RaboResearch Food & Agribusiness Australia/NZ

The F&A Next conference recently hosted AgTech Investors, Corporates, Farmers and startups from around the globe in Wageningen, the Netherlands. In this AgTech podcast, Wes Lefroy and Harry Smit dissect the key themes from the conference and how they might influence the future of F&A; from farmers to consumers.

A shortage of labour to pick and pack some of NZ's key export crops has become pronounced across horticulture and viticulture in NZ. Tim Hunt and Hayden Higgins talk about the current situation, how other developed economies are faring and possible future-focussed solutions.

Cheryl Kalisch Gordon, Senior Grains & Oilseeds Analyst, joins Western Australian Esperance Branch Manager Ryan Meldrum to discuss the impact of WA's recent rain and how this fits with the context of the very dry outlook for eastern Australia and what this will mean for local and global pricing outlooks for wheat and canola.

Over the past few weeks there have been some important shifts in the operating environment for Australian dairy farmers. But are they enough to trigger stronger expectations around profitability and milk pricing in 2018/19? Tim Hunt and Michael Harvey explore the situation.

The commissioning of the first commercial Dexa technology facilities at the Teys plant will be the catalyst for how we market cattle.

Blake Holgate catches up with US-based Senior Animal Protein Analyst Don Close to discuss the likelihood that continued drought conditions will lead to some degree of forced liquidation of the US cow herd, and the potential impact this would have on NZ beef prices. Don also explains how US farmers manage the cattle disease Mycoplasma bovis, which has been present in their herd for over 20 years

Commodity Analysts Georgia Twomey and Charlie Clack discuss the current cotton market strength, what has been driving the price so far in 2018 and what factors to keep an eye out for in the coming months. Beyond this, some early thoughts on the 2018/19 season are discussed, both globally and in terms of the potential impact for Australian growers.

The cotton industry leads the way for adoption of AgTech. In this episode, Wes Lefroy and Georgia Twomey discuss what has driven uptake within the cotton industry. What can Grains and Livestock farmers learn from this?

Hayden Higgins, Senior Horticulture Analyst in Australia, and Roland Fumasi, Senior Fruit, Vegetables and Tree Nuts Analyst in the US, discuss the Australian and US Almond sectors: What's been happening over 2017 and 2018 for Almond crop volumes and exports, the impact of the big freeze in California on Almond supply, changing land use in California and expansion of Almond plantings in both Australia and California, the US and China Trade Dispute and what all this means for the industry.

The new 2018/19 season looks set to shape up as a triple treat for New Zealand dairy farmers. Emma Higgins addresses what the 2018/19 season might hold for farmgate milk prices, input costs, and what national production might look like for the new season.