Figured

It's a pleasure working with Empire Ag, helping support farmers to get more forward-looking visibility, become more profitable, and grow their business. These guys are some of the best in the industry, and a stellar example of what happens when a great team, great clients, and the right tools come together.

For accountants considering the shift to advisory, Ed Wagstaff from Diprose Miller has simple advice: don't be scared of it. "You'll always find reasons and examples of clients that don't want it. But on the flip side, there are always clients that will want it. And as you work with them more, it's actually a lot more enjoyable." "It gives you a thrill when someone rings you up and says: 'Based on what we did and the forecast you gave us, I've been able to do this.' " Read more about how Diprose Miller made the shift, and what's it meant for the firm's clients → https://hubs.ly/Q049YYCG0

"We can do it all within an hour and have the result then and there." In accounting, endless back and forth is the old way. These days, access to continuous data visibility allows great advisers like Ed Wagstaff from Diprose Miller and their farm clients to work through scenarios and make changes in real time. It's a smarter way to work, leading to better conversations, better relationships, and better results for the farm. Read more → https://hubs.ly/Q049YTPB0

Farming can be an isolating business. You’re making big calls, often with limited visibility of how anyone else is doing it, and without always having the right people around you to pressure-test your thinking. Except the best farm businesses aren’t run alone. They’re built with a skilled team around them. That's the philosophy behind the Farm Owners Academy community, and it’s a value we share at Figured. Their podcast, The Profitable Farmer, is a good reflection of that. Jeremy Hutchings brings in real farmers each episode to talk through the challenges they’re facing and what they're doing to overcome them. It’s one of the top farming podcasts in Australia for a reason. Whether you’re a farmer wanting to sharpen the business side, or an adviser working alongside them, it’s worth adding to your rotation. In the most recent episode, Tracy Secombe and Sam Johnsson join Jeremy to unpack how farm business leaders can manage mindset and decision-making through economic uncertainty—from rising fertiliser and fuel costs to global market volatility. Listen here → https://hubs.ly/Q04bxc_d0

For farms across New Zealand, the parents often have everything written down in a notebook, or in their heads—but the next generation wants it at their fingertips. It's in that gap where succession planning can get complicated, and where great advisers like Ed Wagstaff from Diprose Miller do some of their best work. Read more → https://hubs.ly/Q049YX-v0

"Distance doesn't matter anymore." Ed Wagstaff from Diprose Miller has clients from 90 Mile Beach down to Winton. Wherever they are in New Zealand, he can talk to them regularly—with live farm data open at both ends of the call. That's what modern advisory looks like: conversations at times that suit the farm, changes made to budgets and forecasts on the spot, and no day wasted on a trip in either direction. Read more about how Diprose Miller is changing what NZ farmers should expect from their accountant → https://hubs.ly/Q049YSHk0

Happening now. We've just kicked off today's webinar featuring one of New Zealand's highest-performing farm teams: Rob Steele (Neer Enterprises) and his adviser Brett Wooffindin (Sidekick Rural). Almost 200 farmers and accountants registered for today's discussion, a 'fireside chat' all about navigating volatility in NZ dairy—and how the right advice, at the right time, from the right person, helps farmers like Rob not only survive the roller coaster, but get ahead of it. Couldn't make it today? You'll be able to watch on demand once we wrap up. Link here: https://hubs.ly/Q049YNQx0

There's still time to register. Increasing profitability is the number one concern for NZ dairy farmers right now. The advisers and accountants working alongside those farmers are best placed to help do something about it. The question is whether most advisory relationships are built to deliver that. Tomorrow at 11am, farmer Rob Steele (Neer Enterprises) and his adviser Brett Wooffindin (Sidekick Rural) join us live to talk honestly about what they've built together—how the relationship started, what changed, and what it's produced for the farm. We'll also cover how tools like Milk Price Protection have helped Neer get ahead of volatility rather than just ride the "roller coaster", as Rob describes it. Free to attend. Open to both farmers and advisers. Wednesday 8 April, 11am. Save your place here: https://hubs.ly/Q049NPpn0

For most Australian livestock farmers and their accountants, the relationship follows a familiar rhythm: tax time arrives, do the paperwork, see you next year. Compliance work matters—and it always will. But the calendar it runs on wasn't designed for decisions that can't wait for tax time. Often, when farmers need specialist financial expertise, they need it now. That's why a growing group of Australian accountants are restructuring how they stay in contact throughout the year—built around when the farm needs them, not just when the tax calendar says so. So how is this contact different? 3 types of proactive touchpoints, triggered throughout the year by different activities. Our latest article breaks down what they are, and how leading Australian firms are already running them. Read here → https://hubs.ly/Q048QlQ60

"Livestock is too unpredictable for proactive advisory." In Australian farming, it's one of the most common things accountants hear from their clients. On the surface, it makes sense—markets swing, seasons shift, conditions change overnight. But volatility isn't the argument against planning. It's the argument for it. A plan doesn't need to predict the future to be useful. It needs to flex when the future arrives. Then when conditions change, the entire farm team already has what they need to respond. But what does that look like? Learn more about forward planning in a volatile market, and what it takes to build it: https://hubs.ly/Q048-Qg90