Why a few better decisions are starting to make all the difference

There was a time – not that long ago – where things could be a bit loose and still work. You’d get a decent season, a fair price, and it covered a lot. A few decisions weren’t quite right, but it didn’t really show.

That’s shifted. Not in a dramatic, headline-grabbing way – just enough that things are a bit tighter, and a bit more visible.

And honestly, that’s where it gets interesting. Because you’re starting to see a gap open. Not from big moves. Just from a few better decisions, made a bit earlier.

From Efficiency to Being a Bit Sharper

Last time, we talked about efficiency – what it costs to generate a dollar. That still matters. But this year, it’s less about squeezing harder, and more about being a bit sharper.

Even good businesses feel it when decisions drift. Things that used to wash through are now showing up. Not loudly – just enough to matter. Margin doesn’t usually move in one big hit. It’s a stack of small decisions – and getting a few more of them right is where things start to shift.

What the Numbers Are Actually Showing

When you look at the preliminary 2025 Season National Vegetable & Onion Benchmarking results, one thing stands out pretty quickly. The spread between the top performers and the least profitable businesses isn’t small – it’s a completely different result entirely, and it comes down to how the business is being run.

Table 1 – EBIT Margin Comparison: 2025 Preliminary National Vegetable & Onion Benchmarks

Where It’s Really Coming From

Most of the difference isn’t coming from big, obvious calls. It’s coming from the everyday ones – the things that don’t get questioned because they’ve “always been done that way.”

Holding onto machinery a bit longer because it feels cheaper. Letting timing slip slightly because everything’s busy. Individually, none of it looks like much. Together, it adds up.

Machinery is a good example. Stretching it another season can feel like the safe play – and sometimes it is. But sometimes the cost shows up somewhere else: breakdowns, delays, missing timing when it matters most. The better operators aren’t just looking at the price tag. They’re looking at how the whole system runs.

Labour tells a similar story – and so does fertiliser. But interestingly, not every line item is the difference-maker.

Table 2 – The Business Checklist: Be Honest With Yourself Here

Not what it looks like on paper. What it actually is. The businesses that are moving forward are the ones willing to look clearly at where things stand – and act on it.

Use this checklist as a quick check-in. If a few of those aren’t ticked, you’re not alone. But that’s also where things start to shift.

Because this isn’t about doing more. It’s about doing a few things better – earlier.

The Bit That Actually Drives It All

This is the part that doesn’t get talked about enough. Because in years like this, it’s not just the business that gets stretched. It’s you.

You don’t really notice it straight away. It just feels like:

• Pushing a bit harder
• Holding more in your head
• Leaving decisions a bit later than you normally would

And that’s where things start to slip. Not because you don’t know what to do. Just because you don’t quite have the space to do it properly.

The businesses that are holding things together aren’t just tighter operationally. They’re protecting their capacity. Because a clear head makes better calls – and better calls are where the difference is.

“If everything depends on you, every day, it’s not really a system. It’s just effort. And effort only gets you so far.”

Plan It Like You Plan the Season

At some point, the business needs to give something back. Even if that still feels a bit foreign.

Take the hike you’ve been meaning to go on. Get out for that surf when it’s actually worth it. Head to a footy game and don’t check your phone for an hour. It sounds small – but it makes a difference.

Because when you step back, even briefly, things tend to sharpen up. Decisions get clearer. Priorities make more sense. And you usually come back better for it.

The businesses that build that in properly tend to perform better – not worse. This isn’t a soft add-on. It’s part of how the better businesses operate.

Where the Better Businesses Are Heading

Across the businesses we’re working with – and what’s coming through in the benchmark data – the pattern is pretty consistent. The ones holding margin aren’t doing more. They’re just clearer, earlier.

• Clear on their numbers
• Clear on what’s working
• Clear on what actually matters

They’re not perfect. They’re just making a few more good calls than the rest.

Final Thought

None of this is new. It just matters more now.

Good years can carry you. Years like this just ask a bit more of you. Not more hours. Not more pressure. Just a bit more clarity.

And for the businesses that lean into that – this is where things start to shift. Not in a big way. Just enough to matter.

 

The National Vegetable and Onion Benchmarking program has been funded by Hort Innovation, using the Vegetable and Onion research and development levy and contributions from the Australian Government. Hort Innovation is the grower-owned, not-for-profit research and development corporation for Australian horticulture. Project number MT22009.