Humans of Agriculture

Hamish Marr has been in the room for some of New Zealand Agriculture’s key discussions, yet the moment that he is most proud of and one that has defined his life more than any other was when a young boy asked him if he could teach him to be a farmer.Several years on from that initial conversation, Hamish continues to mentor and coach Fergus on his family's property on the South Island of New Zealand. “Fergus, he's a success story. He couldn't be farming, but now he is, and our industry is very lucky to have him. And I'm hoping in 20 years time, we'll still have him somewhere. I doubt he will be with me, because one day, he will be too good for me.” Amongst his other roles, Hamish has been a Nuffield scholar studying the role of Glyphosate in farming, is New Zealand’s Special Agricultural Trade Envoy and previous roles with Federated Farmers.Podcast partnership appreciation: Hamish Marr was announced as a Community and People Award recipient at the 2023 Syngenta Growth Awards in Sydney. This podcast episode is in partnership with Syngenta Australia featuring recipients of the Syngenta 2023 Growth Awards.

From Italy and French Polynesia to New Zealand and Australia, Roberta Marcoli has committed herself to research in aquaculture. Roberta’s energy is infectious and we learnt so much about the ocean and the world under the sea, how it has evolved to where it is today and how it can help shape the future. Roberta understands how communities around the world rely on fish, and how we can ensure we are not depleting our ocean resources through fishing activity. Co-hosts Oli Le Lievre and Milly Nolan sat down with Roberta at evokeAG. 2024 after her Future Young Leader presentation. She was on stage for 10min in a TED talk style delivery that had us engaged from start to finish. We talk about her journey, the evolution of aquaculture, how consumer sentiment has changed, what to look for when purchasing fish as consumers, wild caught vs. farmed and the opportunity for farmed fish to have an impact in feeding the world in a sustainable way. Our #FutureYoungLeader stories are proudly sponsored by 2024 AgriFutures evokeAG. evokeAG. 2025 applications will open later in 2024. 

Katia Taylor was always passionate about making a difference in the environment and climate. She initially began studying politics at University, but soon decided that she could have far more impact through science. And for Katia, agricultural science is the biggest platform to have the influence she wants to have in the world. She is now a Postdoctoral Researcher with CSIRO, looking at all things soil biomes, microbes, carbon, nutrients and crop residues. Essentially looking at ways to build richer, more resilient soils that contribute to a more productive and sustainable sector. Her technical knowledge is incredible and she has a remarkable commitment to her research. Co-hosts Oli Le Lievre and Milly Nolan sat down with Katia at evokeAG. 2024 after her Future Young Leader presentation to delve into more of Katia’s story. Our #FutureYoungLeader stories are proudly sponsored by 2024 AgriFutures evokeAG. evokeAG. 2025 applications will open later in 2024. 

Guy Coleman entered the evokeAG. stage and started handing around ANZAC biscuits his Mum had made. He was also holding his Grandmother’s 27th edition Country Women's Association cookbook. And then he started talking about open source weed technology. He explains that open source technology means that a fundamental idea is available for everyone to iterate upon and make different versions of, just like the ANZAC biscuit recipe. This way, improvements and accessibility can be made at a much more rapid pace. Always interested in building things and science, Guy was known to keep his housemates up at night building robots. Now based in Copenhagen doing research in weed technology, Guy says that, ‘Australian agriculture will always have his heart’. Oli Le Lievre and Milly Nolan sat down with Guy at evokeAG. 2024 after his Future Young Leader presentation and chatted about his dream of open-source technologies in agriculture being the way of the future and what he’s seeing on the ground in Europe. Our #FutureYoungLeader stories are proudly sponsored by 2024 AgriFutures evokeAG. evokeAG. 2025 applications will open later in 2024. 

Long before Sam Lambert was immersed in agriculture, he was an aspiring musician and studied economics in Canberra. Now, Sam is the Co-Founder of zenGate Global where they believe everyone should have equal access to technology and innovation. They work with different ag markets around the world to deliver supply chain resilience solutions, like in Sri Lanka where they work with their tea producers to connect buyers and sellers. Hosts Oli Le Lievre and Milly Nolan sat down with Sam at evokeAG. 2024 after his Future Young Leader presentation and chatted about his upbringing and how he is bringing his ideas to life. Our #FutureYoungLeader stories are proudly sponsored by 2024 AgriFutures evokeAG. evokeAG. 2025 applications will open later in 2024. 

In today’s episode, Oli chat’s with Fiona and Liam Mann from Eradu in Western Australia. Their journey into the space of Agriculture and farming today is as creative as it is inspiring. Both raised on farms, Liam originally from Scotland, moved to Australia for a harvest season in 2004 and never left after meeting his neighbour's daughter, Fiona. Through their fate meeting, and an incredible amount of hard work to follow, Fiona and Liam have turned their dream into a reality. And all with the help of oil. [Not the black stuff that made the Beverly Hillbillies a fortune from however]. It has been through the development of their premium product, Block275 Cold Pressed Canola Oil.Their commitment to their farming journey recently led them to being announced as winners in the category of “Innovation” at the Syngenta Growth Awards in 2023. Admitting they may have been the smallest farmers in the room filled with award candidates hasn't stopped them from achieving their goals. Starting out leasing land, borrowing machinery, working in off farm employment and raising a family while establishing their business, make it clear that perseverance and thinking outside of the box to value-add to their high grade Canola seed oil, all seem to be part of the secret sauce of their success in establishing themselves to where they are today.“It is absolutely really hard to get into farming. But if you want to, if you want it bad enough, and you've got some luck on your side, then absolutely, you can do it” - Fiona MannThe Mann's story serves as an inspiration to those aspiring to start their own farming journey, free from tradition, embracing innovation, and crafting a unique path in an ever-evolving industry.This is the fifth podcast episode in a partnership with Syngenta Australia featuring recipients of the Syngenta 2023 Growth Awards.

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 recycling endeavours. She has big goals that are aligned with the National Waste Policy to recover 80% of all waste by 2030.  Our #FutureYoungLeader stories are proudly sponsored by 2024 AgriFutures evokeAG. evokeAG. 2025 applications will open later in 2024. 

“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. 140 years on from when the Langley family first established themselves on the property, Ted, alongside his daughter and two nephews, continues the families legacy.The constant during their time; the importance of change and evolution. Ted’s open mindset to adoption of continual improved farming practices is inspirational. His recent announcement as a 2023 Syngenta Growth Award recipient in the category of productivity is well deserved. A great listen for where you are tuning in from today!This podcast episode is in a partnership with Syngenta Australia featuring recipients of the Syngenta 2023 Growth Awards.

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 like in the future?We had a bit of trouble finding a flower farmer, but as fate would have it, we found ourselves Liv Coutts. We set off to ‘Pemberley’ in Malmsbury, Victoria to meet Liv and find out more. Liv plays an integral role on her and her husband’s livestock and cropping farm with a bit of a twist – she's also a flower farmer. In this In The Know episode, Liv tells us all about the flower industry’s initiatives in sustainability, consumer trends and how to get started yourself. Resources: https://ausflowertraders.com.au/industry/ & https://www.roymorgan.com/findings/9432-ara-roy-morgan-media-release-valentines-day-2024

“If you can see it, you can be it” - Marty LovegroveThere’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 farm on South Australia’s Eyre Peninsula. He may never had pursued the shearing thing, however he most definitely has built a remarkable career in agriculture. In this chat, Oli and Marty talk about business ownership, the big leaps, backing yourself and the rewards associated with creating opportunities for the next generation of agronomists coming through.Marty has been recognised as a Syngenta Growth Award winner in the category of Productivity Advisor, so – let’s hear his story and get to know him! Podcast partnership appreciation: Oli recently caught up with Martin Lovegrove after he was an Award recipient at the 2023 Syngenta Growth Awards in Sydney. This is the third podcast episode in a partnership with Syngenta Australia featuring recipients of the Syngenta 2023 Growth Awards.