Hard Ground

Family farm succession is not just about land, money, wills, or who gets what. It is about communication, trust, family dynamics, hard conversations, emotional safety, and whether the people around the table feel heard. In this episode of Hard Ground, we sit down with Katie Godden to talk about why farming families avoid the conversations that matter most, and what happens when those conversations...

Farm succession can either protect your family legacy or tear it apart. In this episode, succession lawyer Theresa Dowling explains what really happens when farming families avoid the hard conversations about ownership, inheritance, wills, unpaid labour, in-laws, family trusts, debt, retirement, and who gets control of the farm. If you are part of a family farming business, planning to return to t...

Farm succession planning can feel impossible when family conflict, old wounds, fear, resentment, and unspoken expectations are sitting under the surface. In this conversation, Josh and Steph talk honestly about what happens when the family farm, marriage, parenting, in-laws, succession planners, and father-son relationships all collide. This episode is for farming families who know they need to ta...

Farm succession planning is one of the hardest conversations a farming family will ever have — but avoiding it can cost more than money. It can cost relationships, clarity, trust, and the future of the family farm. In this episode of Hard Ground, Jess Cavanagh from Proactive Succession joins the conversation to unpack why farm succession, family business transition, inheritance, estate planning, a...

Mick is an accomplished poet, author and song writer. He writes for and has been published many times in National magazines including R M Williams “Outback” magazine. He frequently presents his poetry on ABC radio. His poem “Mates at the gate” has been picked up by Country singer, Ashley Cook and is looking like a good chance for a Golden Guitar in Tamworth. Mick has been either a compere or featu...

Matt and Brad are brothers who farm in North West NSW with their brother Phil and father Peter. They run a YouTube channel “The Jackson Brothers” where they showcase day to day farming life as well as some earthmoving content with two D11 bulldozers. They recently worked through the hard task of succession planning and offer a different insight into how faith, family and farming all come together....

Matt and Brad are brothers who farm in North West NSW with their brother Phil and father Peter. They run a YouTube channel “The Jackson Brothers” where they showcase day to day farming life as well as some earthmoving content with two D11 bulldozers. They recently worked through the hard task of succession planning and offer a different insight into how faith, family and farming all come together....

Rebecca Fing is the Founder and Managing Director of House Paddock Training and Consulting, based in Goondiwindi. A wife, mum, country girl and self-described "susie-homemaker-wanna-be-gardener," Bec has spent nearly two decades helping businesses and individuals better manage their people, projects, safety and operations through practical training, coaching and consulting. Known for her...

The proposed Australian budget tax changes have left many farmers, landholders, and rural families asking the same question: what does this mean for our farm, our trust, our capital gains tax, and our succession plan? In this discussion, accountant George Morrice from Prime Partners Accounting breaks down the biggest proposed changes affecting Australian farmers, including CGT changes, family trus...

When farming gets tough - financially, personally or strategically - the Rural Financial Counselling Service Northern Region is there to help producers work through what comes next. From drought and debt to succession planning and big business decisions, we walk alongside farmers and fishers with practical, free and impartial support. Trusted and experienced in holding the conversations to help na...

Farm succession planning is one of the hardest conversations a farming family can have — but avoiding it can cost far more than money. In this episode, accountant George Morris unpacks why family farms fall apart when succession, inheritance, ownership, debt, and family expectations are left unclear.--George grew up on a cattle farm near Coolah, NSW, and was appointed CFO of an Australian premium...

1. Ben’s podcast link https://thefinancialbloke.com.au/podcast/ 2. Link for roadmap workshop https://agricoach.com.au/takeaction-2/ — Ben works with ambitious multigenerational farming families across Australia to make sure they don’t lose the farm or each other, when succession comes around. Most families spend a lifetime building something incredible, only to watch it slowly unravel in the years...

We welcome you to Hard Ground, a podcast dedicated to people who live and work on the land. We discuss how farming extends beyond just stock and crops to encompass people, families, and the partnerships that are built on the land. We invite you to listen, laugh, and share in the emotional journey as we explore ways to build stronger families, better businesses, and find common ground together.