# 163 - Is your greatest opportunity buried inside your toughest season? with Jeff McDonald, RLS Agribusiness

As we reset for 2025, many are feeling the weight of a brutal 2024. And to be completely honest — when you're staring down a decile one year, it’s hard to know where to start.  
 
How do you budget with confidence? How do you front up to your bank when the season doesn’t go your way? 
 
So here is the truth: waiting it out isn’t a strategy. Hope isn’t a business plan. And if you want to lead your business forward, now is the time to level up how you turn up. 
 
In this episode, I am joined again by Jeff McDonald, Founder & Director of RLS Agribusiness.  
 
Born and bred on an irrigation property in Loxton, SA, Jeff stepped off the farm and into finance, spending 20 years inside a major bank before founding Riverland Lending Services.  
 
Today, Jeff leads one of the largest Agri-finance brokerages in the country. His team settles over $200 million in Agri finance each year, and through RLS Agribusiness, he advises farm businesses on everything from strategy and succession to governance and growth. 
 
Jeff has worked with hundreds of producers, and his insight is gold because it’s built on experience and not theory. He knows what banks are really looking for and how the best operators are preparing — strategically, financially, and emotionally — for what's next. 
 
This episode is not about hype. It’s about truth. It’s about acumen. And it’s about how we all step forward, more commercially aware, more proactive, and more in control. 
 
So, here’s your call to action: 
 
If you’ve been flying under the radar... waiting to see how it all plays out... hoping the bank gives you another run  - I hope this episode provides insight into how to take a hard look at your business, forecast with clarity and lead with courage. 
 
Sincerely,  
Jeremy Hutchings and the Farm Owners Academy Team 
 
P.S. Ready to take your leadership, financial clarity, and business strategy to the next level? Join us at the next TOP Producers event – live at the Melbourne Convention Centre or virtually on June 23 & 24. With early bird tickets on sale now and the last three events completely sold out, get in quick – secure your spot today and get ready to shift gears in your business.