Commodity Conversations

Research cuts to agriculture when we should be investing more than ever - 11th June 2022

Charlie de Fegely, Dobie, south of Ararat, along with his family, run 9,000 composite ewes, turning off lambs in November. In 2019 he was awarded the biennial AW Howard medal for excellence in pasture research. It is believed to be the first time a farmer has been awarded the prestigious pasture improvement medal. Charlie has been a long term advocate of  science based research and is well positioned to comment on the impact Ag department budget cutbacks will have on the agricultural industry. 

 

The sustainability story - 3rd June 2022

The sustainability of wool as a fibre and sheep as a production system in Australia is well understood by those in the industry, but we can’t expect that end customers see it the same way. Ed Storey is president of Wool Producers Australia and joins us to talk to the trust in Australian wool, the sheep sustainability framework and why we need to give customers confidence in its provenance and our production.

FMD & LSD - has the risk increased? 27th May 2022

Australia's sheep & cattle meat is highly sought after around the world, partly because of the strict biosecurity standards and clean green reputation of our livestock industry. We’re not immune to unwanted diseases entering our country however and the potential devastation they can cause. This week we turn the tables and Meridian Agriculture’s Mike Stephens is interviewing Rob Herrmann. Mike is the founder, board director and a senior business consultant for Meridian Agriculture.

Currency, commodity corrections & crossbreds - 23th May 2022

Liv’s back on deck this week with Rob to catch up on all the latest moves in ag markets. This week they discuss the impact of the falling aussie dollar on commodities, India’s recent ban on wheat exports as well as some good news for crossbred wool growers.

India free trade agreement and more – 15th May 2022

This week on Mecardo, Michael Whitehead, head of agri-insights ANZ, joins us to discuss a whole range of commodities, from cattle, sheep and lamb, diary, wine and even berries. As usual Michael shares some astute insights about the current state of ag markets here in Australia and globally. Michael also touches on the recent free trade agreement between India and Australia and the opportunities it presents for Aussie producers.

Goat market kicking goals – 7th May 2022

Although Australian only produce around 1% of total goat meat in the world – demand for Aussie goat meat locally and internationally, has been steadily growing since around 2013 - pushing the price of goat meat on par with it's 'bigger cousin', lamb. This week on commodity conversations Gus Foot, Livestock account manager for Nutrien, based in Charlesville QLD, joins us to share his insights into this increasingly popular market.

Learning from the roo’s - 29th April 2022

What can kangaroo’s teach us about livestock farming methods? Tune in to commodity conversations this week to hear Lachlan Campbell, CEO and founder of ProAgni, explain their innovative new product, what problems they aim to address and some of the inspiration behind it’s creation.

Market wrap - 21st April 2022

This week Mecardo's Rob Herrmann and David Myers take a look at what's been happening in cattle, sheep and wool markets recently. Join us to hear the latest market developments and jump on the Mecardo website to read the full articles that are discussed briefly today. 

Biosecurity alarm bells – 14th April 2022

Biosecurity issues have dominated agricultural headlines recently as South Africa grapples with another foot-and-mouth outbreak, meanwhile Lumpy Skin Disease outbreaks among cattle in Indonesia have Australian officials worried. This episode Rob & Olivia discuss these issues as well as pay a special tribute to two friends and colleagues. We hope you have a good Easter break, from the Mecardo team.

China still hungry for aussie proteins - 2nd April 2022

Russia’s war on Ukraine is still having ramifications across the global grains & oilseeds markets and indirectly across a whole raft of agricultural commodities. We’re seeing stronger demand for most agricultural commodities than we’ve ever seen before, as governments around the world try to secure essential food items to keep their populations content. China of course is no small fry when it comes to the global trade market, being one of the biggest if not the biggest importers of redmeat & grains and oilseeds. Geopolitical tensions aside, this episode, Mecardo analyst Adrian Ladaniwskyj has a chat with Rob Herrmann about China’s demand for Aussie red meat in 2021 & 2022, amongst other key highlights of the grains, wool and livestock markets.