Artificial intelligence is now starting to creep into the Australian red meat supply chain, whether it is accurately counting sheep or cattle off a truck into a meatworks holding yard, or picking the shape of tri-tips from a range of primals passing down a processing conveyor belt and packing them in a carton.

In today’s Weekly Grill podcast, host Kerry Lonergan chews the fat with Dr Tom Lee from the University of Technology, Sydney.

Tom classifies himself as a ‘middle man’ between AI technology developers/designers and potential end-users like farmers and meat processors.

Haw far has AI progressed in ag? While certain early-adopters and innovator farmers are on the front foot, uptake is still pretty niche in ag, Tom says, but things are changing rapidly. But right now, for the bulk of farmers, AI is still something they are hearing about, rather than applying.

He says it’s important to make a distinction between AI and a second second technology term, Artificial General Intelligence (AGI).

“People think AI will eventually mimic a human being, if we keep investing in it – but that’s AGI, not AI,” he said.

“AI is great at playing a game of chess – solving ‘small world things’ where all the inputs are known, and it can work through all the permutations, using massive amounts of data in really powerful ways – but it can’t do the things that a human mind can do.”

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With sweeping tariff changes and drastically declining beef production in the US, global instability in the Middle East and Ukraine, lingering effects of drought in southern Australia, there was a lot to talk about in the latest Weekly Grill markets update podcast with regular commentators Chris Howie and Matt Dalgleish.

In today’s episode Kerry Lonergan catches up with the pair on cattle price trends and what’s driving them, this year’s extraordinary number of sale yard cattle transactions, weather conditions and the spring rains in the south. Are they drought breaking?, Live export markets, feedlot numbers – will we get to 2 million cattle on feed?  Lotfeeding lamb. Is it viable? … and more

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In the 1980s, farmers were concerned that union intransigence and rigidity, as exemplified by the Mudginberri dispute, threatened the future of Australian agriculture and industry productivity in general.

Mudgenberri presented the opportunity for the NFF, with AFFF support, to challenge and defeat the old, inward-looking standards that had long passed their used-by date.

Farmers ‘put their hands in their pockets’ for the cause, raising millions of dollars. Half the money raised was donated by non-farming businesses that supported the NFF’s challenge to injustices.

Those funds are still working for Australian farmers today, fighting issues that would set disturbing precedents for farmers, regional communities and Australia as a whole.

In today’s podcast, host Kerry Lonergan talks with Fighting Fund chairman Hugh Nivison.

How much does the fund currently contain? How are decisions made about where and when the funds are spent? Can it be used for government lobby purposes? These are just some of the topics discussed.

Hugh Nivison

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In this week's episode, podcast host Kerry Lonergan catches up with processor Roger Fletcher, the man behind Australia's most successful integrated sheep meat processing business, Fletcher International. In a wide ranging conversation, the pair discuss Roger's humble beginnings droving sheep around Glen Innes; the opportunities he seized along the way to help build his $1.4b empire; and current high lamb prices, and how sustainable they are.

Other topics of conversation include:

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With frenched cutlets now selling in some metro butcheries for $95/kg. and even the humble shank retailing in supermarkets for the equivalent of $7.50 each, domestic lamb prices are today testing the boundaries of what the market ever thought possible.

But even at those ticket prices, independent retailers say there is no margin in lamb at current wholesale levels, two leading independent butchers tell Weekly Grill podcast host Kerry Lonergan in today’s episode.

Successful Brisbane butcher Tim Walsh, and Sydney retailer Stephen Kelly, who owns and runs five large shopping centre butcheries across Sydney and Newcastle, give their views of the red meat retail landscape in the current cycle of record high prices. The pair are joined by regular podcast contributor, analyst Matt Dalgleish from Episode 3.

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Some salient lessons in succession planning were aired during last Friday’s annual Rural Press Cub breakfast held as part of the Brisbane Ekka, where three generations of the Hart family from Stockyard Beef shared the stage in front of an audience of 700.

Founder Robin Hart, his son Lachie and granddaughter Ali later sat down with Weekly Grill host Kerry Lonergan to talk about multi-generational farm sector businesses and how they have made it work.

Key to the narrative was the deliberate steps taken at Stockyard to manage the inter-generational transition, evolving from a “family business” into a “business family” approach.

Each generation of Harts brought their own skill-set to the business, with the third generation of family members (Ali and her sister Bec) bringing purpose, innovation and fresh perspectives, the audience heard.

The Weekly Grill is brought to listeners by Rhinogard and Bovi-Shield MH-One - the One Shot, One Spray, One Time BRD Vaccines by Zoetis.

The Weekly Grill is brought to you by Rhinogard and Bovi-Shield MH-One, the One Shot, One Spray, One Time BRD Vaccines by Zoetis.

The Weekly Grill is brought to you by Rhinogard and Bovi-Shield MH-One, the One Shot, One Spray, One Time BRD Vaccines by Zoetis.

The Weekly Grill is brought to you by Rhinogard and Bovi-Shield MH-One, the One Shot, One Spray, One Time BRD Vaccines by Zoetis.

The Weekly Grill is brought to you by Rhinogard and Bovi-Shield MH-One, the One Shot, One Spray, One Time BRD Vaccines by Zoetis.