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Episodes
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.
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