Humans of Agriculture

G’day and Welcome to the Humans of Agriculture podcast. I’m your host Oli Le lievre and it’s a pleasure to bring another incredible story to you. I had seen her light-hearted ways via her Instagram channel, she definitely is a bit of a larrikin, and based off the response i got after sharing just a tiny snippet of this episode with you, I reckon there’s a few of you out there that are Grace McLeod...

John Harvey is a household name to many in the Agriculture industry, he's the current Managing Director the Agrifutures and during his time at the helm, the organisation has continued to innovate and support emerging ideas, concepts and industries in Australian Agriculture. John Harvey is another test case, it doesn't matter where you're from or what your background is.. a career in agriculture ca...

Well if you said back in early 2020 that we would go into lockdown for nearly two years and in that time produce 100 episodes of a podcast I would have laughed and said you're crazy but for me, the pandemic has provided a beautiful silver lining. It's been the chance to sit down with extraordinary people each week and pick their brain on a topic that I'm really trying to work out for myself, or I...

Welcome to episode 99 of the Humans of Agriculture podcast! It's only taken 99 episodes to cross the Tasman but this week we have our first kiwi. Rhys Roberts is fresh off winning the 2022 New Zealand Zanda McDonald Award. Hailing from the mid-Canterbury region on the south Island of NZ, Rhys is the CEO of Align Farms Group where he manages seven farms and a market garden. Rhys is passionate about...

Richard Rains has devoted a lifetime to the Australian agriculture industry, yet his story of success began when he was told that returning to his family’s farm would not be an option for him. As a child from Dunedoo, Richard Rains hardly saw his future in a career that had him liaising with the Korean Government and doing business with McDonald’s in North America. Richard's story is remarkable as...

James Cleaver loves the country. He’s the first to admit that his hometown of Nyngan – famous for the Big Bogan, a statue that locals have eventually come to laugh at – is his favourite place in the world. Yet, he refuses to romanticise it. James was encouraged by his parents to get off farm and to get a trade or qualification that could support him outside the farm gate. In this episode, James ta...

We often hear stories of that elusive dream, of packing up and moving regionally – falling in love, starting a side hustle and well for many that's where the dream stops, but our next guest shares what that transition was really like. What there is to be gained and what there is to learn through the process. Jill talks us through some of the key moments in her life, the importance of mentors and h...

So many people will spend their entire lives working tirelessly on the land, labouring quietly behind the scenes, but Bryce Camm has stepped out to speak up. On his LinkedIn page, Bryce presents a pretty impressive resume: Chairman of Beef Australia, Chairman of the Australian Beef Sustainability Steering Group and the Immediate Past President of the Australian Lot Feeders Association. All of this...

G'day and Welcome back to 2022! Karen & Jamie or Dodge as he’s better known have a truly extraordinary story. From the moments they met at Ag college to their very first date to McDonalds, their life has never been dull. In his younger years, Jamie took to the world of bull riding, a natural competitor and sportsman, as tough as they come, not even a broken neck could stop him from getting a G...

As a kid Scott vividly remembers jumping off the school bus and racing to the woolshed during shearing. Tearing through what was left of his Dad's lunchbox and then jumping head first into the wool bins. To this day, that love and passion for growing wool hasn't strained if anything it could well be even stronger. It's a passion that Scott's daughters have inherited, their input in the day-to-day...

Alex Thomas has always looked up to her dad. From her earliest days escaping the school room to shadow him on the family's sheep station in remote South Australia to caring for him. Today, Alex is an established social entrepreneur putting health and safety front and centre for those in rural communities, ultimately helping get people home at the end of the day.  Her relatability, humour and pract...

Five years ago, Tom and Emily Hancock were in the market for a new spray rig when they saw a country pub come up for sale for the same price. Today, they might be the most famous publicans in Australia. If you haven’t heard of the Collie Hotel you might just be living under a virtual rock. To their 14,000 odd Instagram followers Tom and Emily Hancock broadcast videos that depict the hilarious mund...

Chris Toohey spent his childhood growing up on the family's Riverina Property growing Rice, cattle, sheep and other dryland irrigated crops. With a love of plants and a recommendation from his parents to go and explore opportunities outside the farm gate, Chris begin his apprenticeship as a landscaper and worked his way up. Seeing the opportunity to take his skills on the road he took off on a roa...

Darrylin Gordon is a Jaru native woman and pastoralist currently managing 361,000 hectares of country at Lamboo Station in the East Kimberley region WA. She has been celebrated as the 2018 WA Rural Women of the Year Awards and was the runner up in the National Award, Darrylin is seen as a trailblazer not just for women but for agriculture more broadly. Her story converses a woman who has faced her...

From the Silicon Valley to South America, Sarah Nolet has never seen anything more exciting than the boom of the Australian agtech industry in the past half decade. She’s only been in the country for six years, but in that time Sarah Nolet has managed to transform Australia’s footing in the international ag-tech industry. Sarah has been recognised as a 2020 Syngenta Growth Award Winner in the Inno...

Dave O'Brien has found himself at a crossroads several time during his life.  As he left high school Dave wasn't sure what he wanted to do, with an opportunity popping up to work alongside his sister in the TV industry, Dave jumped head first into it. However, it wasn't quite what he was looking for. During the chat Dave talks about finding his passion and how agriculture has really shaped who he...

Simon Doolin’s Great Grandfather started farming around North Star in Northern NSW in 1924, almost 100 years ago. Today, everything Simon does is with this legacy in mind, with the aim of leaving the country and community better than he found it, ready for the next generation. Simon has been recognised as a 2020 Syngenta Growth Award Recipient in the Sustainability category. As this chat outlines,...

For Ginnie Hope-Johnstone, success was to go to university, get a degree and get a good job in the city. So after school, that's exactly the path she took.  After successfully completing a dual degree in sports administration adn event management, she scored the corporate role she was after. But by the age of 28, Ginnie had longed for wide open spaces and had always wanted to be a jillaroo on a No...

If you ever said to me when I was starting out I'd be having a chat with one of my greatest friends Grace on the podcast, I would've thought we'd it probably not suitable. However, fast forward a couple of years and Grace's story is so applicable and hopefully inspiring for those wondering what opportunities there are for young people in Rural Australia to go after. Grace hails from Geelong, down...

For those familiar with twitter, Sam Heagney is a household name. From his insights to his humourous and engaging videos that have captured the eyes of tens of thousands of people. His approach to celebrating agriculture has come from his background as a kid growing up on Melbourne's outer suburbs.  His time in agriculture has nearly gone full circle, not far from where it all began on his wife's...

As a boy from Western NSW, Pat Barrett stepped straight out of a Sydney private school into a role as a station hand - a ringer - in Australia’s top end and he hasn’t looked back. Pat Barrett was a difficult man to get hold of - a completely unsurprising fact considering he spends the majority of his time on stock camps across the Kimberly and the Pilbara, where reception and free time are both in...

Content Warning: This episode talks about the loss of a child. Justin & Kate Boshammer's journey is unlike many. They met at the age of 18 through the Angus Youth Cattle program. Kate's path followed setting up multiple businesses and helping out where she could on the property. A decade on from the two stepping out on their own and establishing JK Cattle Company they have built an enviable bu...

Ahead of the Agrifutures Rural Women's Award National Announcement, we sat down with two previous winners, Sue Middleton (2010) and Jo Palmer (2019) to find out about their stories on entering, winning and life after the Award. Both Sue and Jo have come at the award from two very different backgrounds, however the opportunities the Award has opened up for them is immense. For Sue it meant 18 month...

Frauke Bolten-Boshammer is a pioneer, a woman filled with grit and determination that has seen her overcome a life full of obstacles, despite the setbacks Frauke perseveres and her story will connect on so many levels.  From her early days as a child in Germany, working hard for her father. To finding love and moving around the world looking for the big break. After settling in Kununurra in Northe...

From the moment we started talking I was engulfed in the stories of Liv Bordon. From humble beginnings in Victoria's Mallee on the family pig farm through to chasing the sunrises and sunsets of outback New South Wales. Liv shows that agriculture truly is full of opportunity, with a dream and a willingness to go after them the world truly is your oyster. Part of Liv's childhood was spent living in...