Mick Wettenhall operates a bustling family farm, Weemabah, alongside his wife Kirsty and father-in-law George. It's situated near Trangie. Their diverse mixed-farming business encompasses both summer and winter cropping alongside holistically managed grazing of sheep and cattle.

In this episode, we hear about Mick's many passions, from breeding great cattle and building resilient pasture systems, to harnessing the power of healthy soils and fungi in an attempt to holistically boost soil carbon storage within his soils.

 

Resources and links:

• SoilCQuest

 

Connect:

• Central West LLS website
• Central West LLS on Facebook
• Central West LLS on Twitter
• 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.

Jack Brennan manages "Merrimba", a 20,000-hectare sheep and cropping property between Warren and Quambone.

At the time of recording, in January 2020, the drought still hadn't broken. And in this episode, you'll hear Jack's thoughts on how they've managed the livestock throughout, as well as how experiencing drought has shaped his and his team's outlook on farming.

 

Resources and links:

• Australia Day Address 2020 by Grace Brennan
• Early weaning – importance of getting nutrition right
• Livestock, vegetation and dry times: Decisions to be made

 

Connect:

• Central West LLS website
• Central West LLS on Facebook
• Central West LLS on Twitter
• 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.

Fiona Aveyard and her husband Bill run Outback Lamb, a vertically-integrated farming business focusing on single-origin pasture-fed lamb. It's part of their commercial sheep and cropping operation, 'Westpoint', near Tullamore.

Determined to secure the future for their four children, Bill and Fiona came up with a creative approach to growing their business. And in this episode, you'll hear how this plan, combined with a gradual embrace of social media, has allowed them to extend the reach of their 'paddock to plate' story.

 

Resources and links:

• Provenance Storytelling for Success

 

Connect:

• Central West LLS website
• Central West LLS on Facebook
• Central West LLS on Twitter
• 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.

Jason and Kylie Catts run Futurity Shorthorns, a seed stock supplier with properties at Kenebri, north of Baradine and Coonamble. Together, they grow and store grain and silage to fill feed gaps, ensuring that they can maintain their herd and produce quality genetics for their clients.

Jason and Kylie are passionate about agriculture, particularly sharing information and knowledge through their rural community. And in this episode, you'll hear how they prioritise genetic traits that ensure their cattle are fit for all stages in the supply chain, from the producer through to the consumer.

 

Resources and links:

• Silage and hay
• Silage webinar series

 

Connect:

• Central West LLS website
• Central West LLS on Facebook
• Central West LLS on Twitter
• 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.

Gabriel Passmore truly has the best of both worlds. He spends his weekdays in Sydney, working in the corporate world and surfing at Bondi. And on weekends, Gabriel eagerly heads west to work on his family's cattle properties around Forbes and Condobolin.

Gabriel has a modern take on how to run the family farm, and it's not always easy convincing his father (with fifty years of experience) to go along with them. In this episode, you'll hear how they've had to compromise to look after their stock and battle through the drought.

 

Resources and links:

• Drought handbook
• Drought recovery guide
• Drought and Supplementary Feed Calculator
• Dry times smoko video

 

Connect:

• Central West LLS website
• Central West LLS on Facebook
• Central West LLS on Twitter
• 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.

Bomber Moxham has been around a long time ... so he needs little introduction. Coy about how he initially came to be known as 'Bomber', he's been on the farm at "Mullengudgery" for 89 years, and he's seen a lot of change in agriculture over that time.

In this episode, Bomber shares some hilarious stories from his past, he talks about what he loves about merinos, and he divulges the characteristics that he believes make Mullengudgery sheep the best merinos in the world. In fact, Bomber is so passionate about merino sheep that his car proudly dons the number plate MERINO.

 

Resources and links:

• Pimelea poisoning
• Pimelea deaths
• Understanding Pimelea poisoning of cattle

 

Connect:

• Central West LLS website
• Central West LLS on Facebook
• Central West LLS on Twitter
• 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.

Tallah Looten runs the livestock side of a family cropping and livestock operation at "The Camp", just east of Coonamble. Tallah is truly an inspiring "Lady on the land".

In this episode, you'll hear how Tallah has overcome immense adversity (including drought, family illness and fertility challenges) and yet continues to farm with a bright, positive attitude. You’ll also hear how Tal's passion for agriculture and thirst for knowledge has steered their family business down the path of flexibility and resilience to meet whatever challenge is thrown at them next.

 

Resources and links:

• Tal Looten (@ladyontheland) on Instagram
• Sheep vaccines: Which to use when?

 

Connect:

• Central West LLS website
• Central West LLS on Facebook
• Central West LLS on Twitter
• 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.

Andrew and Meegan Young (along with their son Joseph and Andrew’s parents) run "Napier", a mixed farming enterprise at Purlewaugh. They rotate wheat, canola and lucerne; a system that requires lower inputs and has the added benefit of increased beef production.

In this episode, you'll learn how Andrew and Meegan had to make some tough decisions during the drought. Meegan talks about how much she loves her cows. And we also discuss how Andrew and Meegan's kids helped make the decision to destock that little bit easier.

 

Special thanks:

• Photography for this episode is by Jessica Rose Photography

 

Resources and links:

• Weaning beef calves
• Managing drought

 

Connect:

• Central West LLS website
• Central West LLS on Facebook
• Central West LLS on Twitter
• 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.

Pete Rothwell is the cropping manager of "Bramble", a mixed-farming operation just north of Mendooran. They grow winter and summer crops over a thousand hectares, and run sheep and a few cows on the remaining six hundred hectares.

In this episode, we hear how Pete, never one to accept the status quo, is always asking 'why'. As a result, he’s pushing the envelope in terms of crop type, yield and profitability — focusing on understanding his soil moisture and using this to drive decision making on his farm and in the wider community.

 

Special thanks:

• This episode is supported by Central West Local Land Services, through funding from the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program.

 

Resources and links:

• Soil Water App
• Soil moisture probes put to the test
• Budgeting crop nitrogen supply better estimation better decisions
• The Adapt Project
• Mendooran grower Pete Rothwell explains how data driven decision making is paying off

 

Connect:

• Central West LLS website
• Central West LLS on Facebook
• Central West LLS on Twitter
• 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.

Today, we're having a yarn with Jarrod and Emma Amery. Jarrod and his wife Emma are a super positive duo who somehow manage to keep up with six lively kids. On top of that, they also own and lease more than 6,500 acres around Forbes in Central New South Wales. Their mixed farming enterprise focuses on trading sheep, winter crops and fodder production.

In this episode, you'll hear how Jarrod went from being a local shearer to securing his dream farm. But as Jarrod and Emma describe, this journey wasn't always without its challenges. It's taken a lot of hard work, a can-do attitude, and most importantly, some well-timed decisions.

 

Resources and links:

• Check for foot problems in sheep
• Footrot in Sheep and Goats
• Animal biosecurity

 

Connect:

• Central West LLS website
• Central West LLS on Facebook
• Central West LLS on Twitter
• 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.