AgWatchers

#184 The end days of the economy?

We have a chat with FX expert Dion Ciavola about the Aussie dollar, and the wider economy. Is the global economy ready for some tough times? Matt also provides an insane strategy for reducing inflation. 

#183 The agent of agents.

We have a chat with Chris Howie, a regular commentator in the livestock market. We talk about a range of topics from the difference between livestock prices in Australia versus other nations, the spread to retail, animal activists and a whole lot more. 

#182 Breaking News: Barley Tariff Removed

It's not surprising - but the Chinese anti-dumping tariff on Australia barley has been removed. As of tomorrow, we will have no tariffs for barley into China.
In this very short podcast we talk about what it means for the trade and the Australian producer. 

#181 Cultural vs Agricultural.

The Aboriginal Heritage Act has been a cause for concern for Western Australian farmers, on top of other issues. In this podcast we had a chat with Trevor Whittington the CEO of WA Farmers. 
 
What is the act? How does it apply to farmers? What makes something culturally important? Is the ACH impacting sentiment towards the voice? and a whole lot more. 

#180 Grain gains, livestock pains and urea game

Just the two of us.
The actions of Russia and how they have increased grain prices. 
Livestock markets - what is happening?
The VFF conference.
Fertilizer imports into Australia. 

#179 Carbon Cowboys part 2

In episode #158, 'Carbon Cowboys' we had a chat with Fiona Conroy about her views on carbon trading. In this episode, we have a chat with Oscar Pearse aka @oscarthefarmer.We have a chat about the new mandatory ESG reporting an how it could impact farmers, carbon trading, biodiversity trading and a whole lot more. 

#178 Plowing through the stress of farming.

We had a chat with Kate Burke of Think Agri. As always, we like a guest that is outspoken and has a laugh with it. In this discussion, we talk about the uncertainty of farming, stress, flood recovery and many tangents. 
Remember, if you want to look like the sharpest person in the paddock or be stylish on the streets, and help with Dolly's Dream, grab one of our polo shirts, where our cut goes to the charity by clicking here.

#177 What’s the backlog with meat processing?

We have a chat with Tim Ryan, General Manager of Industry Affairs of the Australian Meat Industry Council. In our chat we discuss what is the problem holding up processing around the country, along with a bunch of other topics.  

#176 Chilli, competition and confidence

We talk about our experience with Perth's spiciest pizza, the origin of the F word, competition with the Bunge/Viterra merger, confidence in livestock markets and how wheat markets are boring and exciting at the same time.
Please note the sound quality of Andrew is a bit poorer than normal because his microphone wasn't set up correctly. We'll be back to normal next time. 

#175 In defence of meat

We have a chat with Andrea Bertaglio, an environmental journalist from Europe, who has recently written a book defending the meat industry from misinformation relating to animal welfare, veganism and climate change. Andrea is also involved in the European Livestock Voice, which aims to dispel misinformation about the livestock industry. We discuss veganism, animal rights activists, animal welfare, misinformation and the role of livestock in climate change. You can find the livestock voice at meatthefacts.euHis book is available on Amazon

#174 We welcome our robot overlords

We have a chat with Tim Neale, founder of DataFarming. Tim is a straight talker when it comes to ag and ag tech and was a guest on episode #78 (click here to listen).
In this podcast, we chat about artificial intelligence, the GPS failure last month, insurance in agriculture and a whole lot more. 

#173 Watt’s up? A chat with the ag minister.

After a year in the ag portfolio, Murray Watt finally comes onto the Agwatchers podcast for a chat. 
Our discussions include live export, trade with China, farm labour, biosecurity (and levies), foot and mouth disease, and much more. Remember to subscribe and share with your friends and family, etc. 

#172 The silence of the lambs

In this podcast, we chat with Clarice Ané van den Berg, a farmer from Limpopo in South Africa. This podcast is another in our series with the Global Sheep Forum (link here), and we discuss a range of topics; Foot and Mouth disease, wild animals, cheap South African labour and more.

#171 Biosecurity budget - a levy or a tax on farming?

The budget announcement this week included increased funding for biosecurity, which was welcomed by most in agriculture. The concern was that some of this extra funding would come from a 10% increase in farmer levies. 
Colin Bettles, CEO of Grain Producers Australia, came onto the podcast to discuss this issues and his feelings about it. As always, we cover a few tangents. 

#170 Two bob’s worth

We chatted with Australia's current longest-running federal minister Bob Katter, from far north Queensland. We hear Bob's views on ethanol, farm labour, land clearing laws and much more. 

#169 Guns, germs and succession (from Australia).

We have a chat with Trevor Whittington, CEO of WA Farmers. We chat about government intervention, sheep live exports (and EID tags), the succession of WA from Australia, gun reform, trade with China and a whole lot more. 
 
A longer form podcast this time. 

#168 Grain and Graze - Market Update

No guests today, just us having a chat about markets. A few tangents along the way, but we discuss cattle prices, grain markets and anonymous fertilizer trolls. 

#167 Educating the next generation about agriculture

"City folk don't understand anything about agriculture". This is a comment we hear a lot, and one of the best ways to get over the rural-metro divide is to educate the next generation. 
We speak with Luciana Mesiti, the CEO of the Primary Industries Education Foundation Australia (PIEFA), about the challenges and benefits of teaching agriculture in the curriculum. 

#166 Littleprouds scorecard for Watt.

In this episode, we are joined by David Littleproud, leader of the Federal National Party and former Minister for Agriculture.David has never been afraid to put an opinion forward, much like the podcast hosts. In this episode, we are given a review of the government's and Murray Watts's performance, his views on his time in the ag minister role, and discussions about the live export of sheep, biosecurity and farm labour. 

#165 Australia and China enter into couples therapy.

A follow-up episode examining further the positive news in relation to the Chinese agreement to expedite their review of the barley tariff. We are joined by GM of policy at Grain Growers Limited. We cover off and debate the change and what it could mean for trade and Australian farmers.