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Every Decision Counts: Tom Cosentino on Stacking Farm Enterprises and Knowing Your Numbers

Host Alister Micallif welcomes Tom Cosentino, a South Australian farmer from Hindmarsh Valley near the Murray Mouth, who runs dryland beef cows and is adding 1,000 laying hens in October while managing bird flu risk through planning, water treatment, and adaptable infrastructure. Speaking at Gippsland’s Red Meat Conference themed “every decision counts,” Tom reframes a $100,000 investment discussion toward larger, multi-enterprise strategies to lift dollars per hectare, including vertical integration under his brand Hindmarsh Valley Eggs and adding solar and battery power to support on-farm egg grading and packing. Drawing on his background in tax accounting and insolvency, he shares three tips: write a 10-year business plan to guide decisions and attract funding, do tax planning in near real time to avoid surprises and pull profit levers when borrowing, and obtain property depreciation schedules to claim eligible deductions.

00:00 Podcast Introduction

00:58 Meet Tom Cosentino

01:41 Bird Flu Risk Planning

04:34 Red Meat Conference Brief

05:14 Stacking Farm Enterprises

06:37 Vertical Integration And Solar

08:21 Accounting Background And Talk

09:59 Bank Years And Profit Levers

10:58 Tip One Ten Year Plan

14:14 Tip Two Real Time Tax

15:56 Tip Three Depreciation Schedules

17:14 Advisory Work And Wrap Up

18:13 Final Thanks And Credits