Stockyard Sessions

When Jason Sutherland started managing the livestock at Tinwald Farm in Central Otago, the property was running around 10,000 stock units on 650 effective hectares. Everything was contract grazed, the whole farm was ryegrass and clover, and every January the heat would knock the feed out from under him. Jason calls it a man-made drought.

In this episode of Stockyard Sessions, Jason explains how the team rebuilt the grazing system. They planted dryland species like cocksfoot, fescue, chicory, plantain and lucerne under pivots, moved to large mobs, and now own all their stock: around 300 Angus breeding cows and 1,500 ewes.

Recovery periods sit around 30 to 35 days in spring and stretch to 120 days or more in dry years. That planning was tested when the irrigation water ran out for a month and a half, and the farm still had two to three months of feed in front of its grazing livestock.

“Previously, we would have had to destock the whole farm because we ran out of feed. Those recovery periods are what help you relax, knowing you’ve got feed ahead of you”

Jason also shares how he'd advise other managers to start without putting production at risk, and why watching your stock closely is the habit he'd recommend to every farmer.

This podcast is brought to you by Atlas Ag, the team behind Atlas Carbon and Atlas Grazing.

In this episode of Stockyard Sessions, Emily Mosely sits down with Laura Kiel, a holistic nutritionist, Pilates instructor, speaker and educator based in Central West New South Wales.

Through her business, Balance Inside and Out, Laura works with clients on sustainable, lifelong habits rather than quick fixes, and speaks regularly on the connection between human health, the food we eat, the land it's grown on, and the animals at the centre of our farming systems.

The conversation covers Laura's path from a childhood on the land near Manildra to studying nutrition in Canberra, the moment that first connected animal health, land health and human health for her, and why she believes progress matters more than perfection when it comes to food and wellbeing.

Laura also shares her thoughts on the gut-brain axis, how she helps farmers navigate the pressures of a busy period on-farm such as harvest, and the one piece of advice she leaves every listener with.

This podcast is brought to you by Atlas Ag, the team behind Atlas Carbon and Atlas Grazing.

In this episode of Stockyard Sessions, I’m thrilled to welcome Dorianne Coventry, Director of Investor Relations at Impact Ag Australia. Dorianne's remarkable journey spans Wall Street to the heart of rural Australia, where she and her husband manage a commercial beef and ultra-fine merino wool enterprise. We dive into her transformative career pivot, exploring the balance between family life, farming, and a fulfilling professional path. Dorianne shares her insights on redefining success, the evolving role of women in agriculture, and the exciting opportunities that lie ahead. Join us as we uncover the stories and experiences that shape the future of Australian agriculture.

In this episode of Stockyard Sessions, Victoria Lawrance sits down with Sam Johnsson, CEO of Farm Owners Academy.

Sam grew up on Kangaroo Island and spent a decade in engineering and construction consulting, leading a team of 65, before stepping back into agriculture five years ago. Today he works with farm owners across Australia and New Zealand on the business skills that sit around the technical side of farming: strategy, structure, mindset and long-term decision-making.

The conversation covers why the top-performing farms in Australia make four to five times more profit than the average without doing things drastically differently, the two numbers Sam believes every producer should have a solid handle on, what "playing above the line" actually means, and how to approach natural capital opportunities like soil carbon so they support the long-term goals of the business.

Sam also shares the personal moments that reshaped how he thinks about leadership, and why setting your business up to run whether you're there or not matters more than most owners realise.

This podcast is brought to you by Atlas Ag, the team behind Atlas Carbon and Atlas Grazing.

In this episode of Stockyard Sessions, Victoria Lawrance sits down with Jake Smith from BJS Farming, a family operation running across five properties in the New England region of New South Wales.

Jake grew up on land that’s been in his family for generations, spent time working as a livestock agent, and in recent years has focused on transitioning the business toward more nature-positive and regenerative practices. More recently, he’s been involved in a soil carbon project.

Jake’s story is about a gradual, deliberate shift from conventional set stocking to intensive rotational grazing, with knowledge and confidence built over years through courses, books and a lot of observation.

This episode is recorded during an intense and prolonged dry spell. Jake has already destocked, is putting his worst paddocks to work with bale grazing, and is thinking carefully about genetics and what it takes to build a truly resilient animal.

The episode explores family legacy, a gradual shift away from conventional grazing, the practicalities of a soil carbon project, and what resilience looks like when conditions turn tough.

This podcast is brought to you by Atlas Ag, the team behind Atlas Carbon and Atlas Grazing.

In this episode of Stockyard Sessions, Victoria Lawrance sits down with Richard Brimblecombe.

Richard brings a perspective few can offer, having seen the Australian agricultural industry from a range of corporate agribusiness roles, as well as running his own cattle property on Queensland's Western Downs. Richard’s past positions include senior roles at NAPCo, Nutrien, GRDC and StockCo. He's now Co-Founder and CEO of Legacy Livestock.

In this conversation, he explores what genuinely good decision-making looks like in a grazing business, how data and context shape better outcomes, and why acting early, especially in a dry, is one of the most important disciplines a grazier can build.

He also shares the journey that led him and his wife to register a soil carbon project at Glen Morgan, not because of the financial opportunity, but because the science, the philosophy and the land management logic all pointed in the same direction.

This podcast is brought to you by Atlas Ag, the team behind Atlas Carbon and Atlas Grazing.

In this episode of Stockyard Sessions, Victoria Lawrance sits down with Andrew Mosely, who runs Etiwanda Station near Cobar, New South Wales, a 50,000-acre operation in the Western Division that his family has called home since 1949.

When Andrew returned to Etiwanda in the late 1990s, he inherited a landscape that had been pushed hard. Soil that barely held water, scrub encroachment, a collapsing wool industry, and a business that wasn't set up to survive the decade ahead.

Guided by the principles of holistic management and a growing understanding of soil health, Andrew began reshaping Etiwanda from the ground up. Over the following decades, alongside his wife Megan and their daughters Emily and Jess, he rebuilt the property around rest and recovery, fencing infrastructure, and a deliberately diverse livestock mix of White Dorpers, goats and Red Angus cattle. The result: carrying capacity more than doubled, perennial grasses returned, and a system that can now grow cattle feed in the same rainfall event where neighbouring properties struggle to produce sheep pick.

"It is fragile country, but it just needs the right management and it responds."

The conversation covers what it really took to turn that landscape around: the role of fencing, the logic behind running three livestock enterprises, how epigenetics is shaping their breeding decisions, and why Andrew sees soil carbon not as a distraction but as a natural extension of what they've been doing all along.

Andrew also reflects on what it means to be a custodian of country. The droughts, the hard decisions, and what keeps you going when the land is tough. His answer is as honest as you'd expect.

This podcast is brought to you by Atlas Ag, the team behind Atlas Carbon and Atlas Grazing.

Find out more at atlasag.com

In this episode of Stockyard Sessions, Victoria Lawrance sits down with Western Australian grazier Kent Rochester, whose journey into farming began in an unexpected way.

After a spinal injury left him in a wheelchair in his early twenties, Kent returned to his family’s property near Albany to rebuild both his life and the farm itself. What began as an ex-forestry property full of bluegum stumps has since been transformed into a highly productive grass-fed beef operation built around rotational grazing, data and emerging technology.

Kent shares how rebuilding the farm from a blank slate pushed him to question traditional approaches and experiment with new systems. From early adoption of virtual fencing to the use of real-time livestock data, he explains how technology can improve grazing precision, increase stocking rates and simplify day-to-day management.

The conversation also explores the mindset behind constant improvement, the commercial realities of adopting new tools and why producers should focus on building systems they genuinely enjoy running

This podcast is brought to you by Atlas Ag, the team behind Atlas Carbon and Atlas Grazing.

In this episode of Stockyard Sessions, new host Victoria Lawrance sits down with US-based farmer and educator Dr Allen Williams to explore what healthy land actually looks like on the ground, and how graziers can build confidence in their management decisions, especially during drought.

Drawing on decades of experience across climates and enterprises, Allen shares the early indicators he looks for when stepping onto any property. From pasture diversity and insect life to soil colour, aggregation and aroma, this conversation breaks down the practical observations that reveal whether a system is moving forward or backwards.

As Allen reminds us, “The land does not lie. It bears a record of what we write on it.”

The discussion moves into drought management, livestock performance KPIs, and the direct link between soil function and profitability. You’ll hear a powerful case study of a ranch that, during severe drought, actually increased their carrying capacity, taking on animals from neighbouring properties that needed support.

With Wilmot Field Day coming up this March, this episode offers a timely introduction to Allen’s thinking ahead of his visit to Australia, where he will be sharing these principles in person.

Every decision starts in the paddock. Atlas Grazing helps you see it clearly. Try it free for 30 days at atlasag.com/atlasgrazing

In this bonus episode of Stockyard Sessions, we sit down with global regenerative agriculture leader Gabe Brown, recorded live at Wilmot Field Day 2025

Gabe reflects on more than 30 years of farming, sharing how drought, hail and financial pressure forced him to rethink conventional approaches and begin working with natural systems, which transformed both his soils and his business.

He unpacks why healthy soils underpin healthy plants, livestock and people, how diversity builds resilience, and why carbon is a byproduct of better systems — not the goal itself.

With Wilmot Field Day 2026 fast approaching this March, this bonus episode offers a taste of the conversations, insights and inspiration that make the event a standout on Australia’s rural calendar.

Every decision starts in the paddock. Atlas Grazing helps you see it clearly. Try it free for 30 days at atlasag.com/atlasgrazing