Oli Le Lievre 0:02
G'day and welcome to the internet on the go podcast produced by humans of agriculture. Our podcast is designed to get you across the things that matter in Ozzie agribusiness in a way that's just well, bloody easy to understand. Think of me as a friend that is learning with you as we discover and chat about the topics from farm to fork and even beyond. Good I welcome to this week's in the new episode we're doing this one live at shave vention I'm huddled around the heater in the eldest Stan, Sam is looking pretty warm in her merino wool jacket. Some other one is an Australian wool broker based in Melbourne. She's working with elders and has for the last 11 years. She's incredibly passionate about the wool industry. And she is a huge enthusiast and an advocate for all the opportunities with Ozzy wool. She's originally from Western Sydney Blacktown. For those of you who are listening at home, she's proud dog number two Kelby and Border Collie crosses, Charlie and bear. But today we're here to talk a little bit about Sam's journey. And what's happening with elders in all things well. Sam, one day to shave vention Welcome to the humans of agriculture podcast. Hey, thanks for having me. Sam. We'll chat a little bit about wool. Later. I'm interested, you've been with elders for 11 years, you're in quality assurance. And
Speaker 2 1:23
in the marketing side as well, for Well, yeah, with elders. How long? Have you been doing it for 11 years? Yeah.
Oli Le Lievre 1:29
So tell me, how did you fall into agriculture
Speaker 2 1:32
started with a really great high school teacher and a little handful of black cartels. And just being able to see that connection in the community and learning something that wasn't just out of a book. So being able to see how it all came together. And from there, the opportunities really just keep doors have continued to open to see where I am today.
Oli Le Lievre 1:48
So it was a an agriculture subject in high school that drew you into the industry. Yeah, correct.
Speaker 2 1:51
That's it. But you know, suburban high school. So it was a very small mob of cartels, and going around to like local shows and things like that.
Oli Le Lievre 1:59
Have you had any involvement in agriculture before that?
Speaker 2 2:01
No outside that like petting zoos, like Fairfield City Farm, things like that. There was not a lot going on. And we didn't really we didn't have family and things that were off farms or anything like that. So it was really a case of finding a bit of a pocket that really, I hit was something different about it. And something that really worked.
Oli Le Lievre 2:15
You're one of those success stories, and so many people that we talk about trying to attract and get into the industry, we've got one of you standing right in front of it.
Speaker 2 2:23
It's great. We can't, you can't be what you can't say you kind of set up and just the opportunities. It's not something that you train for. It's making it what you want it to be as well. And I think there's a lot of support in the industry for all those kinds of things. So obviously incredibly
Oli Le Lievre 2:35
passionate about what was it the pathway you wanted to go straight out of high school? And what did those first few years look like?
Speaker 2 2:41
First few years out of high school. So I definitely knew I had to go to uni, I was having a look around a few different jobs. And I was doing for working for like Novartis I'd done a contract with a WTA. And then covering off to uni, also did some TAFE in between there just to get a few more practice skills. It will was something that I always came back to, but I didn't know what jobs were out there. And it's not something that was quite kind of publicized a lot of stuff and you'd say in shed on farm, but as agribusiness kind of crossover happened, it's been able to see what was out there that was really good.
Oli Le Lievre 3:08
And the pathway into elders you mentioned it was just applying looking for jobs you had in the ring.
Speaker 2 3:14
Very much so so I'd worked been working on with Sydney with Nevada, so one of their field facilities out there. I had a contract with aw ta so the testing authority in Melbourne. And at the time, I was just having a look around to see what was there things like auctions plus were available. So I had some interviews with them, and elders as well. So there was a few different ones kicking around just to see where I fit and I had had interest in being a bit more with not so much just on farm, but just being able to say what experiences they wear as well before bein say put behind a desk or something like that.
Oli Le Lievre 3:40
And so today in your role, what does a day week month typically look like?
Speaker 2 3:45
It's nothing and this isn't a it's nothing, nothing is always the same. So we're currently in a wall sale recess. So I get to give the voice a bit of a rest for auctioneering. But we do kick off next week. I've been up in Dubbo with the New South Wales wool team had Bendigo shape show and then she mentioned here today specifically we've got the the wool awards. So we work with in Melbourne and go through the process of judging clips throughout the year. And he we're here to award our yearly winner for the southern clip. So it's never boring.
Oli Le Lievre 4:11
For people like me who have very little idea, I know, obviously the wall comes off the shape. I've been involved in that side of things enough what actually happens between the farm gate and ultimately the end product, which we say
Speaker 2 4:22
it's a fascinating process. And there's so many different plays in the supply chain, which makes it so unique. Once it's left the farm coming either coming to a broker to sell your wall or some go into their own like private kind of workings. We've got some clients who turn their own wool into their own clothes and things like that a couple who actually he presented at Shape Up exhibiting he mentioned but ultimately we get test results for the wall. So putting some numbers behind what the wall is and preparing it for sale. So having it in a sample box that buyers can look at it to coming through to auction and making sure that those those was marketed in the best way.
Oli Le Lievre 4:53
And innovation has probably been from my understanding it has evolved, but what's changed at elders over there So, in your side of the business,
Speaker 2 5:02
it's been pretty exciting. And I think, you know, Will is such a traditional industry, which is part of the beauty of it. But it's great to see some advancements coming through, look on day to day dealing with a lot more clients who are dealing with, say ag tech, so different ways to manage different things or monitor different things. But with older specifically, look, there's a brand new world first of all handling facility that I'm pretty excited to be working out of at the moment, we're not quite open to the public just yet. But to be able to see industry and investment in this industry is something that will make Well, yeah, with the supply chain to streamline and support our clients in the best way possible.
Oli Le Lievre 5:35
Can you tell us a little bit more about what that site actually looks like? Because when you say it's, well, first innovation, I've heard things read things on the rumor mill, but can you tell us a bit of a high level what it actually is going to look like?
Speaker 2 5:46
Yes. So size wise, I think it was two or one and a half mcg. So the size is incredible. So to drive out there in the morning, it's pretty unreal, mezzanine floor. So above the above the bales having all our sample boxes on there. And particularly for wall it's, it's so much a tactile and visual product and seeing that fiber. So the show floor itself is having less roof to floor window. So we can have all that natural light and be able to show wall off to its best. And that overlooks our, where all the bells will be stored. So AGVs will be moving our bells around to really high on that safety element, but also been able to streamline things things we're not relying on laborers, there's labor shortages everywhere. So just to be able to make sure that we're getting where it needs to go at the right time. AGV. So like a little robot, yeah, automated automated guided vehicles, which I'm pretty excited about. I'm not seeing them as yet. But they're ready to get put together. And it's what a lot of other industries that are already working with. So, you know, big logistic firms and things like that. So it's great to have something that's already been proven in so many other industries coming across, we are patching will, that need
Oli Le Lievre 6:47
to seriously go I was gonna say that's what you see the the Amazon factories, the those types of businesses, they're all using it. So now we're starting to see that coming to agriculture. And you guys really are the first doing it here in Australia front lining
Speaker 2 6:57
it, which is really exciting. And it's great to be around the team that's been part of all that and hearing what they're doing in different elements that they're pulling, because as with agriculture, you can't just have can't, it's never just AG, you've got some ag tech, you've got some other human innovation or some other skill set that comes in to make agriculture really what it is. So that's definitely what the team have been doing to pull together how we can be the most efficient, be able to be sustainable fit what our consumers are looking for, and what the supply chain is looking for, as well.
Oli Le Lievre 7:24
Do you get exposure to what's actually happening in overseas markets and get over there as part of the job.
Speaker 2 7:29
I've been extremely fortunate. So I've actually just come back from Japan. So I was in Kyoto for the International textile organization, Congress. And so that was amazing to see and to interact. So think about 300 delegates from across different sectors in South Africa, across in China, and the Americans came across as well. And just to be able to talk to them, see what they're facing in their solutions and how they fix them had been able to go across the Hong Kong to China as well and with elders have been able to go across to Italy. So it's a pretty amazing role to be part of and to be able to see those markets and see the passion, particularly the Italians, they love Australian wool and to see how passionate they are. It mirrors our growers and how passionate they are as well, which is great to know that it's going somewhere all our wheels are going somewhere that it's appreciated.
Oli Le Lievre 8:11
So we're going to see a resurgence of wool really on the front lawn. Yeah,
Speaker 2 8:14
I hope so. I am confident in in wool for what it is. I think it fits today's consumer today's environment. It's really the fiber that we need today. It's where markets can be kind of fickle kind of thing, where it's never one thing. It's the whether it's the dollar or its geopolitical something's going on. But I think as a fiber itself, it's got that truth to it. And I think it's just about a retirement for everyone else realizes that true, we just have to say it a bit louder.
Oli Le Lievre 8:39
And let's talk a little bit about versatility or the jacket you're wearing I saw a few years ago, I think it was an AWS but to explain it to people it kind of looks like it's a waterproof jacket. extremely warm. Yes. Am I right in that? Can you tell us a little bit more about that and it was actually made from wool. Yeah, so
Speaker 2 8:53
this is a pure the Awai pure new wool so 100% for optimum Fiber Fabric. So it was one of the innovations that came out of Awai and has been commercialized. So elders, we did a co brand with them so you'll see a number of our staff with it and I think it's it's important that we were talking the talk we've also got to walk the walk so we love wearing all our jumpers a wool as well. And it's it's been able to, you know, it's a fire but we want to be around all the time. So it's great to be able to wear it and to show people and everyone is quite amazed. We've had fashion designers who have come down and the show floors can get quite cold so you're wearing all those will things but the amazement when they see the optimum fabric and hearing it's the splashproof waterproof that kind of end it's just puts Wally in a more special kind of place I think
Oli Le Lievre 9:33
and while the rest of us are out here shivering and having to huddle right around a gas heater just standing here I
Speaker 2 9:39
have moved to a colder place in Victoria. So I think that's a bit more acclimatized because it's pretty similar at the moment so yeah, but no, it's it's the best for for that move. But at the same time, you know shortly we'll be in the RAM shed running around in there, rams movie around people moving around but not needing to like D layer because you know just breeds with you as well. So it's that flexibility to be able to The environment that you're in
Oli Le Lievre 10:01
the marketing cloud.
Unknown Speaker 10:04
It's a beautiful fiber.
Oli Le Lievre 10:07
So 11 years with elders, your role today is slightly different, you get to do a lot of mentoring new people coming into the business, that's gonna be pretty cool and special, what's it like to be able to bring in that next generation and potentially kids exactly like you who have come from non farm backgrounds that find a passion in this area,
Speaker 2 10:23
I think it's really important to be able to support that next generation, we've got a growing, the workforce is changing. roles are changing people's expectations about the job market in particular is just changing. We're very fortunate to have two young trainees with us in Melbourne now, which is great. And we've just had read a house. So she's come across, she was all manager for four and a half using wa with elders, and it's come back across to join us in Melbourne see more of that technical side. So I think it really is a case of sharing knowledge, we're a little bit different to say, say a branch team that you'd find in one particular area, we get to deal with our representatives across Australia. Events like these, being able to just share those stories and being supportive. And I've found nothing but supporting the industry, which has been why the more people you can tell about the positive stories, I think the better it is, and the more you can encourage others into it.
Oli Le Lievre 11:08
So it's exciting you about the future, everything. Getting to
Speaker 2 11:12
be here today getting to speak to there's everyone's got their own amazing, amazing pathways, main stories, their own passions, and you really hear that when you get to speak to them about where they fit into the industry across agriculture, this news, we're handling facility, it's exciting. So to be able to be around the team, that's part of it, seeing all the pieces come together. It's something fresh, it's something new. And I think it's great to see some of the other products in agriculture have some new things. So it's great for water be out there. Like I say, I love the tradition of it. And you can never take that away. But it's great to be stepping forward, I think and showing what we can do.
Oli Le Lievre 11:44
There's one other topic I want to ask you about. And it goes back to COVID. You you started a little blog, which I feel like started to reach lots of people all over the world. What was the instigator behind that? And can you tell us a little bit about the success of that?
Speaker 2 11:56
So the little little blog. Okay, so through, I think it's important, again to share why the great things about wool and the products that are out there. So I had some clients who were just talking about, Oh, where do you get that from? And even today, I'd been walking out yesterday be walking around with a bag, I picked up a wool jumper from ethical outlet clients of ours. So that's just share where to find things and just found that there was an interest in just wanting to know what I had bought, and I guess been I love wall and working with Wally Kent kind of escaping. So it's just a different way to talk to other people about war. And it's been great to have you here about other people who've bought things and you learn from them. And just a way to really spotlight particularly those Australian made or showing products. It's just important that we continue telling the story.
Oli Le Lievre 12:40
Well, I reckon you're a perfect person to do it. So Sam, thank you so much for joining us having a chat. Good luck with the awards and everything today.
Unknown Speaker 12:46
Great. Thanks very much. Thanks for having me.
Oli Le Lievre 12:50
Well, that's it for another episode from us here at humans of agriculture. We hope you're enjoying these podcasts. And well if you're not, let us know hit us up at Hello at humans of agriculture.com. Get in touch with any guests recommendations topics, or things you'd like us to talk and get curious about. If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend. Right subscribe, review it, any feedback is absolutely awesome. And we really do welcome it so Look after yourselves. Stay safe. stay sane. We'll see you next time.
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