Paddock Chat

In this episode, Daniel Real, Feedbase Pastural Researcher at the Department of Primary Industry & Regional Development (DPRID) joins us to talk about the Feed365 project and solving a common problem for farmers in the West Midlands region and across WA: early and late season feed gaps .  Daniel joins WMG Graduate Communications Officer Simon Kruger and Mixed Farming Systems Officer Melanie Di...

Amelia Nolan, Program Manager at The Livestock Collective (TLC) joins the podcast to talk with us about the importance of developing widespread knowledge of the ins and outs of the Australian livestock and broader agricultural industries.   WMG Beef Industry Development Officer Erin O’Brien chats with Amelia about her story, role at TLC and her wealth of knowledge concerning social license and the...

Dr. Mike Ashworth, Research Agronomist at the Australian Herbicide Resistance Initiative and Matt Willis, Market Development Agronomist at Bayer Crop Science join the podcast to share their knowledge and strategies for weed control in your farming system.    WMG E.O Nathan Craig leads these 2 special guests on a deep dive into the key elements of an effective herbicide strategy based on the resear...

In this episode of PaddockChat, Executive Officer Nathan Craig talks with former WMG Graduate Project Officer Adam Anfuso about the Long Season Wheat Project. Which was the best preforming variety? How far did the wheat roots actually penetrate into the soil? Should we be growing Long Season Wheat varieties more? Nathan and Adam guide us through how we can effectively use our sandy soils down to a...

With the high cost of crop input prices weighing on most farmers minds at present, we put the focus on chickpea this week as a potential high value legume option for the coming season. Over the last three years, West Midlands Group trials have found that chickpea have yielded consistently and have had a competitive Gross Margin in our region despite not being a traditional chickpea growing area. I...

Part 2 of To Chickpea, or not to Chickpea . In part 2 of this episode, Nathan Craig (WMG Executive Officer) continues his conversation with Mark Seymour & Harmohinder Dhammu from the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, talking yield and weed control considerations in chickpeas. This is part 2 of a special two-part episode, so if you've missed part 1, be sure to down...

In this Episode we spoke to Reagan Manns from RSM in Jurien Bay about the use of Figured and XERO to supercharge your business financial budgeting process. Topics we cover: What is Figured and how does it differ from other packages What are the benefits of using Figured above the standard XERO budgeting package Where does the real power lie in having an integrated budgeting package And the real qu...

In this episode of Paddock Chat, we look to demystify the first steps that farmers need to take in creating a ‘smart’ or ‘connected' farm, where the Internet of Things (IoT) can make farm management that much easier! Nathan Craig (WMG Executive Officer) sat down with both Nathan Dovey, CEO and Phil Honey, Smart Farm Coordinator of Stirlings to Coast. Nathan has been involved with Stirlings to...

In this episode of Paddock Chat, Executive Officer Nathan Craig sat down with Helen Viola, who is a Bookkeeper with RSM, to discuss how digital payroll systems are making it easier for businesses to manage their payroll. Key points: 1. Many programs are now on the Cloud which allows Bookkeepers easy access to business accounts when required. 2. It is important for businesses to understand the prog...

In this episode of PaddockChat, Beef Industry Development Officer Erin O'Brien sits down with Zoey Durmic and Peter Hutton to talk about the Carbon Neutral by 2030 Project, which includes their work in DietID.  CN30 and DietID are projects within the BeefLinks research and development program, which is being delivered by Meat and Livestock Australia, The University of Australia and MLA Donor...

In this episode of Paddock Chat Erin spoke to RSM Accountant Ella Raffan about the benefits of using Xero as a part of your business management. Xero is a cloud-based accounting program which enables the user to access it at any time, and makes sharing information with accountants or advisors simple. This conversation was recorded in December 2021. Useful resources: Xero   Support the show

In this episode, we take you to our most recent event, a perennial pasture field walk hosted by Will Browne and facilitated by Ben and Sean Plozza, held on the 30th of November. This was our first event that focused solely on grower discussion and peer to peer learning. At the beginning of this episode, we get a farm introduction from Will Browne before hearing from Ben and Sean Plozza about the e...

Professor Terry Rose from Southern Cross University joins the podcast to share his strategies for improving soil health in your farming system.   He talks through common strategies for improving soil health including cover cropping, interrow management to improve soil biodiversity and how to manage different soil types and season conditions.  World Soils Day is coming up on December 5th, and to ac...

On this weeks episode of PaddockChat, West Midland's Group's Beef Industry Development Officer caught up with Rio Tinto pastoral manager Simon Mathwin to discuss virtual fencing technology.  In this episode, Sim and Erin talk about how virtual fencing works, the origins of the trial and how it's progressed in 2021. They also discuss potential commercial uses for the technology and h...

PaddockChat coming to you from the ute as Erin O'Brien (Beef Industry Development Officer) and Melanie Dixon (Mixed Farming Systems Officer) interview locals about their experiences managing grasshoppers and locusts this season.  In an effort to gain a better understanding of the pest problem in the region, Melanie and Erin visited farms in the area on behalf of DPIRD to surveil damage. While...

Each year, the United Nations marks October 15th as the International Day of Rural Women. The day celebrates and honours women and girls living in rural areas. It recognizes the huge role that rural mothers, daughters and grandmothers play in producing food, and building agricultural and rural development worldwide.  To mark this day, the WMG team have put together a special episode of PaddockChat...

On this weeks episode of PaddockChat, Northern Agricultural Catchment Council NRMs Annabelle Garrett speaks to local farmer, Pip Bain. They discuss Pip’s experience in the Agricultural industry, as well as what it means to farm sustainably. They also discuss cell grazing and the benefits that pasture management can have on feed availability for livestock.  This discussion ties in with the BeefLink...

We're previewing the biggest day of the WMG Calendar, Spring Field Day! WMG Executive Officer, Nathan Craig, walks us through the agenda of the event and what to expect for Spring Field Day.  Guests on the podcast include:  • Matt Willis from Bayer Crop Science presenting his work on optimum pre-emergent herbicide strategies • Daniel Real who will be presenting his work on established crops a...

Today’s guest interviewer is Callum Love, Sustainable Agricultural co-ordinator with the Northern Agricultural Catchment Council (NACC). Callum recently caught up with Nick Eyres who has been an agronomist with Elders for nearly 5 years servicing the Midwest region of WA, mainly around the Geraldton and Mingenew areas. Nick also works closely with NACC and the Yuna Farm Improvement Group (YFIG) in...

Are you seeing a lot of grasshoppers and locusts on your farm this year? After reports of high grasshopper numbers in the area, Paddock Chat decided to chat with DPIRD entomologist Svetlana Micic to learn more about what's going on. Local farmer Will Browne also joins the pod to talk about what he's seeing on the ground, and get advice on controlling grasshoppers for this local area. Top...

On this episode of Paddock Chat, we're tackling the topic of farm safety again. Returning guest Maree Gooch will break down and simplify the steps needed to start the process of implementing a good health and safety strategy in your business.  We also preview the new ‘Green card for Ag safety’ which is now available to agricultural businesses to guide employees in the basic safety practices n...

Today on Paddock Chat we are talking all things feed budgeting!  This episode continues on from our previous episode, where we caught up with Murray Grey who farms with his wife Adele, and father-in-law Colin in Yathroo. They run a cattle operation in conjunction with their family’s pastoral station in the West Pilbara. Murray is passionate about optimising feed and works hard to budget available...

Today on Paddock Chat we are talking all things feed budgeting!  We caught up with Murray Grey who farms with his wife Adele, and father-in-law Colin in Yathroo. They run a cattle operation in conjunction with their family’s pastoral station in the West Pilbara. Murray is passionate about optimising feed and works hard to budget available feed accurately throughout the year. Murray unpacked their...

Today on Paddock Chat we caught up with Danelle Smith, who is the manager of the Moora RSM branch, to discuss the upcoming changes to the superannuation payment scheme. These changes are some of the first since the inception of the current scheme in 1992. Useful Resources https://www.ato.gov.au/super/apra-regulated-funds/in-detail/apra-resources/superannuation-changes-industry-roadmap/ Get in Touc...

Today on Paddock Chat we caught up with Andrew Kenny who farms a mixed enterprise of cropping and sheep with his family in Badgingarra. The Kenny's use crop grazing during the season as a way of maintaining high stocking rates. Andrew runs us through the benefits, the constraints and the management that goes into crop grazing. We also chatted about their experience with ultrasound preg scanni...