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Description - As 2020 draws to a close, hosts James Freemantle and Andrea Crothers come back together one last time to catch up on their favourite topics from the year and what they’ve learnt about Great Southern.

Across the world, COVID is still impacting the red meat market, but another looming decision could be positive for Great Southern’s market access – Brexit. Host Andrea Crothers catches up with Nick Sherwood, the Managing Director of JBS Global UK to talk about the impacts of Brexit and COVID on the red meat industry in the UK and European markets, and the changing consumer trends.

In this episode, host James Freemantle sits down with Great Southern Lamb Producer John Gardiner, to talk all things sustainability from a Great Southern Producer’s perspective. James and John also touch on the Sheep and Wool Sustainability Framework and the benefits this will have for the industry.

From Chef to Foodservice General Manager and everything in between. Host Andrea Crothers catches up with Andrews Meat Industries’ Foodservice General Manager Jacinta Geddes to talk about foodservice in Australia. From how the pandemic has affected business, to the passion and pivot ability that has been shown by Australia’s restaurateurs, to the grass fed sector, and to what the future might look like in this space. Jacinta also gives us an insight into her career as a chef working for some of Australia’s most iconic restaurants.

You’ve heard from the Buy and Sell sides of Great Southern, now it’s time to hear from the Make. Host James Freemantle is joined by Sean Naden, Operations Manager of the Great Southern facilities across Southern Australia as they discuss the missing link – how the Great Southern premium product is processed and produced. Sean touches on the role the Operations team plays and the impact of COVID-19 on Great Southern production.

In 1964, a Trainee Cattle Buyer got his start in the industry. 56 years on, he has bought millions of head of cattle, working for just one employer. In this episode, legendary cattle buyer David Ronalds chats with host Andrea Crothers about his illustrious career, navigating market crashes, price highs, and devastating disasters that almost saw the end of his own farms.

You’ve heard from some of our special guests and now it’s time we heard from you! Our hosts James and Andrea come back together to answer a few listener questions about Great Southern. From sales and market conditions to livestock and sustainability, hear from some of the Great Southern team as they answer your questions on the program. Still have more questions about Great Southern? Head over to our website www.greatsouthernfarms.com.au/grass-matters-podcast or follow @greatsouthernfamily and submit your questions.

This week catch up with host Andrea Crothers as she talks to Great Southern producer and Landcare advocate Danielle Mathysen-Carr. Danielle, through her career has worked closely with native wildlife as a Zoologist, and her passion for conservation has followed her through to now where she works diligently for the betterment of sustainability on farm.

What makes Great Southern beef and lamb taste so good? Host James Freemantle takes a deep dive into eating quality with Professor Dave Pethick. Dave talks all things technical from paddock to plate balancing numbers with anecdotes that he is well-known for, narrowing in on what really affects eating quality and how the producer can have an influence on this. Dave has been valued by the team at Great Southern since the beginning and continues to offer invaluable knowledge to the program.

Married to the provenance of Tasmania, Philip Kennedy’s Melbourne South Bank restaurant Pure South Dining has in his own words not taken the path of least resistance. Passionate about showcasing the treasured produce of Tasmania, Phil speaks to host Andrea Crothers on the spark of excitement that planted the seed of his business, the last few years of trade, how this year has looked for the Melbourne hospitality scene and how King Island Beef has featured heavily since the beginning. He also touches on how traceability and the King Island traceability project has become more important than ever.

In this episode of Grass Matters, host Andrea Crothers shifts the focus towards lamb with special guest South Australian Agriculture Consultant and Producer Elke Hocking. Andrea and Elke discuss the importance of understanding the growth and importance of objective carcass measurement technology to measure things like lean meat yield and eating quality, and how lamb producers and processors can access and benefit from this data feedback.

Farming with a succession plan is planning for success. Hear from Producers David and Nick Allen from western Victoria as they discuss the history of their farm, which has been the home of the Allen family for more than a century, and the importance of farm succession planning and farm sustainability.

With the highest importance placed on the quality of the final meat products, host James Freemantle catches up with MLA’s Richard Apps to discuss the advanced livestock measurement technologies (ALM-TECH) that improve final meat products across beef, lamb and pork. From lean meat yield and eating quality, to grading offal and data availability and use, learn about the programs that are currently in place and how Producers and processors can implement this feedback to improve value.

Take a looking glass into the heart of the Japanese market. Host Andrea Crothers talks to Manager of Imports for Australian beef and lamb, Matt Schwarz who resides in Tokyo, Japan. Matt takes us through how grass fed beef and lamb is perceived by the Japanese people past and present and how marbling is a very important part of the discussion. To learn more about Great Southern, follow @GreatSouthernFamily

Join host James Freemantle and guest Verity Suttor, Project Manager and Integrity Systems Company, a subsidiary of Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA), as they explore animal and herd health, how to address health issues in animals, and how systems such as Livestock Data Link (LDL) can benefit both producers and processors.

Host Andrea Crothers chats to Division Head of Imports in the US, Kim Holzner. From how grass fed beef is perceived and consumed in the U.S. market to how Kim is trying to convert his American mates to true blue lamb lovers, this episode takes a deep dive into the North American market. To learn more about Great Southern keep up to date on our social medias @GreatSouthernFamily

Host James Freemantle chats livestock nutrition with McKenzie Ag Services’ Lachie McKenzie. From grass to supplementary feeds, hear about the types of rations that are appropriate for a grass-fed diet and what common alternatives can be used in the Great Southern Program. To learn more from McKenzie Ag Services or to contact Lachie, visit mckenzieag.com.au

How much do you know about the customers of Great Southern and where the Great Southern products go? In this episode of Grass Matters, host Andrea Crothers dives into the world of Andrews Meat Industries (AMI) with CEO Peter Andrews, exploring how AMI began, where it is today, and how Great Southern plays an integral role in the business.If you’d like to learn more about AMI and what they’re working on, visit @andrewsmeatindustries on Facebook and Instagram.

Welcome to the Great Southern Grass Matters podcast! Learn more about your hosts TV personality James Freemantle and TV Reporter and Presenter Andrea Crothers as they introduce the podcast, and give a glimpse of what to expect on this exciting new show.