15Jun 2020 by Stephen Dummett
Beef productivity gains to go to bottom line

Beef productivity gains to go to bottom line

Articles & Publications, Opinion Pieces
A new playing field in the beef game where returns for cattle are matching or beating increases in costs is opening the door for solid profitability boosts where productivity can be improved. Those able to make prudent and ongoing investments in productivity will capitalise most on the new dynamics. This is a major takeaway from one of the cattle industry's key pieces of analysis, The Australian Beef Report: 2020 Vision, due to be released this month. An independent assessment of the financial and production performance of family-owned beef businesses in Australia collated by long-serving consultants Phil Holmes and Ian McLean, the 2020 report follows the first version released three years ago. The initial version touched on the fact that declining terms of trade in agriculture, known as the cost-price squeeze,…
Read More
08May 2017 by Ian Mclean No Comments
Tax Time Considerations

Tax Time Considerations

Articles & Publications, Opinion Pieces
This article was first published on Beef Central on 8th May 2017 In times of good profits, investments in the business to improve future performance and reduce risk should be considered. The tax deductibility of the investment however should be secondary to whether it is a good investment in its own right. A cost benefit analysis should be undertaken to compare what the investments return, in total and relative to the amount invested and over what time frame. If the investment doesn’t stack up then reducing debt or provisioning for succession or retirement will be a better use of funds, regardless of the tax implications. You can buy a load of fencing gear and fill the bowsers up, but often this just means that once you do it, you have to…
Read More
19Jan 2017 by Ian Mclean No Comments
How much debt can my cattle operation afford?

How much debt can my cattle operation afford?

Articles & Publications, Opinion Pieces
By Ian McLean This article was first published on Beef Central A producer going through the process of succession recently asked us the pertinent question 'how much debt can I afford to take on with the property?'. This is a critical question for all businesses to ask themselves and the answer is unique to each business, however what a bank is prepared to lend you and what debt you can afford will usually be two different figures. How much debt a business can afford will be a function of its profitability, over what period you would like the debt to be paid off, and what funds the business and family needs after debt servicing costs. A further explanation of each of these factors is below. The profitability of a business is…
Read More