Australian Farmers: Telling Our Story

We've all heard the saying coined in the 1950s that Australia "rode on the sheep's back". Many in the industry now argue the economic ride is over. The answer, they say, is to take back control of the wool handling process from fleece to fabric. Currently, more than 80 per cent of the nation's greasy wool is exported to China for processing. Now, slowdowns at mills overseas due to COVID may have o...

When an engineer becomes a farmer, you expect it to be well researched and planned to perfection. However, today's guest bought her little patch of Beechworth in Victoria within a week of seeing it advertised in 2009. The parcel of land was 12-acres, so she had to get creative, choosing two niche crops that don't need much space. Artisan table olives and prized saffron have been her bread and butt...

Today's guest has fit more jobs into her 36 years than most of us do in a lifetime. This powerhouse loves showing up for a day's shearing only to shock her colleagues by being tiny in stature. She drives trucks with her handbag on the front seat and classical music playing.  To add to that, she started her own sheep stud at age 17 and has since added grain trading and muscle scanning businesses to...

Some people are talented and brave enough to be trailblazers in one industry, but my guest today is breaking down barriers in two male-dominated arenas – footy and farming. She is a star recruit in the AFLW for Greater Western Sydney. Then, when she's not training or playing, she's working full-time on the family farm at Holbrook in southern NSW. It means, she lives 6 months in the city and 6 mont...

When three young farmers with a passion for cinematography decide to join forces, you know you're in for a visual treat. By combining their spectacular agricultural videos and posting them to social media, they have amassed an enormous following with more than a million views. One third of the sensation that is Broad Acre Bros is today's guest. Jack Moyses is a 5th generation broad acre farmer gro...

When you head to the shops to collect that perfectly shaped cherry, super crunchy apple or juicy nectarine, today's guest worked behind the scenes to achieve that top quality. She's the person growers call when they have a problem with pests, soil and even the changing climate. Jessica Fearnley is a young and emerging scientist who just loves agriculture. Her work has now earned her the coveted Ru...

It would be hard to find someone more passionate about agriculture than Lucy Collingridge. Unlike so many others in the industry, she didn't grow up on a farm. In fact, it wasn't until she was 15 that she took on her first active role in ag. In the 15 years since, she has packed in a lot. Her titles have included Jillaroo, Station Hand and Biosecurity Officer. In between, she spends her time volun...

We already choose between free-range and caged eggs. Grass-fed or grain-fed beef. Our guest today says it's only a matter of time before we add a low emissions option to the supermarket aisle. The reason, is a native seaweed that grows abundantly off the West Australian Coast. The CSIRO has found this unique red seaweed called asparagopsis can reduce methane emissions by 80-95 per cent when used a...

So many of us romanticise about a "green change" but this husband-and-wife duo actually did it. The couple has purchased 23 acres in South Australia's Adelaide Hills which is home to an apple orchard. With absolutely zero farming experience they somehow manage the farm entirely on their own. It's not quite commercially viable yet so they do all of this whilst still nursing and raising a family. An...

What happens when a woman with a long-standing love of fashion marries a wool grower? The answer is a luxury fashion label straight out of Burra in South Australia. Emily Riggs and her husband Tom have forged a unique partnership in business as well as life. She loves getting out on the farm to lend a helping hand, while in turn, he's found himself stepping into the shoes of a model! Luxury clothi...

What do you get when you cross a Brussels Sprout with Kale? A Kalette. This little-known superfood is the first new vegetable to hit the Australian market since Brocollini more than a decade ago. It's non-GMO, instead painstakingly developed over 15 years through traditional hybridisation techniques. So, what do they look like? How do they taste? Our Kalette expert grower Scott Samwell answers all...

The Country Women's Association is famous for scones and tea, but this organisation is so much more. Today's guest has transitioned from dairy farmer to the CWA's NSW President. Stephanie Stanhope has advocated for better services for regional communities for years and has been a friendly face to countless residents doing it tough. When she lost her own home during the 2020 Black Summer Bushfires,...

It's Show Time – Week One of the Sydney Royal Easter Show 2022. To celebrate, we are shining a light on a farmer who proudly exhibits there every year. In fact, they started showing their dairy cows at the show in 1885. The Browns operate one of the oldest Jersey Studs in Australia and have claimed many awards along the way. You'll often see them leading the ever-popular Grand Parade or tending to...

For many, the Sydney Royal Easter Show is a family tradition. Behind the scenes, the Royal Agricultural Society of NSW works tirelessly to bring 12 days of fun to about 850 000 people. It's a special year for the not-for-profit organisation, celebrating 200 years of service to agriculture. So, with each ticket you purchase, you'll be supporting real farmers to strive for excellence and also, young...

On a remote farm about 320 kilometres outside Darwin, mangoes grow by the truckload. But the owner of Foxalicious Fruit decided to try something new – adding asparagus into the mix. It turns out, the unique climate poses unexpected challenges like the need to pick the vegetable up to three times a day because it grows so quickly. Mangoes and asparagus are an unlikely combination but a source of gr...

Today we are on the road to Monbulk in the Yarra Valley in Victoria. That's where you'll find Australia's largest range of exotic and gourmet mushrooms. Mushrooms for food and mushrooms for medicine. If this food hasn't been for you in the past – these may go down a little differently. Some taste like macadamia nuts - others taste like lobster. And they come in all shapes and sizes – resembling co...

It's not often you see a queue down the street that leads to a butcher shop but it was that very sight at a store in Canberra that grabbed Vince Heffernan's attention. That shop sold biodynamic meat and the 6th generation farmer had to know more. He armed himself with a degree in Ecological Agriculture and set out to learn how to manage the entire landscape without chemicals. The result is Moorlan...

There are land farmers and there are water farmers but few can say their office is in a National Park. You'll find today's guest growing oysters on pristine Nelson Lake on the Far South Coast of NSW. Their specialty is the world-famous Sydney Rock Oyster. This little superfood has earned the family-run business more than 180 awards and recognition from some of our top chefs. But my guest Gary Rode...

Imagine working in an underwater garden where you brush shoulders with whales and sharks while cultivating one of most prized jewels of the sea. That's all a standard day in the office for James Brown who runs Pearls of Australia on farms at Cygnet Bay in WA and Broken Bay in NSW. At a time when other pearl farmers were going out of business James' resilience and innovation have earned him the cov...

Today we are on the road to Marrickville in Sydney's Inner West. While that doesn't sound very rural – my guest spends a lot of time on farms. As the owner of Feather and Bone, a butchery of ethically sourced meats, she personally visits all her suppliers ensuring a short, traceable and transparent supply chain. Laura Dalrymple knows how these animals are raised and how they are slaughtered. It's...

Victoria's beautiful South Gippsland region is synonymous with dairy, so when Adam Schreurs moved his vegetable farm to the area, it raised a few eyebrows. But if there's one thing Adam loves doing - it's planning for the future. The move has been crucial in mitigating climate change. He's also in the process of converting 25% of his property to native bushland to sequester carbon. In addition, he...

Today we are on the road to Woombye on Queensland's glorious Sunshine Coast. Our farmer of the week knows what it's like to work hard, lose it all - and then go on to come back even stronger. Five years ago, the family's fresh produce shop was destroyed in an arson attack but the setback ended up being a reset with Mick Dan and his partner Kelly deciding to found Good Harvest Organic Farm. A green...

Imagine fleeing your homeland with nothing but what you could carry and starting a new life in another country. That's what the Pham family decided to do when they left Vietnam for Australia in 1987. Through lots of hard work and a little creativity, they've progressed from farm hands to land owners, operating a successful vegetable farm in Darwin specialising in Asian greens and green mangoes. We...

Caged, barn laid, free-range, organic - when did buying eggs become so confusing? Today's guest could speak about eggs for hours but she didn't always want to take on the family business. Now, at 29 years old, tired of trespassers and vandalism, Danyel Cucinotta has opened the farm gates using virtual reality and an on-site deli to reveal the truth about eggs. Today we speak with Danyel Cucinotta...

Have you ever been roped into the fast fashion frenzy of buying a new piece of clothing on a weekly or monthly basis, only for it to end up in landfill a short time later? There is a world-first movement on the Queensland/New South Wales border to tackle that very issue. On a farm near Goondiwindi, you'll find a cotton graveyard where customers are welcome to return unwanted clothes to be shredded...