The Farmers Club Private Podcast

Bec is one of those lucky people who has a mathematical brain. But she is also a very good writer, and as some of you would know, Bec is one of our guest columnists. It’s a unique combination that you don’t see often. 

Bec has been instrumental in the Cotton industry and has seen some of the big changes that have allowed it to become the progressive industry it is. I asked Bec why it’s so progressive. She said it’s because it’s an industry where Farmers aren’t competing with each other; everyone want...

It’s not very often we have ready access to a family who pioneered an Ag industry that has proved to be one of the Cattle industry's greatest discoveries. Usually, they have descendants 6 or 7 generations back, but our interviewee today, Jack Sher, is only 2nd generation.

Jack's father, Nick, can lay claim to bringing the first batch of Wagyu genetics to Australia. Interestingly, they came from the US and not Japan. Nick and a few other breeders imported an embryo batch, so there were others involved, but the Shers can lay claim to having the first Wagyu ca...

To make it big in Ag Tech, you have to be someone pretty special. Someone who understands their audience. 

We sat down with Jock Lawrence, who is the founder of Farm Management Software business Mobble. Take a listen here. Jock, a Farmer's son, got the idea from his old man when marking Lambs one day. He was counting tails and jotting them down in his trusty notebook, and Jock thought there had to be a better way. There was, and he built it. 

Disclaimer: I use Mobble, but only for the rain gauge, and what I...

This podcast is with Lachlan Monsborough; he’s the Ag and environmental lead for Rabobank here in Australia. We pretty much exclusively spoke about the Chinese Machinery market and their ambitions to start exporting Machinery to the leading Ag countries worldwide.

Lachlan said it’s just a matter of when, as they are quickly developing the appetite and are showing signs that it’s all starting to happen.

Lachlan used BYD's move into Australia as an example of how they gained traction really quickly, and he outlined how quickly they have grown in just 10 years.

H...

Scott McDouall had a unique start in life, where his father was an educator and facilitator with RCS and his mother was a psychologist. And, funnily enough, all these years later, he has started a business that has tapped into and combined the skills his mother and father both had. 

Scott runs Swiften, which is essentially a business that provides coaching to a wide range of Rural businesses. Scott started out drinking the corporate juices, mainly with Elders and later with Mort and Co, and was seen as an ambitious knowledge seeker who climbed the ladder. And l...

In part 1, we spoke about the following:

In part 1, we spoke about the following:

Ah shit, where do you start? This interview with Jeff went for a long time, and we covered a lot of ground. And usually we do a reasonably long 2 to 3-minute intro. I don’t think this podcast needs that. So I am just going to jot down some dot points on the subjects that you will pick up on. Here goes:

> We humans dominate this earth because we have a front brain.

> There’s a science behind how we act.

> Jeff follows Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Click here.

> Farmers have a...

This podcast is a little different; it’s from a panel we were involved in during the Farmers Day Out at Ballarat in late March.

The lineup included:

Lachie McKenzie - Founder of McKenzie Ag - Panel Facilitator.

Brooke Dawson - CEO of Oakdale Meat Co.

Phil McFarlane - CEO of Australian Plant Proteins.

Alistair Ham - Founder of Windemere Oilseeds.

Dwain Duxson - Founder of The Farmers Club

The quality of a panel podcast de...

We recorded this podcast with Barry Clark live at a conference, and I had the pleasure of co-hosting this interview with the affable and ultra-professional Kirstin Diprose.

This one is a real standout story on so many fronts, and it's chock-full of great business lessons and takeaways. In this podcast, you have to listen intently and perhaps replay some of the points to find the take-home bits.

Barry was a panelbeater but turned his hand to Shearing and was on the handpiece for 28 years. Somewhere in there, he became a Shearing Contractor, and at the...

Alice Mabin has done a lot in the Ag space, a hell of a lot. It would almost be safe to say more than anyone her age, and she's still only young. She has a creative mind, and she gets the Ag and Farming thing. 

Alice has a saying she keeps telling herself: "What would I be doing if I only had 6 months to live?" She builds her life around this statement. It stems from having a horse accident at 15, where she was resuscitated 3 times, spent 3 weeks in a coma and 4 months in hospital. In t...

Ash has been a disciple of the Machinery Industry over the last 3 decades. He is a curious observer and has witnessed the many changes that have come to the industry over the years. 

In this podcast, we cover the industry dynamics of what happens when there are fewer new buyers in the market and do a bit of scenario-playing about what might happen to the used market going forward. 

We talk about whether the Chinese are on the way with their offering, and we hear that the successful Liujong brand appears to be entering the ma...

Ben McEvoy was an outstanding AFL footballer who played 252 games over a 15-year career, including two premierships with the Hawthorn Football Club. He was drafted by St Kilda and has a funny story about the draft, and when he was traded from St Kilda to Hawthorn, he didn’t know it was going to happen until it did. 

Ben was passionate about Football but has what I’d consider a greater passion for Farming. He says he’ll be a lifelong Farmer and just loves it. The money-earning side of Football allowed him to enter into the Farming...

We have Jeff back by popular demand. Our recommendation is that you listen to the first podcast we did, episode 25, for context, if you haven't already. 

Some of the points we covered in this episode were around bank staff and how there's a lack of Agricultural knowledge within the bank, probably like never before. Jeff talked about the concerns around the viability of marginal Cropping areas. 

We gave Equity some airtime and asked whether it's even useful as a business and borrowing tool anymore. We covered lease rates for Land and what they are telling us...

St John (pronounced Sinjin) is an interesting cat, and we got him on because we wanted to hear his story and what he does, but we also wanted to get into the minds of you guys (the Farmers) and better understand the decisions you make and why. 

So, by listening, you might get a better understanding of yourself and why you do what you do. You see St John has a business called Rural Sales Success that specifically trains salespeople how to serve their Farmer customers properly, not sell to them, but serve them. And as you w...

Kent Wooding has paved a well-built path in the Agronomy game, mainly in the Mallee area of Victoria. He started out in the space at 20 back in 1990, and he revealed to us that he actually wanted to work in the Livestock industry, most probably as an agent. 

Back then, the Mallee was a mixed Farming region, but over the years Sheep have disappeared, so Kent probably made the right career choice. When asked what traits the best Agros possess, he said they are strong at the basics, have a keen interest in the science side of things, a...

Kate Burke has spent a lifetime in the Ag space and has worked alongside Farmers throughout her career. I've said it before: Kate gets Farmers and knows what makes them tick.

You can only do this by closely observing the human side of Farming. Kate is a deep thinker, and when working in a consultancy role with Farmers, she has the ability to adapt to each situation, which can differ from one Farmer to another.

Kate has just finished her 2nd book called "Succession", which will be a must-read for anyone who is in a...

Simon Quilty is, hands down, Australia's leading Red Meat and Livestock analyst. What separates Simon from others is his ability to take complex scenarios and relay them in simple terms. He has developed a delivery style that Farmers can understand, and when it's understood, Farmers can then make the necessary decisions they need to make within their own businesses.

Simon's parents were both doctors, and he was brought up in Shepparton in Northern Vic. So he never started with the Ag background. But he soon developed a love for the Red Meat and Livestock industry in his...

The 2nd part of the Bill Long interview is about his critique of the GRDC and Grains industry RD&E in general. Critique might sound like a bit of a negative word, but it's not; it's great to hear from people like Bill who tell it like it is and with an informed opinion. He outlines what he thinks needs to change, but also praises the many things that are going right.

Bill sent us an email with his reply to the "Boots Off Log On" podcast we alerted him to, which featured Paul McKenzie, a respected...

Bill Long has had a most interesting career in Agriculture. His wife, Jeanette, sent me Bill's list of achievements, and I could not believe how long it was.

Bill started as an Agronomist after growing up on a Farm in the Mid North of SA. His inquisitive mind meant that he chose agronomy over being a Farmer, which he stepped back into later in life.

When he started in Agronomy, it marked the beginning of the evolution of precision Farming, and Farmers needed help converting from the old, conventional way of Cropping. Bill really enjoyed...

Jonathan Lillie and his brother Jamie are in charge of the Lillie family generation business called Fox and Lillie. Fox and Lillie started in 1948 in the Wool industry, a good year to start a wool-based business in the lead-up period to what was known as the 1950s Wool boom.

Fox and Lillie is a great Australian Agricultural success story as they have stood the test of time and have constantly pivoted their business with good management decisions that have allowed it to diversify. 

Fox and Lillie is 100 per cent owned by the Lillie Family and n...

We interviewed Tim Burvill from the South Australian Cattle Company (SACC). 

The SACC is a very interesting business that has a few moving parts to it. It has a couple of properties in the South East of South Australia where they run Cattle and a Feedlot, they have a wholesale dry-aged Beef company and a brand called Kings and Queens, which sells to select supermarkets. 

They had a couple of restaurants in Adelaide and Melbourne, but exited those when they dissolved a partnership. 

Tim recently got back from the US, and he used his...

Nikki Lyons just set a record for shearing 502 Merino Lambs (unmulesed ones, mind you) in a 9-hour working block with breaks in between.

Nikki outlines in detail what she went through on the day and the preparation she put in before the event.

It's a real team game, and Nikki relies on those around her, so she can fully focus on her job at hand and what's in front of her handpiece.

With all due respect to the general Shearers out there, this stuff that Nikki is doing is 5 levels above and some...

Pat Mangan created the Farming tour industry in Australia through his business, Swagman Tours, which he started in 1987 and sold in 2020. It was a business that served the Farming industry very well because it got people off their Farms and onto other Farms where they picked up ideas that they could take home and experiment with.

Pat is known as the guru of the Farm Tour industry.

After he sold the business, he operated as a consultant to another travel company and still does that part-time role today.

Pat was brought up on...

Our guest today is Kelly Marson from Let's Talk Australia. Kelly has blown me away with her passion for wanting to help with the negative experiences that come with mental health issues. You will get an understanding of her passion and commitment when you hear her speak.

Because of this, and also because it's such an important subject, we have decided to make this podcast available to the public through Apple Podcasts and Spotify, as well as behind the paywall to our paid subscribers.

There are some amazing insights from Kelly, and this is an...

This is part 2 of the Ken Solly podcast. 

We start out with a group of Ken's favourite sayings, some of which he is famous for amongst his clients and those who have attended events he has run and spoken at.

We cover off on many aspects of the business of Farming as well as some Sheep industry happenings, which Ken is very passionate about.

Ken also opens up about his person battles and how he has turned these negatives into positive outcomes. It's very brave of Ken to talk about what he has b...

Our latest podcast guest is none other than Ken Solly. For those of you keen on advancing yourself in Agriculture, this is a must listen.

Ken has helped numerous Farmers in his time, firstly as a TAFE teacher, and after that as a self-employed consultant. 

His great mate Wayne Hawkins said he could have easily doubled or even tripled the turnover of the Farmers he worked with, such was his influence. 

Ken is a deep thinker, a thorough observer and has been a great listener. He has a knack for turning complicated things in...

Libby Price has spent 40 years doing media, and a big chunk of that in the Ag or Rural Media. Libby presented the Country Hour when it was a hugely popular program on the ABC off and on for more than a decade, and has nearly done 10 years presenting the Country Today program on the Ace Radio Network.

Libby talks about what makes a good interview and outlines some of the ins and outs of what it takes to put the Country Hour and Country Today programs together.

Libby explains how she is a natural at...

Yep, Ben Duxson is my brother. 

Ben wears many hats. He is the boss at Glendemar, a 2200-hectare mixed Farm near Marnoo in Victoria. Ben has a passion for breeding Merino Sheep and is a long-time user and supporter of ASBVs. In this podcast, he talks about the evolution of the modern Merino.

Ben wears another hat, which he calls his side hustle. He is the unofficial spokesperson of the local group that is fighting against the transmission lines that will potentially run through his property.

Ben, whom I would never have thought o...

Jeff McDonald is the best person I know who can explain how the relationship between a Farmer and a Bank should look like.

The title of the podcast is called "Equity ain't Equity anymore".

This is a must-listen for anyone involved in the business of Farming.

Enjoy. End of message.

The Farmers Club podcast is now only available to our paid newsletter subscribers. We know that won't suit everyone, but it's a business decision we have made to give all our current and potential subscribers extra value. So what you will...

Jack Owen is a Farmer in the Ballarat area of Victoria. Jack has a couple of other strings to his bow in that he's written a book and coaches 20 Farming businesses.

Jack, at 30 years of age, is going places. 

The Farmers Club podcast is now only available to our paid newsletter subscribers. We know that won't suit everyone, but it's a business decision we have made to give all our current and potential subscribers extra value. So what you will hear here is a preview of each podcast.

You can sign up for t...

Lachie McKenzie is a Farmer in South West Victoria who runs a Commercial Angus Herd and a Composite Sheep Breeding Flock. 

Lachie also runs McKenzie Ag, a Nutrition and Stockfeed business that delivers around 1000 tonnes a day to clients all around Australia.

If you want to know how some of the best operators in Ag go about it, then this is well worth a listen. 

I hope you enjoy. End of message

The Farmers Club podcast is now only available to our paid newsletter subscribers. We know that won't suit everyone, bu...

Joe Messina is a student of the Farm Machinery market both here and in Canada.

This Aussie turned Canadian turned Aussie again gives us a rundown on where the very expensive new Machinery market is at and where it's headed.

I hope you enjoy. End of message.

The Farmers Club podcast is now only available to our paid newsletter subscribers. We know that won't suit everyone, but it's a business decision we have made to give all our current and potential subscribers extra value. So what you will hear here is a preview...