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Profitable Farmer: Daily Summaries Delivered
by Farm Owners Academy
This show is all about increasing the profitability of your farm so you work smarter and not harder. Your host, Andrew Roberts from the Farm Owners Academy reveals the best farming business tips for more leverage in your farm business.
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- 2 days ago1h 10m
#204 - Marriage and Business: Succeeding in Both, with Relationship Specialist Jacque Opie
Our farm office is often only metres from the kitchen table, and the kitchen table only metres from the bedroom. We live where we work, and the line between business & marriage can blur fast. It’s part of what makes doing business with family one of the toughest challenges in farm business leadership. This episode honours the husbands & wives working shoulder to shoulder every day, through every season. Marriage on the farm is a rollercoaster ride, with ups and downs along the way. But I love the idea that “bones are stronger where the break was.” Hardship, met well, can leave us closer than a smooth ride ever would. In this Learning From Legends episode, I’m joined by Jacque Opie, a relationship specialist and qualified counsellor who helps couples strengthen connection and better understand each other. Married for more than 30 years herself, Jacque knows that relationships are always a work in progress and need to grow as we do. I’ve seen the difference she’s made for our alumni members and it’s a real privilege to share her wisdom with our wider community. Jacque shares a toolkit any couple can start using: why proximity doesn’t equal connection, and the small daily rituals that close the gap; the Gottmans’ “soft start-up”, and the four horsemen that can tear a relationship apart if left to run wild; Tony Robbins’ six human needs, and how to recognise when your partner is reaching out for connection; Values in Action, a free online assessment of 24 character strengths that’s well worth comparing side by side with your partner here; If tough conversations tend to go sideways in your house, here’s the step-by-step model for respectful conflict Jacque shares in the episode: Before you start, check in with each other: is this a good time to have this conversation, are we calm enough, and are we willing to listen rather than defend? The first partner shares using three prompts: “I feel…”, “What’s important to me about this is…” and “What I need or would like is…”. The second partner listens and reflects back what they heard, using their partner’s words, without explaining or defending. Swap, so the second partner shares and the first reflects back. Find the middle together: what do we understand differently now, what can we be flexible about, and what’s one small thing we could agree to try? Close the conversation with an appreciation. Jacque, thank you for your generosity in sharing your own story and for how gently you navigate a conversation that so many find hard to have. To read Jacque’s blog or book an introductory chat, visit her website here. As you listen, I’d encourage you to jot down three or four improvements you could make to strengthen your most important relationship. Jacque reminds us we’re not chasing a perfect marriage. We’re aiming to do a little better each time. To every farming couple building a business and a marriage side by side: back each other, laugh often, and keep growing together. The best partnerships on farm are built one small moment at a time. Here’s to you both. Hutch P.S. The strongest farm businesses I know are built by couples who invest in each other as deliberately as they invest in the farm. If you’d like support building your version of a freedom farm, book a free 15-minute call with our team here.
- 2 weeks ago1h 10m
#203 - Can't Find Good Workers? Re-think How You Hire! with Michaela & Sunny from Farm Owners Academy
G’day everyone, How often have you heard it said, or perhaps said it yourself, that good people just don’t exist anymore? That they’ve all gone to the mines, or that the younger generation in our area just don’t want to work? I understand why we feel that way. Recruiting is hard, especially when we’re farming remotely. But a mentor of mine once said something that really challenged me: we get the people we deserve. I truly believe who we attract to our teams comes down to three things: how good we are as employers and leaders; how good our recruitment system is; and how well we select, then onboard. In this episode I’m joined by two of our own, Michaela Malicki, our FOA Operations Manager, and Sunny Roberts, our People and Culture Manager. Together they’ve helped us welcome more than 30 new team members over the last five years. Sunny has also worked alongside many farming families, helping them find, recruit and settle great people into their businesses. Their professionalism, and their genuine care for every candidate, is something I’m so proud of. Grab a pen and paper. We unpack: why recruitment is really a marketing exercise, and who else you’re actually pitching to; the one addition to your job ad that makes candidates stop scrolling; the simple closing-date rule that keeps your campaign on track; and the interview questions that reveal far more than technical skill, and why your farm visit invitation should include one more person. Michaela also shares how we use DISC profiling, not as a pass or fail, but to understand how each new team member naturally works and how to lead them well. Find out how DISC works here. Then the bigger question. If we’re bold enough to look beyond our region, and beyond agriculture, how much more could it open up our prospects? We have members with farm managers who were electricians only five or six years ago. There are millions of people who grew up on farms and now hold down city and regional town jobs. Many of them may be ready for a tree change, given the right opportunity. So, even if your farm is somewhat isolated, could it be the beliefs you’re carrying, more so than your postcode, that are holding you back? Michaela and Sunny, thank you for the roles you each play in helping us build a high-performing team and a cracking culture. And to every farm owner building a team worth joining: hire on attitude, train on skill, and back yourself. Good people are out there. Remember: high-performing teams are available to all of us! In leadership… Hutch P.S. I truly believe we get the people we deserve, and that the best teams are built by leaders who are willing to grow first. I’d love to see you at TOP Producers in Perth this February, where we’ll be working alongside farm owners who are backing themselves to build the high-performing farm team they need. Learn more here.
- Oct 8, 20261h 6m
#202 - You Don’t Have to Inherit a Farm to Build a Great One - Tim & Hannah from The Food Farm
Achieving a successful startup as a first-generation farmer is a tough assignment. On top of that, achieving a ‘direct to consumer, first generation farm’ is even harder. Tens of thousands, as you all know, have tried. Very few have succeeded. Meet Tim and Hannah and The Food Farm. Their story is remarkable. Their passion inspiring. Their determination unwavering. 5 years ago, Tim was a sole-operator contractor… surviving on borrowed machinery and blind faith. Hannah an opera singer from inner-Adelaide. Their first $2,000 came from a potato harvest festival that was nearly washed out by floods. It bought their first chicken caravan, towed home to New South Wales from Victoria. Today, and where they've arrived to is something to be immensely proud of. Tim and Hannah now lead a team of ten, run their own on-farm butchery, and grow pasture-raised chicken that has been awarded at the Sydney Royal Fine Food Show three times. Their organic, quality produce and endeavour even earned them a recent audience with our King! Every week, 600 to 700 people sit down to beautiful produce grown by Tim, Hannah and their passionate team. In this episode, Tim, Hannah and I explore: the mindset shift that saw them focus and scale their revenues; why direct-to-consumer farmers are really competing with their own self-worth, more so than the supermarkets; the challenges of hiring (and firing) then building their now dedicated team, and learning to lead as young business owners; and the personal development work that has underpinned their growth and success. Entrepreneurship is ‘jumping off a cliff and building the parachute on the way down’. Tim and Hannah do that constantly and as their way of doing business… and now, as Hannah says, "we have built a business that can buy a farm." So, a question for you: could it be more the internal battle-mindset, self-doubt and self-worth that is holding you back? Thank you, Tim and Hannah, for sharing it all so openly - the wins, the hardships and challenges. Thank you also for championing for all Aussie farmers and for helping share a positive story for all that we all do on-farm. It has been an honour to be part of your journey. To more young, brilliant and energetic first-generation farmers backing themselves! We have your back. Hutch & Team P.S. Find out more about Tim and Hannah on The Food Farm website, and read their story here. P.P.S It’s pretty special to think Tim and Hannah’s journey with us all started at TOP Producers. If you’re wondering what it could open up for you and your farm business, come and join us at the next one. 👉 Start building your Freedom Farm.
- Sep 24, 20261h 2m
#201 - Do You Have Your Life in Order? with Longevity Expert Marcus Pearce
What if living longer had less to do with finding the perfect diet, supplement or exercise program… and more to do with how we live, what we believe and who we surround ourselves with? In this episode, I’m joined by the incredible Marcus Pearce, a longevity strategist, speaker, author and host of 100 Not Out. Marcus recently joined us at our FOA Deep Dive Workshop, and I was struck again by the way he challenges so many of the assumptions we carry around health, ageing and what it means to live a genuinely exceptional life. We explore: Why purpose, physical activity and social connection are some of the strongest foundations for a long, high-quality life. What decades of interviewing centenarians and “exceptionals” have taught him about living well. The importance of protecting the parts of life that farming can easily crowd out such as health, friendships, family, fun and time away from the business. Marcus’ Exceptional Life Quiz, and why making your lowest-scoring area your highest priority can be a powerful place to start. Take the quiz here One of the biggest reminders from this conversation is that we often assume there will always be more time. More time to get fitter. More time to see our mates. More time to take the trip. More time to slow down and enjoy what we’ve built. But none of us really knows how much time we have. Make the important things urgent. Call that mate you haven’t spoken to for some time. Book that fishing trip. Make small steps to look after your personal health as a priority. Have dinner at the dining table. Tell those you care about you love them. Create something outside the farm that lights you up. And keep building a business that supports the life you want, rather than a life that exists purely to support the business you have. Marcus, thank you. I appreciate you positively re-framing the importance of longevity for us: it’s not about how long we can stay alive… but how strong, connected, purposeful and alive we can be, as we age. Here’s to living and farming well. Keep being incredible! Hutch & The Farm Owners Academy Team P.S. Marcus’ message is a great reminder that living well for longer isn’t just about health. It’s about having the freedom, energy and headspace to enjoy the life you’re building. If you’re running a farm and want more freedom, more control and more space to enjoy life beyond the farm, the TOP Producers Workshop is a great place to start. Find out more here.
- Sep 10, 20261h 4m
#200 - Uncertainty Is the Only Certainty - Building Resilience with Maria Ruberto
Uncertainty Is the Only Certainty: Building Resilience with Psychologist Maria Ruberto Two hundred episodes in, and the thread running through nearly all of them is this: the numbers matter, but what's going on in our heads and hearts is what determines whether we thrive or just survive. So for this milestone, I wanted to talk human emotions properly, starting with the one none of us can avoid. Uncertainty is almost the only certainty we've got as farmers. But it isn't a sign that something's wrong with you. It's a normal state your brain moves into when it can't predict what happens next, and once you understand that, you can move through it with a lot more strength. That's exactly what we dig into today with psychologist Maria Ruberto. Maria Ruberto is a psychologist, certified applied Neuropsychotherapist and Founder of Salutegenics. With more than 30 years of experience across education, clinical practice, leadership and workplace wellbeing, Maria delivers science-backed training programs that help individuals, teams and organisations build resilience and strengthen their ability to support the wellbeing of others. Her approach focuses on understanding the powerful connection between biology, psychology and behaviour. In this Learning from Legends episode, we reconnect with Maria, who has previously presented to our FOA alumni and joined us on the podcast before, to unpack a topic every farmer knows intimately: uncertainty, and how we manage our exposure to it. We explore: Why uncertainty is a normal, biological state rather than a personal failing, and what happens in the brain the moment it can't predict what's coming next The truth about stress: why it's not the enemy, how it enables us to perform, and the point where sustained pressure tips into burnout Simple, science-backed ways to reset in under two minutes, including a slow out-breath technique and a head-turn technique that calms the nervous system Why connection with others isn't a nice-to-have but a biological imperative, and how the right people around us create real protection during hard times Five practical strategies for building our tolerance to uncertainty and distress, including agency mapping (what we can control, influence, and must let go of). To connect with Maria, reach out directly at admin@salutegenics.com.au. Maria, thank you for the generosity of your time and for the clarity you bring to something so many of us feel but rarely have the language for. It was wonderful reflecting on how the mind works under pressure, and even better knowing there are real, practical tools we can put to work on-farm. Until next time, keep being incredible. Hutch & The Farm Owners Academy Team P.S. Scaling well takes energy, and burnout has a way of undoing all of it. If you're feeling the weight of workload, weather, or finances lately, grab our free Low Stress Farmer's Handbook to check where you sit on the burnout scale and pick up some practical strategies for building resilience. Download here.
- Aug 27, 202645 min
#199 - Proud to Be Pioneering the Uptake of AI in Our Industry, with Sam Johnsson, CEO, Farm Owners Academy
AI is moving fast — incredibly fast — and whether we like it or not, the game has changed. In this week’s episode, I sit down with Sam Johnsson, CEO of Farm Owners Academy. Sam, along with Michaela, Greg, and the broader FOA team, has been doing outstanding work in this space, not just exploring what AI can do, but figuring out how we can use it practically to build better businesses and better outcomes for farm owners. We unpack what AI really means for agriculture and why I believe the opportunity in front of us is enormous. From using ChatGPT or Claude as a smarter research partner, through to analysing data, improving decision-making, building systems, automating repetitive work and even capturing 40 years of knowledge from inside a farmer’s head, the capability is extraordinary. But we also talk about the other side of it: security, accuracy, the risk of AI being “confidently wrong”, and why good judgement, trusted advisers and knowing what good looks like still matter enormously. Sam also shares a really useful framework for understanding where you are on the AI journey, and, more importantly, how to take the next step without feeling like you need to become a technology expert overnight. My encouragement is simple: don’t sit on the sidelines. Get curious. Have a play. Start small. Because this technology is going to touch almost every part of business and life, and I think those who learn to use it well will have an extraordinary advantage. I really enjoyed this conversation with Sam, and I hope it gives you the confidence and a few practical ideas to start putting AI to work in your business. Keep winning! Hutch & The Farm Owners Academy Team P.S. If this episode has you thinking it's time to get more out of AI in your farm business, Sam is running a 90-minute live workshop on 21 & 22 October. You’ll learn how to spot the work where AI can create genuine leverage, then set it up with the context, standards and guardrails it needs to do that work properly in your operation. See the workshop and register here.
- Aug 13, 202638 min
# 198 - How Much Profit Should Your Farm Really Be Making? With your host, Jeremy Hutchings, Managing Director, Farm Owners Academy
There is a question every farming family should be able to answer with confidence: How well is our farm business actually performing — and what is it truly capable of? Not just whether there’s cash in the bank. Not whether we’ve had a good season. And not whether we’re doing things a bit better than they’ve always been done. I mean really understanding the strength of the business model underneath it all. Over the last few weeks, I’ve been lucky enough to spend time on-farm with a number of our members, sitting around kitchen tables, driving around properties and getting deep into the numbers behind their businesses. And one exercise in particular has created some incredibly valuable conversations. It’s about reverse engineering the potential of the farm. In this episode, I want to take you through that same exercise, and I unpack some of the key numbers I use to stress test a farm business: Return on assets managed Net Profit as a percentage of income Appropriate levels of gearing Labour investment Interest cover I then use these to ask a much bigger question: Given the assets you have access to today, what level of income and profit should your business be capable of producing? Because for many farming families, the opportunity isn’t necessarily about buying the farm next door. It may be about getting far more from the farm you already have. I uncover why scale should be measured in revenue, not hectares, and the three ways you can build it: through simplification, intensification and, only then, expansion. I also consider the idea of getting a balance between business model, scale and gearing — and why getting those three things working together can completely change the financial strength of your farming business. This isn’t about chasing numbers for the sake of numbers. And it certainly isn’t about suggesting there’s one perfect enterprise or one perfect way to farm. It’s about knowing what good looks like. It’s about giving yourself and your family a clear set of targets, understanding the gap between where you are today and where the business could be, and then asking better questions about how you close that gap. So grab a pen and a piece of paper for this one. Work through the numbers for your own farm as we go, challenge a few assumptions, and perhaps uncover some of the latent income and profit sitting inside the business you already have - and if you'd like to go a bit deeper with your numbers & analysis, head to our website and grab your free copy of "The Profitable Farming Playbook" which will help you track the key targets that lead to stronger decisions, better profit, and long-term success. Because sometimes the greatest opportunity isn’t more land. It’s a stronger business model on the land you’re already farming. Keep winning! Hutch & The FOA Team P.S. Knowing your numbers gives you a much clearer picture of what your farm business is capable of. If you want to go deeper, you can access our CFO Program for just $97 using promotional code PODCFO97 at checkout (usually $197) or book a Complimentary Coaching Call with our team to talk through your business and where you can improve performance.
- Jul 30, 20261h 0m
# 197 - A Legal Perspective on Farm Succession - Pat Barrett, Walsh & Blair
Pat Barrett has spent nearly twenty years at Walsh & Blair, and before that he was playing regional rugby for the Wagga Waratahs, learning lessons about mateship, discipline, and common goals that he still leans on today when he sits across the table from farming families trying to navigate succession. In this episode, I sit down with Pat, director at Walsh & Blair and one of the most respected rural lawyers in the Riverina, to talk about what actually makes succession work. And what quietly wrecks it. We started with rugby, and the idea that not knowing the rules can get you hurt. So often we throw the next generation into farming with no rules, no structure, and no shared understanding of what success even looks like. Pat's seen that play out again and again, and had some really practical thinking on how to fix it. Here's what we got into: What happens when everyone in a family business is carrying a different version of the common goal, and why that's the difference between touch footy on the beach and playing for real The three stages of a proper transition: management, business, and land, and why trying to do all three at once is where things get messy and emotional Why bringing your accountant, banker, consultant, and lawyer into the same room beats passing messages between them like a game of Chinese whispers Why paying family members a market wage builds accountability instead of entitlement Pat's a straight shooter, and what got me thinking was his point about timing. He reckons the older generation has a window early on, while it's still exciting and before any history's built up, to get things agreed on properly. His advice to the next generation was the mirror image of that. It might feel awkward going in, but as Pat says it's "a lot more awkward later on down the track" if you don't. If you're the older generation holding on a bit too long, or the next generation wondering what you've actually agreed to, this one's worth your full attention. 👉 You can learn more about Pat and the team at Walsh & Blair at www.walshblair.com.au A huge thanks to Pat for his time and his candour, and for the impact he and his firm have had on hundreds of farming families across the Riverina and beyond. Here's to getting the agreements right, before you need them. Hutch & The Farm Owners Academy Team
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About Profitable Farmer
This show is all about increasing the profitability of your farm so you work smarter and not harder. Your host, Andrew Roberts from the Farm Owners Academy reveals the best farming business tips for more leverage in your farm business.
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