Tough seasons teach us the most - if we stop to listen
There’s something about the end of financial year that feels like a line in the sand. A natural moment to pause, take stock, and decide how you want to move forward.
Here in Southern Australia, the skies have stayed stubbornly dry. Hope for an early break has given way to dust storms and hard decisions. For many farmers and ag businesses, 2025 has been a lesson in endurance, continuing on from the challenges of 2024.
And while it’s tempting to just push through to the second half of the year, it’s worth asking: what have these tough months already taught us?
Why we need circuit breakers in business
It’s easy to get caught up in the day-to-day — especially when conditions are difficult. But without a moment to stop and reflect, it’s hard to see the bigger picture. That’s why EOFY can be so powerful.
It’s a mental reset. A circuit breaker.
It gives you permission to pause, step back, and check:
Are you still on track?
Are your systems working?
What needs to change before another six months pass?
This isn’t about feeling guilty for the decisions you’ve made so far. It’s about learning from them, so that you can move forward more strategically.
Much like the Tough Seasons webinar series I hosted in late 2024, this post is about drawing strength from reflection — and using that insight to shape what’s next.
If this is the new normal, now what?
Many of us hoped the 2025 season would bring more certainty. More clarity. But as we close in on June 30, we’re reminded that there are no guarantees in agriculture.
What we do know is this:
Delaying key decisions like sourcing feed, selling stock, or accessing working capital doesn’t make the pressure go away.
Hoping for rain is not a strategy.
Waiting to “see what happens” with the government, the market, or the weather often just leaves us stuck.
This season is shaping up to be another tough one — but it’s not without opportunity. If we stop and listen, these conditions can teach us how to:
Strengthen our systems
Be more proactive
Focus on what we can control
Use what you’ve learnt to shape what comes next
Here’s one simple framework I use with AgCelerate clients:
Reflect on 2025 so far across five key areas:
Strategic operations – Are you doing what you said you’d do?
Financial performance – What’s your debt ratio, cash flow position, and capacity for repayments?
HR / people – Are you and your team stretched too thin?
Marketing and communications – What’s resonated with your clients or community?
Customer experience / delivery – Are you still delivering value where it matters most?
Taking 30 minutes to review these areas can give you clarity before the second half of the year takes off. Because once it does, time will move fast.
You don’t have to do it alone
When you’re stressed, your brain doesn’t make logical decisions. It reacts. It panics. And in farming or business, that can be costly.
That’s why I talk so often about having a decision-making framework. Something to fall back on when everything feels a bit much.
And that’s where support comes in.
Through AgCelerate, I work with farmers and ag business owners across Australia to build practical plans, pressure-test ideas, and stay focused even in the most uncertain times.
EOFY is your chance to reflect, reset, and make the second half of 2025 work for you — not just hope it turns out better.
Let’s make it count.