Humans of Agriculture

Natalie Bell's grandma told her, "It's not a risk, it's an adventure". Natalie has lived by that since growing up in Sydney and shifting to a career immersed in Australian livestock. Natalie has since founded Hylo Ag , designed to repurpose plastics used in cattle ear tags. We sat down with Natalie at evokeAG . 2024 after her Future Young Leader presentation to find out more about her journey and...

“You've just got to be there, in the discussion, because something will trigger something and make you think, and I think that's the best thing.” 18 months ago, tragedy struck at the Langley’s property at Pine Hill in South Australia. After suffering a medical episode, Ted Langley’s brother would pass away. After 30 years in partnership, the succession to the next generation would be immediate.  1...

This year, Australians are expected to spend almost $465m on flowers for Valentine's Day ( Australian Retailers Association , 2024)…  We had some questions and wanted to know more.  Are the flowers imported or locally grown?  What’s the process to get them from soil to the markets?  What trends are occurring and what are consumers wanting?  How is flower farming evolving and what might it look lik...

“If you can see it, you can be it” - Marty Lovegrove There’s some conversations that leave you with a smile, they’re raw and real and people that do extraordinary things while not taking it all too seriously. Marty Lovegrove is definitely one of those people! As a kid, Marty wanted to be a shearer – just like his Dad. As a youngen he’d dream about the early days spent in the woolshed on the family...

Welcome back to the In The Know On the Go Podcast! This week, host Oli Le Lievre sits down with Col Medway, Senior Director at LAWD , to get across the latest trends and happenings in the Aussie Rural Real Estate market. We last caught up with Col in October 2023, he was busier than eer and the market was slowing. So let’s find out what’s the latest in all things Rural Property.  In this episode w...

Nigel Corish was born with Cerebral Palsy, living with a disability has shaped much of his life outlook and amongst the challenges, it has fostered a need to be adaptive and think outside the box, you could say, it’s even a superpower.  Nigel has an impressive feat of accomplishments to his name, from Cotton Grower of the Year, Young Australian Farmer of the Year, and Nuffield Scholar.  In this we...

Did you know Australia has some of the oldest vines in the world? Nigel Blieschke is a 2023 Syngenta Growth Award winner in the Sustainability, Advisor category.   In this episode, Nigel shares  his journey from childhood in the Flinders Ranges to becoming a leader in viticulture, addressing challenges in the industry, and providing insights into the future of sustainable agriculture. Nigel's expe...

I am so excited to share this episode with you. Julia Spicer is one of those people you meet and you instantly feel like you’ve known them for years.  She’s a true champion and advocate for rural Australia, the people within these communities and is eager to see innovation unlocked and enabled. Believing that rural communities needed vibrant and viable businesses to keep rural communities going sh...

When it comes to things synonymous with visiting a farm, a tour is right up there. Sam Coulton takes great pride in it, so much so, that within his business he has established a dedicated crew to lead farm tours to support the education and understanding on their cotton farm near Goondiwindi.  The Coulton family have incredible ties in farming. From humble beginnings, including mixed grain and liv...

Over 60 years ago, an American farmer would be reading the American Farm Bureau magazine. Unbeknown to him at the time, it was a moment that would prove pivotal in the development of Australia’s cotton industry, and Australian agriculture would never look the same again… Growing up in Wee Waa, the Kahl family were at the centre of the development of Australia's Cotton Industry. James’ journey has...

Welcome back to the first episode of the # InTheKnow podcast for 2024! This week, host Oli Le Lievre and Century Orchards Farm Technical Manager Gemma Nunn delve hive -first into the world of bees.  Century Orchards farm is based at Loxton in South Australia, on the mighty Murray River. In this episode, Gemma explains the in’s and outs of bee pollination at the 700 hectare almond and 100 hectare p...

This episode with Fritz Bolten is our very first “Mother - Son” duo for the Humans Of Agriculture podcast! We sat down with Fritz's Mother, Frauke Bolten-Boshammer , about two years ago. They both have incredible stories, as a family and as individuals.  We talk about farming in Kununurra. The wet season. Succession and handing over the reigns, even when it doesn't quite involve your own children....

In August last year, Oli had the chance to sit down with David Egerton-Warburton for their podcast Boots off Log on ! We thought we'd share the chat as, we thought it'd give a little bit more context behind Humans of Agriculture and why it started. We're back to regular episodes from next week and we can't wait to bring you more extraordinary stories in 2024!!

Despite Oli getting it very wrong... we are definitely back on Wednesday the 17th of Jan (not the 18th)... Between now and then we are running around Northern NSW, next week we have a little special episode which will give you a bit of insight into the behind Humans of Ag and what summarises what we would love to see HOA become this year...  See you in a couple of weeks!

This week we are sitting down with Nick Crundall the CEO of Market Check a specialist grain marketing advisor. Nick grew up in Sydney's Eastern Suburbs, his connection to agriculture was fairly minimal however today, he's determined to show kids just like him, the careers and opportunities in agriculture. Initially he wanted to be a real estate agent, it was the interest in economics that saw him...

Welcome back to the Humans Of Agriculture Podcast with your host, Oli Le Lievre. There is so much to unpack in this episode with Jack Milbank. He's a Father, farmer, Nuffield Scholar, beer maker, cattle breeder and agronomist... Jack reflects on the seismic shifts in Zimbabwe's economy, the loss of his family farm, and the tragic death of his mother, which prompted him to forge a new path in Austr...

Welcome to the Humans Of Agriculture Radio! Oli and Milly sit down for a chat in this episode called... 'Moly'... 2023 has been HUGE and we have so much that we want to share with our Community. We chat about the insights from our Community Survey, mental health, Careers In Agriculture and touch on what have been some of our favourite podcasts throughout the year. Over the next few weeks we will b...

For this weeks Friday episode, we're switching things up and drawing attention to our Careers In Agriculture channel that you might not be so familiar with! Oli recently sat down with Ben Dwyer, Chief Operating Officer - Agribusiness at Harvest Road Group to find out about their latest job opportunities. The team are on the lookout for several staff to join their business, but today we are chattin...

Bryce Ive's story is as colourful as Bryce himself. We have something to learn from all of our conversations on the Humans Of Agriculture podcast, but this chat is especially special and enlightening.  Bryce grew up a 'naughty boy' who was in trouble just as often as he was successful. He adored arts and performance, staging Shakespeare productions with over 100 people from the age of 14, whilst a...

Random unpredicted rainfall in some parts of Australia with bushfires in other areas, El Niño declaration across the media and some very early winter crop harvesting... The Humans Of Agriculture team got thinking - what on earth is happening to the weather? So, we got in the expert - Karl Lijnders from Weather Matters for a chat with Oli.    Karl got us up to speed on the weather and what it all m...

Erica Halliday embodies optimism. Her upbeat nature is genuinely infectious, even when she is talking about some really difficult periods for her, her family and the business. Erica and her husband Stu run Ben Nevis Angus Stud , a 5th generation family business situated in Walcha, New South Wales. Erica is a natural storyteller who believes in bringing something to the business, not taking from it...

Who better to help us get 'In The Know' than with our Minister for Agriculture himself! Before getting the gig, Minister Murray Watt said to the Prime Minister, "I'd be really keen to take on agriculture, it has issues that I care about. I was really keen to write maintain some sort of portfolio that kept me connected to rural and regional Australia, and agriculture is a pretty good one for that."...

How does a person become the Managing Director (MD) of one of the biggest Agricultural Research & Development Corporations in the country? Well, Jason Strong accredits a lot of his success and career progression to judging livestock. For him, that’s just about where it all began! With an arguably unrivalled love for cattle, livestock and agriculture more broadly, Jason is the current MD of Mea...

Your host, Oli Le Lievre sits down with Catherine Sayer for this weeks In The Know On The Go episode. They touch on the following:   Catherine's background, including her role as the former CEO of Food South Australia and her transition to leading the Family Business Association (FBA) The significance of family businesses in Australia, both economically and culturally, spanning various sectors and...

This weeks guest is Sandra Ireson, a seventh generation farmer from the Snowy Mountains! But she now finds herself on the Hay Plains with her husband and family. We first came across Sandra's work through her involvement in the Hay Inc Rural Education Program. About 10 years ago, Sandra and a few others started the program designed to bring city kids to rural communities and show them what's invol...