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Episodes
Saturday Sep 16, 2023
Saturday Sep 16, 2023
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
Thursday Aug 31, 2023
Thursday Aug 31, 2023
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
Tuesday Aug 15, 2023
Tuesday Aug 15, 2023
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
Monday Jul 31, 2023
Monday Jul 31, 2023
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
Saturday Jul 15, 2023
Saturday Jul 15, 2023
You don’t achieve greatness without first being a very special individual.
In this episode, I am pleased to introduce to you Aussie sporting icon Trevor Hendy, renowned as the greatest ironman on earth.
A former professional athlete having won six Australian Open Ironman titles and four consecutive World Ironman titles, Trevor has become a coach, role model, teacher and mentor to sporting and business elite across Australia and worldwide.
Now a member of the Order of Australia and an inductee into the World Surf Life Saving, Australian Life Saving and Australian Sporting Halls of Fame, Trevor has become as revered as much for the impact he has made to helping people live their best life, as he has as a sporting great.
What I love about Trevor is his openness and his willingness to share his experiences, his successes and challenges, in his heart-filled intention to selflessly serve others and teach those he connects with how to find calmness, contentment, presence, fulfilment and joy in our lives.
In this episode, Trevor reminds us that we are spiritual beings living a human experience.
He shares his tips on how we can pursue our potential, get out of our heads, let go of EGO, remove judgement and comparison, find peace in the moment, and accept and take responsibility for our reality to find more joy and happiness in our busy lives.
He speaks of his experiences of burnout, anxiety and depression and offers up some tips on how to navigate these life challenges and move forward strongly.
It is a privilege to come to know Trevor and to have him now contributing to our community.
This is a conversation that could have lasted for days. It is my hope we can extend on this with a follow-up with Trevor at another time. For now, enjoy this for what it is – an incredible, heartfelt, spiritual conversation.
Thank you to David Westbrook for making this possible and for being part of this conversation.
If open and willing, I encourage you to listen to this 2-3 times - to take the lessons and apply them to your life.
I believe we all have more potential within us and perhaps a bigger game to play. I hope this inspires you to be courageous and responsible in pursuit of your best life.
Thank you, Trevor.
What a truly great Australian.
Keep being incredible.
Hutch & Team
Friday Jun 30, 2023
Friday Jun 30, 2023
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
Thursday Jun 15, 2023
Thursday Jun 15, 2023
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
Wednesday May 31, 2023
Wednesday May 31, 2023
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
Monday May 15, 2023
Monday May 15, 2023
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
Sunday Apr 30, 2023
Sunday Apr 30, 2023
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