A good season can hide a lot. So can a strong balance sheet. But performing well on the surface does not always mean the business is built on the right foundation.

Risk builds quietly. Options narrow over time. And by the time most farm owners recognise it, they have less room to move than they thought.

In this episode, Jeremy sits down with Andy Fenton, Managing Director of Fenton Financial, who brings more than 20 years of experience across financial planning, funds management and investment banking, to unpack a confronting but important idea:

It can be our business structures that kill our farm businesses.

Not all at once. Not dramatically. But over time, through outdated structures, poor protection, limited leverage, unnecessary tax inefficiency, and too much control sitting with the bank.

Andy explains why so many farming businesses are still operating in structures that were inherited, kept because they were simple, or never reviewed as the business grew. He talks through what can go wrong when land, machinery and trading operations are tied together in the wrong way, and why that can leave farming families more exposed than they realise.

We cover:

• why outdated structures can quietly hold a farm business back

• the risks of having land and trading activities sitting together

• how tax averaging and poor structuring can limit flexibility

• why banks can gain too much control when security is not set up well

• how better structures can improve protection, succession and wealth creation

We often see farming families operating in structures that no longer fit the business. That’s why conversations with specialists such as Andy matter. While Farm Owners Academy is not an accounting firm, we help members ask better questions, think more strategically, and strengthen the business behind the farm through the deeper support available in our 3-year comprehensive Platinum Mastermind program.

If this episode has raised questions about how your business is structured, you can learn more about Andy and his work at https://fentonfinancial.com.au/

Andy, thank you for bringing a clear and commercially grounded perspective to how structure, tax and leverage can shape the level of risk, control and succession in a farm business.

Till next time, Jeremy Hutchings & The Farm Owners Academy Team

Are you concerned by the uncertainty surrounding increased fuel prices?

Is the current global turmoil challenging your view on how to best navigate this season?

The biggest risk right now is not fuel, fertiliser, interest rates, or global instability. It's panic.

Uncertainty has a way of hijacking clear thinking. It pulls people into worst-case scenarios and pushes reactive decisions before the facts are fully in.

That is where the real damage starts. Not in the disruption itself, but in the response to it.

Because when something shifts, whether it is a headline, a price rise, or a disruption, the natural human response is not calm, measured thinking. It is alarm. It is projection. It is the tendency to ask, “What if this gets worse?” rather than, “What is actually true right now?”.

In this conversation, Sam Johnsson, Tracy Secombe and I unpack what it really looks like to lead through uncertainty, not just from a business perspective, but from a mindset and leadership standpoint.

We cover:

• how to check your state first and move from angst and panic back to composure and optimism

• why stepping away from drama, media, and negativity helps you come back to facts and make logical, informed decisions

• how to use forecasting to assess worst case, average case, and best case, and adapt your approach accordingly

• how practices like gratitude, exercise, and self-regulation help lift your mindset so you can lead your family and team more strongly

You do not need to pretend uncertainty is not there. You do need to lead yourself well enough that it does not make your decisions for you.

Sam and Tracy, thank you for the practical insight and steady perspective you’ve brought to this conversation on how to lead through uncertainty.

Navigating the financial side of the business in times like this can feel overwhelming, and you’re not alone. Many farm owners have felt that same pressure and have used the Cash Flow Optimiser to turn uncertainty into clearer thinking and more confident decisions. If that’s where you’re at right now, you can find out more here.

Keep winning,

Jeremy Hutchings & the Farm Owners Academy Team

This week, Sam Johnsson hijacks the podcast while I’m off on a skiing holiday in Austria and he takes on a topic that might not sound flashy, but can quietly change everything in a farm business: building a strong financial system.

Because for a lot of farm owners, the numbers are still something that sit in the background until they become a problem.

And that’s a hard way to lead.

When the books are behind, the reporting is patchy, or the numbers only come out at tax time, it leaves people making big decisions without a clear view of where the business is actually at. That creates stress, second-guessing, and a constant sense of being on the back foot.

In this conversation, Sam is joined by Jayne Walsh, Tim Fowler, Renee Nicholls, and Bec Balfour to unpack what good financial management actually looks like in a real farm business.

Between them, they bring lived experience from multi-generational farming operations, succession, enterprise management, and bookkeeping support for rural businesses. And what comes through clearly is this: strong financial systems are not just about compliance. They are about clarity, confidence, and better decisions.

We explore the gap between “doing the books” and actually using your numbers to lead the business well. From clean data and simple chart-of-accounts structures, through to forecasting, enterprise analysis, cashflow visibility, and stronger conversations with banks, this is a practical discussion about getting out of reactive mode and into a much more proactive way of operating.

Here’s what we uncover:

• Why weekly reconciliations and end-of-month processes create confidence in the numbers

• How forecasting helps you adjust as the season changes instead of reacting too late

• The value of enterprise-level reporting to understand what is and is not making money

• Why banks and lenders respond better when your numbers are current, clear, and well presented

• Practical first steps for farm businesses wanting to improve their financial systems this year

If you’ve ever felt like the financial side of the business is heavier than it should be, this episode is a good reminder that you’re not bad at business, you just might not have the right system yet.

Because the goal here is not to become an accountant.

It’s to build enough visibility and rhythm around the numbers that you can lead with more confidence, make better decisions earlier, and stop carrying that constant uncertainty in your head.

Bec Balfour from Rembiz Bookkeeping and Renee Nicholls from RN Business Consulting both work with rural businesses to bring more clarity, structure, and confidence to the numbers. You can reach Bec at rembiz.com.au or rebecca@rembiz.com.au, and Renee at rnbusinessconsulting.com.au or renee@rnbusinessconsulting.com.au.

Sam, Jayne, Tim, Renee, and Bec - thank you for a conversation that gets to the heart of what strong farm finance looks like. There’s real value in this one for any farm owner who wants to feel more in control of the business, rather than be overwhelmed by it.

Keep winning, Jeremy Hutchings & the Farm Owners Academy Team