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AgWatchers

235 episodes - English - Latest episode: 2 days ago -

Dive into the what, why and how of agricultural markets. Join Andrew Whitelaw, Matt Dalgleish and guests, as they breakdown the market. Expect a lighthearted, sardonic and irreverent discussion.

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Episodes

#177 What’s the backlog with meat processing?

June 23, 2023 05:53 - 55 minutes - 127 MB

We have a chat with Tim Ryan, General Manager of Industry Affairs of the Australian Meat Industry Council.  In our chat we discuss what is the problem holding up processing around the country, along with a bunch of other topics.  

#176 Chilli, competition and confidence

June 15, 2023 00:53 - 25 minutes - 58.8 MB

We talk about our experience with Perth's spiciest pizza, the origin of the F word, competition with the Bunge/Viterra merger, confidence in livestock markets and how wheat markets are boring and exciting at the same time. Please note the sound quality of Andrew is a bit poorer than normal because his microphone wasn't set up correctly. We'll be back to normal next time. 

#175 In defence of meat

May 31, 2023 23:33 - 1 hour - 170 MB

We have a chat with Andrea Bertaglio, an environmental journalist from Europe, who has recently written a book defending the meat industry from misinformation relating to animal welfare, veganism and climate change.  Andrea is also involved in the European Livestock Voice, which aims to dispel misinformation about the livestock industry.  We discuss veganism, animal rights activists, animal welfare, misinformation and the role of livestock in climate change.  You can find the livestock vo...

#174 We welcome our robot overlords

May 26, 2023 02:34 - 1 hour - 154 MB

We have a chat with Tim Neale, founder of DataFarming. Tim is a straight talker when it comes to ag and ag tech and was a guest on episode #78 (click here to listen). In this podcast, we chat about artificial intelligence, the GPS failure last month, insurance in agriculture and a whole lot more. 

#173 Watt’s up? A chat with the ag minister.

May 18, 2023 07:58 - 1 hour - 165 MB

After a year in the ag portfolio, Murray Watt finally comes onto the Agwatchers podcast for a chat.  Our discussions include live export, trade with China, farm labour, biosecurity (and levies), foot and mouth disease, and much more.  Remember to subscribe and share with your friends and family, etc. 

#172 The silence of the lambs

May 16, 2023 02:16 - 45 minutes - 104 MB

In this podcast, we chat with Clarice Ané van den Berg, a farmer from Limpopo in South Africa.  This podcast is another in our series with the Global Sheep Forum (link here), and we discuss a range of topics; Foot and Mouth disease, wild animals, cheap South African labour and more.

#171 Biosecurity budget - a levy or a tax on farming?

May 12, 2023 06:40 - 1 hour - 138 MB

The budget announcement this week included increased funding for biosecurity, which was welcomed by most in agriculture. The concern was that some of this extra funding would come from a 10% increase in farmer levies.  Colin Bettles, CEO of Grain Producers Australia, came onto the podcast to discuss this issues and his feelings about it. As always, we cover a few tangents. 

#170 Two bob’s worth

May 11, 2023 03:21 - 43 minutes - 98.9 MB

We chatted with Australia's current longest-running federal minister Bob Katter, from far north Queensland.  We hear Bob's views on ethanol, farm labour, land clearing laws and much more. 

#169 Guns, germs and succession (from Australia).

May 05, 2023 04:35 - 1 hour - 155 MB

We have a chat with Trevor Whittington, CEO of WA Farmers. We chat about government intervention, sheep live exports (and EID tags), the succession of WA from Australia, gun reform, trade with China and a whole lot more.    A longer form podcast this time. 

#168 Grain and Graze - Market Update

April 28, 2023 02:54 - 18 minutes - 41.5 MB

No guests today, just us having a chat about markets. A few tangents along the way, but we discuss cattle prices, grain markets and anonymous fertilizer trolls. 

#167 Educating the next generation about agriculture

April 26, 2023 07:16 - 58 minutes - 133 MB

"City folk don't understand anything about agriculture". This is a comment we hear a lot, and one of the best ways to get over the rural-metro divide is to educate the next generation.  We speak with Luciana Mesiti, the CEO of the Primary Industries Education Foundation Australia (PIEFA), about the challenges and benefits of teaching agriculture in the curriculum. 

#166 Littleprouds scorecard for Watt.

April 21, 2023 05:07 - 33 minutes - 77.4 MB

In this episode, we are joined by David Littleproud, leader of the Federal National Party and former Minister for Agriculture. David has never been afraid to put an opinion forward, much like the podcast hosts. In this episode, we are given a review of the government's and Murray Watts's performance, his views on his time in the ag minister role, and discussions about the live export of sheep, biosecurity and farm labour. 

#165 Australia and China enter into couples therapy.

April 13, 2023 06:46 - 26 minutes - 61.5 MB

A follow-up episode examining further the positive news in relation to the Chinese agreement to expedite their review of the barley tariff. We are joined by GM of policy at Grain Growers Limited.  We cover off and debate the change and what it could mean for trade and Australian farmers. 

#164 China back for barley?

April 11, 2023 04:56 - 15 minutes - 36 MB

A quick market update on livestock, followed by a discussion of grains. We discuss the news of the thawing of relations with China in relation to barley. 

#163 Agricultural Truths - Emma Uncut.

April 05, 2023 04:41 - 1 hour - 211 MB

We have an open discussion with Emma Germano, mixed farmer and president of the Victorian Farmers Federation.  We cover advocacy in agriculture, the merry-go-round of policy money, the hypocrisy of labour unions and much more. 

#162 Opening a potash mine

April 03, 2023 22:47 - 49 minutes - 113 MB

On this podcast, we have a chat with Ignacio Salazar, CEO of ASX-listed Highfield Resources.  The global potash industry is centred around a couple of main players, and Highfield is in the process of setting up a potash mine in Spain. We chat about the difficulties in getting a project like this off the ground and what it means for fertilizer markets. 

#161 Fertilizer price crash.

March 31, 2023 00:15 - 44 minutes - 101 MB

We don't often have repeat guests on the podcast but we have made an exception for Chris Lawson. Chris is the head of fertilizers at CRU and is providing us with an update on a whole range of issues around the fertilizer space. 

#160 Affairs in the Aussie Sheep Industry.

March 27, 2023 00:33 - 52 minutes - 120 MB

In another of our partnership podcasts with the Global Sheep Forum, we talk to Georgia White from NSW.    We discuss the affairs of the sheep industry; live export, mulesing, fashion, fake meat and a lot more. 

#159 The loosest market update

March 22, 2023 06:22 - 25 minutes - 58.5 MB

A market update, which does admittedly get a bit loose. We cover Russian grain deals, carbon markets, sheep and cattle markets, live sheep export, fertilizer and GM wheat.   

#158 Carbon Cowboys

March 10, 2023 07:21 - 48 minutes - 110 MB

"I'd rather die than sell carbon credits." This week at the ABARES conference, we listened to Fiona Conroy, a livestock producer from near Geelong, discuss her farm and environmental markets (namely carbon).  In this presentation, Fiona discussed points never usually mentioned in reference to carbon markets - the risks that farmers face in selling credits.  We thought we would get her onto the podcast to have a chat about her views. 

#157 Some market musings.

February 14, 2023 00:31 - 21 minutes - 14.5 MB

It's been a while since we have conducted a quick market update. In this episode, we have a chat about mutton markets, cattle projections, grain pricing, fertilizer pricing and our usual tangents.

#156 Terrible Trudeau and sheep in the snow.

February 08, 2023 23:18 - 55 minutes - 128 MB

As part of our Global Sheep Forum (Next Gen Producers), we have a chat with Matt Francisco.  Matt is a 1st generation sheep farmer on the outskirts of Toronto. We chat about the issues facing him and the industry as a young farmer in Canada. 

#155 Free trade ain’t free

February 06, 2023 02:12 - 35 minutes - 81.4 MB

We have a chat with Patrick Hutchinson, CEO of the Australian Meat Industry Council. Patrick is open for a robust discussion as always and we cover off on free trade, labour and policy. 

#154 Farming in Britain

January 28, 2023 23:40 - 1 hour - 141 MB

As part of our Global Sheep Forum partnership, we had a chat with English sheep and cereal farmer Ed Brant from Lincolnshire.  We chat about trade, succession, issues with farming, brexit, Jeremy Clarkson and much more.

#153 Making fashion in Australia

January 20, 2023 02:27 - 44 minutes - 102 MB

We have a chat with Steve Noa, founder of 'The Merino Polo'. We have a chat with Steve about setting up a business making merino polos for Australia.  We also chat about all things to do with working with Chinese suppliers and what is happening in the wool industry. 

#152 Labour pains in Agriculture

January 11, 2023 23:03 - 49 minutes - 114 MB

Ryan Hoiberg of Rimfire resources joins the podcast to chat about labour issues. We cover the issues facing white and blue collar jobs and what graduates need to do to get a decent job.     

#151 Sheep in the heart of Texas

December 21, 2022 00:40 - 56 minutes - 128 MB

In the second part of our monthly series for the Global Sheep Forum, we have a chat with Brady Evans from Texas. When we think of Texas, we think oil and cattle - not sheep. Brady has set up a diversified business in the sheep industry, including retailing sheep meat in the small town of Snyder in West Texas.  We hear from Brady about the challenges and opportunities for US sheep producers. 

#150 Chan Solo

December 19, 2022 01:52 - 1 hour - 170 MB

The socialist revolution starts here. Guardian rural editor Gabrielle Chan aka Chan Guevara has forcibly taken over the AgWatchers studio and is holding us ransom until we answer her questions.  We are forced through interrogation to answer questions for our 150th episode. We cover dumpster diving, fertilizer, carbon/biodiversity markets, competition and what's ahead in 2023. The revolution will not be televised. It will be over a podcast.

#149 We meat a butcher

December 13, 2022 03:31 - 49 minutes - 113 MB

On this podcast, we chat with Alison Meagher, the butcher girl. We have a chat about being a butcher, the meat industry, access to offal and fake meat.  A great chat and will make you feel hungry. 

#148 A solution to farm labour pains

November 30, 2022 04:17 - 38 minutes - 88.2 MB

We have a massive labour shortage in Australia - what are the solutions? We are joined by Ronald Recinos, the Guatemalan Ambassador to Australia. Guatemala has a temporary guest worker program with Canada. Thousands of Guatemalans travel to Canada every year to work on agricultural and horticultural properties.  Guatemala would like to offer the same to Australia. Would this work? Let's have a chat and see. 

#147 The market brief

November 25, 2022 02:16 - 13 minutes - 31.9 MB

A quick update on markets with Matt and Andrew. Grains, livestock and the wider macro environment. 

#146 The rain mainly falls on the grain

November 13, 2022 23:21 - 47 minutes - 109 MB

We have Adam Clarke, a trade grain broker and high school friend of Matt, on the podcast this week.  In this discussion, we chat about the impact of wet weather on grain, how the market is performing and try and get some dirt on Matt from his high school days. 

#145 Farming in the land of the long white cloud

November 09, 2022 23:29 - 38 minutes - 88 MB

In the first of our collaborations with the Global Sheep Forum. In this episode, we have a chat with Ben Galloway from New Zealand.  We chat about the issues facing agriculture in New Zealand, including carbon, labour and much more.  You can find more about the global sheep forum at www.globalsheepforum.com

#144 Bringing technology to livestock pricing.

November 06, 2022 22:16 - 1 hour - 156 MB

We have a chat with R Kelly, also known as Rob Kelly. Rob is an old mate of the AgWatchers team and is the managing director of Agora Livestock, a new price discovery tool for the livestock industry.    He used to work in the grain industry and was one of the designers of 'Daily Grain' on the west coast. As always we cover a huge range of topics. 

#143 The AgWatchers / Global Sheep Forum Launch

November 02, 2022 23:23 - 43 minutes - 99.4 MB

We were joined to launch our collaboration with the Global Sheep Forum by Bonnie Skinner of Sheep Producers Australia and Nicholas Jolly of Beef + Lamb New Zealand.  On a monthly basis, AgWatchers will be collaborating with the Global Sheep Forum. We will be interviewing farmers from around the world to discuss the issues and opportunities they face. 

#142 The wool over your ears

October 18, 2022 02:29 - 46 minutes - 107 MB

We have a chat with Marius Cuming about the recent AWI campaign about man made fibres. We also provide AWI with solutions to assist the wool industry grow and make more $

#141 Livestock, grains and fertilizer

October 13, 2022 00:07 - 15 minutes - 35.4 MB

We have a quick chat about the volatility of the grain market, issues with livestock and the purpose of the fertilizer census. 

#140 Ukrainian update from the ground with Elena.

October 10, 2022 08:46 - 51 minutes - 118 MB

We have a chat with Elena Neroba, a grains professional from Ukraine. We found out about how Elena has been going since the war started, what the feeling on the ground is, and the impacts on the grain industry.    We also discussed the #GRAIN4UKRAINE campaign and why you should donate grain using NGR 15004442.

#139 No meatworks, no livestock industry

October 06, 2022 04:59 - 45 minutes - 103 MB

We have a chat with Patrick Hutchinson, CEO of the Australian Meat Industry Council. We talk about the issues around labour in meatworks, the media response to FMD, and free trade agreements that are in progress - and a whole lot more.  

#138 The Next Episode - what is in store for TEM?

September 30, 2022 00:30 - 34 minutes - 80 MB

TEM is no more, but the journey is never over.  Today we engage in our next episode. In this chat, we discuss the evolution of TEM to EP3. Recently, we have agreed to take over the TEM website and rebrand to a new entity owned entirely by the two of us. Thanks for the support of everyone over the past two years and into the future. 

#137 When will fertilizer prices fall?

September 19, 2022 23:05 - 40 minutes - 93.7 MB

We invite regular guest (x6) Chris Lawson back onto the podcast to have a chat about the fertilizer market. Chris is the head of fert for CRU Group, an industrial and fertilizer analysis firm. 

#136 Fertilizer to the moon, Red meat in demand

September 08, 2022 22:36 - 14 minutes - 33.7 MB

A very quick discussion on the big drivers in the market. Red meat demand heats up, risk of higher fertilizer pricing and Putin helping drive grain prices higher. 

#135 Falling grain prices and rising livestock numbers

August 26, 2022 04:21 - 20 minutes - 47.6 MB

We have a market chat. Lots of livestock data out - FSR, Cattle on feed and sheep turnoff. The grain market has also come under a lot of pressure with pricing levels falling. 

#134 Counting sheep and singing you to sleep.

August 19, 2022 11:37 - 1 hour - 147 MB

We are joined by Bonnie Skinner, CEO of Sheep Producers Australia.  Our chit-chat includes discussions of traceability, the gov biosecurity response, Chinese trade ban rumours, our new intro music and inflation impact on demand. 

#133 You having a Raff? with Senator Ciccone

August 12, 2022 02:47 - 42 minutes - 97.9 MB

Senator Raff Ciccone joins AgWatchers for chit-chat. Raff has launched a senate inquiry into the government biosecurity response to FMD/Varroa mite, which is ongoing.  We chat about food security, biosecurity, ag labour, FMD, diversity of markets and local manufacturing of inputs. 

#132 You having a Raff? with Senator Ciccone

August 12, 2022 02:47 - 42 minutes - 97.9 MB

Senator Raff Ciccone joins AgWatchers for chit-chat. Raff has launched a senate inquiry into the government biosecurity response to FMD/Varroa mite, which is ongoing.  We chat about food security, biosecurity, ag labour, FMD, diversity of markets and local manufacturing of inputs. 

#132 The Bees Knees with Dugald Saunders MP

August 10, 2022 06:40 - 28 minutes - 27.3 MB

We have a chat with Dugald Saunders MP, the agricultural minister for NSW. Biosecurity has been the hot topic of the last two months, but NSW is battling through its own devastating outbreak - Varroa mite in bees.  In this short conversation, we have a chat about EID tags, FMD responses and what is happening with the varroa mite outbreak in NSW. 

#131 Calm the Farm

July 29, 2022 03:30 - 24 minutes - 55 MB

Just the two of us, a short podcast.  We chat more about falling livestock pricing, why we need to calm down about FMD, grain/fert pricing and food inflation.     

#130 Ukraine Grain Deal and Falling Livestock Pricing.

July 25, 2022 03:07 - 22 minutes - 51.6 MB

Just the two of us. A lot happening in ag markets at the moment. The big news over the past week has been the 'deal' to open up a corridor for Ukrainian grain exports.  We also cover the falling livestock prices in recent months and some discussions about a global downturn.    

#129 Two long years of AgWatchers

July 22, 2022 06:37 - 54 minutes - 124 MB

It's been an interesting two years. COVID, FMD, invasion of Ukraine, a new Australian government, and so much more. Clearly, the biggest event was the start of the AgWatchers podcast, Australia's most amateur agricultural podcast.  The tables are turned on this podcast as we enlist a professional for our 2-year anniversary. Warwick Long, ABC Countryhour, turns the tables on us as we have a chat about the past two years. 

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