Life on the Land

Melissa Neilsen is a remarkable woman whose journey has taken her from the small Central Queensland town of Biloela, to the expansive plains of North Western Queensland. Growing up on a hobby farm, she’s now settled on some 60,000 acres with her husband, Stewart, and their three children, where they farm Brahman beef cattle.⁠

⁠She’s a mother, wife, and the driving force behind Rural Women’s Exercise, an online fitness group focused on postpartum recovery, after her own experience with pelvic floor dysfunction following the birth of her third.⁠

⁠Melissa is also navigating the complex, often overwhelming journey of securing resources, education, and support for her second child, who has autism and ADHD- a challenge that is both frustrating and all-consuming.⁠

⁠Through it all, she remains a fierce advocate for rural women, mothers, and families facing unique obstacles in both the home and the broader community.⁠

In this season of Life on the Land, we’re shining a light on the new generation of women on the land in Australia.

Chanel Bowen is a producer and film maker based in Western Australia. The 31-year-old was awarded the Australians In Film Screenworks Regional Screen internship in 2022 -  going on to intern in Hollywood - and has worked on films like Mystery Road and High Ground; all while living and travelling from her home outside Dunsborough in the south west.

It hasn’t been smooth sailing for this creative, who acquired a traumatic brain injury after an accident five years ago. In this episode, Chanel takes our host Em Herbert through her candid approach to life and how she uses her work to champion others living with disability — combining her passions as a lived experience advocate to ensure greater representation on screen.

This season of Life on the Land is centred around the stories of the next generation of women on the land. These young women working across all sectors in the bush are changing the game. They’re disruptors, thought leaders and changemakers.

Five years ago, Jackie Elliott took the ultimate leap of faith. Despite being in a loving relationship, surrounded by good people, she felt isolated in her community and it was starting to effect her mental health.  The then 25-year-old with no experience planning events did something very brave. She put herself out there, hosting the inaugural Rural Women's Day event and watched the ripples expand throughout her community.   

Now, Rural Women’s Day Ltd is a registered not-for-profit, with events across Australia designed to connect country women with community, collaboration and celebration.

This season Life on the Land is focusing on stories around the extraordinary next generation of women on the land. These young women working across all sectors in the bush are changing the game. They’re disruptors, thought leaders and changemakers.

Our host Em Herbert sat down with Jackie after a Rural Women's Day event at Kimba, in South Australia.

Heidi Trusler knows all too well the challenges of getting consistent, quality health care in the bush. But instead of relying on other people to solve the problem, she founded the second online health service in Australia, POP. With 64 speech pathologists on staff, Heidi ironed out the kinks of telehealth operation well before the COVID pandemic and has assisted over 3000 families to access better care.

In this episode, Sammie O’Brien discovers Heidi’s passion and motivation come from a childhood in remote western Queensland watching her parents struggle with getting assistance for her brother Jack, who has Down Syndrome.

In this season of Life on the Land, we’re shining a light on the new generation of women on the land in Australia. Heidi is one of these dynamic and resilient forces reshaping agriculture and rural communities, bringing fresh perspectives and contributions that go far beyond traditional roles.

Did you know a teaspoon of soil contains more microorganisms than there are people on the planet?

Tegan Nock does. The 33-year-old has made the jump from farmer to founder – her company, LoamBio raising $105-million last year in its series B investment raise. Based in Orange, NSW, LoamBio is breaking new ground with a world-first technology which uses fungi to trap carbon and improve soil health. The company says its biological seed treatment could turn the world’s croplands into giant carbon sinks – which farmers can monetise and trade.

This series of Graziher's Life on the Land is focusing on stories around the extraordinary next generation of women on the land. These young women working across all sectors in the bush are changing the game. They’re whip smart and ready to change the world.

Pip Kensit is one of those remarkable women who can draw inspiration from whatever surroundings she finds herself. Be it during her idylic childhood on a sheep and cattle property in country New South Wales, or living with a Maasai tribe in Kenya or witnessing traumatic health events in remote Australia, Pip allows her experiences to drive her to better the world around her.

A registered nurse with a Master’s in International Public Health and Health Leadership and Managment, Pip has worked extensively in regional and remote communities and developing countries, and is currently working part time at the Rural Doctors Network, as well as various other leadership roles in rural health organizations.

In this episode Pip speaks to our host Sammie O'Brien about why she is now pursuing a degree in medicine and how she is taking the next generation of rural health professionals with her.

To say that Ella Edwards is fiercly passionate about regenerative agriculture is an understatement. She believes that's not just a moral imperative, it’s an economic imperative. Ella grew up on Bohara, her family’s sheep station on the Southern Tablelands of NSW between Goulbourn and Yass.

The 31-year-old now works for Sydney based climate change advisory company Pollination, travelling back to the farm every second weekend, often helping with mustering, lambing or the shearing of the family’s 8000 superfine merinos.

In this episode Ella talks to our host Em Herbert about what drives her passion and mythbusts some of the common misconceptions around the regenerative concept.

This episode is proudly sponsored by Stetson.

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? With less than a third of that certified as sustainably fished.

In this episode you'll meet Kate Lamason, the Queensland winner of the AgriFutures Australia Rural Women's Award.

It's these statistics that blew her mind and reeled her in to start her business, Little Tuna – to get Aussie tuna on Aussie shelves.

The AgriFutures award shines a spotlight on some of the most inspirational, courageous, innovative and hardworking women in the business, and celebrates all that rural Australia has to offer. This award recognises women having a positive impact in rural industries, businesses and communities and inspires the next generation of female leaders across all aspects of regional, rural and remote Australia.

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 aussie kids are on average waiting 20 months for a speech pathology assessment - and a further 20 months before they receive intervention. For example, that means a two-year-old with delayed speech, is nearly six before they’re being seen face to face – the ripple effect of that delayed intervention seen throughout their formative years and beyond. The cost of these services are prohibative to many regional and remote families who would also need to travel huge distances to access services.

This is not good enough for Rebecca Keeley. The speech pathologist has launched her startup, Yarn, which offers digital speech pathology programs to families while they wait to see a specialist in person.

The AgriFutures award shines a spotlight on some of the most inspirational, courageous, innovative and hardworking women in the business, and celebrates all that rural Australia has to offer. This award recognises women having a positive impact in rural industries, businesses and communities and inspires the next generation of female leaders across all aspects of regional, rural and remote Australia.

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 across diverse farms and is in conversation with Sammie O'Brien.

The AgriFutures award shines a spotlight on some of the most inspirational, courageous, innovative and hardworking women in the business, and celebrates all that rural Australia has to offer. This award recognises women having a positive impact in rural industries, businesses and communities and inspires the next generation of female leaders across all aspects of regional, rural and remote Australia.