are seven years old and have enjoyed significant growth year on year. We are an expanding team, all well-aligned to a common goal and cause. We deliver results, adding real and lasting value to the lives of those we serve. I am immensely proud to be part of this team and community. I am also very pleased that we are congruent; we practice what we preach. Farm Owners Academy and the Profitable Farmer Podcast succeed because we apply the very business principles we teach - impeccably and with real intent. For this, I thank the WHOLE FOA team. In this podcast, I ask that you humour me as I:

• reflect on our growth and our results, particularly over the last 18-months;
• share key elements of our strategic plan - our new vision and roadmap and explain how it sets the foundations now for further growth and expansion;
• explore an important construct about ‘How to Avoid The Business Price Trap’, and
• outline the steps you can take (that we have taken) to ensure your business model is set to (potentially) not compete on price!

I feel proud and humbled to have led this podcast series over the last 18-months, exploring so many important business principles and interviewing so many incredible leaders and legends of their respective fields. I share the FOA story not to boast or show-off, but in the hope that this inspires you to take action and dedicate the necessary time to creating a compelling and unique Vision and Strategic Plan for your business and family; as we have for ours. Finally, I officially welcome our new General Manager in Sam Johnsson to FOA and our new Board of Advisors. I cannot wait to see where this new and expanded leadership team can take us. Thank you for listening and for being part of this project and our community. Sincerely, Jeremy PS: We’d love your ideas and introductions for future Podcast interviews - share your suggestions with us by clicking here! PPS: Please share this with others in our industry and beyond.  We'd also be grateful for your reviews on either Facebook or Google …thank you!

At Farm Owners Academy, we help farming families create FREEDOM FARMS – that is a highly profitable business with the systems, structures, team AND performance to be able to work without dependence on you! As a team, we feel proud of the results that hundreds of farming families are achieving in their pursuit of this reality. Over the coming months, I will share some of these outstanding stories with you.

In this episode, I speak with Marina Gregor, who, along with her husband Brett, run a high-performing wool sheep enterprise ‘Willandra’ on Kangaroo Island, about their journey to create a FREEDOM FARM. We explore the wins, challenges and numerous changes they have made along the way as well as how the FOA Community & Team have helped them. We also explore how benchmarking, budgeting, a shift in mindset and business coaching have helped them drive the performance of their farm and build out their business and on-farm team.

Eight years ago, Marina and Brett set down a Big, Hairy, Audacious Goal (BHAG):

Four months living as a family in Canada.

I am delighted to share that this interview is an international one! Navigating a 14-hour time difference as I speak with Marina, she is now two weeks into that four-month family holiday… their farm is under management and functioning strongly while they are away.

It is a great story and, importantly, a real example of what is possible when we get our mindset right and truly commit to a significant and meaningful goal.

Congratulations, Marina and Brett, on achieving a significant life-long dream.

I get that the road has not always been easy and that you have had to overcome some real challenges in pursuit of the goals & dreams you now enjoy.

Marina, we are delighted now to have you as an Accountability Coach on our team, sharing your experience and helping others achieve the success you now enjoy.

On behalf of the FOA Team, we are proud of all you have achieved.

To an incredible time for you and your family, and to realising important dreams!

Thank you.

Hutch & Team

How important is your language as a farmer?

And how important are your words in enrolling your family & team to achieve all you hope & dream of in your life?

Have you ever really stopped to think about it?

In this episode, I interview another great mate of mine, James Kelly.  ‘JK’ is Managing Director of Alchimie – a global management consulting and leadership training organisation.

Having worked in, coached and trained the pinnacle of leadership teams within some of the largest construction projects across Australia and oversees, he is more than qualified to speak about how each of us can better communicate as leaders.

What JK shares with us is equally applicable within our farming teams, just as much as it is at the highest levels of commerce.

In this interview, JK & I explore:

• how to align teams to a common goal,
• how to bring multiple families and businesses together,
• what tangible things we need to do in order to make our future a reality, and
• how to engage with our team deeply, and lead with conviction.

Importantly, we explore how to change our language as leaders, in order to inspire better outcomes, and the importance of accountability (and being coached!) in delivering an effective business result.

We also explore how the mind works, scientifically, and how we can train it to perform better under pressure and be more effective in truly connecting with our people.

For me, this has been one of the most enlightening podcasts I have recorded to date. The fact that this is with my best mate is a true privilege.

I hope you enjoy listening to this interview as much as I did creating it.

Sincerely,

Jeremy

One of the best bits about being part of Farm Owners Academy is the life-long friendships we see being fostered across our incredible and growing community.

One of the greatest privileges of being a Coach is supporting great people to make meaningful and lasting changes in their personal and business development journeys.

Our members achieve huge amounts in their 3-year Platinum Mastermind journey. Sure, their business profitability grows, their farms expand, their families become more aligned, and they set up teams and more professionally lead their farms.

But what inspires me the most is seeing the personal growth that so many individual members achieve and how this can completely change their lives.

In this episode, I am pleased to introduce you to Peter Moloney, one of our recent Platinum Mastermind graduates. Peter, his wife Kate and their 3 young men own and operate a 50,000 acre property and successful beef operation at Auguthella, north of Charleville in Western Queensland.

In this episode, and from his speech at our recent graduation ceremony in front of 400 people, we learn about Peter’s life-long struggle with dyslexia. We learn how this has limited him, impacted him and challenged his sense of self and mental well-being. We learn how he did all he could for over 40 years of his life to keep this a secret from everyone in his world, ashamed and in fear of being called ‘dumb’ and made ‘look stupid.’

More importantly, in this conversation, we see how – with courage and a commitment to deeper self-work – Peter has shown the courage to be vulnerable about his reality, face his fears, overcome limiting childhood conditioning, let go of ego, realise he had more potential, face head-on all that was holding him back, change some limiting beliefs, create a new and more meaningful personal story and ultimately find a level of peace and happiness he has strived for, for so long.

Peter, I commend you on the strength you have shown through this process and the courage you show now in standing up in front of hundreds and thousands and sharing your story in the hope it might just make a positive difference to someone who might hear it.

You are a good man, Pete. An inspiration. Thank you, and well done.

Here’s to a very bright future full of love and happiness.

In friendship,

Hutch & the Farm Owners Academy team.

In this episode, I welcome Andrew Roberts back for an interview he coordinated with Bianca & David McGiveron, Founders of ‘Our Cow’. This is a genuinely inspiring Australian success story. Just three years ago, David and Bianca were engulfed by prolonged droughts AND wiped out by fires. They were broke, tired, and forced to do something else… to think ‘outside the box’. They asked themselves: how can we re-invent to make our small farm viable long-term? And from a standing start… ‘Our Cow’ was born. Just three years on, Dave & Bianca now employ over 25 people in Casino, in a business currently grossing $8m plus per year. Last month, they delivered over 2,800 boxes to almost every part of Australia. Their monthly recurring revenue for their meat subscription alone is now over $650k per month. Their passion now is to scale, and for ‘Our Cow’ to see hard-working Aussie Farmers get a fair and stable price for their livestock. Remember: doing the same thing over and again and expecting a different result is the definition of insanity. How are you innovating and pioneering to create a business model with the capacity to scale? We hope this episode inspires and motivates you, and we can’t wait to see what is next for our friends at Our Cow. Hutch, Robbo & Team P.S. If you want more information about investing in the ‘Our Cow’ journey, click here, and they will send you more information. If you want to supply to Our Cow (meat), then send them an email at admin@ourcow.com.au P.P.S. Our Take Control program is where Our Cow first started their journey! Click here to learn more information about this program.

In the second of this important two-part series, I interview another small group of Farm Owners Academy Platinum Mastermind Members.

This time the wonderful Women of FOA....

Across our community there are some incredible transformations occurring, and some incredible results being achieved – be they financial, on-farm, in-family or individually.

It truly is a unique, positive, supportive and completely dedicated community of over 120 like-minded, growth-oriented farming families, each intently committed to an intensive 3-year business & personal development journey, and on making more money, building better businesses, stronger teams and achieving more fulfilment in their families and lives.

In this podcast interview, I speak with Carissa Schneider, Marion Drew and Shaana Williams and ask them to share:

• their wins,
• their challenges,
• the results they’re getting,
• what they like most,
• what they value most, and
• why they joined in the first-place.

As we invite just 12 more farming families to join our Platinum Mastermind Program this year, I felt it timely and valuable for you to hear straight from the horse’s mouth what our Members are valuing and achieving from their significant time and money investment within the Platinum Mastermind Program.

Applications close on 31st October or when the remaining spaces are filled.  At the time of publishing this episode, there are only 12 spots left.

To learn more, go to: https://www.farmownersacademy.com/platinum-mastermind/

To hear more case studies, go to: https://www.farmownersacademy.com/reviews/

To any listeners wanting to level-up, we welcome your application before 31st October.

I hope you enjoy these discussions.

Sincerely, Jeremy

As farm business owners, we can often be operating at intense and unsustainable levels for extended periods of time. Many times, the farm comes first, and so many other important things take the back seat.

Our farms can be under-resourced, our teams insufficient, our realities out of control and operations completely dependent upon us. Our plans are in our heads, marriages out of alignment - husbands, wives and families missing out on what life and family are truly meant to be about.

That is where Platinum Mastermind members Sam & Carla Armytage found themselves.

Let’s be very real for a minute: the pressures of owning and running a significant farm business can be immense. Even for the super-human, at times, this can all become too much.

In sharing their genuinely inspirational story, in their usual humble and understated ways, Sam & Carla explain where their life was at, consumed by the pressures of putting the farm first. They outline the very real impact this was having on their marriage and family.

To their credit, and 5 years on, Sam & Carla have completely transformed their business, farm, team and lives. They own and manage a truly successful and highly scalable business with the capacity to grow and support their next generation of passionate young farmers in Charlotte, Will & James.

Breakthroughs can follow breakdowns. Transformation can come from acknowledging burn-out and then giving yourself permission to take a break, re-claim perspective and go again with renewed energy, different priorities and a more meaningful and common plan.

Sometimes, we need education and support to change direction, not motivation to speed up.

I want to acknowledge you, Sam & Carla, for your willingness to share your journey and for the immense, often quiet and in-the-background contribution you make to other members of our Farm Owners Academy community.

Well done for the grit and sheer commitment you have led with, the love and loyalty you consistently extend to each other, and congratulations on the transformations you have achieved – personally, as a couple, as parents and as business leaders – for your commitment to change and your success truly now speaks for itself.

For all the challenges and hardships, we are all so very proud of you and excited for you.

Here’s to a very bright future!

Hutch & the Farm Owners Academy Team

When people succeed at the highest level, often all we see of them is their endeavour and their achievement.

We never really get to hear of the challenge, the hardship or the immense struggle that is behind the enduring success.

There can be so many lessons relevant to how, as farmers, we can better face the challenges that come our way and overcome adversity and change.

In this episode, I feel deeply privileged to interview Anna Meares – 11-time world champion and the greatest female track cyclist of all time.

Throughout Anna’s sporting career, she achieved:

• 2 gold, 1 silver, 3 bronze over four consecutive Olympics
• 11 gold, 10 silver, 6 bronze at World Championships
• 5 gold, 2 silver, 1 bronze at Commonwealth Games

Anna also has many titles including the Institute of Sport’s "Best Of The Best" inductee and is a Hall of Fame recipient, flag-bearer and Captain at our 2016 Olympic Games. She is now a 2024 Chef de Mission, coach, mentor and teacher to our current era of Olympian legends...

What impressed me the most about my time with Anna was her courage, grit, strength and sheer determination. With all of this, I am in awe of her humility, her generousness, her vulnerability, and her authenticity.

After an unmatched career as an athlete, Anna now finds joy and fulfilment in her endeavour to stand behind people, be in service and support others to achieve at their highest levels.

So many great lessons for all of us on what it takes to lock in meaningful goals and achieve our best.

Thank you, Anna, you are truly a great Australian.

Jeremy Hutchings & The Farm Owners Academy Team

P.S. We warmly invite you to join us for our FREE webinar “Simple Budgeting for a Profitable Farm” on the 13th of March to equip yourself with the tools and knowledge for creating an accurate budget - that you can actually stick to!

Click HERE to Reserve Your Seat Now.

It is so easy in this game to constantly put in massive hours, ensure everyone around you has what they need, and focus intently on getting the job done.

An extended finish, a challenging season and ALREADY the urgent requirement to get set to ‘go again’… I hear of many farming families feeling they must sacrifice their holiday plans to stay on top of production imperatives.

Right now, it is critical we stop, take stock, and be reminded of the importance of putting ourselves first.

Following a cracking session with Andrew Roberts last episode, I am delighted to invite Farm Owners Academy’s Director of Well-being and Mindset Specialist, Tracy Secombe, to once again join me on the Profitable Farmer Podcast.

In this episode, we explore:

• what is well-being, and what are the key elements;
• the importance of well-being for each of us;
• how we can make this a priority, even in intently busy times; and
• the significant impact this can have on your overall ability to function, lead and succeed.

We also discuss three valuable programs that support this:

• Tracy’s People Pleaser to Soul Pleaser Program
• Tracy’s 7-Day Calmness Code Challenge
• Farm Owners Academy’s Take Control Program

We recommend these programs to you… highly.

Tracy, we are delighted to have your involvement with us expanded and taken the lead in supporting the overall well-being of our team, our members and our entire community.

I cannot think of a more perfect person to take on this role with us all. Thank you once again.

In putting ourselves first…

Enjoy.

Hutch & the FOA Team

Implementation is the key to success!

In today’s podcast, I chat with Andrew and discuss the importance of realising, accepting and overcoming your fears in order reach your potential in all areas of your life. We explore the concept of fear and how this holds us back, especially the fear of failure in business.

Join us as we dive deeper into:

• How perfectionism can hold you back - most people tend to procrastinate because of this, as they worry about making the wrong decision

• How you can set up systems to help you make concise decisions, this requires thinking, which most people don’t like to do – most farmers prefer to DO rather than THINK!

• Implementation is the key to success, not the decision making however this is still a very critical part.

• Never allow a year, a quarter, a week or a day go by without planning it first - this is the KEY to succeeding - yet most people don’t do this.

• Stop using excuses to set your goals later - do it NOW!

• The power of 10-year, 3-year and 12-month goals, quarterly rocks, weekly & daily goals – If you make time to write these down, you will become unstoppable.

• How taking control of your business and developing systems will help you make more profit and allow your team to become more focused and efficient.

• If you don’t set goals, your team is winging it which will cost you lots of money, for little return.

Your greatest life is on the other side of fear! We hope you enjoy this podcast and identify the fears which might be holding you back.

To find out more about our Take Control Program, please click here... take advantage now before the price increase! Enjoy,  

Jeremy 

So the saying goes…

The first generation starts a business.

The second generation builds it up.

The third generation ruins it.

I am sure we have all heard this bandied around over the years…

In my estimation, the Hutcheon & Pearce story, led by Arron Hutcheon, is a great rural and regional example of how to buck this trend, and thrive.

In this episode, I am fortunate to speak with Arron Hutcheon, third generation Managing Director to the highly successfully Hutcheon & Pearce John Deere Dealership to the Riverina and beyond.

Arron is a young, genuine, authentic and confident business leader. Under his watch and over 20 years, the H&P business has grown from 60 to 300 employees. The business how operates across 14 locations, and is recognised for excellence within the global John Deere franchise, now delivering the latest and most sophisticated machinery and in-paddock production service & technologies to thousands of farm businesses across southern New South Wales.

In this podcast, and with their business as the example, we explore:

• how to get the right people around you;
• how to align them to a common vision;
• the importance of core values and clear company performance standards;
• how to be unique in how you attract and then retain talent;
• how to lead change and align teams;
• communication rhythms; and
• what makes for successful succession.

We also get a glimpse of the next technologies to transform our enterprises and production systems.

From a business many Riverina families have been dealing with for three generations, we learn what it takes to deliver world-class service locally and lead a company through genuine growth and significant change… confirming for me that there is no ‘silver bullet’, just good, old-fashioned determination, innovation and genuine care.

Thank you Arron, and Congratulations!

Hutch

PS: Got questions about this topic? Feel free to reach out via the Profitable Farmer Facebook page to ask clarifying questions. I’d love to hear from you.

PPS: Please share this with others in our industry and give us a review on Facebook or Google to go in the draw to win our Farm Financial Framework training program worth $1,000!  Thank you for helping us spread the word.

PPPS: Know a regional legend we should interview? Get in touch via the Profitable Farmer Facebook page. We are always looking to share compelling success stories.

For a vision to be compelling AND create meaningful change, it has to enrol and inspire. Well-designed, a compelling vision can align people from all walks of life, diverse backgrounds, varying persuasions, and even competing preferences. To me, it seems that for Australian Agriculture, this has been achieved thanks to Tony Mahar and the National Farmers Federation (NFF). In 2018, NFF sought to prepare a shared vision for Australian Agriculture. A sixth-month consultation process with the industry, some deep thinking, a host of critical conversations and input from key players, and a supporting roadmap to 2030 was born. Within it, an overview of important mega-trends to impact us all, five pillars to focus their effort, and a shortlist of major projects to initiate and impact. NFF’s 2030 Vision and Roadmap can be found by clicking here. I speak with Tony Mahar, CEO of National Farmers Federation in this podcast. We explore what is unique about the economic climate of today and the vision and roadmap they have pioneered for Australian Agriculture. Finally, we touch on some key issues impacting our industry, including supply shortages, labour shortfalls and trade challenges. Importantly, we also connect on what is good about being in this industry at this time and how fortunate we are as farming families and business owners to be part of a nation and industry with so much to look forward to. Thank you, Tony, for your openness, transparency, overview, and insight. A very interesting conversation. Enjoy!   Jeremy

When you’re ready to take the next step and work with us, here are three things you can do:

1. Subscribe to our ‘Profitable Farmer’ podcast This free audio podcast delivers ideas to help you run a great business, leading to more profit, control and freedom – Click here.
2. Join the Farm Owner Academy’s closed Facebook group ‘Profitable Farmer’ Our new Facebook community is where smart farm owners learn how to get more profit, control and freedom, and you can connect with like-minded farm owners – Click here to join.
3. Work with us privately If you’d like our team to help you scale up your farming business or create a ‘freedom farm’ just email us at support@farmownersacademy.comand put “Private” in the subject line… tell me a little about your business and what you’d like to improve and I’ll send you the information you need to get started!

I have always been intrigued by Rabobank as a business.

A 120-year-old Dutch cooperative founded by farmers for farmers, now a global sensation specialising in agribusiness lending from over 1,000 offices across 38 countries, serving over 9 million customers... I think their Australasian Team are to be commended on the passion, dedication and quality support they provide to farming families across our region.

Just as interesting is the fact that their global research team spans over 140 leading analysts… all focused on finance and agri-markets… imagine the intelligence and insights available on navigating our local and international trading landscape!

In this episode, I am pleased to welcome Stefan Vogel, General Manager – RaboResearch, Australia & New Zealand, to our podcast.

I knew this would be a compelling conversation… but Stefan’s commentary and global perspective completely exceeded my expectation in so many ways.

Thank you, Stefan, for your openness and your insight as we explore:

• global and local grain production estimations;
• the interplay of our overseas competitors;
• impediments and challenges we collectively face;
• the impact of trade barriers into China;
• the potential implication of an El Nino weather event;
• expectations given the Ukraine – Russia situation and current trade deal negotiations… and so much more.

Insightful is an understatement… valuable? ABSOLUTELY.

Stefan and his team host their own podcast – simply search “RaboResearch” on all major podcasting platforms to start listening.

In addition, their recently released 2023/24 Grain Production Outlook is a valuable resource and can be found HERE.

The next few years will likely differ greatly from those we have just experienced. We need to adapt accordingly. I hope this interview provides a compelling global perspective for those of you on tractors as we get our new season underway.

All the best for this season, given the global market in which we operate.

Best,

Hutch & Team

Covid-19 has had a profound effect on so many small business owners, big businesses, and economies across the globe. It has been fascinating to watch the markets over the past 4 months as this pandemic unfolds.

In this podcast, I am delighted to welcome back our investment specialist, Terry Tran, founder of Freedom Trader. We discuss what has happened, how it’s impacted the stock market and his prediction for our recovery in the short and long-term.

Terry provides us with a valuable insight on what do, where to look and how to make the most of opportunities for value-based investing in and around Australia and the global markets recovery.

Terry’s an authority on value-based investing, mentoring hundreds of family businesses across Australia helping them truly diversify their interests and generate wealth off-farm. We hope Terry’s insights in this podcast help you navigate the Covid-19 recovery.

If you would like to see for yourself what The Freedom Trader program is all about, Terry is hosting a live training on Tuesday 14th July and it’s completely FREE for our valued podcast listeners! You need to register ASAP (as space is limited) by clicking here:  How to Create REAL Wealth Outside Your Farm SAFELY

Enjoy!

Regards,

Jeremy

It is clear to me that so many of us are under-resourced.

As such, we dedicate 20-40 hours per week to low-value farm activity, often at the expense of CEO-level tasks. For me, this continued focus on low-value activity might save a wage, but it's costing you a FORTUNE. This episode is all about how to break free from that cycle and step into the role of a true business leader.

Giving you special insight into our Platinum Mastermind program, this episode is an excerpt from a previous 'Growth Call' webinar that I run monthly with our members.

During this call, I am joined by Farm Owners Academy CEO, Sam Johnson, and we have an open conversation with our members about:

• Identifying where and why we are under-resourced.
• Shifting from a scarcity mindset to one of growth and abundance, which allows us to see the value in investing in our teams.
• Practical steps to justify the financial investment in new hires and the long-term benefits this brings.
• Strategies for recruiting effectively, even in a challenging job market and how to build a team that supports your vision.
• Creating a clear organisational structure that defines roles and responsibilities, ensuring everyone is aligned and working towards common goals.

Thank you, Andrew Driscoll, for sharing your experience in this area, and thank you all for your involvement in this important conversation. Andrew's journey from feeling overwhelmed to strategically resourcing his farm provides a real-world example of the transformation possible when we back ourselves and our vision.

To have a FREEDOM FARM, we need to build out our dream team. Let's back ourselves to each get on and get this done!

Keep winning.

Jeremy Hutchings and the Farm Owners Academy Team

We find ourselves in an economic environment very different to 12 months ago - now characterised by high inflation, rising interest rates and an uplift in unemployment in most of our trading nations across the globe. 

On the back of a compelling quarterly economic review to our Members, I have invited Terry Tran – Freedom Trader – to join me again to make sense of it all. To give us a no BS take on what is happening in our world, what it means, how to play (as an investor), and to understand where the opportunities (in the investment landscape) lay. 

Terry now predicts a high chance of global recession, resulting from a marked economic slowdown in the USA, Europe and China. This requires us all to think deeply about our business models and our approach to business and investing in the years to come. 

Overnight the US has seen a credit downgrade - it’s first since 2011 following a close call on a debt ceiling default. This follows its 11th consecutive rate rise since March 2022 to a 22-year high, forcing other countries, including Australia, to follow suit to maintain strength in our domestic currency. 

A change in the company regulatory environment and a policy reversal directly impacts foreign investment inflows into China, sparking a slowdown in the Chinese economy. 

And a disparate and fragmented Europe is likely the major trading nation to be most adversely impacted in years to come... 

It’s refreshing to sit with Terry and have him lay it all out for us and offer a view of the globe we can all make some sense of. 

It’s compelling to sit with Terry and explore what this means and where the opportunities are for the proactive and strategic investor. 

While Ted Lasso is telling us to ‘be the goldfish’… Terry recommends we ‘be the whale’. 

Thank you for your brilliance, Terry. 

Enjoy everyone.  

Hutch 

PS – To learn how to take advantage of our new reality as investors, join Terry for a FREE & FOA EXCLUSIVE INVESTMENT MASTERCLASS Wednesday, 23rd August… register now: https://www.thefreedomtrader.com/farmownersacademy

Running a farm comes with its fair share of challenges, and it’s easy to get caught up in the day-to-day. But some of the biggest opportunities for growth come from stepping outside our own operations, connecting with others, and learning from those facing similar challenges. Stronger businesses, smarter decisions, and a more resilient industry all start with farmers coming together and sharing knowledge. 

This episode is all about the power of grower groups - why they matter, the impact they have, and why getting involved can be a game-changer for your farm and business. 

I'm joined by Pippa Jones, who, alongside her husband, runs a mixed farm near Goondiwindi, QLD. Beyond the farm, Pippa has played a key role in the Macintyre Ag Alliance, helping to drive innovation and support for local farmers. She also works as an extension officer with NSW Local Land Services and represents the Northern NSW Drought and Innovation Hub. On top of that, she’s a 2024 Nuffield Scholar, exploring how carbon farming can be both a profitable opportunity for farmers and better supported on a global scale. 

Together, in this episode, we explore: 

• The critical role of grower groups like Macintyre Ag Alliance and the impact they're having in southern Queensland and northern NSW. 

• Why getting involved in these networks goes far beyond just improving technical farming skills. 

• How simplifying your farm business model can give you the time and space to pursue off-farm interests, leadership roles, and industry impact. 

• Why we should all back ourselves as leaders, even if we don't see ourselves that way just yet. 

At Farm Owners Academy, we're proud to be partnering with Macintyre Ag Alliance and other grower groups across Australia to help farmers connect, learn, and thrive. 

If you haven't yet, I encourage you to seek out your local grower groups and engage with your regional drought and innovation hubs-they offer invaluable resources and networks that can help you navigate challenges and future-proof your farm business. 

You can access more information about the items discussed in the episode below: 

• Macintyre Ag Alliance – click here https://www.macintyreagalliance.com/  

• Drought and Innovation Hubs – click here https://www.agriculture.gov.au/agriculture-land/farm-food-drought/drought/future-drought-fund/research-adoption-program/adoption-innovation-hubs  

• Nuffield Scholarships – click here https://www.nuffield.com.au/  

Pippa, thank you for your time, your insights, and your leadership. I hope you all enjoy this conversation as much as I did. 

Keep winning. 

Jeremy Hutchings & the Farm Owners Academy Team 

Out of 10, how do you rate your company’s culture, and what do you do in order to enhance & optimise it?

Team and family culture is at the essence of how well our farming teams perform and achieve.

Team and family culture can be the thing that truly sets you apart as a business in both your area and market.

It’s ultimately an extension of you, and a legacy you can leave.

At the same time, culture is intangible, and as a result so often neglected in our own leadership.

In this podcast, we give you a taste of the type of training we provide to our clients as we take a sneak peek into our Take Control Program monthly business coaching session.  This month, we explored:

– what is team and family culture; 

– how good is your culture; 

– how do we rate it; 

– what are the 4 core strategies you can focus on to enhance it; and 

– what can be done to see you create a truly high-performing team and environment.

There are 4 core areas of business that can set the foundations for a great company and truly unique family and team culture.

You can download the handouts I refer to in this recording by clicking here.

I hope you enjoy this rare insight into our clients monthly training session and learn how to bring these ideas to life for you and your business.

Thank you!

Jeremy

Tracy Secombe is incredible. Plain and simple.

Her support to her Farm Owners Academy clients once again this year has been astounding.

Her contribution to our community continues to inspire.

Our clients just get so much value from her outlook on life and the coaching she can provide.

As we bring a close to 2019, it is my great pleasure to connect with and interview Tracy, and to explore how to make this Christmas season an important moment in time to deeply reflect, clearly check-in, fully self-assess, and completely set down more powerful intentions and enriching habits in the new year to come.

A cracking conversation. An amazing lady.

Enough said...enjoy!

Jeremy Hutchings

Throughout our lives, and often at this time of year, we can find ourselves reflecting and asking important questions like;

• Why am I here?
• What am I doing this for?
• What is it that is my purpose in life?
• What do I want for my life?
• How do I want to be remembered?

Over my business journey, I have been lucky enough to study with and learn from one of the great business minds of our time, Marshall Thurber. In his teachings, Marshall emphasises that there are universal laws (laws of nature) that, when applied to our businesses and lives, can offer us so much certainty and confidence and set a robust foundation on which to see our results grow exponentially.

In this episode, and in my attempt to answer these questions, I offer an insight into the Law of Precession - how we can apply it to our lives, how to set down major, definite goals, and make a more meaningful impact as leaders, business owners and entrepreneurs.

Linked with this, I share some lessons learned from one of my favourite books, “Think and Grow Rich” by Napoleon Hill – a read I recommend highly to you.

From these teachings, I believe that we all have the opportunity to tap into a higher universal power if we are open. We all have access to infinite intelligence. This can help us achieve ‘more with less’, experience abundance (over scarcity), and, importantly, make more of an impact with the time we have - in family, community and industry.

I hope you find my ramblings and reflections in this episode valuable. I hope it helps you answer these questions and set compelling goals for your new year. I look forward to hearing from you and receiving your feedback.

To one unsuspecting Farm Owners Academy farmer member… thank you for this question, which prompted this episode.

As we arrive at a new year, I want to thank you for tracking with us and for your loyalty to this podcast. It is a privilege for us to provide it.

If you know someone we should interview, let us know via the Profitable Farmer Facebook Group or by emailing support@farmownersacademy.com.

What we can achieve for our families and in our lives can be beyond our comprehension if we learn and apply the generalised principles…!

With gratitude,

Jeremy Hutchings & the Farm Owners Academy Team

Some important constructs that have changed my life: 

• “A business will never out-grow its owner”;
• “If you do what you have always done, you will get what you’ve always got”;
• “For things to change, FIRST I must change”;
• “The hardest part to learning is letting go of what you think you know”;
• “Thoughts are things, and it is in taking control of our mind, that personal transformation can occur”; and
• “Work harder on yourself, than you do on your ‘JOB’” 

This morning I arrive back to my farm and office, having had a week away, at a resort on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, hosting both our 2 Day TOP Producers Workshop, and then one of FOA’s Deep Dive Conferences with over 300 of our Platinum Mastermind Members. 

What an event! What an incredible community. What a life-changing experience for so many farming families. 

To see so many farm owners so completely engaged, so committed to their own growth, and so open to personal development and a focus on mindset mastery, was incredible. 

To all of you who attended, my sincere thanks for your significant part in making both events very memorable and transformational for so many. 

Farmers are incredible people. Determined beyond belief. A work ethic without equal. A resilience beyond words. 

At the same time, so many BELIEVE that they have to ‘work hard to get ahead’, that ‘money is hard to come by’, that ‘it’s hard to find good people’, and that ‘our results are out of our control’… 

In this Podcast, I ‘shoot the breeze’ with FOA Team Members Sam Johnsson (General Manager), David Westbrook (Senior Coach & Community Manager) and Sam Pincott (Farm Business Coach). We reflect on our amazing week just gone, the importance of working on our MINDSET, and the POWER – if we are to truly succeed in business & life – of being part of a community of like-minded, growth-oriented, passionate farm owners. 

It is weeks like that just gone that define why FOA exists – to offer a MASTERMIND Community for farming families wanting to achieve their potential, improve their lives and create FREEDOM FARMS. 

I feel honoured & proud to be part of this team, to teach & apply the entrepreneurial principles we get to teach & share, and to have the opportunity to experience the strength of this community. 

To those who joined us, thank you. To our graduates, to our award nominees and award winners – CONGRATULATIONS on your success. Thank you for trusting in us, being leaders in this, and thank you for inspiring those around you. 

We hope to see you at one of our future FOA events… soon ! 😉

Sincerely,

Jeremy

PS – Enrol in Take Control Program before 27th February 2022 and save $1,000 PLUS get these awesome bonuses. You will receive:

• Immediate access to the Take Control program. 5 self-paced online learning modules that will completely transform your skills as a farm business owner giving you more profit, more control and more freedom.

• A Take Control workbook with all the templates you need succeed in your business. This is a practical course and when complete you will have created new systems to help you move forward as a business owner.

• A payment plan to spread out your investment.

• A 14 Day Money Back Guarantee. If you aren’t completely satisfied we will give you your money back, no questions asked.

PLUS…

• BONUS 1:2x Tickets to the TOP Producers 2 Day Workshop – rated 5 stars on Google and Facebook.

• BONUS 2: 12 months access to the online Take Control community where you can ask any question and get help as you learn and be part of a group of positive, like-minded farm owners wanting to do better.

• BONUS 3: 12 months access to monthly coaching calls to help you implement the learnings into your business. 

CLICK HERE to enrol in TAKE CONTROL today to save $1,000

P.P.S The books Hutch mentioned & recommended were:

            –  The Law of Attraction, by Michael Losier, and

            –  The Keys to Living the Law of Attraction, by Jack Canfield.

When you’re ready to take the next step and work with us, here are three things you can do:

1. Subscribe to our ‘Profitable Farmer’ podcast This free audio podcast delivers ideas to help you run a great business – leading to more profit, control and freedom – Click here.

    

2. Join the Farm Owner Academy’s closed Facebook group ‘Profitable Farmer’ Our new Facebook community is where smart farm owners learn how to get more profit, control and freedom, and you can connect with like-minded farm owners – Click here to join.

3. Work with us privately If you’d like our team to help you scale up your farming business or create a ‘freedom farm’ just email us at support@farmownersacademy.com and put “Private” in the subject line… tell me a little about your business and what you’d like to improve and I’ll send you the information you need to get started!

During my business and entrepreneurship journey, I have been lucky enough to study with and learn from some incredible minds. Through Marshall Thurber, and his ‘Money & You’ course, I have been introduced to the truly profound business thinkings of both W Edward Deming and Buckminster Fuller. In this episode, and as we collectively set down our plans and priorities for the new year, I share some of the most compelling entrepreneurial philosophies and principles pioneered by the great ‘Bucky’ Fuller! In this conversation we explore:

• why goal-setting is so important
• why being in motion towards your goal is more important than the goal itself!
• why trying to ‘find your purpose’ isn’t it!
• why selfless goals & objectives are so much more impactful
• why adding value into the lives of others is so very important, for you and them!
• how the setting up of your plans to achieve your goals increases the likelihood of their attainment
• why regular reconnection with your goals is imperative, for you, your family and your team
• how your vision, goals & unique plans can set you apart as a business AND see you attract and retain great people and talent
• how to create a legacy and truly pioneer in your lifetime
• why innovating and inventing in order to solve broader social issues and specific industry problems can see you make an impact on the planet beyond your comprehension!

The brilliance of ‘Bucky’ is that we get to explore all of these very important elements of business and life simply by applying generalised laws of nature to how we lead and do business. I hope my ramblings this time have a meaningful impact for you. If you have any questions about this topic, feel free to reach out via the Profitable Farmer Facebook page. I’d love to hear from you. Sincerely, 

Jeremy PS - Only 80 seats left at our TOP Producers Workshop in Adelaide next month! Secure yours now by clicking here: TOP Producers Program 2-Day Workshop

Time to diversify...

Creating balance sheet wealth long-term must be our primary focus, even when challenged in the here-and-now. Success in anything starts with KNOWLEDGE. It is with this in mind that I interview Terry Tran, CEO & Founder of The Freedom Trader.

Terry Tran is a good (and perhaps unlikely) friend to Farm Owners Academy and the Profitable Farmer podcast. We recommend his investing program - The Freedom Trader - and know many of our clients continue to get great training and real results from his mentoring and methodology.

In this podcast, Terry shares his story with us, his passion to help people create wealth through direct share investing, his investment philosophy and his view on why farming families make such good investors. We uncover some very real myths about the share market and explore how to create wealth through a strong analysis and risk-aware investment strategy.

I encourage each of you to listen to this and consider, even in times of dry seasons and tight cashflows, whether now is a good time to be learning HOW to strengthen your wealth creation capacity through robust and measured share investing.

If you’d like to see for yourself what Terry’s ‘Freedom Trader’ program is all about, he is hosting a live training on Tuesday 18th February and its completely FREE for all our podcast listeners! You can register by clicking here: How to Create Real Wealth Outside Your Farm SAFELY but do it now as space is limited!

Enjoy!

Jeremy Hutchings

In this episode, it was great to connect with the impressive Sam Johnsson, CEO of Farm Owners Academy. During our discussion we:  

• reflected on his 3 years with us,
• acknowledged the incredible Farm Owners Academy team and community,
• discussed the importance of the CEO role in any business,
• explored the power of focusing team members toward ‘their genius’ within a clear and well-documented structure, and the value this can bring to growing teams,
• explored ‘The Gap and The Gain’, and how this important concept can help us transform team cultures, enhance confidence in individuals, and underpin high-performing teams, and,
• revisited the value of strong cash flow modelling in farm business management to help stress-test your business model in the current climate.

It is always good to connect with Sam on the Profitable Farmer Podcast. He has developed such valuable insights from his time leading Farm Owners Academy’s growth by supporting members of our Platinum Mastermind and Alumni Community in their farm expansion decision-making. To access the Cashflow Optimiser Program, (currently on sale for just $9) click here. To access our Farm Financial Framework training, click here. To book your tickets to our upcoming TOP Producers 2-day Workshop (attend in person on the Sunshine Coast, or virtually) click here. A massive shout-out from Sam J & me to our incredible coaching, analytics and business support team. Your dedication and commitment to Farm Owners Academy’s growth and this community is immense and greatly appreciated. Thank you sincerely, for all you do. Keep being incredible. Hutch & Farm Owners Academy Team P.S. Would you like to take advantage of a 60-minute coaching session with one of our leading coaches at Farm Owners Academy? We are currently offering 15 free sessions to our podcast listeners where you will be able to sit down, overcome obstacles and gain clarity in your farming business with guidance from an experienced coach. Click here to book your session before spots fill out.

I love the concept that perhaps our subconscious programming is the thing that is holding us back.

I also like the concept that money is just a tool to give us what we want in life.

However, I believe that many of us have a SCARCITY or ABUNDANCE mindset toward money.

I like the idea of visualising money as ‘fun tickets’ to be used and enjoyed for me and others, now and in the future.

Throughout my journey, I have gotten comfortable with the fact that money:

• Is not hard to come by
• Is not beyond my control
• Is not the ‘root of all evil’ and
• that it CAN ‘grow on trees!’

How is your mindset toward money serving you?

In this episode, I call on Investment Specialist and Freedom Trader Terry Tran, to explore:

• How his attitude toward money has changed.
• Where the previous money mindset he inherited might have taken him.
• How to think like an INVESTOR rather than a worker.
• His beliefs around and approach to making money and investing now.
• What it means to create a truly abundant, fulfilled and wealthy life.

As a first-generation Aussie who came here as a refugee on a boat as a child, I feel Terry is a true example of how we CAN change our lives by changing our psychology. He has a great insight into what is holding the ‘average Aussie farmer’ back from creating off-farm wealth.

Terry has a FREE LIVE online training exclusive for our Farm Owners community called ‘How to Create Off-Farm Wealth Consistently and Safely’ on Tuesday the 5th of March. I recommend you make this a priority – register here: https://www.thefreedomtrader.com/farmownersacademy/

It is always great to connect with Terry, have him on our podcast, and see him support farming families across our community.

I hope there is something in this episode of substance for those of you who enjoy it with us.

Thank you.

Jeremy Hutchings & The Farm Owners Academy Team

P.S. - a reminder about Terry’s upcoming webinar ‘How to Create Off-Farm Wealth Consistently and Safely’ - register here: https://www.thefreedomtrader.com/farmownersacademy/

P.P.S - We warmly invite you to join us for our FREE webinar “Simple Budgeting for a Profitable Farm” on the 13th of March to equip yourself with the tools and knowledge for creating an accurate budget - that you can actually stick to! Reserve Your Seat Now. https://www.farmownersacademy.com/simple-budgeting-for-a-profitable-farm

Today’s conversation is one of those deep dives into leadership, resilience, and navigating the complexities of life—whether that’s on the farm, in the boardroom, or out on the footy field.  

 Joining me is Cameron Schwab, a man who, at just 24, stepped into the CEO role of an elite AFL club, and over the years has learned not only what leadership demands of us but how it shapes us.  

 Cameron is the real deal—a thinker, a mentor, and someone who’s walked the path of success, failure, and reinvention. Now founder and CEO of designCEO, Cameron leverages his extensive leadership experience in professional sport and business to mentor and support CEOs, senior and emerging leaders, and their organisations across various industry sectors. You can find more information about Cameron and his offerings on his website here.  

 In this episode, we unpack what it takes to show up as a leader when the pressure’s on, how to navigate those “what am I doing here?” moments, and why the quiet, reflective times when no one’s watching might just be the most important moments of all.  

 Cameron’s insights, from his experiences in elite sports to his work now coaching leaders across business and community, are so relatable and deeply impactful. 

 We explore what it means to create the right conditions for people to thrive, how to reframe your story when it’s holding you back, and why leadership isn’t about having all the answers—it’s about showing up with courage, humility, and a deep sense of purpose.  

 I hope you enjoy as we dive into this thoughtful and inspiring conversation.  

 Cameron, thank you for sharing your wisdom, heart, and valuable practical tools that we can all takeaway.  

Sincerely,  

Hutch  

P.S