The agricultural landscape is rapidly evolving, with a complex web of forces shaping the industry's future. This episode explores a new report from Agrifutures Australia that explores the "cross-sectional forces" set to impact the sector. Report author Sarah Nolet joins us to discuss the key findings, which cover everything from the rise of AI and …

Tanya Dupagne has dedicated her career to supporting children and communities in need, both in Australia and around the world. As the 2017 AgriFutures Rural Woman of the Year, Tanya used her platform to launch a transformative grassroots leadership program for women in regional areas. However, Tanya's inspiring work was derailed when she was finall…

Jean and Basil Baldwin are pioneers in the Australian hazelnut industry. Both now in their 80s, the duo continue to play an active role in the day-to-day operations of Fourjay Farms on the outskirts of Orange, NSW, an operation they run in partnership with daughter Carolyn and her husband Dave Stansfield. AgriFutures will officially launch the $2 m…

We celebrate the winners of the AgriFutures Rural Women's Award in this special series of Graziher's Life on the Land podcast. In this episode you'll meet Mandy Walker, the 2024 Western Australian winner who is supporting regional businesses to diversify and flourish, in conversation with Sammie O'Brien. Mandy Walker co-owns Walkers Diesel Services…

We celebrate the winners of the AgriFutures Rural Women's Award in this special series of Graziher's Life on the Land podcast. In this episode you'll meet Nikki Atkinson, the 2024 Victorian winner who is asking brides across Australia to say ‘Yes to the wool dress’. The AgriFutures award shines a spotlight on some of the most inspirational, courage…

We celebrate the winners of the AgriFutures Rural Women's Award in this special series of Graziher's Life on the Land podcast. In this episode you'll meet Tanya Egerton, the 2024 Northern Territory winner. She's been recognised for her sustainable, ethical, and culturally-focused Indigenous enterprise, the Remote OpShop Project and is in conversati…

We celebrate the winners of the AgriFutures Rural Women's Award in this special series of Graziher's Life on the Land podcast. In this episode you'll meet Grace Larson, the 2024 Victorian winner, who founded the Sisterhood Project with her with her sister Skye. She’s in conversation with Em Herbert. With more than 68,000 Australian children hospita…

We celebrate the winners of the AgriFutures Rural Women's Award in this special series of Graziher's Life on the Land podcast. In this episode you'll meet Belle Binder, the 2024 Tasmanian winner. Belle has established the Farm Work Loop, a first-of-its-kind proactive approach that blends work, travel and community by providing continued employment …

We celebrate the winners of the AgriFutures Rural Women's Award in this special series of Graziher's Life on the Land podcast. In this episode you'll meet Rebecca Keeley, the 2024 New South Wales winner. Rebecca is fiercely passionate about closing the gap for regional and remote children being able to access speech pathology. Studies show that Aus…

We celebrate the winners of the AgriFutures Rural Women's Award in this special series of Graziher's Life on the Land podcast. Did you know as a nation, we consume a staggering 336-million tins of tuna a year – roughly the same weight as the harbour bridge? And that 99 per cent of the 50,000 tonnes of tinned tuna Aussies eat annually is imported? W…

With their long, lumpy body and leathery skin, your first thought upon seeing a sea cucumber probably isn't that it's a delicacy enjoyed by Emperors. However, the unassuming little creatures are the foundation of a $4.4 billion global industry, and you can probably find them tucked away in your local Asian grocery. Dr. Roger Sie-Maen Chong, a veter…

In 2018, at a cafe beside a dog park, Shaun Eislers had a brainwave. A reimagining of how we feed our pets, while simultaneously reducing pressure on our food systems as the population grows. The key? Insects. BuggyBix, Australia’s leading insect-based pet ​food company, is dedicated to the love we have for our pets, our growing population & the pr…

"They smell like a cross between asparagus and peanut butter!" Despite being recognised as a safe and nutritious food source across the world for many years, Moringa (Moringa oleifera) remains classified as a non-traditional and novel food under the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code, which prevents the active development of moringa industry…

For many Aussies, coffee is a much-needed daily ritual. Despite our obsession, we import 99 per cent of our green beans even though we have a long established domestic growing industry. For our 50 Australian coffee growers, how do we further develop this industry and start growing at scale? Researchers from Southern Cross University have just compl…

AgriFutures and Australian Honey Bee Industry Council (AHBIC) are unveiling a suite of Varroa focused resources. It’s the first Varroa communication activity that looks at how beekeepers can manage Varroa and remain productive and profitable, and it's all thanks to the AgriFutures Resilient Beekeeping in the Face of Varroa project! In this podcast …

AgriFutures and Australian Honey Bee Industry Council (AHBIC) are unveiling a suite of Varroa focused resources. It’s the first Varroa communication activity that looks at how beekeepers can manage Varroa and remain productive and profitable, and it's all thanks to the AgriFutures Resilient Beekeeping in the Face of Varroa project! In this final po…

AgriFutures and Australian Honey Bee Industry Council (AHBIC) are unveiling a suite of Varroa focused resources. It’s the first Varroa communication activity that looks at how beekeepers can manage Varroa and remain productive and profitable, and it's all thanks to the AgriFutures Resilient Beekeeping in the Face of Varroa project! In this podcast …

The AgriFutures Rice Program is aiming to increase water productivity to an average of 1.5 tonnes per megalitre by 2026. It’s an ambitious goal and will rely on whole-of industry collaboration and increased investment to achieve it. Thanks to three cutting-edge research projects, the rice industry is edging closer to this goal. Featuring: John Horn…

AgriFutures and Australian Honey Bee Industry Council (AHBIC) are unveiling a suite of Varroa focused resources. It’s the first Varroa communication activity that looks at how beekeepers can manage Varroa and remain productive and profitable, and it's all thanks to the AgriFutures Resilient Beekeeping in the Face of Varroa project! In this podcast …

AgriFutures and Australian Honey Bee Industry Council (AHBIC) are unveiling a suite of Varroa focused resources. It’s the first Varroa communication activity that looks at how beekeepers can manage Varroa and remain productive and profitable, and it's all thanks to the AgriFutures Resilient Beekeeping in the Face of Varroa project! In this podcast …

AgriFutures and Australian Honey Bee Industry Council (AHBIC) are unveiling a suite of Varroa focused resources. It’s the first Varroa communication activity that looks at how beekeepers can manage Varroa and remain productive and profitable, and it's all thanks to the AgriFutures Resilient Beekeeping in the Face of Varroa project! In this podcast …

Latest research shows that Australian consumers overwhelmingly trust primary producers. But producers are not feeling the love in return. Why is this? In this episode we speak with the lead researcher of a four-year long project called 'Community Trust in Rural Industries: Year 4 national survey 2023'. Author Dr Kieren Moffat explores the robust da…

The agricultural industry is crying out for more skilled workers. And for those who live in regional Australia, a career in agriculture takes little convincing. But for our urban cousins, what can we be doing at a school level to attract more students to consider an agricultural career? To visit the new suite of agricultural career educational reso…

If you find yourself searching for the most luxurious crocodile skin fashion products in the world, the chances are, it has originated from Australia's northern regions. While Australia is a small global supplier of crocodile skins, most of what we do supply is considered premium. The Australian crocodile industry has great potential to expand our …

This is a very special podcast episode from the producers behind the 'Boots Off Log On' podcast. The episode features our very own John Harvey, Managing Director AgriFutures Australia and first aired in January 2024. Join show host David Egerton-Warburton as John Harvey navigates the intricate landscape of Australian agriculture, from fostering inn…

Since being named the 2023 AgriFutures Rural Women’s Award National Winner, Nikki Davey has grown both personally and professionally. The self-confessed introvert has thrown herself into all the opportunities the Award has brought her since September 2023. With the generous Westpac grant, Nikki has expanded her sustainable flower business 'Grown No…

Jay is a role model for mature-aged students looking to branch into agriculture as a new career opportunity. She is currently undertaking a Bachelor of Science, Animal Science/Animal Health at Murdoch University, Perth, Western Australia. With initial interest in becoming a vet, Jay realised there were so many other options in agriculture that she …

It's estimated that Australian agriculture produces 9.8 million tonnes of pre-farm gate waste annually. AgriFutures Australia have been working with industry to help address this. In this episode we introduce the newly published report called 'Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry National Waste and Resource Recovery Roadmap'. We have the author of t…

In this episode, we'll hear how two AgriFutures Horizon Scholars literally expanded their horizons. Mitchell Salan and Stephanie Hennings have just been on a tour in Ireland in partnership with their Scholarship sponsor Dairy Australia. We hear about their learnings and experience of the European dairy industry and the new technologies the country …

Wading through pre-sale radiographs (or x-rays) of yearlings has long been considered murky territory. But now, thanks to groundbreaking research undertaken by a team at The University of Queensland and supported by the AgriFutures Thoroughbred Horses Program, the industry can now be more confident in understanding the impact of a range of lesions …

Indiana Rhind didn't come from a farming background and so she was surprised to be awarded an AgriFutures Horizon Scholarship. She has since described the Australian agricultural scholarship Program as an 'encouraging, exciting and empowering experience'. In this episode, Indiana talks about the value in connecting with the AgriFutures Horizon Scho…

An unconventional program run by Thoroughbred Breeders Australia and supported by AgriFutures Australia, Fast Track helps young people with limited experience take their first steps into the world of thoroughbred breeding. Participants emerge with relevant agriculture skill development, respected credentials, invaluable experiences and industry con…

One of the greatest parts of being involved in science is surprise discoveries. For a team working on measuring the carbon footprint of Australian irrigation dams, the results were truly astonishing. Not only are irrigation dams producing a lot less carbon emissions than what has previously been thought, they are actually performing a critical nitr…

AgHealth Australia has been leading research into deaths and injuries on farm since 2004, providing the most comprehensive evidence on which to build prevention approaches to enhance the safety and wellbeing of people in Australian agriculture. The data for January-June 2023 is in, and numbers of non-intentional on-farm deaths remain stubbornly hig…

Since June 2022, the Australian honey bee industry has been grappling with outbreaks of varroa mite. As of September 2023, the national management group shifted its response from eradication to management. Bianca Giggins, the Varroa Coordinator at the Australian Honey Bee Industry Council (AHBIC) recently toured New Zealand where she learnt how the…

Oli Madgett is on a mission to make baselining soil carbon measurements cheaper for farmers. When considering entering into carbon farming in Australia, cost is one of the biggest barriers primary producers face. Using the latest agricultural innovations and technologies, Oli is working to address the prohibitively high costs of soil sampling. His …

To meet the objective of the Paris Agreement to limit global warming by 2 °C, it is clear that at-scale carbon removal will need to emerge in the decades ahead. Scaled offshore marine permaculture to grow seaweeds is widely recognised as an emerging sector with large potential to meet a range of agricultural sustainability objectives. In this podca…

There are more than one million widows across Australia. After two extremely personal losses, Michelle Moriarty decided that there were benefits to connecting the shared experiences of grief with others. The Western-Australian based social worker went about creating a platform called 'Grief Connect' to ensure no one across Australia grieves alone. …

Ali Paulett wanted to create a place that would educate school children and the wider community about how First Nations people were nourished by the environment. This led her to establish the 'Bush DeVine' Indigenous native bush food garden which now features 40 different types of native plants. In addition to being a popular attraction, the garden…

Melissa was in a pretty dark place after a nasty buggy accident but was told something amazing would come out of it ... and it did. Melissa is the Founder of Leading Rein and is sharing her knowledge of working alongside horses in a leadership development program. Melissa was named the 2023 TAS AgriFutures Rural Women's Award Finalist for her work …

More and more pets these days are being treated like family - and rightly so! Businesses across the world are capitalising on this trend with ideas aimed at meeting the new needs of our furry, scaly or feathered companions. Queenslander Emma-Louise Gibbons is unleashing the potential on pet treats using Australian-farmed insect protein to sustainab…

Off the back of a new report titled: "Listen up: Young people’s perspective on the future of Australian agriculture and rural industries" we delve further into the insights gathered from some of the voices behind the research. In this podcast we unearth the insights and perspectives of young people on how to transform the agricultural industry for …

The AgriFutures Australia Rural Women's Award annually recognizes the remarkable accomplishments of women hailing from rural communities and industries. Its purpose is to identify, empower, and celebrate their forward-thinking initiatives. Michelle Leonard OAM is the founder, artistic director, and conductor of Moorambilla Voices, a nationally awar…

The agriculture industry is short at least 172,000 workers. For the future of agriculture to thrive, more needs to be done to attract skilled workers to agricultural jobs in Australia. High school teacher Scott Graham is passionate about ag recruitment and getting more students to peruse agriculture jobs in Australia. He believes that increasing th…

The AgriFutures Australia Rural Women's Award annually recognizes the remarkable accomplishments of women hailing from rural communities and industries. Its purpose is to identify, empower, and celebrate their forward-thinking initiatives. Nikki Davey waved goodbye to her corporate life and plunged headfirst into a thrilling new adventure: her very…

AgriFutures Rice Program is focused on ensuring the industry is a global leader for improved water use efficiency. Under the AgriFutures Rice Program Strategic RD&E Plan 2021-2026, they outline an ambitious goal of increasing water productivity to an average of 1.5 t/ML by 2026. To do this AgriFutures Australia is focusing on four key objectives, o…

The AgriFutures Australia Rural Women's Award annually recognizes the remarkable accomplishments of women hailing from rural communities and industries. Its purpose is to identify, empower, and celebrate their forward-thinking initiatives. Eileen Breen, a serial entrepreneur, has been named the recipient of the Northern Territory Award. Despite jok…

In this episode of AgriFutures On Air, we unpack the three-year-long, $2.5 million investment that is the Industrial Hemp Variety Trials (IHVT), and chat to a country music star who has joined a new wave of farmers embracing the potential of industrial hemp as a multi-purpose super crop. IHVT National Coordinator Mark Skewes explains how growers in…

Cressida and Michael Cains are award-winning cheesemakers in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales, who have set up a peer-to-peer energy trading scheme that allows them to trade surplus energy from their solar panel and battery system. In this episode we will learn how they set their system up and the dramatic changes it meant for their busine…

Meet Marieke Hoelscher, an inspiring Horizon Scholar who turned a gap year running camel tours into a career in Australia's emerging industries. She has completed placements in insect, industrial hemp, and native bee industries and is now pursuing a career in extension to work with emerging industry producers. Featuring: Marieke Hoelscher, AgriFutu…