Marcus Oldham AgTalk

What does the future hold for Australian agriculture in a world shaped by politics, protectionism, and shifting global demand? In this episode, David Cornish is joined by respected consultant and market analyst Robert Herrmann to unpack the big-picture issues shaping ag in 2025. From Trump-era tariff talk to the resilience of Australia’s export model, Robert brings sharp insights into how trade po...

In this episode of the Marcus Oldham AgTalk Podcast, host David Cornish spoke with Andrew McGuire, an Extension Agronomist and Director for Grant County at Washington State University, about the intricacies of soil health. Andrew has been with WSU's Center for Sustaining Agriculture and Natural Resources since 1999, focusing on sustainable agriculture practices, particularly soil health, cover...

To kick off Season Five of the Marcus Oldham College AgTalk Podcast, I sat down with James Hamilton from Cultivate Advisory to discuss one of the most critical conversations any farming family, or any family with a business, will ever have: succession planning. James is not only an experienced family succession planning facilitator but also a farmer with over 25 years of hands-on experience. He op...

Join us this episode as we chat with Andrew Henderson, Principal of Agsecure , on the importance of food security to Australia’s national security. Andrew is a leading strategic policy specialist with a passion for building the sustainability and prosperity of rural and regional Australia and enhancing the recognition of its role in the economy and its place in national security. Andrew’s mission...

Join us this week as we talk with Joanne Stevenson, Principal Consultant at Resilient Organisations as she chats to David Cornish about how we can create Resilient Businesses. Over the past decade, Joanne has accumulated post-disaster research and consulting experience in several countries, examining recovery and resilience of communities, economies, and organisations. She enjoys grappling with co...

Join us this episode as we chat with Agrista Director and consultant, John Francis, about getting back to basics and looking at Farm Profit Drivers. Agrista is an agricultural consultancy focused on improving farm business performance based in Wagga Wagga in Southern New South Wales. Agrista provides consulting services to corporate and family farms, the rural finance sector, government and indust...

Dr Nicole (Nici) Sweaney grew up with a fascination for animals and science, and always knew it was something she wanted to pursue.  But after completing a PhD in which she studied how native butterfly species interact with farmlands and pine plantations. From this Nici saw the power of information and data and the opportunities AI present to us. This led her to found ‘Ai Her Way’ which is dedicat...

Join us for the first episode of season four of the AgTalk podcast as we discuss meat and wool commodity markets with Robert Herrmann. Robert is a founder 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. W...

Join us this week as we chat with Director and consultant at Agrista, John Francis. Agrista is an agricultural consultancy focused on improving farm business performance based in Wagga Wagga in Southern New South Wales.  Agrista provides consulting services to corporate and family farms, the rural finance sector, government and industry bodies and the agricultural services sector. You ca...

Join us this week as we chat with Rennylea Angus Director, Lucinda Corrigan. Lucinda Corrigan joined Rennylea Angus in 1986. Rennylea Angus is a performance recorded Angus stud of 3.500 head. The ‘head office’ is situated in the South West Slopes of New South Wales between Albury and Holbrook NSW. Her childhood was spent on a large merino sheep property, she has first class honours degree in Agric...

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, Rober...

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...

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 poo...

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...

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...

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 b...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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 Fe...

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 responsibl...

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...

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 graduate...

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 y...