The Farmers Club Podcast

Ash has been a disciple of the Machinery Industry over the last 3 decades. He is a curious observer and has witnessed the many changes that have come to the industry over the years. 

In this podcast, we cover the industry dynamics of what happens when there are fewer new buyers in the market and do a bit of scenario-playing about what might happen to the used market going forward. 

We talk about whether the Chinese are on the way with their offering, and we hear that the successful Liujong brand appears to be entering the market with a medium-to-high-horsepower Tractor offer. 

We covered off on how the corporates now dominate the Dealership space and the positves an negatives of that. Ash says that the modern-day Machinery salesperson needs to emulate what the Livestock Agents do and bring that approach to the market. That was a very interesting take and one that other industry people might want to hear about. 

We nominated 3 Machinery industry legends and asked Ash to comment on their strengths and what has made them successful over the long term. Those 3 were John Richards, the Founder of Goldacres; Dennis O'Connor, former owner of O'Connor's Case IH; and John Nicoletti, who had several John Deere Dealerships in WA. 

If you are looking for a bit of guidance on where the Machinery industry is heading, make sure you tune into this one. I hope you enjoy. End of message.
The Farmers Club podcast is now only available to our paid newsletter subscribers. We know that won't suit everyone, but it's a business decision we have made to give all our current and potential subscribers extra value. So what you will hear here is a preview of each podcast.
You can sign up for the free version by going to www.thefarmersclub.com.au. You can then subscribe from there and get access to any future podcasts and our 6-day-a-week newsletter.
Our partner in this podcast is our sister business, Farm Tender. We are an online buying and selling marketplace for Farmers and anyone else associated with Agriculture. Go to www.farmtender.com.au and sign up from there.

Ben McEvoy was an outstanding AFL footballer who played 252 games over a 15-year career, including two premierships with the Hawthorn Football Club. He was drafted by St Kilda and has a funny story about the draft, and when he was traded from St Kilda to Hawthorn, he didn’t know it was going to happen until it did. 
Ben was passionate about Football but has what I’d consider a greater passion for Farming. He says he’ll be a lifelong Farmer and just loves it. The money-earning side of Football allowed him to enter into the Farming game; without that, he said, buying Land would have been a lot more difficult. 
Ben talks about how he fumbled away at things for the first part of his Football career before the penny dropped about 8 or 9 years in. 
Being a first generation Farmer meant he had to learn a lot, and this is where his brother-in-law, Paul Vance, came into the picture. Paul became his mentor of sorts and had the Farm next door. He looked after things whilst Ben was doing his Football thing in Melbourne. 
He started buying Land about 5 years into his footy career and said juggling both was difficult, and he tried to get to the Farm as often as he could. He said some of the things he learnt in footy he has implemented into his way of Farming. 
You’ll get from the interview that he is a humble bloke and very grateful for the opportunities he got in Football. He made the footy thing work, and he’s hell-bent on making the Farming thing work as well. Another takeaway that you will notice is that he’s a ripper bloke too. 
It was an enjoyable interview we did on a hill on his property, in the Ute, of all places. 
To get the full version subscribe to The Farmers Club. I hope you enjoy. End of message.
The Farmers Club podcast is now only available to our paid newsletter subscribers. We know that won't suit everyone, but it's a business decision we have made to give all our current and potential subscribers extra value. So what you will hear here is a preview of each podcast.
You can sign up for the free version by going to www.thefarmersclub.com.au. You can then subscribe from there and get access to any future podcasts and our 6-day-a-week newsletter.
Our partner in this podcast is our sister business, Farm Tender. We are an online buying and selling marketplace for Farmers and anyone else associated with Agriculture. Go to www.farmtender.com.au and sign up from there.

We have Jeff back by popular demand. Our recommendation is that you listen to the first podcast we did, episode 25, for context, if you haven't already. 

Some of the points we covered in this episode were around bank staff and how there's a lack of Agricultural knowledge within the bank, probably like never before. Jeff talked about the concerns around the viability of marginal Cropping areas. 

We gave Equity some airtime and asked whether it's even useful as a business and borrowing tool anymore. We covered lease rates for Land and what they are telling us about the value of Land. We related a plumbing business to a Farming business and ascertained that they are closer related than ever in terms of their business models. 

We spent a bit of time talking about the importance of cash flow and how it fits with budgeting and borrowing. Jeff explained what his role is and why he calls it the "Sit with' role". 

He outlined his top 3 points when it comes to succession. We discussed the price of new Machinery and how his customers have changed their approach. And at the end, Jeff outlined "The Toyota policy", which I've highlighted as a bit of gold. If you're in the business of Farming, this is a must-listen. There are so many points I have jotted down. We are going to get Jeff back for 3 more podcasts, one on mindset, another on managing Farm costs and one on Water. 
Subscribe to The Farmers Club to hear the full version. End of message.
The Farmers Club podcast is now only available to our paid newsletter subscribers. We know that won't suit everyone, but it's a business decision we have made to give all our current and potential subscribers extra value. So what you will hear here is a preview of each podcast.
You can sign up for the free version by going to www.thefarmersclub.com.au. You can then subscribe from there and get access to any future podcasts and our 6-day-a-week newsletter.
Our partner in this podcast is our sister business, Farm Tender. We are an online buying and selling marketplace for Farmers and anyone else associated with Agriculture. Go to www.farmtender.com.au and sign up from there.

St John (pronounced Sinjin) is an interesting cat, and we got him on because we wanted to hear his story and what he does, but we also wanted to get into the minds of you guys (the Farmers) and better understand the decisions you make and why. 
So, by listening, you might get a better understanding of yourself and why you do what you do. You see St John has a business called Rural Sales Success that specifically trains salespeople how to serve their Farmer customers properly, not sell to them, but serve them. And as you will find out in the podcast, there is a difference. 
St John is a lifelong learner in the field of human psychology. He understands what makes us tick and why we make all these buying decisions. 
In a season, a Farmer has to buy a lot of things, and some Farmers buy millions of dollars' worth of inputs, products, and services just to keep the production wheels turning each season. St John knows that and gets his student to understand that they need to be front and centre when those buying decisions are being made. 
We covered a lot of topic but it's the looking in the mirror of understanding you guys, the Farmers that I found fascinating. 
It's a very bloody interesting listen, and as I said, you might learn something about yourself. We hope you enjoy. End of message.
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The Farmers Club podcast is now only available to our paid newsletter subscribers. We know that won't suit everyone, but it's a business decision we have made to give all our current and potential subscribers extra value. So what you will hear here is a preview of each podcast.
You can sign up for the free version by going to www.thefarmersclub.com.au. You can then subscribe from there and get access to any future podcasts and our 6-day-a-week newsletter.
Our partner in this podcast is our sister business, Farm Tender. We are an online buying and selling marketplace for Farmers and anyone else associated with Agriculture. Go to www.farmtender.com.au and sign up from there.

Kent Wooding has paved a well-built path in the Agronomy game, mainly in the Mallee area of Victoria. He started out in the space at 20 back in 1990, and he revealed to us that he actually wanted to work in the Livestock industry, most probably as an agent. 
Back then, the Mallee was a mixed Farming region, but over the years Sheep have disappeared, so Kent probably made the right career choice. When asked what traits the best Agros possess, he said they are strong at the basics, have a keen interest in the science side of things, and he also mentioned that they have an artistic flair. I have never heard agronomy described as art before, but when you think about it, the good ones would have plenty of creativity. 
Kent worked for 5 or 6 organisations in his working career before he made the bold move to start his own business, and then he left the Mallee, the place where he is very well known and where he built a strong reputation. 
He now runs a business called Ag Insights Consulting, where he works with independent Agronomists and teams of Agronomists, and as he described it, keeping them in the paddock while he handles all the backend stuff. It was another great conversation with someone who knows his industry well, has served it well, and it has given him so much in return. Last but not least, he's just a good bloke, having known him more in our younger days. You should enjoy this one. End of message. 
The Farmers Club podcast is now only available to our paid newsletter subscribers. We know that won't suit everyone, but it's a business decision we have made to give all our current and potential subscribers extra value. So what you will hear here is a preview of each podcast.
You can sign up for the free version by going to www.thefarmersclub.com.au. You can then subscribe from there and get access to any future podcasts and our 6-day-a-week newsletter.
Our partner in this podcast is our sister business, Farm Tender. We are an online buying and selling marketplace for Farmers and anyone else associated with Agriculture. Go to www.farmtender.com.au and sign up from there.