Your Farm Business Podcast

Lucy Krause

Welcome to Your Farm Business Podcast, bringing you the best in farm business thinking. We aim to bring experts to the farmer, to help manage today’s farm business risks. Mike Krause, CEO and Founder of P2PAgri, helps farmers to run more profitable businesses by providing analytics and scenario analysis from their own data, to guide their business decisions.

  1. 4d ago ·  Video

    What Really Motivates Your Accountant (And Why It's Not Your Profit) | Mike Krause | Ep 14

    Most farmers judge their accountant by one number: how little tax they paid. But is that the right measure? In Episode 14 of the Your Farm Business Podcast, host Tom Moir sits down with Mike Krause, founder and CEO of P2P Agri, to unpack the relationship between farmers and their accountants, and the assumptions that can quietly cost you. Drawing on a consulting career spanning 200-plus farms, Mike explains what really motivates an accountant (protecting their ATO accreditation and minimising your tax, not necessarily growing your profit), and shares the moment that opened his eyes: a farmer who'd posted five straight years of losses, whose accountant never mentioned it because "that's not my role." It's an honest look at where accountants add real value, where farmers expect too much, and why sometimes paying a bit more tax is the smartest decision you can make. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN: The two things that actually motivate your accountant, and why they're conservative by designWhy your tax numbers and your bank numbers are not the same (and the 1966 land value still on the balance sheet)The "$1.2M header trap": how chasing a tax deduction can leave you exposed in a droughtTax strategies farmers often overlook: FMDs, prepaying inputs, machinery timing, business structuresWhy more trusts and structures mean more tax returns, and more feesHow to set up a chart of accounts that works for you, not just the ATOWhy government incentives and depreciation write-offs shouldn't drive your decisionsHow to work with your accountant year-round, not just at tax timeWhere AI may take tax and accounting in the next five to ten yearsCHAPTERS: 0:00 Welcome  01:20 Mike as "a farmer's accountant"  02:31 The accountant's perspective: two motivations  07:19 Don't assume your accountant sees the whole picture  08:25 Balancing tax minimisation with long-term growth  10:58 Do farmers expect too much? (Accountants make mistakes too)  13:22 Tax numbers vs bank numbers: why they differ  16:09 The $1.2M header trap: when minimising tax backfires  18:48 Tax strategies farmers often overlook  22:26 Record keeping, technology & your chart of accounts  25:54 Government incentives & changing tax laws  28:43 How to work with your accountant year-round  30:35 The big myth about farmers and accountants  32:05 The future: AI and the accountant  35:11 How the P2P Agri software fits with banks & accountants  38:24 Closing thoughts ABOUT THE GUEST: Mike Krause is the CEO and founder of P2P Agri, an Australian software and training business that helps farmers analyse profitability, model "what-if" scenarios, plan succession and make confident long-term decisions. P2P Agri delivers training one-on-one and in partnership with TOCAL Ag College in NSW. LINKS & RESOURCES: P2P Agri (free demo & Essentials tier): https://p2pagri.com.auPlan to Profit financial literacy course (search "plan to profit tocal")"Farming the Business" by Mike Krause (GRDC)SUBSCRIBE for more conversations with the people shaping the future of Australian farm business. #YourFarmBusinessPodcast #P2PAgri #FarmFinance #FarmTax #AustralianAgriculture Learn more about P2P Agri: https://p2pagri.com.au

    40 min
  2. Jun 18 ·  Video

    Farm Succession Planning: Why "Fair" Doesn't Mean "Equal" | Mike Krause | Ep 12

    Succession planning is one of the biggest risks any farming family will face — and one of the most avoided. In Episode 12 of the Your Farm Business Podcast, host Tom Moir sits down with Mike Krause, founder and CEO of P2P Agri, for an honest conversation about getting the farm from one generation to the next without tearing the family apart. Mike has helped around 20 farming families work through succession — with outcomes ranging from genuine success to outright disaster. He shares what separates the two: open and honest communication, a skilled third-party facilitator, and a willingness to name the "elephants in the room" before they detonate. He also explains why fair doesn't always mean equal — and why treating every child identically can be the very thing that ends the farm. From the worst case he's witnessed (a son who gave the farm ten years, only to have his future end at the reading of the will) to the brothers who split a property and both thrived, this episode is full of hard-won, practical wisdom. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN: Why succession is really about management and control — not just moneyFair vs equal: how to keep the farm viable without leaving siblings behindThe "hand grenade" facilitator — and why combative lawyers and accountants make it worseMike's facilitation process: one-on-one conversations, setting the agenda, naming the elephantsWhy you don't have to hand over management and assets at the same timeThe "chequebook before 30" rule for bringing the next generation into decision-makingWhy passing on the farm with debt isn't a bad thing — if it keeps the farm's sizeHow contested wills get divided equally — and why transferring assets early protects the farmStrategies for paying out non-farming siblings fairlyHow financial modelling shows the next generation exactly what they're walking intoCHAPTERS: 0:00 Welcome  01:20 How Mike fell into succession planning  04:09 Why it's the biggest elephant in the room  06:31 The worst case: a son's future ended at the will reading  08:26 Fair vs equal — and the emotional pull of the farm  09:06 How Mike facilitates a family meeting  12:23 What good succession planning looks like  16:43 Where to start if you've done nothing yet  18:59 One mouth, two ears: the facilitator's job  20:34 Modelling the numbers: the two brothers' story  24:08 Advice for families: go in with your eyes open  26:58 Splitting land: management matters more than acres  32:10 Strategies for paying out siblings fairly  35:37 Using the software to model the outcome  36:45 Wrap up ABOUT THE GUEST: Mike Krause is the CEO and founder of P2P Agri, an Australian software and training business that helps farmers analyse profitability, model "what-if" scenarios, plan succession and make confident long-term decisions. P2P Agri delivers training one-on-one and in partnership with TOCAL Ag College in NSW. LINKS & RESOURCES: P2P Agri (free demo & Essentials tier): https://p2pagri.com.au"Farming the Business" by Mike Krause (GRDC)SUBSCRIBE for more conversations with the people shaping the future of Australian farm business. #YourFarmBusinessPodcast #P2PAgri #FarmSuccession #AustralianAgriculture #FarmBusinessManagement Learn more about P2P Agri: https://p2pagri.com.au

    38 min
  3. Jun 9 ·  Video

    What Is P2P Agri? Modelling Your Farm's Future with Mike Krause | Ep 11

    What does it actually take to plan your farm's future with confidence? In Episode 11 of the Your Farm Business Podcast, host Tom Moir sits down again with Mike Krause — founder and CEO of P2P Agri — for a deep dive into the software itself: what it does, how it came about, and who it's built for. Mike reveals what "P2P" really stands for (Plan to Profit), and traces the journey from building one-off Excel spreadsheets for every farm he visited, to the "Risky Business" farming game farmers refused to hand back, to a 200-farm benchmarking project that exposed a hard truth — benchmarks tell you how you compare, but they rarely answer the big questions. Like: should I buy the neighbour, and will the bank still love me if we hit two years of drought? A practical look at how farm business modelling works — and why understanding your own numbers changes every conversation you have with your bank, accountant and advisors. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN: What P2P Agri stands for and the real problem it was built to solveWhy generic advice and benchmarking fall short — and what bespoke modelling does insteadThe "teach a farmer to fish" philosophy behind the trainingThe three levers of every farm business: liquidity, wealth and efficiency — and why focusing on just one is a mistakeHow the bank, the accountant and the advisor are each motivated differently from you — and what that means for your decisionsA walkthrough of the scenario analysis tool: modelling a drought, testing a land purchase, and reading your farm through your banker's eyesHow AI and cloud tech (including Xero integration) have made the platform 5x more productiveWho P2P Agri is for — and the free Essentials tier you can start with todayCHAPTERS: 0:00 Welcome  01:07 What "P2P Agri" actually stands for  01:46 The development journey: from Fortran to spreadsheets 05:14 More than advice: software built around your farm  06:20 "Teach a farmer to fish" — the training philosophy  07:37 How the training actually works  08:54 Technology adoption in farming: GST, cloud & Xero  13:07 The bank, accountant & advisor triangle  17:27 The three levers: liquidity, wealth & efficiency  20:16 Live software walkthrough: modelling a drought  24:03 Training 100 farmers a year with TOCAL Ag College  27:24 Who is P2P Agri for? 29:38 How to get started: free demo & Essentials  31:01 Wrap up ABOUT THE GUEST: Mike Krause is the CEO and founder of P2P Agri, an Australian software and training business that helps farmers analyse profitability, model "what-if" scenarios, plan succession and make confident long-term decisions. P2P Agri delivers training one-on-one and in partnership with TOCAL Ag College in NSW. LINKS & RESOURCES: P2P Agri (free demo & Essentials tier): https://p2pagri.com.au"Farming the Business" by Mike Krause (GRDC)SUBSCRIBE for more conversations with the people shaping the future of Australian farm business. #YourFarmBusinessPodcast #P2PAgri #AustralianAgriculture #FarmBusinessManagement #AgTech Learn more about P2P Agri: https://p2pagri.com.au

    32 min
  4. May 21 ·  Video

    From Wheat Fields to AgTech: The Story Behind P2P Agri | Mike Krause | Ep 10

    What does it really take to help Australian farmers make smarter financial decisions? In Episode 10, host Tom Moir sits down with Mike Krause — agricultural economist, author, and founder of P2P Agri — to unpack his journey from wheat-breeding glasshouses at Roseworthy Ag College to building one of Australia's most trusted farm business modelling platforms. Mike shares the full story: growing up the son of a wheat breeder, studying agricultural economics at the University of New England, completing a Masters in computer simulation at Lincoln University in New Zealand (back when he was coding in Fortran), and cutting his teeth as a government ag economist in the Riverland. From there it was four years inside a bank during one of the toughest periods Australian farmers have faced — when keys were being taken off properties on Eyre Peninsula — before a move into ag insurance consulting and eventually launching his own farm business advisory practice. A conversation packed with practical wisdom for any farmer thinking seriously about profitability, succession, expansion, and long-term resilience. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN: Why financial literacy is the single biggest lever most farm businesses are underusingThe "Risky Business" simulation workshop that proved farmers love what-if modellingTwo real case studies — a citrus grower's seven-year forecast that hit "to a T," and the farmer who bought the neighbour at auction, weathered two droughts, and didn't lose a night of sleepWhy benchmarking against other farmers can do more harm than good — and what to do insteadThe story behind "Farming the Business," the GRDC manual now in its 7th reprint (and how dyslexia helped Mike write it simply)Mike's outlook for 2026: how AI, drones, satellite imagery and virtual fencing are reshaping farming — and how P2P Agri has 5x'd its development speed using AIAdvice he'd give his 20-year-old self about building a career in agricultureCHAPTERS: 00:00 Welcome & what is P2P Agri  02:23 Growing up at Roseworthy Ag College  03:27 University, Fortran & computer simulation  06:11 Government, banking & the keys-off-farmers era  10:07 Closing the farm business knowledge gap  12:08 The Risky Business workshop that changed everything  14:08 Why P2P Agri was born  15:47 Real client stories: the citrus grower & the drought question  20:37 Writing "Farming the Business" for GRDC  23:00 Dyslexia as a gift for simplifying complexity  25:21 Advice to 20-year-old Mike  27:36 AI, drones & the future of Australian agriculture  30:00 Benchmarking vs modelling: what actually works  32:07 Wrap up ABOUT THE GUEST: Mike Krause is the CEO and founder of P2P Agri, an Australian software and training business that helps farmers analyse profitability, model "what-if" scenarios, plan succession and make confident long-term decisions. P2P Agri also delivers financial literacy training one-on-one and in partnership with TOCAL Ag College in NSW. LINKS & RESOURCES: P2P Agri: https://p2pagri.com.au"Farming the Business" by Mike Krause (GRDC) — available in print or free on iTunes with 50+ embedded training videosSUBSCRIBE for more conversations with the people shaping the future of Australian farm business. #YourFarmBusinessPodcast #P2PAgri #AustralianAgriculture #FarmBusinessManagement #AgTech Learn more about P2P Agri: https://p2pagri.com.au

    33 min

About

Welcome to Your Farm Business Podcast, bringing you the best in farm business thinking. We aim to bring experts to the farmer, to help manage today’s farm business risks. Mike Krause, CEO and Founder of P2PAgri, helps farmers to run more profitable businesses by providing analytics and scenario analysis from their own data, to guide their business decisions.

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