Humans of Agriculture

Welcome back to the Humans of Agriculture podcast hosted by Oli Le Lievre.This week we sit down with James Knight, a farmer located at The Sisters down in South West Victoria.- James shares his story from City boy who fell in love with agriculture (and subsequently a country girl!)- James' story takes twist and turns through university, finding his feet, returning back to his wife's family property and then the need to head off again.- This conversation talks about mental health and the times where James found himself 'in the dark'. He found through seeking Professional help and the support of those closest to him that he was able to get his life back on his own terms.- James has sat in corporate farming operations as the operations manager at Warakirri Cropping, an assistant farm manager, and today how he and wife Georgie have grown the family business into the thriving business it is today.This episode of the Humans of Agriculture podcast was recorded on the country of the Girai Wurrung people, we pay our respects to their elders past, present and emerging.If today's episode sparks any areas that you'd like to discuss more around mental health - Check out Lifeline on 13 11 14 or via www.lifeline.org.au, or the TIACS helpline on 0488 846 988. or at www.tiacs.org --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/humans-of-agriculture/message

Welcome back to another week of the Humans of Agriculture podcast.This week, Oli Le Lievre sits down with David Kininmonth the manager at Mount Hesse a 8,000 acre Sheep operation in Winchelsea in South West Victoria.One of the coolest parts of this chat is, Dave was actually one of the very first people to give Oli a go in farming and over nearly (crazy to think) the past 20 years, Dave has been a mentor and provided opportunities and a sounding board for Oli in agriculture.In the chat, Dave shares some of his stories from the past 30 years managing the property; how he has seen himself as a custodian of the land, the importance of working and empowering his team as well as making sure that the business was financially sound in order to support the dreams he had for the property.Dave is leaving Mount Hesse later this year after more than 140 years of the Kininmonth families relationship, in Dave's time as the custodian of the land it's safe to say that he is leaving the environment and business in a better place than when he started.The Humans of Agriculture weekly podcast is proudly sponsored by LAWD, the specialists in agribusiness valuations and transactions. To find out more head to www.lawd.com.au --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/humans-of-agriculture/message

Annabelle Cleeland has built her career around rural journalism. Growing up in Kew just on the outskirts of Melbourne's CBD Annabelle proudly told her dad at the age of 14 that she was going to be a farmer...Although the dream of farming was put on the backburner for a few years while she built her career, the love of agriculture and sharing stories of the people involved in the industry was always front of mind.Annabelle and I sat down for a bit of a chat ahead of a panel we're on in the coming weeks around Storytelling in agriculture and the different ways to do it.We'd love to know your thoughts on where have people, businesses, industries, brands done it well and what can we learn from it!Get in touch with us @humansofagriculture_ on Instagram or via our website www.humansofagriculture.com --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/humans-of-agriculture/message

When you think of Humans of Agriculture you probably don’t think of a TV Producer, Director, or Cameraman but our next guest is just exactly that. Tommy Lawrence has worked on some of the most iconic TV shows Australia has ever had from X-Factor to Bondi Rescue, but it was his love for Rural Australia and life in the top end that has seen him bring the stories of people from across Northern Australia to TVs across the world.- Tom spent his childhood in Darwin, whilst attending High school it was a film and media class that caught his eye. The only problem was that they thought his behaviour wasn't quite up to scratch - After giving an apprenticeship a go, Tom returned home to Darwin where he landed himself amongst the construction industry. Not long after, Tom had been playing with some mates cameras and decided it was time for the leap of faith and he headed to the Gold Coast for university which is just the beginning of this journey with the camera in hand. - So far his work has seen him working on Territory Cops, Mega Truckers,  Outback Wrangler, Creating Outback Ringer, X-Factor, Bondi Rescue, and well there’s plenty more to come in the documentary space- Tom’s first big job in Sydney after never being there before was on Australia’s most iconic beach, Bondi! He worked as a crew member on Australia’s most successful television show- Bondi Rescue --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/humans-of-agriculture/message

The Mort's family history in Australian agriculture goes back to the early days of Thomas Mort, Thomas was a pioneer and led some of the first exports of Beef from Australia. Today Charlie Mort is the founder and Executive Chairman of mort & Co, one of Australia's largest private beef businesses.Starting his career in the Stock and Station agency game, Charlie moved across Queensland for roles with Prime Ag that later became Elders. As the drought hit in the early 1990s, an opportunity came up to begin lot feeding cattle. A bloke from Muttaburra called and assumed Charlie was the expert in lot feeding. Once he got them onto feed successfully, Charlie let him know that it was his first time, and well it's safe to say that Charlie has since well and truly earnt those credentials today.Starting Mort & Co in 1997, Charlie sought out the support of others who could help him turn his dream into a reality. Building the business piece by piece into the diversified business it is today. Charlie certainly has ridden many of the highs and lows, today his vision for the business continues to see it innovate but it all comes back to getting the right people in the right seats to bring it all together. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/humans-of-agriculture/message

This week on the Humans of Agriculture podcast we’re heading back to share the story of an extraordinary family and Antola shirt ambassador.Tiff Sayers is an incredibly strong woman, I walked away from this chat just in awe of her resilience and optimism. In this episode Tiff shares her journey and the story of her daughter Ava.In March of 2021, Ava was diagnosed with Stage 4 Neuroblastoma only a month before her 8th birthday. For the past 12 months and for a further 6, Ava and her mum Tiff alongside sister Caitlin have been calling the Ronald McDonald House home.The family left their home near Harvey Bay literally overnight they headed to the Ronald McDonald House and that’s been home for the past 12 months.In this chat, Tiff talks about the world that has been the Ronald McDonald house and the bond that she has amongst the ‘Ronnie Mac Family’.At the end of this episode, I sat down for a quick chat with Preshni Pillay from the Ronald McDonald House to find out more about their programs and their support.To check out more about Ronald McDonald house click HERE.Click here to view the Antola Shirt Range --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/humans-of-agriculture/message

Dione Howard wears many hats: a National Rural Ambassador, Vet and Young Farming Champion.In high school she knew she wanted to be a doctor of sorts, the decision was whether she wanted to be a doctor of people or animals. It came down to she was a whole lot more comfortable dealing with animal blood than that of humans. She walked out of university and began her work near Hay in south-western NSW, in the midst of the drought, followed by bushfires and ultimately a pandemic. It has seen her work varied but as she says, her job is to help keep animals safe and make sure on the ground they detect any potential disease or threats to Australia's agricultural sector.Our weekly podcast is sponsored by LAWD, the specialists in Agribusiness valuations and transactions. Our question this week, when was the last time Australian farm prices saw a decline? Check out our socials for the answer! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/humans-of-agriculture/message

Welcome back to another episode of the Humans of Agriculture podcast, hosted by Oli Le Lievre. This week we sit down with Stephen O'Brien the CEO of Mort & Co. Stephen's a fourth generation flour miller and baker, his early career was with Defiance milling in Toowoomba. Stephen knows the value in teamwork, as one of 9 children it was instilled in him at a pretty early age and followed him onto his pursuits as a rugby union player. Stephen had bigger aspirations than working as a trainee and at the age of 26 decided that he would head to university to complete a Commerce degree.  Stephen's career has spanned management roles in Australia and the USA for both listed and private businesses.  This chat felt a bit like a reverse job interview, so I hope you enjoy it! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/humans-of-agriculture/message

G'day and Welcome back! We're straight back into it after a few days on the Darling Downs in Southern Queensland, and we can't wait to share what we were up to with you soon!While we were up there we sat down with a few different people from Mort & Co, and the first one we're excited to share our podcast with is Lily Bingham.Lily is the Feed Commodity Officer and as she says, without knowing much about beef, has certainly found a business and area she's passionate about.Lily shares that both her dad and their farm manager have played a vital role in supporting her (and her sisters) while in her day-to-day work it has been people both at MSM Milling and now at Mort & Co have provided her the opportunity to learn and grow.I hope you enjoy this chat and if you haven't yet, head over to @humansofagriculture_ on Instagram to view our latest story!Thank you to our weekly podcast sponsor, LAWD, the specialists in agribusiness valuations and transactions.Humans of Agriculture is hosted by Oli Le LievrePodcast produced and edited by Humans of Agriculture. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/humans-of-agriculture/message

Welcome back to the Humans of Agriculture podcast, I'm your host Oli Le Lievre. Mike Lee came onto the stage at EvokeAg 2020 and I think he captured the minds, eyes, and ears of everyone in the auditorium. Mike’s job, is as a futurist, he works with some of the largest organisations globally to help them see what our food system may look like in the next 5-25 years. Today, Mike and I chat a little bit about his journey, from his upbringing in Detroit to starting his own dining experiences. Today as the founder of The Future Market and as the co-founder of Alpha Foods. I love Mike’s realness in his approach as he works with businesses to create delicious products, enticing while being good for people, the planet and doing it in a profitable way. If you want to get ahead of the pack, you can find out more about EvokeAG 2023, which is being 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. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/humans-of-agriculture/message