Commodity Conversations

Regional livestock roundup - 5th May 2023

This week Rob reaches out across the country to the Nutrien Ag Solutions livestock team, to get the latest insight into what exactly is happening in lamb and cattle markets. Andrew Holt, senior livestock account manager, talks about conditions for cattle up North.  Leon Giglia, Regional Livestock Lead, runs us through supply situations in WA and Ron Rutledge, South-East Livestock Development Manager discusses the latest developments in South-East Australia. 

Leadership success along the supply chain - 28th April 2023

This week, Rob is joined by David Cornish, Director at the Centre of the Study of Agribusiness at Marcus Oldham.  The agenda is all about the landscape for developing and fostering the next generation of leaders in Agriculture. 

Key Market Updates Quarter 1 2023 - 21st April 2023

This week the Mecardo team, Olivia Agar, Robert Hermann, and Ethan Woolley discuss the key market updates for commodity markets in 2023.  We cover US Beef exports, wool supply surpluses, the ups and downs of the mutton job, Sugar cane success, cotton concerns, and barley back in China. 

Key drivers of livestock profitability - 14th April 2023

This week, Rob is joined by Bronte Lloyd, Animal production specialist with Nutrien Ag Solutions. Bronte discusses some strategies for maximising efficiencies in livestock production including balancing nutrition through supplementation and the importance of managing feed and vaccinations for breeding stock. 

Lambs’ seat at the trade table - 6th April 2023

This week Olivia is joined by Bonnie Skinner, CEO of Sheep Producers Australia.  With free trade negotiations well underway in the EU and UK, Bonnie talks us through some key insights regarding the demands of the European lamb consumer.  Bonnie also discusses how EID implementation and traceability can unlock value in these markets. 

Ewe have got to be in it to win it - 31st March 2023

This week, Rob is joined by Ally Jaffrey, Wool Area manager for Nutrien Ag Solutions based in Crookwell NSW.

Ally plays a key role in the NSW SMBA Southern Tablelands flock ewe championship and joins us to discuss what farmers are getting out of the competition.  We learn how benchmarking, networking, and the sharing of knowledge are driving excellence in Wool.

Commodity Outlook: Climate, Conflict, China, Costs & COVID - 24th March 2023

This week Rob is joined by commodity conversations regular Michael Whitehead, Head of Agribusiness Insights at ANZ.  Michael talks us through some of the key insights from the ANZ Agri in focus autumn report. We cover the outlook for a number of commodities including the climate and cost trends for farmers, the impacts of Chinese demand, continued conflict, and Post COVID supply chain developments. 

Managing cashflow for a tighter outlook - 10th March 2023

In this episode, Robert Herrmann chats with Tom Breen, General Manager of Customer and Business services at Nutrien Ag Solutions about the future of Ag, innovation in farm finance and how farmers can take advantage of those opportunities – even if cashflow doesn’t permit.

The fruits of 10 years labour - 3rd March 2023

This week Olivia is joined by Lucy Noble, Industry Analyst with Hort Innovation. We discuss some of the key drivers behind the significant growth in productivity and value in the horticulture industry achieved in the last decade.  We learn more about the latest iteration of the Horticulture statistics handbook, a comprehensive resource covering over 75 different commodities; and when can we expect some relief to potato supply? 

Why fertiliser skyrocketed in 2022, and what’s in store for 2023? - 24th February 2023

This week Rob is joined by Mark Tully - Market Research Manager at Nutrien, who is based in Calgary, Canada.  Mark shares his insight into the Fertiliser market and covers the volatility of 2022, and what we can expect in Nitrogen and Phosphate markets for 2023.