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Episodes
Saturday Mar 16, 2024
Saturday Mar 16, 2024
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
Wednesday Feb 28, 2024
Wednesday Feb 28, 2024
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
Wednesday Feb 14, 2024
Wednesday Feb 14, 2024
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.
Tuesday Feb 06, 2024
Tuesday Feb 06, 2024
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
Friday Dec 22, 2023
Friday Dec 22, 2023
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
Wednesday Dec 20, 2023
Wednesday Dec 20, 2023
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
Wednesday Nov 15, 2023
Wednesday Nov 15, 2023
We can survive 3 weeks without food...
3 days without water…
But only 3 minutes without breathing.
As for parenting, our body, mind and many other critical life functions, we have never been taught HOW TO BREATHE.
As a result, and over time, most of us are immensely inefficient with our breathing, leading us to a long list of health conditions that keep us from living our best lives.
In this episode, I speak with my wonderful wife, mother of four, high-performance physiotherapist, and now breathing re-training specialist, Jane Hutchings - to explore the importance of LEARNING TO BREATHE WELL.
Anxiety, stress, depression, asthma, hay fever, insomnia, sleep apnoea, restless legs, snoring, excess sweating, brain fog, mental fatigue and burnout are just some of the conditions we face when we breathe poorly.
Rather than medication or physical interventions, focusing on learning to breathe properly can see all these health challenges vastly improved and even overcome for any or all of us.
With a 25-year+ high-performance physiotherapy career, 6 years of focused training & research, Founder - Mint Condition Breathing Retraining, and facilitator of a proven short course now available to everyone, I find it incredible the results Jane is achieving with boys & girls and men & women of all ages across Australia and beyond.
I see so many farmers struggling to sleep well. I see so many farmers fatigued by the stress and pressure of this game we choose to play. I also see so many in our families challenged by hay fever, asthma and related respiratory conditions.
For more information on Jane and her programs, go here: www.mintcond.com.au
Jane & I truly believe that breathing well is the essential piece that links a commitment to fitness, mindset, diet, learning, entrepreneurship… and achieving a balanced, healthy, high-quality life.
Jane, congratulations on the difference you make to so many.
We are very proud of you.
Jeremy & the Farm Owners Academy team
P.S. Tracy Secombe & I are hosting a free webinar on Wednesday, 29th November, on ‘Beating Burnout & Increasing Resilience’ – I hope to see you online for this important topic. You can secure your seat here: https://learning.farmownersacademy.com/burnout
Tuesday Oct 31, 2023
Tuesday Oct 31, 2023
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
Monday Oct 16, 2023
Monday Oct 16, 2023
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
Sunday Oct 01, 2023
Sunday Oct 01, 2023
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.