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Commodity Conversations

Commodity conversations explores all the moves in Australian agricultural markets and the stories behind what's driving them.
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Episodes

Where to for Wool - 25th August 2023

This week Rob is joined by Stephen Hill, National Committee Chairman for the Australian Wool Production Forecasting Committee. Stephen talks us through some key findings from the latest forecast and discusses for what is ahead for wool production in Australia.

Aug 25, 202315 minEp. 243

A Tonne of Mutton and lambs to come - 4th August 2023

This week Rob is joined by Mecardo livestock analyst Jamie-Lee Oldfield to discuss everything lamb and sheep markets with spring approaching. Jamie-Lee is based out of a sheep and cattle operation in Coolac, NSW and is well placed to run us through the boom in supply, the lamb crop to come and what is happening to the flock across the ditch.

Aug 04, 202318 minEp. 242

The US Cattle Markets differing fortunes- 28th July 2023

This week, Rob has returned from the United States and is keen to discuss with the Mecardo team what he saw including some of the key insights from Mecardo's recent analysis of the US cattle market and its potential impact on the Australian market.

Jul 28, 202320 minEp. 241

Key Market Updates Quarter 2 2023 - 20th July 2023

This week Olivia and Ethan from Mecardo discuss the key insights from the latest Mecardo Quarterly Commodity Report. They discuss wool at the crossroads, the weather market impacts on grain, mutton milestones and cattle export signals.

Jul 20, 202322 minEp. 240

Regional Cropping Update - 14th July 2023

This week Olivia travels across Australia with some of the Nutrien Ag Solutions network to get a regional update on the winter cropping season so far. Olivia is joined by Greg Toomey: Branch Manager at Elmore, Victoria; Nick Brennan: Agronomy account manager at Wee Waa NSW; and Tom Shaw: Farm Services Support Agronomist based in WA.

Jul 14, 202321 minEp. 239

Lamb of the free, home of the brave-7th July 2023

This week Rob is joined by Heather Jones, a wool and meat sheep producer from Thermopolis, Wyoming. Heather talks to us about managing Rambouillet sheep through snow, mountain lions, badlands grazing and how the markets are treating lamb producers in the US.

Jul 07, 202320 minEp. 238

On the Ranch with Rob - 30th June 2023

This week Rob is in the Wild West of America and is joined by Art Butler, who sits on the Board of Directors of the American Angus Association and is the Owner and manager of Spring Cove Ranch in Idaho. We talk about the cattle market in the United States.

Jun 30, 202320 minEp. 237

The Bovine Boom -23rd June 2023

This week Mecardo's Ethan Woolley is joined by Ripley Atkinson, Senior Market Information Analyst with Meat & Livestock Australia. Ripley talks us through MLA's June update on cattle projections and discusses the fundamentals which are shaping cattle supply, demand and pricing this year.

Jun 23, 202318 minEp. 236

Global grain update - 16th June 2023

This week the Mecardo team is joined by Nick Booth, Mecardo Analyst and Director of Next Level Grain Marketing. This week is all about cropping, as we dive into the ABARES crop progress report, global balance sheets in grain and the factors that will impact the upcoming season.

Jun 16, 202321 minEp. 235

Seeding Success at Tax Time - 9th June 2023

This week, the Mecardo team is joined by John Gibson, Director of ProAdvice to discuss the upcoming end of the financial year. We discuss family farm finances including new changes to be aware of and other strategic planning opportunities growers can focus on.

Jun 09, 202318 minEp. 234

Wool walking a fine line this winter - 2nd June 2023

This week Rob is joined by Mark Symes Southern Wool Manager at G. Schneider Australia to discuss the latest in the wool market. Mark talks us through the balance between demand and supply in the current market and where to next for accredited wool and the finer wool market in general.

Jun 02, 202324 minEp. 233

El need to know - Weather update- 26th May 2023

With an El Nino looming and mixed conditions around the country, we turn to the skies this week with Eric Snodgrass, Principal Atmospheric Scientist at Nutrien Ag Solutions. Today's episode covers all things climate drivers, diving into what to expect from an El Nino this season, the implications for rainfall, temperature and frost patterns, as well as what might be in store beyond the current season. You can check out Eric's latest fortnightly weather forecast for Australia here, https://youtu....

May 26, 202319 minEp. 232

Sticking to the biosecurity plan - 19th May 2023

This week Rob is joined by Scott Young, Livestock Council President of the Victorian Farmers Federation. Scott’s mandate is to improve the Biosecurity outcomes for all farmers, and he talks us through what VFF is doing behind the scenes to ensure Biosecurity plans can protect farmers from risks such as trespassing. Read more at https://www.vff.org.au/policy/animal-welfare-biosecurity/biosecurity/

May 19, 202319 minEp. 231

Beef, Budgets and Biosecurity - 12th May 2023

This week Rob is joined by Luke Bowen, the Inaugural CEO of Cattle Australia. We discuss the takeaways for the cattle industry with this week’s budget release and upcoming opportunities for the cattle industry.

May 12, 202322 minEp. 230

Regional livestock roundup - 5th May 2023

This week Rob reaches out across the country to the Nutrien Ag Solutions livestock team, to get the latest insight into what exactly is happening in lamb and cattle markets. Andrew Holt, senior livestock account manager, talks about conditions for cattle up North. Leon Giglia, Regional Livestock Lead, runs us through supply situations in WA and Ron Rutledge, South-East Livestock Development Manager discusses the latest developments in South-East Australia.

May 05, 202325 minEp. 229

Leadership success along the supply chain - 28th April 2023

This week, Rob is joined by David Cornish, Director at the Centre of the Study of Agribusiness at Marcus Oldham. The agenda is all about the landscape for developing and fostering the next generation of leaders in Agriculture.

Apr 28, 202324 minEp. 228

Key Market Updates Quarter 1 2023 - 21st April 2023

This week the Mecardo team, Olivia Agar, Robert Hermann, and Ethan Woolley discuss the key market updates for commodity markets in 2023. We cover US Beef exports, wool supply surpluses, the ups and downs of the mutton job, Sugar cane success, cotton concerns, and barley back in China.

Apr 21, 202321 minEp. 227

Key drivers of livestock profitability - 14th April 2023

This week, Rob is joined by Bronte Lloyd, Animal production specialist with Nutrien Ag Solutions. Bronte discusses some strategies for maximising efficiencies in livestock production including balancing nutrition through supplementation and the importance of managing feed and vaccinations for breeding stock.

Apr 13, 202319 minEp. 226

Lambs’ seat at the trade table - 6th April 2023

This week Olivia is joined by Bonnie Skinner, CEO of Sheep Producers Australia. With free trade negotiations well underway in the EU and UK, Bonnie talks us through some key insights regarding the demands of the European lamb consumer. Bonnie also discusses how EID implementation and traceability can unlock value in these markets.

Apr 06, 202326 minEp. 225

Ewe have got to be in it to win it - 31st March 2023

This week, Rob is joined by Ally Jaffrey, Wool Area manager for Nutrien Ag Solutions based in Crookwell NSW. Ally plays a key role in the NSW SMBA Southern Tablelands flock ewe championship and joins us to discuss what farmers are getting out of the competition. We learn how benchmarking, networking, and the sharing of knowledge are driving excellence in Wool.

Mar 31, 202317 minEp. 224

Commodity Outlook: Climate, Conflict, China, Costs & COVID - 24th March 2023

This week Rob is joined by commodity conversations regular Michael Whitehead, Head of Agribusiness Insights at ANZ. Michael talks us through some of the key insights from the ANZ Agri in focus autumn report. We cover the outlook for a number of commodities including the climate and cost trends for farmers, the impacts of Chinese demand, continued conflict, and Post COVID supply chain developments.

Mar 24, 202319 minEp. 223

Managing cashflow for a tighter outlook - 10th March 2023

In this episode, Robert Herrmann chats with Tom Breen, General Manager of Customer and Business services at Nutrien Ag Solutions about the future of Ag, innovation in farm finance and how farmers can take advantage of those opportunities – even if cashflow doesn’t permit.

Mar 10, 202319 minEp. 222

The fruits of 10 years labour - 3rd March 2023

This week Olivia is joined by Lucy Noble, Industry Analyst with Hort Innovation. We discuss some of the key drivers behind the significant growth in productivity and value in the horticulture industry achieved in the last decade. We learn more about the latest iteration of the Horticulture statistics handbook, a comprehensive resource covering over 75 different commodities; and when can we expect some relief to potato supply?

Mar 03, 202321 minEp. 221

Recruiting for the future of Agriculture - 17th February 2023

Agriculture is about production and people, and the difficulty in finding people to fill jobs in agriculture is one of the most common pain points. Rose Ferdinands and Dr Mike Stephens from Meridian Agriculture, join us to chat about the labour challenges, what new graduates are looking for and what we can do to promote the opportunities on offer in our sector.

Feb 17, 202321 minEp. 219

Saddling up with Performance horses - 10th February 2023

This week Rob is joined by Mark Barton, Livestock agent with Nutrien Ag Solutions, to discuss the growth of the Australian performance horse industry. We cover the benefits of managing livestock from horseback to the history of performance horse sales in Australia. Mark has been instrumental in the success of one of the premier camp draft competitions and sales in Australia -The Nutrien Classic, where over $17 million of sale volume in high-performance horses was achieved this year.

Feb 10, 202319 minEp. 218

Key market insights from last quarter- 3rd February 2023

This week Rob & Olivia from Mecardo dive into the latest quarterly market insights report covering our core commodities. The team discusses bumper harvests, another record canola crop, geopolitical influences on the grain market, continued volatility in the cattle market, and the latest trends in lamb and wool markets.

Feb 03, 202319 minEp. 217

Understanding what to expect in the livestock market - 20th January 2023

In 2022 the long-term trend of rising sheep meat value was broken. In this episode of Commodity Conversations, Rob catches up with Will Barton, CEO of Gundagai Meat Processors, to get his take on the market. We’ll also hear his insights into the demand side of the equation, particularly with lamb export into the U.S market.

Jan 20, 202328 minEp. 216

Understanding the Argus Feeder Steer Indicator - 14th January 2023

Welcome back! We're kicking the year with Jo Clarke Associate Editor of Argus. Today we follow on from a previous episode on managing risk with cattle swaps, discussing the Argus feeder steer indicator. We'll hear how the Argus Feeder Steer Indicator is calculated, how it's being used, how it can be used, and what other indicators Argus is exploring.

Jan 14, 202319 minEp. 215

Part 2: How australian agriculture is exceeding expectations - 16th December 2022

Join Rob Herrmann and Michael Whitehead, Head of Agribusiness Insights ANZ for part 2 of their discussion on the pathways to capturing opportunities in agriculture. In this episode, we're looking at the outlook for 2030 and mapping out the main areas in which we'll need to focus to reach our full potential as an industry.

Dec 16, 202215 minEp. 214
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