What does the future hold for Australian agriculture in a world shaped by politics, protectionism, and shifting global demand?
In this episode, David Cornish is joined by respected consultant and market analyst Robert Herrmann to unpack the big-picture issues shaping ag in 2025. From Trump-era tariff talk to the resilience of Australia’s export model, Robert brings sharp insights into how trade policies really affect the farmgate and what producers should pay attention to in the years ahead.
The conversation spans the changing face of the wool industry, the economics behind the declining Merino flock, and the growing need for dual-purpose sheep that deliver both wool and meat. With a clear eye on strategy, Robert outlines where the industry is heading and why traceability, efficiency, and market confidence will be more important than ever.
Whether you're a grower, advisor, or policymaker, this episode offers essential context for navigating what's next.
The discussions on this podcast are for general information and education use only. These discussions should not be taken as constituting professional advice from the either AgTalk, Marcus Oldham College or our guests.
Marcus Oldham College, AgTalk or our podcasts guests are not liable for any loss caused, whether due to negligence or otherwise arising from the use of, or reliance on, the information provided directly or indirectly, by listening to this podcast.
In this episode of the Marcus Oldham AgTalk Podcast, host David Cornish spoke with Andrew McGuire, an Extension Agronomist and Director for Grant County at Washington State University, about the intricacies of soil health.
Andrew has been with WSU's Center for Sustaining Agriculture and Natural Resources since 1999, focusing on sustainable agriculture practices, particularly soil health, cover cropping, and high-residue farming systems.
His extensive research includes contributions like "Improving Soil Health in Pacific Northwest Potato Production: a Review" in the American Journal of Potato Research.
Based in Moses Lake, Washington, Andrew also shares insights on soil, farming, and science under the handle @agronomistag.
To learn more about Andrew McGuire's work, visit his WSU profile.
The discussions on this podcast are for general information and education use only. These discussions should not be taken as constituting professional advice from the either AgTalk, Marcus Oldham College or our guests.
Marcus Oldham College, AgTalk or our podcasts guests are not liable for any loss caused, whether due to negligence or otherwise arising from the use of, or reliance on, the information provided directly or indirectly, by listening to this podcast.
To kick off Season Five of the Marcus Oldham College AgTalk Podcast, I sat down with James Hamilton from Cultivate Advisory to discuss one of the most critical conversations any farming family, or any family with a business, will ever have: succession planning.
James is not only an experienced family succession planning facilitator but also a farmer with over 25 years of hands-on experience. He operates a farming enterprise in Narromine, central New South Wales, alongside his wife, Amanda. Together, they have raised their three daughters on the family farm, including Annabelle, a 2023 graduate of Marcus Oldham College with a Bachelor of Business (Agribusiness).
Having successfully navigated the succession process within his own family farm, James launched Cultivate Advisory in 2013. Through his business, he specialises in helping families and businesses across Australia create tailored succession plans that ensure smooth transitions of management and assets from one generation to the next. His approach focuses on open communication, practical strategies, and a deep understanding of the emotional and professional complexities involved.
If you’re ready to start the conversation about succession planning or wondering where to even start, this episode is packed with insights, practical advice, and real-life examples from James’s years of experience. To learn more about James Hamilton and Cultivate Advisory, visit: https://cultivateadvisory.com.au find James on LinkedIn here.
The discussions on this podcast are for general information and education use only. These discussions should not be taken as constituting professional advice from the either AgTalk, Marcus Oldham College or our guests.
Marcus Oldham College, AgTalk or our podcasts guests are not liable for any loss caused, whether due to negligence or otherwise arising from the use of, or reliance on, the information provided directly or indirectly, by listening to this podcast.
Join us this episode as we chat with Andrew Henderson, Principal of Agsecure, on the importance of food security to Australia’s national security.
Andrew is a leading strategic policy specialist with a passion for building the sustainability and prosperity of rural and regional Australia and enhancing the recognition of its role in the economy and its place in national security.
Andrew’s mission is to support industry and government to understand each other and work better together for the benefit of the nation, working across private enterprise, industry, not-for-profits, and governments. Andrew is presenting at the FutureAg Expo this April with more information available here.
The discussions on this podcast are for general information and education use only. These discussions should not be taken as constituting professional advice from the either AgTalk, Marcus Oldham College or our guests.
Marcus Oldham College, AgTalk or our podcasts guests are not liable for any loss caused, whether due to negligence or otherwise arising from the use of, or reliance on, the information provided directly or indirectly, by listening to this podcast.
Join us this week as we talk with Joanne Stevenson, Principal Consultant at Resilient Organisations as she chats to David Cornish about how we can create Resilient Businesses.
Over the past decade, Joanne has accumulated post-disaster research and consulting experience in several countries, examining recovery and resilience of communities, economies, and organisations.
She enjoys grappling with complex systems and developing practical solutions to work with these, using her background in geospatial assessment and network analysis.
Jo farms in partnership with her family on a commercial sheep and beef property where the risks and opportunities of running a business in a dynamic environment are lived every day.
The discussions on this podcast are for general information and education use only. These discussions should not be taken as constituting professional advice from the either AgTalk, Marcus Oldham College or our guests.
Marcus Oldham College, AgTalk or our podcasts guests are not liable for any loss caused, whether due to negligence or otherwise arising from the use of, or reliance on, the information provided directly or indirectly, by listening to this podcast.
Join us this episode as we chat with Agrista Director and consultant, John Francis, about getting back to basics and looking at Farm Profit Drivers.
Agrista is an agricultural consultancy focused on improving farm business performance based in Wagga Wagga in Southern New South Wales.
Agrista provides consulting services to corporate and family farms, the rural finance sector, government and industry bodies and the agricultural services sector.
You can learn more about Agrista here and connect with John on LinkedIn here.
The discussions on this podcast are for general information and education use only. These discussions should not be taken as constituting professional advice from the either AgTalk, Marcus Oldham College or our guests.
Marcus Oldham College, AgTalk or our podcasts guests are not liable for any loss caused, whether due to negligence or otherwise arising from the use of, or reliance on, the information provided directly or indirectly, by listening to this podcast.
Dr Nicole (Nici) Sweaney grew up with a fascination for animals and science, and always knew it was something she wanted to pursue.
But after completing a PhD in which she studied how native butterfly species interact with farmlands and pine plantations. From this Nici saw the power of information and data and the opportunities AI present to us.
This led her to found ‘Ai Her Way’ which is dedicated to helping women learn how to use AI in their everyday lives so they can achieve their wildest dreams.
Nici is passionate about gender equality and sees AI as a powerful tool to help women thrive in the workforce. Join us as we take look at AI and how it can benefit people working in Agriculture.
The discussions on this podcast are for general information and education use only. These discussions should not be taken as constituting professional advice from the either AgTalk, Marcus Oldham College or our guests.
Marcus Oldham College, AgTalk or our podcasts guests are not liable for any loss caused, whether due to negligence or otherwise arising from the use of, or reliance on, the information provided directly or indirectly, by listening to this podcast.
Join us for the first episode of season four of the AgTalk podcast as we discuss meat and wool commodity markets with Robert Herrmann.
Robert is a founder of Mecardo, a specialist in agricultural advisory with a focus firmly on the financial enhancement of primary production and price risk management.
The company was established by Robert in Adelaide in 1996 under the Ag Concepts Advisory brand. With a longstanding background in agriculture, Robert’s commitment was to deliver a high quality proactive risk analysis and management service to clients.
Robert has in excess of thirty years’ experience in agriculture, including eleven years as a senior wool specialist with Elders Ltd advising in the marketing and risk management of agricultural commodities.
The discussions on this podcast are for general information and education use only. These discussions should not be taken as constituting professional advice from the either AgTalk, Marcus Oldham College or our guests. This episode was recorded in September 2023.
Marcus Oldham College, AgTalk or our podcasts guests are not liable for any loss caused, whether due to negligence or otherwise arising from the use of, or reliance on, the information provided directly or indirectly, by listening to this podcast.
Join us this week as we chat with Director and consultant at Agrista, John Francis.
Agrista is an agricultural consultancy focused on improving farm business performance based in Wagga Wagga in Southern New South Wales.
Agrista provides consulting services to corporate and family farms, the rural finance sector, government and industry bodies and the agricultural services sector.
You can learn more about Agrista here and connect with John on LinkedIn here.
The discussions on this podcast are for general information and education use only. These discussions should not be taken as constituting professional advice from the either AgTalk, Marcus Oldham College or our guests.
Marcus Oldham College, AgTalk or our podcasts guests are not liable for any loss caused, whether due to negligence or otherwise arising from the use of, or reliance on, the information provided directly or indirectly, by listening to this podcast.
Join us this week as we chat with Rennylea Angus Director, Lucinda Corrigan.
Lucinda Corrigan joined Rennylea Angus in 1986. Rennylea Angus is a performance recorded Angus stud of 3.500 head. The ‘head office’ is situated in the South West Slopes of New South Wales between Albury and Holbrook NSW.
Her childhood was spent on a large merino sheep property, she has first class honours degree in Agricultural Science, and worked in agribusiness for a number of years.
Lucinda has skills and experience in governance, business management, marketing, research, climate change and innovation through the value chain. At Rennylea she guides finance, marketing, strategy, research and succession.
As well as her day job Lucinda is also a Director of Data Gene, Director of Animal Genetics and Breeding Unit at UNE and most recently has been appointed to Genetic Australia’s Board.
You can learn more about Rennylea Angus here and connect with Lucinda on LinkedIn here.
The discussions on this podcast are for general information and education use only. These discussions should not be taken as constituting professional advice from the either AgTalk, Marcus Oldham College or our guests.
Marcus Oldham College, AgTalk or our podcasts guests are not liable for any loss caused, whether due to negligence or otherwise arising from the use of, or reliance on, the information provided directly or indirectly, by listening to this podcast.
Join us this week as we discuss commodity markets with Robert Herrmann.
Robert is the Managing Director of Mecardo, a specialist in agricultural advisory with a focus firmly on the financial enhancement of primary production and price risk management.
The company was established by Robert in Adelaide in 1996 under the Ag Concepts Advisory brand. With a longstanding background in agriculture, Robert’s commitment was to deliver a high quality proactive risk analysis and management service to clients.
Robert has in excess of thirty years’ experience in agriculture, including eleven years as a senior wool specialist with Elders Ltd advising in the marketing and risk management of agricultural commodities.
The discussions on this podcast are for general information and education use only. These discussions should not be taken as constituting professional advice from the either AgTalk, Marcus Oldham College or our guests. This episode was recorded in March 2021.
Marcus Oldham College, AgTalk or our podcasts guests are not liable for any loss caused, whether due to negligence or otherwise arising from the use of, or reliance on, the information provided directly or indirectly, by listening to this podcast.
My guest today Matt Ough who grew up in Edenhope in the West Wimmera region of Victoria.
He worked on the family’s sheep farm in his teens learning about animal husbandry and pasture management. When he finished his VCE at Edenhope College, Matt took a gap year working as a teller at a local bank branch. During his gap year, Matt decided to combine his love for farming and business by enrolling in the Bachelor of Agribusiness at Marcus Oldham College. While studying, Matt was awarded a Rural Finance scholarship which perked his interest in agricultural commodity markets and analysis.
In 2014, Matt joined Rural Finance as part of their insights team and produced reports on a number of topics including livestock, dairy, horticulture and his pet topic Australian farmland values. In late 2021, Matt had a change of shirts and now does much of the same in-depth analysis and reporting that he has become renowned for as a Senior Communications Specialist (Market Insights) with Elders.
Outside of work, Matt is the husband of Lauren and father of little Henry, they live in Geelong and frequently escape to the country to visit family and dream about farm ownership.
The discussions on this podcast are for general information and education use only. These discussions should not be taken as constituting professional advice from the either AgTalk, Marcus Oldham College or our guests. This episode was recorded in February 2022.
Marcus Oldham College, AgTalk or our podcasts guests are not liable for any loss caused, whether due to negligence or otherwise arising from the use of, or reliance on, the information provided directly or indirectly, by listening to this podcast.
Nigel Kerin is the founder and director of Kerin Poll Merino Stud.
Kerin Poll Merino stud was established in 2009 with the goal to build the traits that made the terminal industry a success into the Merino breed, “fast early growth”, “fertility” and “doing ability”.
Nigel chats to us about his key learnings he has had in creating a successful agricultural business and why success can be a very poor teacher.
You can learn more about Kerin Poll from their website www.kerinpoll.com.au, on Twitter @KerinPollMerino or on their Facebook page
The discussions on this podcast are for general information and education use only. These discussions should not be taken as constituting professional advice from the either AgTalk, Marcus Oldham College or our guests. This episode was recorded in February 2022.
Marcus Oldham College, AgTalk or our podcasts guests are not liable for any loss caused, whether due to negligence or otherwise arising from the use of, or reliance on, the information provided directly or indirectly, by listening to this podcast.
This week we are lucky enough to have Phin Ziebell join us for another AgTalk episode to discuss what may lie ahead for 2022.
Phin is NAB's Agribusiness Economist. He is responsible for analysing and reporting on the trends and developments in the agribusiness industry and works closely in conjunction with bankers in NAB’s Agribusiness division.
Phin graduated with bachelor degrees in Commerce and Arts from the University of Melbourne and joined NAB in mid-2014. He was previously an economist at the Victorian Department of Primary Industries and Victorian Treasury.
The discussions on this podcast are for general information and education use only. These discussions should not be taken as constituting professional advice from the either AgTalk, Marcus Oldham College or our guests. This episode was recorded in Early February 2022.
Marcus Oldham College, AgTalk or our podcasts guests are not liable for any loss caused, whether due to negligence or otherwise arising from the use of, or reliance on, the information provided directly or indirectly, by listening to this podcast.
Join us this week as we recap 2021 and look at what 2022 may have in store for us with Robert Herrmann.
Robert is the Managing Director of Mecardo, a specialist in agricultural advisory with a focus firmly on the financial enhancement of primary production and price risk management.
The company was established by Robert in Adelaide in 1996 under the Ag Concepts Advisory brand. With a longstanding background in agriculture, Robert’s commitment was to deliver a high quality proactive risk analysis and management service to clients.
Robert has in excess of thirty years’ experience in agriculture, including eleven years as a senior wool specialist with Elders Ltd advising in the marketing and risk management of agricultural commodities.
The discussions on this podcast are for general information and education use only. These discussions should not be taken as constituting professional advice from the either AgTalk, Marcus Oldham College or our guests. This episode was recorded in December 2021.
Marcus Oldham College, AgTalk or our podcasts guests are not liable for any loss caused, whether due to negligence or otherwise arising from the use of, or reliance on, the information provided directly or indirectly, by listening to this podcast.
It is our pleasure to welcome Jennifer Medway to the Marcus Oldham AgTalk podcast.
Jennifer Medway is a fifth generation farmer from Gunning , NSW. Together with her Husband and parents run a 17,000 head self-replacing merino flock.
As well as being involved in the day to day running of the farm she has also held a range of roles including Executive officer of Tablelands Farming Systems, a board member of Merino Link, non-for-profit merino genetics livestock organisation and is a Senior Manager of Rural Futures at AgriFutures Australia.
Jen holds a bachelor of Agricultural Economics from Sydney University and completed the MLA Producer fast Track Program.
In July 2021, Jennifer was awarded the Marcus Oldham Flock leader award as part of the Lambition awards.
It is our pleasure to welcome Professor Richard Eckard to the Marcus Oldham AgTalk podcast.
Richard is Professor of Sustainable Agriculture at the University of Melbourne and Director of the Primary Industries Climate Challenges Centre, a research centre addressing the impacts of a changing climate on agriculture. His research focuses on sustainable agricultural production, with a recent focus on carbon neutral agriculture and options for agriculture to respond to a changing climate.
Richard developed the first greenhouse gas accounting tools for agriculture with his research and expertise provided the science basis for the development of six carbon offset methods in Australia.
He is a science advisor to the Australian, New Zealand and UK (ADAS) governments, the International Livestock Research Institute , UN FAO and EU , on climate change adaptation, mitigation research and policy development in agriculture. He is a network leader in the Global Research Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse Gasses. He is a member of the newly formed Victorian Agriculture and Climate Change Council and sits on numerous government and industry advisory committees.
Richard has published over 150 peer reviewed papers, with 80 peer-reviewed papers, 7 book chapters, and 140 conference papers on climate change, carbon farming and agriculture since 2010.
It is our pleasure to welcome Danielle England to the Marcus Oldham AgTalk podcast.
Danielle England is a recognised leader within Australian agriculture based in the South East of South Australia.
Over the past 20 years, Danielle has built a strong reputation for delivering agricultural extension and change management programs
She works closely with grower groups, research organisations, private advisors and farm businesses to deliver programs that optimise farm profitability and productivity.
Danielle has been listed in the Emerald 2014 100 Women in Australian Agribusiness, and was the 2013 Western Australian RIRDC Rural Woman of the Year. Both of these awards recognise her outstanding leadership and passion for the Australian agricultural industry.
Danielle has managed multiple mixed-farming research and development programs, including Grain and Graze 3, in WA for Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) in cooperation with the Facey Group. She is currently working with Ag Excellence Alliance to deliver a GRDC mixed farming program across the Southern Region.
Danielle studied a Bachelor of Agribusiness Marketing at the Curtin University Muresk Campus, and has a Graduate Certificate in Rural Systems Management from the University of Queensland, as well as a Diploma in Project Management and is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
It is our pleasure to welcome Dr Ken Giller to the Marcus Oldham AgTalk podcast.
Dr Ken Giller is Professor of Plant Production Systems at Wageningen University. His research focuses on smallholder farming systems in sub-Saharan Africa, and in particular problems of soil fertility with emphasis on the temporal and spatial dynamics of resources within crop/livestock farming systems.
He leads a number of initiatives such as N2Africa – Putting Nitrogen Fixation to Work for Smallholder Farmers in Africa. He is co-chair of the Thematic Network 7 on Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems of the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) of the United Nations and a member of the Unilever Sustainable Sourcing Advisory Board.
Ken joined Wageningen University in 2001 after holding professorships at Wye College, University of London, and the University of Zimbabwe.
It is our pleasure to welcome Kari Moffat to the Marcus Oldham AgTalk podcast.
Kari is the first of a series of ex-Marcus Oldham students who I will be profiling on this podcast from time to time as part of the Future Leader Series.
The reason I am doing this is that I believe that agriculture today is one of the most exciting industries to be involved in and I want to showcase some of the opportunities out there for young people in this industry.
Kari completed a Bachelor of Business (Agriculture) in 2017 and a Diploma of Equine Management in 2013 at Marcus Oldham.
Originally from Northern Victoria, since leaving Marcus, Kari has made a career in the live export industry. Her current role sees here as the Animal Welfare Assurance Manager for AUSTREX. AUSTREX is a leader in the global livestock industry and a pioneer of the livestock export trade.
Kari is also the Chair and Co-Founder of the Young Livestock Exporters Network and is a mentor partner of the Graeme Acton Beef Mentoring Programme. Kari is driven to bridge what she sees as a fundamental gap in understanding the difference in cultural values between Australia and our exporting destination.
Most recently Kari was recognised as a winner of the 2021 CCA NAB Agribusiness Rising Champion Initiative. This program is designed to foster the leadership and business skills of emerging beef industry leaders aged between 21-40.
