Behind The Collective

Hailing from a farm in Ongerup, Western Australia, Taite O'Neill is on a very exciting career trajectory. She's about to begin a Graduate Program position with Australian Wool Innovation (AWI) and she can't wait. Taite speaks very fondly about her hands-on childhood growing up on her family's sheep and cropping property. Her parents were active in teaching Taite and her two sisters everything they...

The Value of the Merino: Why are Merinos important to your business? This podcast episode is adapted from a recent webinar. It’s packed with valuable insights, and we wanted to make it accessible for everyone to listen to on the go! A panel of farmers from various regions across Western Australia discussing their enterprises, the role merinos play in their operations, and their strategies for 2025...

Meet Samuel Cockedey, Regional Manager for Japan & Korea at The Woolmark Company. Originally from France, Samuel has made Japan his home for over 24 years. With degrees in International Business and Business Administration, he brings a wealth of experience from his time at the French Embassy and various management roles in Tokyo. Join us in this episode as we explore his passion for promoting...

Today's episode, we introduce you to Aimee Snowden, an agricultural educator and 2023 Nuffield Australia Scholar, who's turning today's kids into tomorrow's ag-literate adults! Raised on her family's irrigation farm in NSW, Aimee has combined her passion for agriculture and education by connecting people to food and fibre production through LEGO with her project, Little BRICK Pastoral. Check out L...

In this episode we welcome Yudhis, a dedicated champion of the live export industry. Working as an ESCAS regulator for Halleen Exports in Indonesia, Yudhis plays a critical role in overseeing operations and ensuring animal welfare. With a unique perspective shaped by his travels to Australia, Yudhis has witnessed the entire live export supply chain firsthand. He shares his career journey, his thou...

🎙️ In this episode, we talk all things sheep farming in the UK and Canada with Hannah and Katie, two innovative and passionate farmers. As part of the Global Sheep Forum’s Next Generation Program, this chat aims to inspire people to join the sheep industry while helping young sheep farmers connect globally and develop their skills. 🐑 Hannah is a 6th generation farmer from Canada, passionate about...

As part of the AWI & TLC Partner Program we hosted Dr. Michylla Seal and Darren Spencer for a 1-hour webinar on preparing for shearing. We have converted it to a podcast for easy listening on the go. You can also find the full webinar on our website under projects. The webinar covered many topics, including conversations with your shearing team, curfew times for different types of sheep, ram s...

Olivia Ellis, based in Hawke's Bay, New Zealand, is the Operations Manager for Kelsos Genetics. Her role involves traveling to meet clients and managing the stud's genetic data. In this episode, Tiff and Olivia chat about all things sheep farming in New Zealand, discussing challenges and the benefits of sharing lamb products with other countries. While Olivia hasn't yet found the "Golden Ticket" f...

Hamish Best grew up on the family farm in Ohariu Valley, just outside of Wellington. He has worked in roles across the industry from working as a National Product Development Manager at DLF Seeds, working in sales and farm services, right through to red meat retailing. He is now home on the farm where he has launched his meat retail business, Conscious Valley. We talk about why farmers should be f...

Sean Jeffery's is a first-generation sheep farmer in his second year in a share farming agreement. He developed a passion for sheep from spending weekends on his grandparents' smallholding as a child. This episode discusses his journey into farming, the challenges he's faced, politics, future opportunities, reasons why everyone should become a sheep farmer, insights into farming life in Wales and...

This is the fourth episode where we chat to young sheep farmers from around the world, part of the global sheep forum next generation program. The aim is to inspire people to join the sheep industry, but also help current young sheep farmers network globally and develop their skills. This episode, we are back in Australia chatting to Alanah Boxall. It covers more than just sheep. tips on studying...

This episode is the third, where we are catching up with young sheep farmers from around the world. Rich Oglesby, is a new entrant Beef, Sheep and Red Deer farmer in Rothbury Northumberland in England. He farms in partnership with his wife Jen trading as R & J Oglesby Farming with 2000 breeding sheep, 100 Angus cows and 100 Red deer Hinds. This episode covers all sorts of topics, how to get yo...

Today's episode is with a young sheep farmer from Wales, Emily. This is the second in the series where we catch up with young sheep farmers from around the world as part of the global sheep forum next generation program. We chat about life in Wales, challenges the industry is facing, Emily's sheep enterprise and her ambitions for the future. Check out our website - https://thelivestockcollective.c...

This episode isn't just about celebrating a young livestock leader in Australia, this is the first episode where we catch up with young sheep farmers around the world. Camren Maierle, PhD, is the Sustainability Director for the American Lamb Board and producer from Jacksontown, Ohio. He has a bachelor’s in animal science from The Ohio State University, and both master’s and doctoral degrees in ani...

Christie Pearson has a reputation in the top end for flying around in her plane and spending all day every, day with cows, observing their habits and working on her research. We discuss how she came to be in the NT, her time completing her PHD and how she landed her current role managing a team. Christie Research - https://ses.library.usyd.edu.au/handle/2123/27312 Check out our website - https://t...

This podcast episode features Dr. Michylla Seal as part of the AWI & TLC Partner Program. Initially a webinar, it's now split into two podcast episodes for convenient listening. This second half focuses on "Vaccination 101," covering topics such as where to vaccinate on an animal, considerations before vaccination, and how to decide which vaccines to use on your property. If you'd like to list...

Farmers do an incredible job at caring for their sheep, but sometimes unforeseen issues arise, and the cause isn't always clear. We caught up with Dr. Michylla Seal, an experienced vet and Director of GenStock. She stresses the importance of consulting your local vet and explains the subsidies available for investigating stock deaths and illnesses. She also delves into case studies from her farm v...

Brodie Carpenter, a self-made farmer, shearer, and co-owner of Low & Level Shearing, managing over 30 people at its peak. Winning senior shearer of the year for Tasmania - all at just 29 year old. He shares insights on starting a shearing contracting business, the importance of crew welfare, and his love for the wool industry. AWI Shearer and Woolhandler Training Resources - https://www.wool.c...

Convincing people to buy wool isn’t just about telling them how good it is; it's about educating them about its incredible properties. 🐑 Laura Armstrong shares insights into her role as General Manager of Marketing and Communications at the Woolmark Company. Laura joins us to discuss all things marketing Australian wool to the world, getting it from the sheep’s back to clothing people around the...

The Australian wool industry is something Scott Carmody knows well, hailing from a sheep property to now a AWI trade analysis and wool buyer. He lives a busy life and we chat about our international trade markets, what farmers and fashion have in common and why everyone should buy a suit. Check out our website - https://thelivestockcollective.com.au/ VR Ship Tour - https://www.thelivestockcollecti...

A childhood in the sheds inspired Tameka to pursue a career in the wool industry. From learning to shear at the age of three to traveling across Australia to compete and work it’s been a whirlwind profession ever since. Tameka, drawing from her own experiences, shares some invaluable tips for those starting out and what a day in the life looks like. Whether it’s through formal training programs or...

Blythe loves nothing more than having fun and she has achieved a lot whilst doing so. This shines through in her wealth of knowledge across the industry. From growing up on a station to working overseas in market pre ESCAS and now working on her home farm with beef breeders and 2500 laying hens. Blythe shares an incredible insight into her business of raising laying hens in a regenerative sustaina...

Say G'day to Tiff and Mazz, who sat down to chat all things The Livestock Collective for 2024. With exciting upcoming projects such as visiting schools with our new virtual reality headsets thanks to LiveCorp and our partnership with Australian Wool Innovation (AWI), surveying wool growers in Western Australia to better understand your needs in your region. Get to know Mazz who has joined the team...

40 phone call a day would terrify most people, but this is a typical day for Matt Watts, a livestock buyer from Austrex. In this episode we discuss Matt's career as a livestock buyer and the importance of Australian breeder cattle to many overseas markets. Matt is passionate about animal health and welfare which is a major component of his role in procuring breeder cattle for export. Check out our...

POV you took an extended gap year. In this episode we chat to the lovely Jane McGuire, a student and young leader who is completing work placement with The Livestock Collective. The girls chat about Janes break from studying once completing her Year 12 schooling which prepared her for the transition of moving states for university. They also discuss Janes field of study and the opportunities she h...