AgWatchers

Bigger crops mean bigger levy collections for GRDC, and farmers want to know how GRDC spends that money. This week, Nigel Hart, GRDC's Managing Director, sits down with Matt and Andrew to explain what’s being funded, how research gets prioritised, and why profitability matters more than just growing bigger crops. They dig into the cost-price squeeze hurting margins, what GRDC is doing about nitrog...

Andrew is on holiday. Matt has been travelling - but here is the only update on ag markets that you need.

Markets are moving, and there is plenty to unpack in this AgWatchers X update. We look at the sharp rally in global wheat markets as Black Sea supply risks finally begin to bite, with Russian export flows slowing and the ongoing Russia–Ukraine conflict putting a sizeable chunk of global wheat and barley exports at risk. We also discuss why Australian growers need to resist the temptation to chase...

What does AI actually mean for the future of Australian agriculture? Andrew and Matt are joined by grain and pork producer Sharon Starick, Chair of the GRDC and the Council of Rural Research and Development Corporations, to discuss how artificial intelligence and new technology are changing the agricultural workforce. They look at where AI can genuinely improve productivity, which jobs and skills...

AI, agtech and automation are changing agriculture fast, but are relationships becoming more valuable, not less? This week on AgWatchers, Matt and Andrew are joined by Peta Ward, Westpac’s Managing Director, Regional Commercial & Agribusiness, to discuss innovation on farm, the next generation of agricultural leaders and why Westpac is putting bankers back into regional communities.  They also...

Ag Watchers X: Market Moves That Matter to Your Farm Tariffs are reshaping export markets. Geopolitical tension is pushing input costs around. And your harvest timing just got more complicated. In this market analysis episode, Matt and Andrew break down what's really happening with beef exports to Korea and China, where grain prices are headed, and why geopolitics matters more than weather right n...

Forget the ideology. Australian farmers don't need to believe in climate change to care about one thing: their bottom line. This week on AgWatchers, Matt and Andrew explore how practical farmers are cutting costs and creating new income streams through energy solutions and why skepticism is actually the smart approach. Karin Stark, who organizes Australia's agricultural renewables conference, disc...

Veteran economist Saul Eslake joins Matt and Andrew to unpack tariffs, free trade and the increasingly difficult position Australia occupies between the United States and China. They discuss why tariffs are ultimately paid by consumers, whether Australia can still trust its major trading partners, the need to diversify agricultural export markets and what weaker Chinese growth could mean for beef,...

Episode Three is thrilled to announce we'll be hosting the inaugural Australian Agricultural Awards, a groundbreaking national celebration of ag excellence in partnership with the National Farmers Federation (NFF), Nutrien, and Westpac. In this episode, we sit down with Scott McCullough, General Manager of Commercial at ACM Agri, to explore this prestigious new event that's set to transform how we...

Jo Hall, CEO of WoolProducers Australia, joins the podcast to discuss efforts to diversify Australian wool exports beyond China, including emerging opportunities in Bangladesh, India and Vietnam. We also examine the Future Flock strategy, industry representation and whether the recent wool price recovery can rebuild grower confidence and lift supply. Plus, Pearl Jam, Dhaka’s textile factories and...

Tim Neale from DataFarming joins AgWatchers for a wide-ranging chat on where ag technology is heading next. The big question: what happens when grain farmers stop thinking only in paddocks and start managing crops square metre by square metre? Tim talks through the next evolution in precision agriculture, from satellite imagery and variable rate fertiliser to robotics, AI, autonomous drones and th...

This episode breaks down how the Middle East conflict, US-China tensions, and extreme weather are reshaping Australian red meat exports. Sheep meat is bouncing back. Cattle prices are holding firm despite softening. And supply chain disruptions may be opening doors most producers haven't spotted yet. You'll get the details on: Why China's demand for Australian beef and sheep keeps swinging — and w...

This week on AgWatchersX, Matt and Andrew cover a fairly hectic mix of global politics, red meat trade and football hope. The pair unpack the end of the Iran conflict and what calmer conditions in the Middle East could mean for markets, before turning to China where Australia’s beef quota appears to have been unofficially filled, raising fresh questions about trade flows, pricing and where product...

In this episode of AgWatchers, we speak with Mark Been from Marnco, our first fertiliser industry guest in more than 300 episodes. The conversation starts with the immediate question facing growers: what is really happening in the fertiliser market? While urea supply concerns have eased after Australia moved early to secure product, Mark argues that the market is far from settled. Prices have fall...

Andrew and Matt are joined by Sian Fenner, Senior Economist at Westpac, for a wide-ranging discussion on the Australian economic outlook. Topics covered: CPI & Inflation: April's CPI came in at 4.2%, below expectations, but underlying pressures are building across building costs, freight, and hospitality Strait of Hormuz: How ongoing shipping disruptions are flowing through to energy and ferti...

Shannon Beattie, founder of Bush and Beyond Media, joins Ag Watchers to talk all things agricultural communication, storytelling and media. The conversation covers the difference between communications and marketing, why authenticity matters more than ever, and how agricultural industries can turn complex research, policy and technical information into messages people actually want to hear. Shanno...

We cover off on the big news in grains, fert and livestock. 

We are back for another AgWatchersX. This week we will be covering off on the tentitive peace in the middle east. We give our views on future grain prices, fert for next year, Chinese beef tariffs, the weather in Australia and a whole lot more. 

On this episode of the AgWatchers Podcast, we’re joined by Julie Collins to unpack the forces shaping Australian agriculture. From Canberra to the Middle East, we explore how geopolitical tensions are influencing fuel, fertiliser and food production and why events unfolding thousands of kilometres away are being felt at the farm gate. As instability in the Middle East rattles global energy markets...

We have a chat with Melinda Hashimoto, CEO of Egg Farmers of Australia. In this podcast, we talk about a wide range of issues from biosecurity to Japanese raw eggs. 

We have a chat with Lola Rauch, who works for the German Ag Society, who is now working in Australia to bring an offshoot of the famous Agritechnica conference to Australia - the future ag expo in Melbourne in July.

Will we run out of fuel? will we need horses for harvest? What about our urea supply? Are people stockpiling? We have Rebecca Reardon, Vice President of the NSW Farmers organisation, and Samuel Miller, lead economist for NSW Farmers, on the podcast to have a chat about the response from NSW Farmers to the current crisis impacting our farming inputs. 

Food is one of our favourite topics. The two of us love to go out and eat a good meal, and meat is usually the centre point. We invited Professor Peter McGilchrist onto the podcast to talk about what makes meat so great to eat. We talk about the intrinsic and extrinsic factors that drive the taste of meat.  Warning: Do not listen to this podcast when you are hungry. 

This podcast was recorded live on stage at EvokeAg. In this podcast, we have Sarah Adams, GM of Global Strategy and New Ventures for Gallagher, and Dr Guy Coleman, a researcher and innovator currently working at the University of Copenhagen.  In this podcast, we discuss where innovations will come from, whether from small start-ups or big corporations.    *Please note the sound quality is not the...

In this podcast we talk about the new tariffs announced over the weekend and due to go into action as of tomorrow.