Humans of Agriculture

Claire Mahoney is the CEO and Founder of The Bravery.Claire was part of the consumer and insights panel at the Australian Organic conference. During her talk she mentioned some research which her company had commissioned firstly looking at what issues are aussies most passionate about and how to best wield the power for change. This led onto their second piece of work ‘who do you believe’ The work looked at which brands do Australians believe are truly making a difference in the sustainability revolution. Do they believe what they are seeing and hearing? Which brands are cutting through… - Number one issue Aussies care about is climate change- On top 20 issues very little varies between boomers, millennials and Gen X, however mental health is in the top 3 for young Aussies. - 86% are skeptical about the claims that brands make.- 3 in 4 Aussies cannot name a brand that is taking action on environment or social causes.- The top 10 brands that Aussies think are taking action might blow you away!To be honest, the companies that the average consumer saw as sustainable was pretty interesting and eye opening.. I sat down with Claire to find out more about the Bravery, their work in the communications and social impact space and how she hopes to create change and have an impact through her work. 

Andrew Henderson is the Independent Chair of the Safemeat Advisory Group, we sat down with Hendo to get the 101 on Foot & mouth Disease to understand a bit more about what it is, how it's transferred and what work is happening in the background to prepare and combat it coming to Australia.What is Foot and Mouth Disease?How is it spread?Why is it a significant threat to Aus livestock sector?What’s the process to regain market access?How long has it been a concern for Aus for?Why more of a concern now?Is there a vaccine?Check out the full AusVet Plan here - https://animalhealthaustralia.com.au/ausvetplan/To get access to resources and information head here: https://www.integritysystems.com.au/

G’day and welcome to a special deep dive episode of the Humans of Agriculture podcast. In these deep dive episodes we’ll be looking to find out more about specific businesses, topics and industries. We’re heading to the Australian Organic conference on the 21st and 22nd of July up in Brisbane, so ahead of the conference we wanted to sit down and have a chat with Ryan Reynolds from the Organic Milk Co. Ryan is the General Manager of The Organic Milk Co, so we sat down to understand a little bit more about their business, the products they are selling, how many farmers are they working with, what are their goals and most importantly what are the topics and discussion that he’s looking forward to at the inaugural Australian Organic conference.Australian organics is the leading peak body for the organic industry, a member owned not-for-profit organisation protecting and promoting the future of the Australian Organic industry. If you’re keen to head along to the conference it’s being held on the 21st and 22nd of July in Brisbane and you can find out more at www.Austorganic.com

Michael Patching is an Australian Veterinarian based in Singapore. With a Masters in Animal Welfare Ethics & Law from Edinburgh University Patcho is driven by making change and having impact. Within animal welfare, he wants to see some basic, yet difficult changes occur and he see's this as an obligation. Patcho grew up in the suburbs of Perth and from a young age knew that he wanted to be a Vet.His career, may have well taken a secondary seat to his love of Rugby. Travelling the world as a semi-professional player his footy career took him to play rugby, and work as a vet in Australia, New Zealand, Europe and across Asia.After completing his studies, a Masters in Animal Welfare, Patcho headed to Vietnam where he took up a role with Meat and Livestock Australia. His career to date has been focused around improving animal welfare standards across the supply chain and Patcho is incredibly passionate about this.Chapters00:00 Introduction and Setting the Stage03:25 Personal Journeys and Self-Awareness06:19 Challenges of Running a Business08:40 Lessons Learned from Running a Business12:59 The Importance of Curiosity and Asking Questions14:26 Choosing Singapore as a Base20:10 The Transformative Power of Travel23:29 Navigating the Complexities of the Agriculture Industry24:53 Balancing Global Issues and Personal Impact26:47 Striving for Balance in Work and Life30:08 Baptism of Fire: Early Experiences in the Animal Welfare Space33:01 The Importance of People and Relationships in Impacting Change37:23 Expanding Impact: Beyond Australian Cattle in ESCAS Supply Chains45:00 Respecting Animals: Consumer Responsibility in the Meat Industry51:41 Making a Positive Impact: Daily Actions and Challenges56:31 Innovation in Agriculture: Replacing Essential Tasks with Technology

You may have heard of Ned Hannigan, if not, he’s a professional rugby player. His rugby career has taken him around the world, so far he’s played more than 50 games for the Waratahs, 25 games for the Wallabies, the highest honour & spent a bit of time playing in Japan as well. But Ned’s a bloke from the bush, home is at Pasadena, the family property not too far from Coonamble in NSW. In this chat we talk about the journey Ned’s been on, where rugby has taken him and how his mindset and perspective has shifted around who he is and what he does.The culture within high performance teamsRealising that the dream as a professional athlete was coming trueThe importance of trying your bestLessons in blocking out the external noise and being kind to yourselfSeparating who you are from what you do

After losing her first child in her early twenties, Olympia packed up her life and headed to the northern territory. As she says she was running away from her issues. She found herself as the only female working in an export yard and as only Olympia can do quickly became part of the crew, and may have surprised them.She headed for the USA, as an avid horse lover she became a horse trainer in Stephenville Texas, a dry county. She would ride her bike several miles after a long day of training horses to have a few beers at the local club.Olympia left the dry county and met her now-husband Eric, a US Marine who deployed to Afghanistan several times. Olympia shares the reality of living in a Marine Corps Town, the thoughts of not when they would return but if they would return home. Olympia is simply extraordinary her will to make a difference is inspiring and this is where she finds herself today, reducing food waste going to landfill and feeding it to the Soldier Flies which ultimately then lead to becoming a stock feed. She cares deeply about the environment and is having a remarkable impact. This episode was recorded on Ngunnawal country and is part of our collaboration with EvokeAg. Throughout the series we’re shining a light on the people -  from all walks of life - who make our global agrifood system so vibrant. We’re hearing their stories of innovation, their diverse background, what drives them and why shaping the future of food is so rewarding. If you're keen on attending or partnering for EvokeAG 2023 in Adelaide, head to www.evokeag.com

Julia was an architect, her passion had led her to working on international projects that were creating spaces that could inspire people and make the world a better place through design. She began to obsess over the materials they were using to build these projects. She couldn't bring herself past the amount of petroleum-based plastic wrap that was being used, even on low-carbon embodied projects.She met her now-husband Jordy, who at the time was working on his own business growing and selling organic and biodynamic wines from South-West Victoria.Their business, Great Wrap is revolutionising the products we use at home in our kitchens as well as pallet wrap, which, subsequently goes on nearly every product that's produced ever, at some stage in its life.Great Wrap takes potato waste and through a sophisticated process turns it into a cling wrap that can be used for keeping household items fresh and keep items that are placed on pallets together and dry during transport. Their product is completely home compostable, meaning that it will break down in the soil into carbon and water. I loved my time with them out at their factory in Tullamarine in Melbourne, I learnt a lot from them about start-up business, and the difference between the types of 'degradables', and left feeling so inspired by what these two have achieved and will go on to achieve. So inspiring!!This episode is a collaboration between us and EvokeAg, heading to Adelaide in 2023 on the 21st and 22nd of February the event brings together incredible people who are shaping the future of Food. To find out more head to www.evokeag.com

For the past 30 or so years Prue Bondfield & husband David have forged an incredible partnership and it has seen them take their business Palgrove, from strength to strength. Uncovering new opportunities and blazing the trail to show what is possible with a vision, dedication and surrounding yourself with the right people. Having just recently completed the final stages of their succession plan which saw the property sold off, Prue shares more about what’s next for them.Prue has taken anything but straight forward path to getting to her roles in the industry including Chair of the Australian Beef Sustainability Framework. Growing up in regional Queensland her life as a solicitor went against the grain, later she moved into corporate roles before it was the love of a farmer at a BnS kick-started an incredible love of agriculture. Teamwork has been at the foundation of the success of Prue & David Bondfield. In this chat, Prue talks about the transition, the moment where she woke up and realised that the next stage of her life was starting.  Prue talks about career choices, finding passions, the importance of balance and that if you set your mind to it then you can do just about anything.Also, never serve up mouldy sconesThis episode of the Humans of Agriculture podcast is part of our collaboration with EvokeAg. We're sitting down with people from right across the Global Agrifood system hearing their stories. EvokeAg is headed to Adelaide, South Australia on Feb 21-22 2023, if you would like to find out more then head to www.EvokeAg.com to find out more.Image credit: Regional Investment Corporation (https://www.ric.gov.au/about/board)

Our next guest is just an incredible person, she’s a self confessed coffee snob, adventure racing, dog loving, mother of two and someone I feel really lucky to have sat down with on Gunditjmara country in western Victoria not too far from the turf that she grew up on.Anna Speer has built her reputation as a business leader at the forefront of industry innovation and evolution; her ability to lead teams and implement change has seen her as the CEO of AuctionsPlus, Chief Operations Officer of Australian Agricultural Company and in her current role today as the CEO of Greenstock, the Red meat side of Woolworths where she is responsible for the Woolies networks supply of Beef, Lamb and Pork.  But there’s a fair bit of the Anna Speer story that I certainly didn’t know. In this chat, we go beyond the day to day to understand more about the journey, the role of mentors, communication, professional development through the Australian Rural Leadership Program and more. This is the story from pony club kid, to ringer to today being Unashamedly Anna.  Are the supply chains for big supermarkets sustainableWhat does the first week as a CEO look like?What have been the learnings at the centre of change in industries?How has Anna approached communication, mentors and making the big decisions.This episode of the Humans of Agriculture podcast was recorded live on location thanks to Hope & CO in Hamilton on Gunditjmara country and extend our respects to the traditional owners for your care of the lands, air and water and recognize the importance of storytelling to connect people and place.This chat is part of our collaboration with EvokeAg, we're sitting down with people from right across the Global Agrifood system to hear their stories of innovation, how thye got to where they are and why they are so passionate about the future of food. We are really excited about the evokeAG. 2023 event that will be held on 21-22 February 2023 in Adelaide, South Australia. If you're interested in attending the two-day, full-scale, global event or partnering, visit evokeAG.com for more details.

Annabelle Hickson hails from just down the road from where our host, Oli Le Lievre grew up.Annabelle landed her dream job straight out of uni working for the Australian newspaper, her work fascinated her and she certainly landed on her feet.That was until she met 'the farmer'. The story took a turn and Annabelle found herself in Moree, with a lot of journalism skills but with an inability to get work.Annabelle's rejection subsequently turned into opportunity as she began blogging, then wrote a book titled 'A tree in the house' and since 2020, she has been self-publishign her own magazine Galah Press.The Humans of Agriculture podcast is sponsored by LAWD, the specialists in agribusiness valuations and transactions. Find out more at www.lawd.com.au --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/humans-of-agriculture/message