Humans of Agriculture

Adam and Jody Turner are first-generation farmers who bought Spring Hill in the Hunter Valley in 2016, just before the 2017-2019 drought. Since then, they’ve grown from a lifestyle-farming ambition into a multi-farm, paddock-to-plate business spanning livestock, processing, retail, and direct-to-consumer food.

In this episode, we discuss:

• How drought shaped the way they think about risk and decision-making
• Why cash flow forecasting and knowing their numbers gave them more confidence to grow
• The role of business coaching in clarifying priorities and major investment decisions
• How water infrastructure, soil health and ground cover have become central to drought preparation
• The livestock triggers they use around early weaning, culling and confinement feeding
• Why they focus on what is happening on the ground rather than letting seasonal forecasts drive decisions
• How a shared vision and values help them move quickly on opportunities
• The role of team culture, peer support and asking for help
• How connecting production directly with the customer has changed how they plan and budget

Chapters

00:00 Building a business without an exit plan

02:01 Becoming first-generation farmers

04:38 From cattle production to a paddock-to-plate business

07:22 Buying the farm just before drought

09:34 Learning, adapting and building the right team

14:22 Business coaching, cash flow and scaling up

17:46 Making confident decisions based on numbers and values

20:10 Building drought resilience through water and soil health

21:25 Livestock decisions, feed budgeting and protecting pasture

26:41 Connecting farm production with the customer

28:08 Knowing your numbers and learning from other farmers

31:29 Finding support and preparing for the next dry season

The Farm Business Resilience Program is jointly funded by the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund and the NSW Government.

Find out what’s on and register at nsw.gov.au/fbrp

At 28, Sarah Wheeler has already experienced enormous loss, rediscovered her place in agriculture and ridden 5,500 kilometres on horseback across regional Australia, raising more than $650,000 for charity along the way.

But this conversation is about much more than the ride.

Sarah shares how losing her dad at 12 and her mum in her mid-20s changed her perspective on life, how working across rural Australia helped her find her feet again, and why the people she met during nine months on horseback became one of the journey's most powerful parts.

We also talk about the part that doesn't make the highlight reel: coming home after achieving something enormous and wondering, 

"What now?"

Sarah is now building G'day Grief, with a vision to bring people experiencing loss together through nature, animals and shared experiences. And she's already dreaming about another adventure involving horses, dirt bikes, the Murray River, the Nullarbor and potentially a few things she doesn't yet know how to do.

Chapters

• (00:00) - Finding her way back to agriculture

Proudly brought to you by Rabobank

The future of Australian agriculture depends on the next generation of farmers, producers and agribusiness leaders.

That's why Rabobank is committed to supporting young farmers with more than finance. Through industry insights, specialist agribusiness expertise, networking opportunities and long-term partnerships, Rabobank supports the next generation as they build their skills, knowledge and connections.

Rabobank is committed to supporting farming businesses as they plan for the future and transition across generations.

Visit rabobank.com.au to learn more.

Little Big Dairy Co is growing!

We're working with them to find 2 x roles: a Farm Operations Manager and, separately, an Executive Assistant to the CEO.

They run three businesses in one: a 1,000-hectare fodder operation, a herd of registered Holsteins, and an on-farm factory. Two new roles have opened as a result.

We are sitting down with Campbell Chesworth (director and Nuffield Scholar) to explain what the business is building, who they need, and why these roles have no uncapped potential.

Seen the ad? This is your sign to apply.

👉 Apply now HERE!

Chapters

• 01:31 Campbell’s three-month sabbatical that became a career in the family business
• 04:11 Nuffield takeaways: circularity, confidence, and people as the biggest investment
• 07:00 Developments: Eight new robotic milkers, a new freestall barn and an effluent upgrade
• 09:57 Is ag tech replacing jobs or creating better ones in Dairy?
• 11:30 The Farm Ops Manager role: about the farm
• 13:36 What a great hire looks like in this role
• 14:15 The EA role: working alongside CEO Emma Elliott across accounts, HR and operations
• 17:18 Boots on the ground: a family that works beside its team
• 18:20 Why now: succession, building systems, and the move into butter and cottage cheese
• 20:00 Final word: throw your hat in

Who they’re after

• Farm Ops Manager: eager to learn, takes initiative, and owns problems from fault to fix. You’ll work alongside Campbell, Steve and the farming team.
• Executive Assistant: can-do attitude, keen to take on responsibility, and ready to learn the business from one of the sharpest operators in Australian dairy.

Ready? Apply here

Proudly brought to you by Rabobank

The future of Australian agriculture depends on the next generation of farmers, producers and agribusiness leaders.

That's why Rabobank is committed to supporting young farmers with more than finance. Through industry insights, specialist agribusiness expertise, networking opportunities and long-term partnerships, Rabobank supports the next generation as they build their skills, knowledge and connections.

Rabobank is committed to supporting farming businesses as they plan for the future and transition across generations.

Visit rabobank.com.au to learn more.

In this episode of Humans of Agriculture, Oli Le Lievre sits down with Elle Moyle, a Zanda McDonald Award finalist, veterinarian and farmer with Pathfinder Angus in Western Victoria.

Elle reflects on her path from working as a district vet, including international biosecurity work, to returning to the family farming business and building her own agricultural interests.

A big part of the conversation is Elle’s experience with the Zanda McDonald Award. While she made the final three but didn’t win, the experience helped build her confidence, expand her network and create relationships that continue to shape her career.

Elle also shares what she has learnt about building genuine professional relationships, the value of putting yourself forward for opportunities, and what is happening at Pathfinder Angus as the family business continues to grow.

In this episode:

• Elle’s move from veterinary work to full-time farming
• Her experience as a Zanda McDonald Award finalist
• Why you don’t have to win to get enormous value from the award
• Building confidence, networks and long-term professional relationships
• The growth of Pathfinder Angus and Elle’s role in the family business
• Why Elle encourages others to put themselves forward

Applications for the Zanda McDonald Award are open from 1 October to 31 October 2026.

Chapters:

• (00:00) - Elle Moyle’s journey and the Zanda McDonald Award

Proudly brought to you by Rabobank

The future of Australian agriculture depends on the next generation of farmers, producers and agribusiness leaders.

That's why Rabobank is committed to supporting young farmers with more than finance. Through industry insights, specialist agribusiness expertise, networking opportunities and long-term partnerships, Rabobank supports the next generation as they build their skills, knowledge and connections.

Rabobank is committed to supporting farming businesses as they plan for the future and transition across generations.

Visit rabobank.com.au to learn more.

Welcome to the Tom & Mick Show! This week, Tom & Mick sit down with Anna Speer, whose career has taken her from teaching and AgTech to leadership roles with AuctionsPlus, Australian Agricultural Company, Woolworths and now Stone Axe.

Anna shares what she’s learnt about building strong teams, making commercial decisions and creating long-term value, while unpacking how Stone Axe is building a vertically integrated Wagyu business from conception through to consumption.

In this episode:

• Anna’s unconventional career through agriculture and AgTech
• What private equity brings to an agricultural business
• How vertical integration can reduce exposure to market volatility
• Using 10-year herd modelling to make better decisions today
• Managing rising feed, fuel and labour costs
• Why building your own brand isn’t always the best strategy
• Wagyu genetics, premium markets and future growth
• Building teams and adapting your leadership to different people

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and catching up with Anna Speer
01:52 Anna’s career from the Territory to AuctionsPlus, AACo and Woolworths
08:17 Joining Stone Axe and what private equity really means
11:11 Making fast, commercially sound decisions
15:50 The Stone Axe story and building Wagyu genetics
21:00 Managing market cycles and price volatility
25:33 Forward selling and planning years ahead
29:44 Protein trends and the Wagyu supply outlook
32:59 Managing rising input costs
36:36 Wagyu versus Angus, branding and partnerships
41:32 Leadership, personal growth and raising good humans

Proudly brought to you by Rabobank

The future of Australian agriculture depends on the next generation of farmers, producers and agribusiness leaders.

That's why Rabobank is committed to supporting young farmers with more than finance. Through industry insights, specialist agribusiness expertise, networking opportunities and long-term partnerships, Rabobank supports the next generation as they build their skills, knowledge and connections.

Rabobank is committed to supporting farming businesses as they plan for the future and transition across generations.

Visit rabobank.com.au to learn more.

What happens when you step outside your own patch and spend time learning from some of the best operators in agriculture?

2026 Australian Zanda McDonald Award winner Bryce Neyland joins Oli after completing his mentoring trips across New Zealand and Australia. Bryce shares what he learned about risk, resilience, investment and leadership, and why seeing how other businesses operate has challenged the way he thinks about his own career and family farming business.

Importantly, Bryce didn’t win the first time he applied. He reflects on what changed between applications, the value of getting clear on where you want to go, and why sometimes the best thing you can do is put your hand up and have another crack.

In this episode:

• What Bryce learned travelling through Australian and New Zealand agriculture
• Why New Zealand challenged his thinking about productivity and getting more from what you have
• What resilient Australian farming businesses do differently
• How leading businesses think about investment, risk and long-term decision-making
• Why Bryce is now thinking differently about planning for tough seasons on the family farm
• Learning to expect pressure rather than being surprised by it
• Why getting outside your own "sandbox" matters for personal and professional growth
• What changed between Bryce's first unsuccessful Zanda application and ultimately winning the Award
• Why the alumni network may be one of the Award's greatest opportunities
• Bryce's advice for anyone considering putting their hand up

Applications for the Zanda McDonald Award are open from 1 October to 31 October 2026.

If you’re involved in agriculture, want to keep learning and are curious about where you could take your career, Bryce’s advice is pretty simple: get your application in and have a crack.

Chapters
00:00 Introduction to Bryce Neyland and the Zanda McDonald Award
01:37 Catching up after the New Zealand and Australian mentoring trips
04:12 New Zealand productivity versus Australian resilience
06:16 How great businesses think about investment and risk
08:18 Bringing the lessons back to the farm and boardroom
10:46 Lightbulb moments and learning to expect pressure
12:08 What successful dryland farming businesses taught Bryce
13:52 Why apply for the Zanda McDonald Award?
18:01 What changed between Bryce's two applications
19:24 Bryce's advice to future applicants

Proudly brought to you by Rabobank

The future of Australian agriculture depends on the next generation of farmers, producers and agribusiness leaders.

That's why Rabobank is committed to supporting young farmers with more than finance. Through industry insights, specialist agribusiness expertise, networking opportunities and long-term partnerships, Rabobank supports the next generation as they build their skills, knowledge and connections.

Rabobank is committed to supporting farming businesses as they plan for the future and transition across generations.

Visit rabobank.com.au to learn more.

Fourth-generation beef producer Stafford Ives-Heres is building Shanford Park on Tasmania's north-west coast with one eye firmly on the generations still to come.

From starting with 10 cattle and working cray boats to fund his growth, to succession, leasing land and questioning whether owning more country always makes commercial sense, Stafford shares how he's thinking about building a family business that's valuable enough to be taken on, not simply sold.

We chat about:

• Growing up at Shanford Park and being the last of four kids to become interested in farming
• Starting with 10 cattle as a teenager
• Working cray boats along Tasmania's remote west coast
• Using off-farm income to build livestock ownership
• Why the family moved from dairy into beef
• The beginnings of Tasmanian Seaweed Fertilisers
• Separating family businesses to make succession work
• Growing livestock numbers through ownership, leasing and share farming
• Why Stafford questions the need to own every hectare
• Building equity and optionality for the next generation
• Creating pathways into agriculture without owning land
• Why professional development and strong networks matter

Chapters

• (00:00) - Introduction to Stafford Ives-Heres and Shanford Park

Proudly brought to you by Rabobank

The future of Australian agriculture depends on the next generation of farmers, producers and agribusiness leaders.

That's why Rabobank is committed to supporting young farmers with more than finance. Through industry insights, specialist agribusiness expertise, networking opportunities and long-term partnerships, Rabobank supports the next generation as they build their skills, knowledge and connections.

Rabobank is committed to supporting farming businesses as they plan for the future and transition across generations.

Visit rabobank.com.au to learn more.

Jack and Lisa Beattie didn’t set out to build a strawberry propagation business. After leaving Jack’s family dairy operation and trying several different ventures, an unexpected opportunity at Ouse in Tasmania changed their direction.

Today, JCLM Farming produces around 10% of Australia’s strawberry nursery plants. Jack and Lisa share the decisions, setbacks and lessons behind that growth, and their ambition to become the provider of choice for Australian strawberry growers.

In this episode:

• Leaving the family farm and starting again
• Why their early businesses were important stepping stones
• The unexpected move from dairy into strawberry propagation
• The moment they decided to back one business rather than keep diversifying
• Why Ouse is uniquely suited to growing strawberry nursery plants
• Growing JCLM to around 10% of the Australian market
• Finding and bringing new strawberry genetics into Australia
• How six plants can become millions through propagation
• Digitising the customer journey from ordering through to delivery
• Building a team around Jack and Lisa’s different strengths
• Their goal to double JCLM’s share of the Australian market

Chapters

• (00:00) - Introduction and JCLM Farming today

Proudly brought to you by Rabobank

The future of Australian agriculture depends on the next generation of farmers, producers and agribusiness leaders.

That's why Rabobank is committed to supporting young farmers with more than finance. Through industry insights, specialist agribusiness expertise, networking opportunities and long-term partnerships, Rabobank supports the next generation as they build their skills, knowledge and connections.

Rabobank is committed to supporting farming businesses as they plan for the future and transition across generations.

Visit rabobank.com.au to learn more.

Michael Spencer has spent more than 30 years across livestock agency, corporate agriculture, cattle processing and pastoral operations, including roles with Elders, AACo and Bindaree Beef before helping build Adcock Partners.

In this episode of The Tom & Mick Show, Michael joins Tom and Mick to unpack what good livestock agency actually looks like, why Adcock Partners deliberately operates under the radar, and what he is seeing across cattle markets from northern Australia through to the eastern states.

They discuss:

•  Michael’s unconventional path through Elders, AACo, Bindaree Beef and into Adcock Partners 
•  Why relationships and people remain the foundation of a strong agency business 
•  Building a business around agility rather than corporate complexity 
•  Why Adcock Partners has deliberately stayed relatively quiet and selective 
•  How livestock agency has changed over the past 30 years 
•  What good service looks like when clients span enormous distances 
•  Seasonal conditions across Queensland and the Northern Territory 
•  Why producer confidence can move cattle prices quickly 
•  The relationship between live export and domestic cattle markets 
•  Why live export remains critical to northern Australia and Indonesia 
•  What Michael expects from cattle markets heading through spring and into 2027

Chapters

• (00:00) - Introduction to Michael Spencer and Adcock Partners

Proudly brought to you by Rabobank

The future of Australian agriculture depends on the next generation of farmers, producers and agribusiness leaders.

That's why Rabobank is committed to supporting young farmers with more than finance. Through industry insights, specialist agribusiness expertise, networking opportunities and long-term partnerships, Rabobank supports the next generation as they build their skills, knowledge and connections.

Rabobank is committed to supporting farming businesses as they plan for the future and transition across generations.

Visit rabobank.com.au to learn more.

Chris Duff and Gerard Hines have spent nearly four decades working alongside each other, building one of Australia's most respected independent agribusinesses from a single rural store into a national business. 

What does it take to build an agribusiness from a handful of people into a national business, without losing the culture, relationships and local connection that made it successful in the first place?

Gerard Hines and Chris Duff are the co-founders of Delta Agribusiness. Their working relationship stretches back almost 40 years, from a small rural business near Young, NSW, through the creation of Delta Agribusiness in 2006 and more than 20 acquisitions, before Delta ultimately became part of Elders.

This is a conversation about much more than growth. Gerard and Chris unpack the decisions, people and principles underneath it, from backing themselves during drought, putting their own money on the line and using employee ownership to create alignment, to learning why balance sheet strength, local relationships and great people matter when building a business for the long term.

Key insights from the conversation:

• How Gerard and Chris built a partnership spanning nearly 40 years through trust, respect and shared values
• Why bringing independent agronomy into agricultural retail fundamentally changed their business model
• The role mentors and early equity opportunities played in shaping Delta's inclusive ownership philosophy
• What IAMA, Wesfarmers and AWB taught them about leadership, governance, systems and financial discipline
• Why Delta was founded during the middle of a severe drought and how backing themselves changed everything
• The importance of maintaining a strong balance sheet so opportunities can be seized during difficult seasons
• How focusing on people, culture and local relationships drove more than 20 successful acquisitions across Australia
• Why equity ownership became one of Delta's greatest tools for attracting, retaining and aligning great people
• How staying connected to customers and the frontline has remained critical, even as the business has grown nationally
• The lessons learned from succession planning, bringing in private equity, and ultimately partnering with Elders to secure Delta's next chapter

Chapters:

• (00:00) - Introduction to the Delta Agribusiness Story

Proudly brought to you by Rabobank

The future of Australian agriculture depends on the next generation of farmers, producers and agribusiness leaders.

That's why Rabobank is committed to supporting young farmers with more than finance. Through industry insights, specialist agribusiness expertise, networking opportunities and long-term partnerships, Rabobank supports the next generation as they build their skills, knowledge and connections.

Rabobank is committed to supporting farming businesses as they plan for the future and transition across generations.

Visit rabobank.com.au to learn more.