Profitable Farmer

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.