Paddock Chat

The West Midlands Group•www.wmgroup.org.au

Local knowledge from a paddock near you. Paddock Chat is a West Midlands Group Original Podcast created to support local growers and help solve farming challenges without having to leave the paddock. The West Midlands Group is a not-for-profit grower group located in Dandaragan, two hours North East of Perth.

Last refreshed: July 25th, 2025 at 5:20 PM ⓘ

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Episodes

Wind erosion: strategies to save your soil this summer

Earlier this year, many farms across the West Midlands region suffered a severe weather event and wind erosion. This episode features a conversation from back in late October this year that the West Midlands Group's executive officer Nathan Craig had with Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development ’s Paul Findlater on the topic of wind erosion. Tune in to hear Nathan and Paul discuss the history of wind erosion impacts on farming, the reasons why wind events have caused so much da...

Nov 23, 2020•26 min

Protect your flock from Ovine Brucellosis before joining

Have your lambing percentages been impacted without any obvious cause? Did you get new rams this year? Have the neighbour's ewes or rams found their way into your flock? If you answered yes to any of those questions, your operation may have been exposed to Ovine Brucellosis. Ovine brucellosis is a highly detrimental reproductive disease that can affect all breeds of sheep. West Midlands Group’s mixed farming systems officer, Brianna Hindle and I caught up with DPIRD vet Dr Kristine Rayner to get...

Nov 09, 2020•24 min

Keys to a safe and successful harvest

In this episode, the WMG caught up with farm manager Mark Drake from Lawson Grains' Walyoo operation at Regans Ford. We discuss: How their crops are performing following the 2020 season His tips for finding and retaining staff during harvest What Walyoo did to tackle safety and continue production when COVID19 hit WA earlier this year The procedures in place to ensure the Walyoo team gets through harvest safely and successfully Follow Mark on Twitter @Drakey04 . Useful Resources Work Health and ...

Oct 26, 2020•22 min

WA Beef Cattle Nutrition | Putting the Science into Practice

If you were lucky enough to attend our Beef Cattle Nutrition in Practice workshop back in August this year, you would have had the opportunity to hear from today’s guest, livestock production specialist and Honorary Research Fellow in the UWA Institute of Agriculture - Dr John Milton. If you didn’t get there, then this episode catches you up on the great information you missed out on! In this episode the West Midlands Group’s Beef Development Officer, Charles Callaghan caught up with, Dr John Mi...

Oct 12, 2020•25 min

Mini episode | Ag podcasts you'll love

You're listening to our first ever mini-episode! In lieu of our usual programming, we're recommending some great podcasts working in the ag space that we're sure you'll love. Find links to those podcasts in the show notes below. Make sure you listen to the end of this mini-episode for a sneak peek of our upcoming ep featuring livestock production specialist, Dr John Milton on the topic of animal nutrition and an opportunity to trial a West Midlands Group Membership for FREE! Useful Links Agtech ...

Sep 28, 2020•5 min

Success in Succession | Part Two

In this episode, we caught up with Head of Succession Planning at Rabobank, Rosemary Bartle. In part two of our chat with Rosemary we cover: Decision making around active and inactive family members Strategies to continue the process even when you don’t see eye to eye Where should succession planning take place? Is there a spot for success? And Rosemary’s top tips for succession planning Get in touch Rosemary Bartle | E: Rosemary.Bartle@rabobank.com Rabobank Succession Planning Team and brochure...

Sep 14, 2020•22 min

Success in Succession | Part One

In this episode, we caught up with Head of Succession Planning at Rabobank, Rosemary Bartle. We tackle the tricky topic of succession planning! In our conversation, Rosemary shares her tips on: How to get started and what to expect Who needs to be involved in the planning Keeping things fair and negotiating compromise Get in touch Rosemary Bartle | E: Rosemary.Bartle@rabobank.com Rabobank Succession Planning Team and brochure Useful Resources Succession Planning Information Sheet Succession Plan...

Aug 31, 2020•26 min

What is Regenerative Ag, really?

In this episode of Paddock Chat, West Midlands Group 's executive officer Dr Nathan Craig caught up with Dr Hanabeth Luke to delve into the topic of RegenAg. Their conversation covers: What is Regen Ag really? How does it fit into and does it already exist in traditional farming systems? What the future holds for research in this rapidly developing field and the exciting new Regenerative Agriculture course delving into successful regenerative practices. Get in touch Dr Hanabeth Luke | E: hanabet...

Aug 17, 2020•26 min

Best practice weaning win-win for ewe and lamb

In today's episode, we're talking weaning for best results. We caught up with Dr Danny Roberts (DPIRD veterinarian and researcher) to talk about: The benefits of weaning at 12 to 14 weeks after the start of lambing Things to consider before weaning Paddock and nutrition tips to get the best results for both ewe and lamb after weaning You can get in touch with Dr Danny via email on danny.roberts@dpird.wa.gov.au or call his office on 9892 8535. Useful Resources Flock value grows from weaning well ...

Aug 03, 2020•19 min

Weeds and bugs: tips for managing crop pests in season

In this episode, we're talking weeds and pests with agronomist and farmer Courtney Piesse. We cover how the season is looking so far, our options for resistance management, the pests our crops could be vulnerable to in 2020, and the exciting new Agtech on the horizon for managing weeds. This conversation was recorded in early June 2020. Useful Links Get in touch with Courtney on 0429377608 or email him at knoxy8865@gmail.com. Support the show (https://www.wmgroup.org.au/become-member) Feedback S...

Jul 20, 2020•21 min

The advantages of late season soil amelioration

In this episode, we caught up with Dandaragan grower Duncan Glasfurd to delve into his experience with ameliorating soils, and late-season amelioration in particular. We cover why they choose to wait for rain when ameliorating, the preparation of a paddock prior to amelioration, how management changes following amelioration and all the things to consider before giving it a go that will save you time and money. This conversation was recorded on the 29th of June, 2020. USEFUL LINKS Follow Duncan o...

Jul 06, 2020•21 min

Don't let mastitis cost your flock this season

In this episode, I caught up with Nutrition & Production Specialist Bronwen Fowler from Nutrien Ag Solutions to talk about mastitis in ewes. Following the dry summer, sheep producers should keep an eye out for this highly contagious and damaging disease in their flock. We caught up with Bronwen in mid-June 2020 to get her advice on preventing, recognising, managing and treating mastitis. USEFUL LINKS: DPIRD - Mastitis in sheep Mastitis in Sheep - Disease Management Understanding mastitis in ...

Jun 21, 2020•23 min

The highs and lows of improving pastures

This week's episode has literally come from a paddock near you! We caught up with Dandaragan farmer, Zac Roberts in a paddock full of perennials on Strathmore in Dandaragan to talk all things pasture improvement. Zac farms with his father Wade and brother Jeremy on approximately 10,000 hectares spread across four properties within the Dandaragan Shire. The Roberts family run a mixed enterprise made up of 30% cropping and 70% livestock, and have been experimenting with pasture improvement for rou...

Jun 08, 2020•30 min

Solving the puzzle of crop agronomy

In this episode, we chat with Summit Fertilizers Area Manager and Marchagee farmer, Juliet McDonald about what's keeping her busy in the paddock right now, how to spot the missing links to improve your crop performance, what she thinks we can expect from the 2020 season and plenty more. This conversation was recorded on the 15th of May 2020 when we were still waiting on the break of the season. USEFUL LINKS: Summit Fertilizers Area Managers - https://www.summitfertz.com.au/area-managers.html Sum...

May 22, 2020•27 min

Pest Management Starts At Home

This is the first ever episode of Paddock Chat, the West Midlands Group podcast that takes a closer look at what is happening in a paddock near you. In this episode, our host Kirra Holley caught up with Chris O’Callaghan and Jim Miller to chat about how the Midlands Biosecurity Group is tackling wild dogs in our region. Our conversation was recorded in mid-April and due to restrictions in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19, this interview was recorded via Zoom so the audio quality isn’t ama...

May 06, 2020•31 min

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