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Join us this week as we discuss commodity markets with Robert Herrmann. Robert is the Managing Director of Mecardo, a specialist in agricultural advisory with a focus firmly on the financial enhancement of primary production and price risk management. The company was established by Robert in Adelaide in 1996 under the Ag Concepts Advisory brand. With a longstanding background in agriculture, Robert’s commitment was to deliver a high quality proactive risk analysis and management service to clients. Robert has in excess of thirty years’ experience in agriculture, including eleven years as a senior wool specialist with Elders Ltd advising in the marketing and risk management of agricultural commodities. The discussions on this podcast are for general information and education use only. These discussions should not be taken as constituting professional advice from the either AgTalk, Marcus Oldham College or our guests. This episode was recorded in March 2021. Marcus Oldham College, AgTalk or our podcasts guests are not liable for any loss caused, whether due to negligence or otherwise arising from the use of, or reliance on, the information provided directly or indirectly, by listening to this podcast.

My guest today Matt Ough who grew up in Edenhope in the West Wimmera region of Victoria. He worked on the family’s sheep farm in his teens learning about animal husbandry and pasture management. When he finished his VCE at Edenhope College, Matt took a gap year working as a teller at a local bank branch. During his gap year, Matt decided to combine his love for farming and business by enrolling in the Bachelor of Agribusiness at Marcus Oldham College. While studying, Matt was awarded a Rural Finance scholarship which perked his interest in agricultural commodity markets and analysis.  In 2014, Matt joined Rural Finance as part of their insights team and produced reports on a number of topics including livestock, dairy, horticulture and his pet topic Australian farmland values. In late 2021, Matt had a change of shirts and now does much of the same in-depth analysis and reporting that he has become renowned for as a Senior Communications Specialist (Market Insights) with Elders. Outside of work, Matt is the husband of Lauren and father of little Henry, they live in Geelong and frequently escape to the country to visit family and dream about farm ownership. The discussions on this podcast are for general information and education use only. These discussions should not be taken as constituting professional advice from the either AgTalk, Marcus Oldham College or our guests. This episode was recorded in February 2022. Marcus Oldham College, AgTalk or our podcasts guests are not liable for any loss caused, whether due to negligence or otherwise arising from the use of, or reliance on, the information provided directly or indirectly, by listening to this podcast.

Nigel Kerin is the founder and director of Kerin Poll Merino Stud. Kerin Poll Merino stud was established in 2009 with the goal to build the traits that made the terminal industry a success into the Merino breed, “fast early growth”, “fertility” and “doing ability”. Nigel chats to us about his key learnings he has had in creating a successful agricultural business and why success can be a very poor teacher. You can learn more about Kerin Poll from their website www.kerinpoll.com.au, on Twitter @KerinPollMerino or on their Facebook page The discussions on this podcast are for general information and education use only. These discussions should not be taken as constituting professional advice from the either AgTalk, Marcus Oldham College or our guests. This episode was recorded in February 2022. Marcus Oldham College, AgTalk or our podcasts guests are not liable for any loss caused, whether due to negligence or otherwise arising from the use of, or reliance on, the information provided directly or indirectly, by listening to this podcast.

This week we are lucky enough to have Phin Ziebell join us for another AgTalk episode to discuss what may lie ahead for 2022. Phin is NAB's Agribusiness Economist. He is responsible for analysing and reporting on the trends and developments in the agribusiness industry and works closely in conjunction with bankers in NAB’s Agribusiness division. Phin graduated with bachelor degrees in Commerce and Arts from the University of Melbourne and joined NAB in mid-2014. He was previously an economist at the Victorian Department of Primary Industries and Victorian Treasury. The discussions on this podcast are for general information and education use only. These discussions should not be taken as constituting professional advice from the either AgTalk, Marcus Oldham College or our guests. This episode was recorded in Early February 2022. Marcus Oldham College, AgTalk or our podcasts guests are not liable for any loss caused, whether due to negligence or otherwise arising from the use of, or reliance on, the information provided directly or indirectly, by listening to this podcast.

Join us this week as we recap 2021 and look at what 2022 may have in store for us with Robert Herrmann. Robert is the Managing Director of Mecardo, a specialist in agricultural advisory with a focus firmly on the financial enhancement of primary production and price risk management. The company was established by Robert in Adelaide in 1996 under the Ag Concepts Advisory brand. With a longstanding background in agriculture, Robert’s commitment was to deliver a high quality proactive risk analysis and management service to clients. Robert has in excess of thirty years’ experience in agriculture, including eleven years as a senior wool specialist with Elders Ltd advising in the marketing and risk management of agricultural commodities. The discussions on this podcast are for general information and education use only. These discussions should not be taken as constituting professional advice from the either AgTalk, Marcus Oldham College or our guests. This episode was recorded in December 2021. Marcus Oldham College, AgTalk or our podcasts guests are not liable for any loss caused, whether due to negligence or otherwise arising from the use of, or reliance on, the information provided directly or indirectly, by listening to this podcast.

It is our pleasure to welcome Jennifer Medway to the Marcus Oldham AgTalk podcast.  Jennifer Medway is a fifth generation farmer from Gunning , NSW. Together with her Husband and parents run a 17,000 head self-replacing merino flock. As well as being involved in the day to day running of the farm she has also held a range of roles including Executive officer of Tablelands Farming Systems, a board member of Merino Link, non-for-profit merino genetics livestock organisation and is a Senior Manager of Rural Futures at AgriFutures Australia. Jen holds a bachelor of Agricultural Economics from Sydney University and completed the MLA Producer fast Track Program. In July 2021, Jennifer was awarded the Marcus Oldham Flock leader award as part of the Lambition awards.

It is our pleasure to welcome Professor Richard Eckard to the Marcus Oldham AgTalk podcast. Richard is Professor of Sustainable Agriculture at the University of Melbourne and Director of the Primary Industries Climate Challenges Centre, a research centre addressing the impacts of a changing climate on agriculture. His research focuses on sustainable agricultural production, with a recent focus on carbon neutral agriculture and options for agriculture to respond to a changing climate. Richard developed the first greenhouse gas accounting tools for agriculture with his research and expertise provided the science basis for the development of six carbon offset methods in Australia. He is a science advisor to the Australian, New Zealand and UK (ADAS) governments, the International Livestock Research Institute , UN FAO and EU , on climate change adaptation, mitigation research and policy development in agriculture. He is a network leader in the Global Research Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse Gasses. He is a member of the newly formed Victorian Agriculture and Climate Change Council and sits on numerous government and industry advisory committees. Richard has published over 150 peer reviewed papers, with 80 peer-reviewed papers, 7 book chapters, and 140 conference papers on climate change, carbon farming and agriculture since 2010.

It is our pleasure to welcome Danielle England to the Marcus Oldham AgTalk podcast. Danielle England is a recognised leader within Australian agriculture based in the South East of South Australia. Over the past 20 years, Danielle has built a strong reputation for delivering agricultural extension and change management programs She works closely with grower groups, research organisations, private advisors and farm businesses to deliver programs that optimise farm profitability and productivity. Danielle has been listed in the Emerald 2014 100 Women in Australian Agribusiness, and was the 2013 Western Australian RIRDC Rural Woman of the Year. Both of these awards recognise her outstanding leadership and passion for the Australian agricultural industry. Danielle has managed multiple mixed-farming research and development programs, including Grain and Graze 3, in WA for Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) in cooperation with the Facey Group. She is currently working with Ag Excellence Alliance to deliver a GRDC mixed farming program across the Southern Region. Danielle studied a Bachelor of Agribusiness Marketing at the Curtin University Muresk Campus, and has a Graduate Certificate in Rural Systems Management from the University of Queensland, as well as a Diploma in Project Management and is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

It is our pleasure to welcome Dr Ken Giller to the Marcus Oldham AgTalk podcast. Dr Ken Giller is Professor of Plant Production Systems at Wageningen University. His research focuses on smallholder farming systems in sub-Saharan Africa, and in particular problems of soil fertility with emphasis on the temporal and spatial dynamics of resources within crop/livestock farming systems.  He leads a number of initiatives such as N2Africa – Putting Nitrogen Fixation to Work for Smallholder Farmers in Africa. He is co-chair of the Thematic Network 7 on Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems of the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) of the United Nations and a member of the Unilever Sustainable Sourcing Advisory Board.  Ken joined Wageningen University in 2001 after holding professorships at Wye College, University of London, and the University of Zimbabwe.

It is our pleasure to welcome Kari Moffat to the Marcus Oldham AgTalk podcast.  Kari is the first of a series of ex-Marcus Oldham students who I will be profiling on this podcast from time to time as part of the Future Leader Series.  The reason I am doing this is that I believe that agriculture today is one of the most exciting industries to be involved in and I want to showcase some of the opportunities out there for young people in this industry.  Kari completed a Bachelor of Business (Agriculture) in 2017 and a Diploma of Equine Management in 2013 at Marcus Oldham.  Originally from Northern Victoria, since leaving Marcus, Kari has made a career in the live export industry. Her current role sees here as the Animal Welfare Assurance Manager for AUSTREX. AUSTREX is a leader in the global livestock industry and a pioneer of the livestock export trade.  Kari is also the Chair and Co-Founder of the Young Livestock Exporters Network and is a mentor partner of the Graeme Acton Beef Mentoring Programme. Kari is driven to bridge what she sees as a fundamental gap in understanding the difference in cultural values between Australia and our exporting destination. Most recently Kari was recognised as a winner of the 2021 CCA NAB Agribusiness Rising Champion Initiative. This program is designed to foster the leadership and business skills of emerging beef industry leaders aged between 21-40.

It is a pleasure to welcome Oscar Pearse to the Marcus Oldham AgTalk podcast to talk Carbon Trading. Oscar and Susannah Pearse operate a 2800ha grain and beef farm at Moree, New South Wales. Prior to coming back to the family farm 11 years ago, Oscar worked for a number of agricultural organization in policy and management roles including AgForce QLD, Cattle Council of Australia, Australian Lot Feeders Association, and the MLA. Since then, he has been a member of the NSW Farmers Association Conservation and Resource Management (CRM) committee, a participant of Grain Grower’s Australian Grain Farmers Leadership Program, and Australian Farm Institute Research Fellow, and until March this year was Project Manager for the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment funded National Farmer's Federation 'Australian Agricultural Sustainability Framework'. Oscar is a graduate of UNE, where he studied Agribusiness majoring in Rural Science. Oscar and Susannah have 3 children and deeply miss sending them to school! The discussions on this podcast are for general information and education use only. These discussions should not be taken as constituting professional advice from the either AgTalk, Marcus Oldham College or our guests. This episode was recorded in September 2021. Marcus Oldham College, AgTalk or our podcasts guests are not liable for any loss caused, whether due to negligence or otherwise arising from the use of, or reliance on, the information provided directly or indirectly, by listening to this podcast.

It is my pleasure to welcome James Madden, CEO of Flinders + Co to the Marcus Oldham AgTalk Podcast. Flinders + Co is a premium food production and distribution company founded in 2010 by James father David Madden. As the name suggest it is based on Flinders Island which is situated in the Bass Strait just off the northeast coast of Tasmania. As started, James is the CEO which makes him responsible for the day to day operations of the company. He oversees brand design, marketing and sales strategy, and production and process improvements. He was responsible for the purchase, renovation, and initial production of the company’s abattoir on Flinders Island Flinders + Co started by using a direct distribution model into Victoria that has grown into a successful stand alone operation. James describes himself as a jack of many trades and a master of none. His childhood was spent on the farm, adolescence in the suburbs, and his early adulthood in the city. He first studied to be a pilot, and his first job was in a sheep skin salting shed. In 2018 James changed the identity of the company from Flinders Island Meat to Flinders + Co (the reason why we will be discussing).  He describes the business as a purpose driven organization with a vision he is proud of which is “To Cultivate a Better Food World”. Also on 1st Dec 2018, Flinders + Co became the first meat company in the world, to fully offset all carbon emissions from not only their business, but every kilogram of meat they sell. He said to me, "We’ve got no idea what we’re doing, but we are learning and trying to do our best at every step of the way" which makes him an ideal guest for the podcast. The discussions on this podcast are for general information and education use only. These discussions should not be taken as constituting professional advice from the either AgTalk, Marcus Oldham College or our guests. This episode was recorded in September 2021. Marcus Oldham College, AgTalk or our podcasts guests are not liable for any loss caused, whether due to negligence or otherwise arising from the use of, or reliance on, the information provided directly or indirectly, by listening to this podcast.

Ian established Bush AgriBusiness in 2009, combining his enthusiasm for agriculture and business. He grew up in the bush, doing primary school through Charleville School of the Air before going to boarding school in Toowoomba. He studied accounting at University before moving to the Northern Territory. In the NT he did station work and worked for a large accounting firm, before working in training and extension within the NT DPI. From the DPI he moved to the NT Cattlemen’s Association, initially working in member services and project management and later as Executive Officer. Ian and his young family left the NT to spend a couple of years on his parent’s property in South West Queensland before moving to Toowoomba to work full time in Bush AgriBusiness. Ian holds a Master of Business Administration and is accredited as a Chartered Agriculturist by the Ag Institute of Australia.

This week we are lucky enough to have Phin Ziebell join us for another AgTalk episode to discuss whether it currently is as good as gets for Australian Agriculture. Phin is NAB's Agribusiness Economist. He is responsible for analysing and reporting on the trends and developments in the agribusiness industry and works closely in conjunction with bankers in NAB’s Agribusiness division. Phin graduated with bachelor degrees in Commerce and Arts from the University of Melbourne and joined NAB in mid-2014. He was previously an economist at the Victorian Department of Primary Industries and Victorian Treasury. The discussions on this podcast are for general information and education use only. These discussions should not be taken as constituting professional advice from the either AgTalk, Marcus Oldham College or our guests. This episode was recorded in July 2021.   Marcus Oldham College, AgTalk or our podcasts guests are not liable for any loss caused, whether due to negligence or otherwise arising from the use of, or reliance on, the information provided directly or indirectly, by listening to this podcast.

Nigel Kerin is the founder and director of Kerin Poll Merino Stud. Kerin Poll Merino stud was established in 2009 with the goal to build the traits that made the terminal industry a success into the Merino breed, “fast early growth”, “fertility” and “doing ability”.  Nigel chats to us about his key learnings he has had in creating a successful agricultural business. What are the key drivers you need to get right to make money in this industry? You can learn more about Kerin Poll from their website www.kerinpoll.com.au, on Twitter @KerinPollMerino or on their Facebook page 

Kate Burke founded Think Agri after identifying a need for corporate and institutional investors to have access to astute experience based advice when considering key agri-investment decisions. Knowing the right questions to ask is fundamental to sound decision making. Kate’s 26 years of experience forms a library of critical questions to ask about any agricultural investment. Kate also recognised that leading farm families could further improve their performance by taking the lead from corporate business practices when it comes to business planning and reporting. This is especially the case for any farm business considering intergenerational succession or contemplating accessing external capital from sources other than traditional debt funding via lending institutions. Kate is a highly experienced independent farm consultant with a PhD in agronomy. Kate spent time in the corporate sector as commercial manager of one of the largest grain producers in Australia and knows what it takes to run a profitable farm business. This background enables Think Agri to offer the very best strategic advice and guidance to investors and family farmers alike. Equally comfortable in boots or suits, Kate’s great people skills and high level of expertise can help you to thrive in the agricultural industry, so contact us today to find out more. Kate recently wrote Crops People Money & You which you can purchase here. 

Founder of Agripath, Simon has over 20 years experience in agriculture with his client base encompassing irrigation, dry land farming and grazing operations. He has Southern, Central, and Northern NSW farming systems experience. Simon’s particular strengths have been in financial analysis and planning to deliver profitable outcomes for client businesses. Simon has worked as an irrigation agronomist for Twynam Cotton at Warren, a dry land consultant agronomist for Hassall & Associates and team leader Farm Business Consulting for Hassall & Associates. Simon has worked in many parts of Australia, giving him a broad understanding of all facets of farming in diverse environments and an excellent network of skilled land managers/farm advisors. Simon has a degree in Rural Science.

Join us this week as we discuss meat and wool commodity markets with Robert Herrmann. Robert is the Managing Director of Mecardo, a specialist in agricultural advisory with a focus firmly on the financial enhancement of primary production and price risk management. The company was established by Robert in Adelaide in 1996 under the Ag Concepts Advisory brand. With a longstanding background in agriculture, Robert’s commitment was to deliver a high quality proactive risk analysis and management service to clients. Robert has in excess of thirty years’ experience in agriculture, including eleven years as a senior wool specialist with Elders Ltd advising in the marketing and risk management of agricultural commodities.  The discussions on this podcast are for general information and education use only. These discussions should not be taken as constituting professional advice from the either AgTalk, Marcus Oldham College or our guests. This episode was recorded in March 2021. Marcus Oldham College, AgTalk or our podcasts guests are not liable for any loss caused, whether due to negligence or otherwise arising from the use of, or reliance on, the information provided directly or indirectly, by listening to this podcast.

Kevin M. Folta is a Professor in the Horticultural Sciences Department at the University of Florida.  His research program examines how light signals are sensed in plants and how different parts of the spectrum can change shelf life and high-value fruit and vegetable traits. His group also uses novel genomics approaches to identify genes related to flavor and disease resistance. An innovative new project is testing a method to create new small-molecule drugs for use in everything from plant growth regulation to MRSA. He has been recognised for his science communication efforts, speaking with public audiences, and training scientists and agricultural producers to be better communicators. In 2016 he was recognised with the prestigious CAST Borlaug Award in Agricultural Communications and was named as the Ag Pro Person of the Year.  He also hosts the weekly podcast Talking Biotech (www.talkingbiotechpodcast.com), with over 200 episodes and one million downloads.

My guest today Matt Ough who grew up in Edenhope in the West Wimmera region of Victoria. He worked on the family’s sheep farm in his teens learning about animal husbandry and pasture management. When he finished his VCE at Edenhope College, Matt took a gap year working as a teller at a local bank branch. During his gap year, Matt decided to combine his love for farming and business by enrolling in the Bachelor of Agribusiness at Marcus Oldham College. While studying, Matt was awarded a Rural Finance scholarship which perked his interest in agricultural commodity markets and analysis. In 2014, Matt joined Rural Finance as part of their insights team. Over the past seven years Matt has written and presented on a number of topics including livestock, dairy, horticulture and his pet topic Australian farmland values which why I have him here today. He also co-hosts RFC’s podcast - Beyond The Farm Gate which takes listeners to -inside the minds of farmers and agribusiness professionals, and well worth a listen. Outside of work, Matt is the husband of Lauren and father of little Henry, they live in Geelong and frequently escape to the country to visit family and dream about farm ownership. When asked why he works in agriculture he replies, ‘to change the image of farming that’s been sold to consumers over the years, I don’t have a farm but that won’t stop me advocating for those that do and selling the image that my relatives, parents and grandparents sold to me.’