S5 Ep 9 - Roseville Park Merinos
Australian Farmers: Telling Our Story
You have to go back a long way to find the beginnings of this family farm. The year 1880 to be exact when a Mr Charles Coddington dreamt of creating the finest sheep stud in Australia, travelling down-under from England. Now the 5th generation is running with his vision and winning awards along the way. The current custodians are Mathew Coddington and his wife Cherie. Together they are still breeding top Merino sheep throughout NSW, south of Dubbo. Matthew joins me now. Roseville Park has a long history of breeding sheep across multiple properties, with Cherie loving time with the...
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S5 Ep 8 - Storybook Alpacas
Australian Farmers: Telling Our Story
They're the quirky creatures with super soft fleece, members of the camel family and often unfairly criticised for spitting. Alpacas occupy a unique corner of the agriculture industry and, one central west New South Wales farm boasts the state's largest herd. These animals have won the heart of the next generation, with young farmer Rubey Williams working on the family property and she is already turning heads as an industry leader. To learn more, Rubey Williams of Storybook Alpacas joins me now. Rubey’s favourite place is the old shearing shed on their Mittagong...
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S5 Ep 7 - Dairy Grand Champion
Australian Farmers: Telling Our Story
Full cream, light, skim, homogenised, unhomogenised – milk takes many forms. But right now, a moment for the lactose free variety. Riverina Fresh’s Lactose Free Milk has been crowned the best dairy product at the Australian Grand Dairy Awards. It is the dairy industry’s highest honour. To learn more about what it takes to be the grand champion and some interesting observations about the impact of weight loss drugs on the future of the dairy industry, Executive Chairman of Riverina Fresh Craig Shapiro joins me now. Craig celebrates Riverina Fresh winning Grand Champion Dairy...
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S5 Ep 6 - Food Fabulous Food
Australian Farmers: Telling Our Story
Food Glorious Food is a song made famous the first time in Oliver Twist. Now, not a boy called Oliver, but girl called Olivia has created her own version of the classic, Food Fabulous Food. The young farmer behind the music is Olivia Akers, who produced that song from her family’s dairy farm in Northern Victoria. And she joins me now. Olivia’s favourite place on her family farm is spending time with her pony. Olivia shares the inspiration behind her song Food Fabulous Food, which celebrates agriculture and life on the land. At just 12 years old, Olivia’s creativity and...
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S5 Ep 5 - George the Farmer
Australian Farmers: Telling Our Story
What happens when your farm-obsessed son just can’t find that one special book or toy to match his passion for all things rural? Well if you’re a graphic and web designer – you just make your own. George the Farmer was created in 2014. Since then, there is an interactive story app, storybooks music, paddock to plate videos and touring performances. This little character is a powerhouse from regional South Australia. Simone Kain is the woman behind the popular brand, and she joins me now. Simone shares that her son was the inspiration behind George the Farmer, having always...
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S5 Ep 4 - Lonesome Duck Estate
Australian Farmers: Telling Our Story
Big things happen with a commitment to a series of small changes. That philosophy is working wonders on a Northern Territory farm in Katherine. From half a dozen cattle to more than 350. Throw in vegetables, fresh cut flowers and eggs – it’s easy to see why. The property is managed from a holistic, entire landscape perspective. It’s work that has caught the eye of industry leaders with Jeremy Trembath of Lonesome Duck Estate being named among the finalists for Young Grower of the Year. To learn more, Jeremy joins me to discuss; Jeremy’s favourite place on the farm is always...
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S5 Ep 3 - Stories from a Cattle Station
Australian Farmers: Telling Our Story
Being the support manager of a million-hectare cattle station in the Northern Territory keeps her busy enough but my guest today has been handpicked for the Diversity in Agriculture Leadership Program run by the National Farmer’s Federation. The program helps support female leaders who are driven to create a more inclusive and sustainable future for the industry. To learn more, Anna Cochrane of Consolidated Pastoral Company joins me now. Anna's favourite place on the station is less about a specific location and more about the feeling of privilege that comes with living there and...
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S5 Ep 2 - AgriShots
Australian Farmers: Telling Our Story
The power of pictures is profound – they tell stories, celebrate moments that would otherwise be lost in time, and connect people. The thirst for authentic outback stories is undeniable, but it’s not often we have the chance to meet the person behind the camera. Photographer and founder of AgriShots Alice Mabin joins me now. Her favourite place to have done a shoot isn’t about the location but the people, although the Kimberley is incredible. Alice originally planned a career in animal health but bought a camera after seeing that the stories of people in the industry...
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S5 Ep 01 - Agricultural Ambitions
Australian Farmers: Telling Our Story
Working in remote parts of Australia doesn’t mean no one is watching. Quite the opposite. In Queensland’s Goondiwindi Region, a station general manager has become one of seven inaugural recipients of the AgriEmpower Scholarship. The prize is $20 000 for the winners to continue to be change-makers in the industry. Andrew Powne of Cameron Pastoral Company joins me now. Andrew’s favourite place on the station is home, because “home is where the heart is.” A typical day for Andrew involves managing 6–7k head of cattle and keeping people moving. He was recently part of...
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S4 Ep 26 - Harvest Her Power
Australian Farmers: Telling Our Story
All farmers wear many hats, but others wear more than they need to. From farming, to podcasting, being a mum and heralding rural women through a groundbreaking conference, my guest today is spreading an important message with her own unique story. Founder of Harvest Her Power, Katja Williams joins me now. Katja’s favourite place on her farm is when the family enjoys picnics on the hill where you can see almost the whole of Orange. She became an ag-influencer by finding her own space and, starting her Instagram page over five years ago. Empowering rural women is...
info_outlineEggs - they’re an easy and usually affordable source of protein and nutrition. But walking through most Australian supermarkets lately, it’s clear cracks have appeared in the industry. So why is there an egg shortage and why when you do happen to find some are they so expensive? Egg farmer and sector advocate, Danyel Cucinotta from LT’s Egg Farm joins me now for the lowdown on avian influenza.
- We catch up with Danyel, who still finds the work on the farm deeply emotional but continues to love both the work and the land.
- As an egg farmer, she has experienced firsthand the significant challenges caused by bird flu.
- She explains how bird flu spreads and why geographical locations like Victoria are more at risk due to their position on a bird migration path.
- Free-range egg farms are more affected because they are exposed to wild bird droppings.
- While direct egg purchases from farmers may seem unaffected, supermarket supply chains are feeling the impact.
- She explains the EADRA Agreement (Emergency Animal Disease Response Agreement) as a cost-sharing arrangement where government and livestock industries, like the egg sector, jointly fund responses to animal disease outbreaks, with industries paying back their share over time. At an industry level, farms are still paying off the cleanup from the 2019 outbreak.
- The situation is more complex than simple supply and demand due to the caged vs. free-range debate and government involvement.
- The root cause stems from the spread of bird flu and environmental exposure in high-risk zones, and she shares that it’s unclear when the situation will improve, as control and recovery take time.
- Danyel remains passionate about advocacy and is proud of her work on a caged egg farm.
- The most unexpected aspect has been that even the most biosecure farms have been affected.
- A common misconception is that it’s unsafe to eat bird products, though the chicken meat industry remains unaffected.
- She offers a parting piece of advice for people to best navigate this issue.
We hope to see you back on the road soon, to learn more about how Australia grows on the next episode of Australian Farmers with Angie Asimus.
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