The Weekly Grill

S4 Ep8: Beef 2024 chairman Bryce Camm

With the countdown to the Australian beef industry's paramount event, Beef 2024, now down to seven weeks, podcast host Kerry Lonergan this week chats with event chairman Bryce Camm. More than 100,000 Australian and international meat and livestock industry stakeholders are expected to pass through the Rocky Showgrounds for the six-day event. How are preparations going? What's new for 2024? How can patrons extract the maximum benefit from attending? Beef 2024 chairman Bryce Camm has high expectat...

S4 Ep7: Northern Cooperative Meat Co chairman, John Seccombe

Weekly Grill podcast host Kerry Lonergan this week chats with John Seccombe, Northern NSW beef producer and chairman of the Northern Co-operative Meat Co processing business at Casino. Operating since 1933, NCMC is recognised in Australia and globally as an industry leader in red meat processing, and along with WAMMCo in Western Australia, is one of only two cooperatively-structed red meat processors in the country. Through its world-class processing facilities, NCMC provides customers with a un...

S4 Ep6: MLA Science & Innovation head, Michael Lee

Weekly Grill podcast host Kerry Lonergan this week chats with Michael Lee - Group manager for Science and Innovation at Meat & Livestock Australia. In this role he provides strategic direction and leadership to MLA’s Science & Innovation team with the scope of work including food safety, processing efficiencies, automation, digital agriculture, objective measurement, food innovation, meeting market specifications, and positioning red meat value chains for future growth - as well as incre...

S4 Ep5: Cattle Australia chief executive, Chris Parker

Weekly Grill host, Kerry Lonergan this week catches up with Cattle Australia chief executive, Dr Chris Parker. Among other topics, the pair discuss the grassfed cattle levy, carbon and methane, biosecurity, skilled labour shortages, sustainability … and more.

S4 Ep4: Northern live exporter Patrick Underwood

With Wednesday’s Indonesian national election victory being claimed by the Gerindra party’s Prabowo Subianto, attention will now focus on the prospects for 2024 live cattle import permits to be issued, following lengthy delays. In this week’s Weekly Grill podcast, host Kerry Lonergan talks with Darwin based live exporter Patrick Underwood from Australian Cattle Enterprises, discussing the permit issue, prospects for live exports to Indonesia and other markets throughout 2024, and what happens to...

S4 Ep3: Northern pastoral and agribusiness identity, Chris Evans

This week’s Weekly Grill podcast guest, Chris Evans, has spent his working life involved in extensive cattle operations across Northern Australia – both as a consultant/advisor and under his own steam. He was managing director and later chairman of prominent agribusiness consultancy and asset managers Taylor Byrne (later Rural Management Partners) from 1987 to 2015, managing a wide range of pastoral assets across Queensland, the NT and the Kimberley region. For a lengthy period he also played a ...

S4 Ep2: What lies ahead in 2024 for beef, with analyst Simon Quilty

Driven by favourable weather across eastern Australia, the 2024 cattle market has opened with a flourish, as slaughter cattle, young cattle and breeder replacements all trend sharply higher in value. Today's Weekly Grill podcast hosted by Kerry Lonergan features independent analyst Simon Quilty, discussing the current market environment and what lies ahead. Is the best of the price rally now behind us? Will current cattle prices be sustained? Will processors facing labour challenges be able to c...

S4 Ep1: Cattle market update, with Matt Dalgleish and Chris Howie

Driven by favourable weather across eastern Australia, the 2024 cattle market has opened with a flourish, as slaughter cattle, young cattle and breeder replacements all trend sharply higher in value. Today's return of Beef Central's Weekly Grill podcast series begins with host Kerry Lonergan talking with regular markets commentators RMA's Chris Howie and Ep3's Matt Dalgleish discussing the current market environment and what lies ahead. Is the best of the price rally now behind us? Will current ...

S3 Ep41: Beef extension legend, Bernie English

adoption of of new practises and technologies. Based out of Mareeba, west of Cairns, the Queensland Department of Agriculture senior beef extension officer received a NABRC Lifetime Achievement Medal during the recent at the Northern Beef Research Update conference in Darwin. Along with great depth and breadth of knowledge of extensive grazing operations in northern Australia, Bernie brings unbridled passion, energy and an engaging presence in his mission to help producers in his region optimise...

S3 Ep40: On National Ag Day, the Weekly Grill chats with new NFF president David Jochinke

It’s National Ag Day today, and in response Weekly Gill podcast host Kerry Lonergan chats with freshly-minted National Farmers Federation President, David Jochinke. The NSW farmer and grazier took over from Fiona Simson in late October, wasting no time in launching an unprecedented campaign against anti-farming policies.

S3 Ep39: Cattle market update, with Chris Howie & Matt Dalgleish

In their final livestock markets wrap for the year, regular markets commentators, RMA’s Chris Howie and Ep3’s Matt Dalgleish face the big questions: Are we at or near the bottom of the cattle and sheep price cycle? What impact will the forecast drier summer have on supply and demand? What are the main drivers heading into 2024? These and other topics are posed in today’s cattle market update podcast by Weekly Grill host, Kerry Lonergan.

S3 Ep38: Stock agent, cattle buyer, breed administrator - Chris Todd calls time on a colourful career

S3 Ep37: Methane-reducing feed additive pioneer Adam Main

Where is progress up to in the development of feed additives designed to mitigate the product of methane in the rumen of beef cattle? In this week's podcast, host Kerry Lonergan chews the fat with Dr Adam Main from CH4 Australia, a company producing feed additives based on asparagopsis seaweed, farmed in a network of land-based ponds on the Eyre Peninsula. The products are already in commercial use in South Australia. Adam also talks about the benefits and applications of farming seaweed for cat...

S3 Ep36: Meat Standards Australia pioneer, Rod Polkinghorne

As the Australian red meat industry approaches the twenty-fifth anniversary of the launch of Meat Standards Australia, this week's Weekly Grill podcast episode dives deep into the evolution of the ground-breaking tenderness guarantee program with one of its pioneers, Rod Polkinghorne. Rod provides a detailed and comprehensive background into what existed prior to MSA, the circumstances that led to the program's development and launch, and the originality of the 'consumer-driven' approach to meat...

S3 Ep35: Value-adding red meat, with successful beef jerky manufacturer Emily Pullen

CAN Australia do more with its red meat production than simply putting it in a box and selling it in chilled or frozen form? Weekly Grill podcast host Kerry Lonergan this week sits down with successful beef jerky manufacturer Emily Pullen, whose family produces the popular Jim's Jerky range in Queensland. Jim's Jerky ploughs through about four tonnes of grassfed topsides each week producing its tasty beef snacks, marketed through major domestic supermarket retailers, roadhouses and exported into...

S3 Ep34: Cattle Australia acting CEO, Adam Coffey

Weekly Grill podcast host Kerry Lonergan this week sits down with Cattle Australia's acting chief executive, Queensland beef producer Adam Coffey. The pair discuss Cattle Australia's bedding-down over its first 12 months, progress on plans to fund the grassfed industry representative body, and CA's recent call to shift the beef industry's environmental benchmark focus from 'carbon neutral' to 'climate neutral' - designed to concentrate on the bottom-line warming impact of the industry. As part o...

S3 Ep33: Live exporter, Justin Slaughter from Austrex

Weekly Grill podcast host Kerry Lonergan this week sits down with Justin Slaughter, who has risen through the ranks in his 31-year career in the Australian meat and livestock industry. Justin is CEO and managing director of AgTrade, an Australian-owned, globally-focused livestock, genetics and food security company, with a commitment to working across the livestock supply chain to provide protein to all major markets around the world. The AgTrade group of businesses include live export service p...

S3 Ep32: Addressing the labour crisis in the bush, with recruiter Ray Johnson and labour provider Tom Reardon

S3 Ep31: Cattle market update, with Chris Howie & Matt Dalgleish

Australian young cattle and slaughter cattle prices have continued to descend during the first eight months of 2023. In this week's podcast, regular markets commentators, RMA's Chris Howie and Ep3's Matt Dalgleish face the big questions: Are processors going to be able to cope (labour wise) with larger numbers of slaughter cattle? If not, what happens to prices? These and other topics are posed in today's cattle market update podcast by Weekly Grill host, Kerry Lonergan. Other topics include the...

Weekly Grill S3 Ep30: Zanda McDonald Award winner, Mitch Highett

Thirty-three year old Mitch Highett is a city boy by origin, but has forged an impressive early career in the beef industry. He chats this week with Weekly Grill podcast host Kerry Lonergan. The Australian winner of the 2023 Zanda McDonald award lives in Orange NSW, and is the founder and managing director of Bullseye Ag. Mitch's farm management company works alongside farms across NSW and QLD with an area totalling more than 200,000ha. He also has a cattle enterprise running 250 breeders, and a...

Weekly Grill S3 Ep29: Is the heat going out of the property market, with Tim Lane and Tim McKinnon

Elders' Northern Australian property chief Tim Lane, and LAWD director and head valuer Tim McKinnon chew the fat with Weekly Grill podcast host Kerry Lonergan this week about the property market outlook. Has the gloss gone off, because of the slump in cattle prices, dry weather and elevated interest rates? Are corporates about to mount another big acquisition surge?

S3 Ep28: ACC head Anthony Lee

Australian Country Choice head Anthony Lee gave a powerful address at Brisbane Ekka this time last year on the need for greater industry focus on training and education. What's happened in the 12 months since? In this week’s podcast, host Kerry Lonergan and Anthony Lee chew the fat on some of the encouraging progress that’s been made over the past 12 months, and the challenges that still lie ahead.

S3 Ep27: Beef industry stakeholders attending Brisbane’s Ekka

This week's Weekly Grill podcast takes a different approach, chatting with beef industry stakeholders, politicians and others about what's on their mind. Cost of production, the prospects of heading back into drought, and carbon came up in several conversations, as did the genetic progress being made in the Australian beef industry - manifested in the Ekka's magnificent stud beef judging display.

S3 EP26: AMIEU’s Matt Journeaux

This week's Weekly Grill podcast take a look at the red meat processing labour challenge, and possible solutions, from another perspective - through an interview with the Australian Meat Industry Employee's Union Queensland branch manager, Matt Journeaux. Mr Journeaux and podcast host Kerry Lonergan chew the fat on a range of issues from attracting employees to work in the processing industry, to overseas labour programs and whether they represent a threat to local employment, the need for train...

S3 Ep25: QLD beef processor Terry Nolan

CREATIVE solutions to processing labour challenges, trends in the slaughter and store cattle markets, and how the business has moved on from devastating flooding in early 2022 were topics served up during this week’s Weekly Grill podcast, where host Kerry Lonergan has a lengthy chat with southeast Queensland beef processor and producer Terry Nolan, co-principal of Nolan Meats near Gympie. Mr Nolan was the subject on the very first episode of the Weekly Grill almost three years ago, and the pair ...

S3 Ep24: CPC managing director and Livecorp chairman, Troy Setter

Fresh back from a marketplace visit to Indonesia, Consolidated Pastoral Co head and Livecorp chairman Troy Setter sits down to chew the fat in the latest episode of Beef Central's Weekly Grill podcast. Host Kerry Lonergan turns up the heat, asking about beef demand and economic conditions in Indonesia, boat cattle livestock price prospects for the rest of the year, and other trends.

S3 Ep23: Cattle Australia chief executive Luke Bowen

Weekly Grill podcast host Kerry Lonergan turns up the heat on Cattle Australia CEO, Luke Bowen. What are the front-of-mind issues faced by the grassfed beef industry as we pass he mid-point of 2023? How are Cattle Australia’s finance plans developing? How important is carbon/sustainability on CA’s policy-setting radar? These and other topics are covered in this week’s episode

S3 Ep22: Progress in objective carcase measurement, with Dr Graham Gardiner and Dr Peter McGilchrist

Weekly Grill podcast host Kerry Lonergan turns up the heat on two of Australia's leading meat scientists, Prof Graham Gardiner and Dr Peter McGilchrist - who have headed Australia's recent research into objective carcase measurement. The ground-breaking ALMTech project driving advances in objective measurement for carcase yield and quality officially came to a close on 30 June. So what's been achieved? What remains to be done? Is there a risk of the work stalling, now that funding for the resear...

S3 Ep21: The voice of the bush in Canberra - Senator Susan McDonald

Weekly Grill podcast host Kerry Lonergan turns up the heat on the woman regarded by many as the 'voice of the bush' in Canberra, Senator Susan McDonald. Among the broad topics discussed, Sen McDonald was the chair of the Senate inquiry into Definitions of Meat and Other Animal Products back in 2022, that proposed a raft of changes to terminology around plant-based meat and other issues. What's happened since?

S3 Ep20: Red meat industry advocate Laura Ryan

This week, Weekly Grill podcast host Kerry Lonergan turns up the heat on international red meat advocate, Laura Ryan