Humans of Agriculture

It's not everyday that we have someone new to the team and it's definitely not everyday where you get to sit down with them for a podcast episode and find out more about who they are, what drives them and what impact they want to make on agriculture.Fortunately for us, in her second week in the job after travelling to Sydney to an Ag Careers Expo Milly Nolan and host Oli Le Lievre got to sit down to chat about the first couple of weeks. We cover:Milly's early memories of agriculturethe decision points in her career to dateWhat it was like to make the decision to come and join the team at Humans of Agriculture.Sharing agriculture's real story and what she's learnt to love and appreciate What impact is she looking to have through Humans of AgricultureHow to build trust through storytellingA few jokes that may or may not have taken longer to get than expected...

In this episode of, Carbon Shortcuts: An introduction to all things Carbon in Aussie Agriculture, hosts Oli Le Lievre and Sam Noon are joined by Professor Richard Eckard from the University of Melbourne. The discussion revolves around the different types of carbon markets, the distinction between offsetting and insetting, and the emergence of biodiversity credits. The difference between the Voluntary and Compliance MarketsThe different Participants and Trades in each marketThe revenue potential and investment required to be involved in carbon projectsand Shifting focus from Carbon to the emergence of Biodiversity and understanding the emerging opportunityThis series is sponsored by Ruminati, an online emissions calculator created by farmers for farmers. You can learn more about their solution here show notes or by listening to our bonus episodes after episodes 3 and 4.Disclaimer: The information shared as part of this carbon series is general in nature. We're asking questions of Professor Richard Eckard. And he's providing his insights from his expertise. Humans of Agriculture doesn't endorse any of his views as part of this. They're really designed to just be conversation starters. And if you want to get more information, please reach out to specialists and experts in the carbon space.

In this episode, Oli Le Lievre and Samantha Noon embark on a journey to explore the carbon space in Australian agriculture. They are joined by Professor Richard Eckard, a renowned expert in climate and agriculture, to shed light on key concepts like carbon neutrality and net zero. The conversation covers Australia's emission reduction goals, the choice of baseline years, and the differences between net zero and carbon neutral. Across this series we aim to demystify the carbon space and shed light on the challenges and opportunities it presents.Key areas covered:Understanding Australia's emission reduction targets & how they have been setBaseline years and carbon neutralityCarbon Neutral vs Net Zero vs Climate NeutralVarious other environmental claimsThe challenge  & opportunity for carbon neutrality in AgricultureThis series is sponsored by Ruminati, an online emissions calculator created by farmers for farmers. You can learn more about their solution here show notes or by listening to our bonus episodes after episodes 3 and 4.Disclaimer: The information shared as part of this carbon series is general in nature. We're asking questions of Professor Richard Eckard. And he's providing his insights from his expertise. Humans of Agriculture doesn't endorse any of his views as part of this. They're really designed to just be conversation starters. And if you want to get more information, please reach out to specialists and experts in the carbon space.

In this episode of the Humans of Agriculture podcast, host Oli Le Lievre sits down with guest Leila McDougall. Leila shares her unique journey from a small town called Walcha in New England to her involvement in various creative pursuits, including being Miss Australia, acting, producing, and writing. Leila reflects on her unconventional resume, attributing it to her love for creativity and the interconnectedness of different skills. As the discussion delves into agriculture, Leila explains how her fascination with fashion stemmed from the Australian wool Fashion Awards and her family's involvement in the wool industry. Growing up on a farm, Leila cherishes her early memories and highlights her parents' hard work and determination to fulfill their dream of owning land. She acknowledges her mother's active role in farming, breaking stereotypes and proving that women can excel in the field. Leila opens up about being severely dyslexic, which posed challenges throughout her academic and professional journey. She shares her experience of learning differently, developing a photographic memory, and finding creative ways to overcome her dyslexia. Leila discusses her passion for fashion design and her struggle to enter the industry due to the competitive nature of the field. However, she found an opportunity through the Australian wool Fashion Awards, winning a scholarship that paved the way for her career in fashion. The conversation also touches upon the issue of dyslexia in agriculture, with Leila recounting a story that highlights the challenges faced by dyslexic individuals in communication and the lengths they go to overcome them. Leila's story is inspiring, showcasing resilience, creativity, and the power to turn obstacles into opportunities.

Welcome back to part 2 of the Clancy Mackay story.If you missed Part one, you better go back and listen to our previous episode!In Part 1 of this chat, Oli Le Lievre and Clancy Mackay covered Clancy's childhood in the NT, moving to Goondiwindi and becoming a bit of a "wildcat",  rodeoing in the USA, flying mustering helicopters and the impact of his father's death.Just some of the things Oli and Clancy's chat about in Part 2:Using challenges as stepping stones to overcome obstacles in his life and the importance of not letting hardships ruin your life.How so much alone time during flights allowed him to do a LOT of thinking and therefore develop different perspectives. Clancy believes that being comfortable with solitude and handling personal problems independently is crucial for personal growth.His plans to create a different approach to working with cattle and focuses on effective communication and teamwork after finishing at Marcus.If you haven't already listened to Part 1 of Clancy’s incredible story we HIGHLY recommend you go back and do so.

It's one of the most powerful conversations we've had to date. Clancy Mackay... a bush kid who grew up in the scrub of the Northern Territory. A teenager that 'played up a bit', however it's been his love of the land, of animals and of his family that have persevered. In Part one of this chat, Host Oli Le Lievre sits down with Clancy Mackay a current student at Marcus Oldham. At the ripe old age of 27, Clancy Mackay has decades of wisdom on top of his shoulders and real life lessons that have led him down the path he is on.He's adventures have included rodeoing in the USA, being an outback mustering helicopter pilot and collecting croc eggs among many other things!At 27, Clancy has fit a lot into his life and therefore has a lot of stories to tell, so to make sure we don't miss anything. Welcome to Part OneLHow Clancy’s parents bought a bare block in the territory and Clancy recalls his early years living in a caravan with no power, running water or telephone. He was a true bush kid, he did his schooling via School of the Air through the UHF radio, and once his school day was done (usually by mid morning) he'd spend the rest of the day running around outside and hunting and fishing in the river (He is unsure how they weren’t taken by a croc).Eventually, his parents moved him and his brothers down to Goondiwindi so they could see other people (as you can guess, they’d been pretty isolated as kids). Later on due to his parent’s separation, Clancy retaliated by playing up and being asked to leave the boarding school he was at.Clancy worked with cattle and started doing rodeos and riding broncs, eventually heading to the US where he rode 40 horses in 35 days. He did well and started learning Boiler-making while riding for a US college team, hoping to go pro. Unfortunately, 6 months into it, his dad was diagnosed with cancer and he made the decision to head home. Upon arriving home and with the motivation to make money to support his dad, Clancy flew through his chopper license exams in a record 4 months, which he then used to muster cattle right across Australia, eventually getting into catching feral buffalo and collecting crocodile eggs.Despite what seems to be an exciting adventure, Clancy also talks on the podcast about his dad’s struggle with illness and later death, which understandably has affected him greatly. As we mentioned, there's a lot to Clancy's story and we couldn't cut parts out so we will have Part Two of Clancy’s incredible story available for you next Wednesday.

"If you had said to me in year 12, or at uni, or even when I was living and working in Sydney in the ag world, that I would have my own business as an online yoga instructor, I'd probably laugh at you."The definition of fun and bubbly, Em Armstrong grew up on a sheep farm on the Hay Plains in NSW, where she loved the freedom of the wide-open spaces (cue Dixie Chicks), riding bikes and having a family “beach holiday" at the irrigation channel playing mermaids.“I think you look back on it now and you almost take it for granted, but as a mum now seeing other kids, I'm just like, ‘oh my god’, we literally had the best life growing up.”After school, all Em knew was that she wanted to work in the world of agriculture but couldn’t put her finger on what. So, she took a gap year… or two"You might hear host Oli Le Lievre referring to her as Porty, well that's because that was her nickname when they were back at uni together at Marcus Oldham! 

While at the Northern Australian Food Futures Conference, host Oli Le Lievre sat down with Tom White, an agronomist for Elders in Katherine.  Originally from Toowoomba, Tom has a real love of plants and has wanted to be an agronomist since doing work experience at B&W Rural...during a drought. They discuss:How he made the move to Elders Katherine after turning down the job for thinking he was “too green”, but now says that you’ve got to “learn to be uncomfortable”.Tom sheds light on the role of an agronomist, describing it as being a "doctor for plants." Address the myth about intense production systems in the NT.His advice to students: “Give it a crack, you only have to be as good as the fellow that’s applying next to you. So don't ever cut yourself short or think that you're not ready or that you’re not good enough.”

In this episode, Host Oli Le Lievre chats with Bela Farbas the Founder and CEO of 4Zero Technologies (Bela will do a better job of explaining what this is in the podcast).Bela shares his journey from his early days in Yugoslavia to his current (and unique) role in the agricultural industry and how it gives him “that warm and fuzzy”. What Bela and Oli chat about:Bela’s upbringing in a farming town in Yugoslavia before moving to Deniliquin NSW and how it laid the foundation for his later work in agriculture.The various sectors in which his company, 4 Zero, operates and the significant opportunities they are pursuing.His transition from software development to data science and the evolving field of artificial intelligence (AI), highlighting the ethical implications and impact on jobs.Bela explains his deep interest in the agricultural industry (it’s the core of what he does), driven by a desire to make a difference and increase his understanding of the food supply chain. He emphasizes the importance of bridging the gap between consumers and the realities of agricultural production.Who he has on his team and how they(IT, electrical engineers, nutritionists etc. work together in the ag industry.“It took me like five years to figure out is you need to listen to advice, specifically around taking a break… just remember, every year, just make sure you take a couple of weeks off.”  “Don't get too focused on the thing you're doing right now...always just listen to what's going on around you in the space you're in which things come up that might just be worth pursuing”

He's a hard man to get hold of, often travelling Australia and to various locations around the world. At the age of just 24, Callan Daley is playing a key role as the Business Development Lead for MEQ Probe. Callan joins host Oli Le Lievre to chat about the journey from Queensland farm kid to the juggle of uni and ultimately finding his feet in a growing start up business, right back home in agriculture. A few of the other things Callan chats about:All the places he’s been with work of late (around Australia and overseas)Reigniting his interest in Agriculture (“I’ve always had it in the background, but drought and harsh living conditions growing up as a kid aren't exactly the most appealing ways to foster an interest into an industry.”)Having a gap year out near Goondiwindi on a cattle and cropping farm and how much that impacted him.Finding that Uni just wasn’t for him.Being an EvokeAg Future Leader in 2019.And of course, his advice to year 10 students.Callan is a trailblazer for the next generation in the agriculture industry, and he is certainly one to keep an eye on.