Welcome to part 2 of our Summer series of Seeds for Success - The Lime Light series. We’re shining a light on lime and digging into acidic soils to optimise pastures as we chat with farmers who have been part of the High Performance Pasture Mixes for Acidic Soils, a project co-funded by NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, and Meat and Livestock Australia Donor Company. 

Angus Knight runs Fairview, a mixed farming operation south of Junee, where he manages a prime lamb enterprise alongside cereals, canola, and lupins.

In this episode, Angus talks through the productivity push he’s made since returning to the farm in 2018 coming from his studies, including how identifying acidic soils as a limiting factor reshaped his management decisions. He discusses tackling an acid throttle at depth, the resulting lift in carrying capacity, and the flow-on benefits to crop performance. Finally, Angus digs into the practical realities of making these changes, from timing and logistics to the day-to-day adjustments that drive long-term gains on mixed farms.

 

Resources and links:

• Holbrook Landcare Network – Soil Testing Process

 

Nominate a Mate:

• If you'd like to nominate a mate (or yourself) as a potential future guest on the podcast, you can do so here: Nominate a Mate for 'Seeds for Success'.

 

Connect:

• Central West LLS website
• Central West LLS on Facebook
• Central West LLS on X
• Central West LLS on YouTube

 

The views contained in this podcast series are not necessarily endorsed by Central West Local Land Services. Listeners are advised to contact their local office to discuss their individual situation.

This show is produced in collaboration with Wavelength Creative. Visit wavelengthcreative.com for more information.

Welcome to our Summer series of Seeds for Success - The Lime Light series. Join us as we shine a light on lime and dig into acidic soils to optimise pastures. Over the coming four episodes, we'll be chatting with farmers who have been part of the High Performance Pasture Mixes for Acidic Soils, a project co-funded by NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, and Meat and Livestock Australia Donor Company.

Our first guest is Dr Richard Hayes. As well as being involved in the family farm between Crookwell and Goulburn, Richard is a research agronomist with the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development. In this episode, Richard tells us how his background in the family farm gives him insight into the kind of messages that resonate with farmers. Richard also explains his latest project and the key messages for farmers managing acid soils which include new pH targets and incremental soil sampling.

Local Land Services Mixed Farming Advisor Rohan Leach sat down with Richard to learn more about the curiously nicknamed HIPPO project.

Resources and links:

• NSW Department of Primary Industries - Pastures on acid soils

 

Nominate a Mate:

• If you'd like to nominate a mate (or yourself) as a potential future guest on the podcast, you can do so here: Nominate a Mate for 'Seeds for Success'.

 

Connect:

• Central West LLS website
• Central West LLS on Facebook
• Central West LLS on X
• Central West LLS on YouTube

 

The views contained in this podcast series are not necessarily endorsed by Central West Local Land Services. Listeners are advised to contact their local office to discuss their individual situation.

This show is produced in collaboration with Wavelength Creative. Visit wavelengthcreative.com for more information.

Dean Hague is a Farmer on Tara Station, near Mount Hope. Alongside his wife, Jayde, and their kids, Dean has been continuing a century-old legacy of cattle raising and farming.

In this episode, Dean explains the composition of his 98 thousand acre property: the merinos and dorpers, mixed farming, stud cattle, and cereal cropping. He discusses the exclusion fence project, the results so far in keeping his resources safe, the current status, and the small struggles he faces as a local leader. Finally, he breaks down the animals in the farm, the studs and their history, working with dogs, and a comparison between goat and sheep.

 

Resources and links:

• Rockingham Santas Website
• Rockingham Santas on Facebook

 

Nominate a Mate:

• If you'd like to nominate a mate (or yourself) as a potential future guest on the podcast, you can do so here: Nominate a Mate for 'Seeds for Success'.

 

Connect:

• Central West LLS website
• Central West LLS on Facebook
• Central West LLS on X
• Central West LLS on YouTube

 

The views contained in this podcast series are not necessarily endorsed by Central West Local Land Services. Listeners are advised to contact their local office to discuss their individual situation.

This show is produced in collaboration with Wavelength Creative. Visit wavelengthcreative.com for more information.

Paul Tognetti is a farmer in Myee, near Grenfell. His farm consists mostly of wheat, canola, and faba cropping operations alongside a few sheep across a 26 hundred acre area. 

In this episode, Paul walks us through his farm and the numbers that go in and out of his operation. He expresses his passion for precision agriculture, the math behind it all, and the technology that lets it all happen. Paul discusses variable rate applications throughout the farm, gauging his paddocks, and making the most out of them. Finally, Paul reflects on how helpful technology has been for Australian agriculture, saving producers such as himself from all the manual labor of notebooks, pencils, and calculators.

This episode of the Seeds for Success podcast is supported by the Australian Government through funding from the Natural Heritage Trust under the Climate-Smart Agriculture Program.

 

Resources and links:

• Farming Forecaster network 

 

Nominate a Mate:

• If you'd like to nominate a mate (or yourself) as a potential future guest on the podcast, you can do so here: Nominate a Mate for 'Seeds for Success'.

 

Connect:

• Central West LLS website
• Central West LLS on Facebook
• Central West LLS on X
• Central West LLS on YouTube

 

The views contained in this podcast series are not necessarily endorsed by Central West Local Land Services. Listeners are advised to contact their local office to discuss their individual situation.

This show is produced in collaboration with Wavelength Creative. Visit wavelengthcreative.com for more information.

Paul Tognetti is a farmer in Myee, near Grenfell. His farm consists mostly of wheat, canola, and faba cropping operations alongside a few sheep across a 26 hundred acre area. 

In this episode, Paul talks to us about his farm, its size, and its makeup. He explains the operations in depth, from their continuous cropping system, preparation and benchmarking of soil, and herbicide rotations. Finally, Paul shares what he’s learned from paddock and cropping operations across his decades of experience.

This episode of the Seeds for Success podcast is supported by the Australian Government through funding from the Natural Heritage Trust under the Climate-Smart Agriculture Program.

 

Resources and links:

• Farming Forecaster network 

 

Nominate a Mate:

• If you'd like to nominate a mate (or yourself) as a potential future guest on the podcast, you can do so here: Nominate a Mate for 'Seeds for Success'.

 

Connect:

• Central West LLS website
• Central West LLS on Facebook
• Central West LLS on X
• Central West LLS on YouTube

 

The views contained in this podcast series are not necessarily endorsed by Central West Local Land Services. Listeners are advised to contact their local office to discuss their individual situation.

This show is produced in collaboration with Wavelength Creative. Visit wavelengthcreative.com for more information.

Chris Francis is a Farmer in ‘Gobothery’, southwest of Forbes. Alongside his brother and their families, Chris has been taking on grain farming, fodder growing, and short-horn cattle, following 3 generations of family history.

In this episode, Chris discusses the landscape his extensive operation sits on and some key motivations for their dedication. He explains the farm’s livestock decisions, irrigation choices, fodder production, and his stance on the rise of corporate input in the farming industry.

 

Nominate a Mate:

• If you'd like to nominate a mate (or yourself) as a potential future guest on the podcast, you can do so here: Nominate a Mate for 'Seeds for Success'.

 

Connect:

• Central West LLS website
• Central West LLS on Facebook
• Central West LLS on X
• Central West LLS on YouTube

 

The views contained in this podcast series are not necessarily endorsed by Central West Local Land Services. Listeners are advised to contact their local office to discuss their individual situation.

This show is produced in collaboration with Wavelength Creative. Visit wavelengthcreative.com for more information.

Katja Williams is a Farmer at Polldale, a shorthorn cattle stud north of Dubbo, alongside her husband, Ned. In addition to working on the stud, Katja also runs around as a mother, podcaster, and rural women’s advocate online as The Ultimate Farm Wife. 

In this episode, Katja discusses the challenges of joining a farming family, even if you’re from a farming background yourself. She shares her experiences with assumed knowledge, balancing work and motherhood, and figuring out how to find a place in someone else’s family in someone else’s business. 

Local Land Services Cropping Officer, Tim Bartimote, sat down with Katja at her busy kitchen table for this fascinating chat. 

 

Resources and links:

• The Ultimate Farm Wife website
• The Ultimate Farm Wife podcast
• The Ultimate Farm Wife on Instagram
• The Rural Mum on Facebook
• Katja Williams on LinkedIn

 

Nominate a Mate:

• If you'd like to nominate a mate (or yourself) as a potential future guest on the podcast, you can do so here: Nominate a Mate for 'Seeds for Success'.

 

Connect:

• Central West LLS website
• Central West LLS on Facebook
• Central West LLS on X
• Central West LLS on YouTube

 

The views contained in this podcast series are not necessarily endorsed by Central West Local Land Services. Listeners are advised to contact their local office to discuss their individual situation.

This show is produced in collaboration with Wavelength Creative. Visit wavelengthcreative.com for more information.

Nic Baker is a Farmer and Contractor, and he runs a 3,600-acre cropping, cattle, and contracting operation with his wife and parents just outside Coonabarabran.

In this episode, Nic discusses how his farm’s breeding operation shifted from Angus to Wagyu and how dual-purpose cropping helps to fill the winter feed gap for his breeding stock while also improving his cash flow. He also outlines his journey from purely haymaking to incorporating silage into their fodder program and how they were able to reduce the cost of upgrading by utilising as much existing machinery as possible.

Local Land Services Cropping Officer, Tim Bartimote, caught up with Nic for this chat on his property overlooking the Warrumbungles on a beautiful sunny day.

 

Nominate a Mate:

• If you'd like to nominate a mate (or yourself) as a potential future guest on the podcast, you can do so here: Nominate a Mate for 'Seeds for Success'.

 

Connect:

• Central West LLS website
• Central West LLS on Facebook
• Central West LLS on X
• Central West LLS on YouTube

 

The views contained in this podcast series are not necessarily endorsed by Central West Local Land Services. Listeners are advised to contact their local office to discuss their individual situation.

This show is produced in collaboration with Wavelength Creative. Visit wavelengthcreative.com for more information.

Mitch Rubie and his father run the 1,400 mixed farming operation that forms the basis of Lachlan Merinos. Mitch describes it as a grass-growing business, with the Rubies growing irrigated fodder crops, grazing canola, cereals, and lucerne-based pastures alongside their Merino seed stock.

In this episode, Mitch explains how they select the best Merinos for breeding, the importance of good breeding values and genetics, and how better benchmarking has led to better genetic decisions in their seed stock.

Local Land Services Mixed Farming Advisor, Rohan Leach, sat down for this chat with Mitch at his kitchen table overlooking the Lachlan River.

This episode of the Seeds for Success podcast is supported by the Australian Government through funding from the Natural Heritage Trust under the Climate-Smart Agriculture Program.

 

Resources and links:

• Lachlan Merinos website

 

Nominate a Mate:

• If you'd like to nominate a mate (or yourself) as a potential future guest on the podcast, you can do so here: Nominate a Mate for 'Seeds for Success'.

 

Connect:

• Central West LLS website
• Central West LLS on Facebook
• Central West LLS on X
• Central West LLS on YouTube

 

The views contained in this podcast series are not necessarily endorsed by Central West Local Land Services. Listeners are advised to contact their local office to discuss their individual situation.

This show is produced in collaboration with Wavelength Creative. Visit wavelengthcreative.com for more information.

Tim Flynn is the Principal Solicitor at Land Law Co and also owns and runs his family’s farm, ‘Strathallyn’, north of Mudgee. ‘Strathallyn’ is a 50/50 fine wool and cattle operation that is in the process of transitioning to a straight cattle trading operation.

In this episode, Tim discusses the importance of succession planning, how his legal background helped him navigate his family's succession process fairly, and the lessons he has learned through these experiences. He also discusses the challenges of an off-farm business and a working farm, the role of agritourism, and the rise of renewable energy companies pitching "alternative income streams" to farmers, with the reminder to any farmers considering a renewables proposal to seek professional advice before signing anything.

Local Land Services Senior Ag Advisor, Lauren Roberts, caught up with Tim at his office in Mudgee for this chat.

 

Resources and links:

• Land Law Co website
• Young Farmer Business Program website

 

Nominate a Mate:

• If you'd like to nominate a mate (or yourself) as a potential future guest on the podcast, you can do so here: Nominate a Mate for 'Seeds for Success'.

 

Connect:

• Central West LLS website
• Central West LLS on Facebook
• Central West LLS on X
• Central West LLS on YouTube

 

The views contained in this podcast series are not necessarily endorsed by Central West Local Land Services. Listeners are advised to contact their local office to discuss their individual situation.

This show is produced in collaboration with Wavelength Creative. Visit wavelengthcreative.com for more information.