Commodity Conversations

Regional Cropping Update - 14th July 2023

This week Olivia travels across Australia with some of the Nutrien Ag Solutions network to get a regional update on the winter cropping season so far.  Olivia is joined by Greg Toomey: Branch Manager at Elmore, Victoria; Nick Brennan: Agronomy account manager at Wee Waa NSW; and Tom Shaw: Farm Services Support Agronomist based in WA.

Lamb of the free, home of the brave-7th July 2023

This week Rob is joined by Heather Jones, a wool and meat sheep producer from Thermopolis, Wyoming.  Heather talks to us about managing Rambouillet sheep through snow, mountain lions, badlands grazing and how the markets are treating lamb producers in the US. 

On the Ranch with Rob - 30th June 2023

This week Rob is in the Wild West of America and is joined by Art Butler, who sits on the Board of Directors of the American Angus Association and is the Owner and manager of Spring Cove Ranch in Idaho. We talk about the cattle market in the United States. 

The Bovine Boom -23rd June 2023

This week Mecardo's Ethan Woolley is joined by Ripley Atkinson, Senior Market Information Analyst with Meat & Livestock Australia.  Ripley talks us through MLA's June update on cattle projections and discusses the fundamentals which are shaping cattle supply, demand and pricing this year.

Global grain update - 16th June 2023

This week the Mecardo team is joined by Nick Booth, Mecardo Analyst and Director of Next Level Grain Marketing. This week is all about cropping, as we dive into the ABARES crop progress report, global balance sheets in grain and the factors that will impact the upcoming season.

Seeding Success at Tax Time - 9th June 2023

This week, the Mecardo team is joined by John Gibson, Director of ProAdvice to discuss the upcoming end of the financial year. We discuss family farm finances including new changes to be aware of and other strategic planning opportunities growers can focus on. 

Wool walking a fine line this winter - 2nd June 2023

This week Rob is joined by Mark Symes Southern Wool Manager at G. Schneider Australia to discuss the latest in the wool market.  Mark talks us through the balance between demand and supply in the current market and where to next for accredited wool and the finer wool market in general. 

El need to know - Weather update- 26th May 2023

With an El Nino looming and mixed conditions around the country, we turn to the skies this week with Eric Snodgrass, Principal Atmospheric Scientist at Nutrien Ag Solutions. Today's episode covers all things climate drivers, diving into what to expect from an El Nino this season, the implications for rainfall, temperature and frost patterns, as well as what might be in store beyond the current season.  

You can check out Eric's latest fortnightly weather forecast for Australia here, https://youtu.be/xX_QL0aiWwA

Sticking to the biosecurity plan - 19th May 2023

This week Rob is joined by Scott Young, Livestock Council President of the Victorian Farmers Federation.  Scott’s mandate is to improve the Biosecurity outcomes for all farmers, and he talks us through what VFF is doing behind the scenes to ensure Biosecurity plans can protect farmers from risks such as trespassing.  Read more at https://www.vff.org.au/policy/animal-welfare-biosecurity/biosecurity/

Beef, Budgets and Biosecurity - 12th May 2023

This week Rob is joined by Luke Bowen, the Inaugural CEO of Cattle Australia. We discuss the takeaways for the cattle industry with this week’s budget release and upcoming opportunities for the cattle industry.