We have a chat with Matt's old colleague from his currency trading days at ANZ, Dion Ciavola. Dion runs his own money transfer service (Forex Sport).  We chat about the inflation numbers, the likely increase in interest rates, and recent slide in the A$.  Lower A$ is good for exports, but bad for imports. 

We talk to regular AgWatchers guest Chris Lawson, head of fertilizers for the analyst firm CRU.  In this discussion, we talk about the impact of Russian sanctions, new plants in Australia, Sri Lanka banning synthetic fertilizer, where prices in Australia will go and a lot more.   

We have a chat with Gillian and Mark Fennell about a huge range of issues around rural politics, the cattle industry and the outbreak of lumpy skin disease.  An interesting point we talk about is diversity of viewpoints when it comes to making decisions.  Happy Easter all. 

A quick market update on the main drivers in the livestock and grain markets. We spent the weekend.  Topics covered include US crop conditions, Indian free trade agreement and why it is better for livestock and a few others.  Remember to share about. 

We have a chat with the CEO of Egg Farmers Australia, Melinda Hashimoto. Melinda thinks that consumers have to pay more for their eggs.  In this discussion, we ask the big questions, and cover the increasing cost of farming eggs in Australia. 

We were lucky to be the last official engagement of Malcolm Bartholomaeus before he heads off into retirement. Malcolm is a respected analyst, and was at the forefront of his game in Australia - and practically invented the field of ag markets analysis and price discovery here.  We talk about the changes that Malcolm has experienced over his career from 1990 to 2022. 

Just the two of us, as we provide a market update. We cover off on whether lamb is cheap compared to cattle, or cattle expensive compared to lamb. We then talk about developing crop issues in China and the US, and the possibility of China coming back for barley.  Just the two of us. 

At the onset of the Russian invasion, we had a chat with two of our analyst friends from Ukraine (Masha & Elena) on a live twitter space (EP102). We wanted to make sure both were ok and managed to get Elena back on to tell us about her journey out of Ukraine and the impact of the war on agriculture.  Masha couldn't make it onto the podcast, but she is safe. 

Fuel has gone through the roof - but is there a larger, more structural issue looming? We have a chat with John Blackburn AO, former Air Vice-Marshal and Deputy Chief of the RAAF. John has been working investigating supply chains as a part of Australia's national security.  In this discussion, we find out how much at risk our fuel supply chain is (along with many other products). 

We have a chat with Michael Trant, a farmer and author from Western Australia, about his new book Wild Dogs.  We chat about how a farmer goes from writing about live export to publishing a crime thriller set in the Australian outback. Although not our typical type of conversation, it's really interesting to find out what the process is.  Andrew also finds out why he wasn't selected to be the narrator.  AgWatchers don't do sponsors but we'll give his book a plug: Audible and Paper

A short AgWatchers market update. We cover the impact of the floods in NSW/QLD on livestock, the action in the wheat market and the impact of the Russian invasion of ag inputs from diesel to fertilizer.  Enjoy the weekend!

We have a live talkback discussion about the Invasion of Ukraine by Russia. We invited Elena Neroba and Masha Belikova, both grain analysts living in Ukraine to let us know how they are.   We also talk to a whole bunch of different folk about the ongoing situation in Ukraine and its impact. Thanks to our additional guests who contributed: Switter, Yeti, Stefan Meyer (and his wife), Simon McDougall and Brett Hosking  (Sound quality not great at points, but audible.)

We have a chat with renowned economist and market commentator Stephen 'The Kouk' Koukoulas about inflation, interest rates, the aussie dollar, negative gearing and a whole lot more.  Remember to support the podcast by sharing around.   

Our 2nd AgWatchers talkback discussion. We start off with a quick market update on livestock and grains. Lots of data on livestock this week, on how the herd is rebuilding which could impact the price. Then the glyphosate issue, Indian lentil tariffs and volatile wheat.  Then we get into the audience with Ryan Milgate, James Stacey, Amelia Shaw and Gaurav Jain. We get some more detail on lentils, Road issues in Victoria, policy issues in grains and issues with the peri-urban fringe.  A lot of variety and a good chat with all the brave guests.  

It's a bit different this week and a lot of fun. We are the first Australian Ag podcast to do a live stream talkback style episode over Twitter spaces.  All our podcasts are completely unscripted (as you can tell), but in this one, it was recorded live to the Twitter audience and we gave impromptu invitations for brave guests to join the conversation.  The guests include Yeti, Clint Jasper, Martin Murray, Jonathan Dyer, Stefan Meyer and Renée Anderson. We started off with the weekly market update followed by discussions on fertilizer, inflation, cotton, organic farming, durum supply chains, issues with MRL's and a whole lot more.   Remember to support the podcast by sharing it with friends and family. 

Seeding is approaching and farmers have to start making fertilizer decisions if they haven't already. In this podcast, we get AgWatchers regular Chris Lawson, Head of Fert for CRU Group on to have a chat about the fert market.  We chat about what is driving the market, the current falls overseas, snake poo as an alternative, new Australian production and dispel some conspiracy theories. 

A quick update on big drivers of livestock, fertilizer and grains. We cover off on the EYCI projections, herd rebuild, fertilizer 'crash' and grain situation.     

Want to set up your own butchers? We talk about our favourite topic, meat but with a twist. In this episode, we have a chat with former backpacker Jim Arrowsmith who set up the now successful butchers Pacdon Park. A butcher in country NSW supplying British small goods throughout the country, from pork pies to haggis. Pacdon is the largest supplier of haggis in Australia at up to a tonne per week.  Keen listeners will know we love offal. Hear all about the issues of setting up your own butchers, supply chain issues, and the seasonal demand for haggis. 

We chat with Masha Belikova, a grain reporter for Fastmarkets/Agricensus. Masha lives 200k from the Russia/Ukraine border.  A frank discussion about what it's like living under the shadow of a conflict, the impact on grain markets, and why the western news is causing anxiety.  Remember to share with your networks. 

A quick market update. We cover the impact of Omicron on Matt's health, processing and prices. Then off to grain where we discuss the major issue at the moment - concerns about a Russian invasion of Ukraine. Sharing is caring, remember to send to your friends, family and contacts. 

For the first episode of 2022, we have a chat with Jonathan Kingsman, retired sugar trader and author of a number of books on the commodity trade. We talk to Jonathan about what he learned from his conversations with commodity traders around the world. A must-listen podcast if you want to understand commodity merchants. His books include Commodity Conversations, The New Merchants of Grain, Commodity Crops, The Sugar Casino and Crop to Cup. You can follow Jonathan on twitter @jckingsman or his website commodityconversations.com

It's the end of another big year. We talk about what we think were the big events of Ag marketing during 2021, and what to look out for in 2022.  This year we covered a huge range of topics and industries, thanks to all of our guests. Thanks to those named below who subjected themselves to the podcast during 2021! Nathanial O'Hare, John Droppert, John Francis, Pat Coole, Trent Osmond, Michael De Kleuver, Brett Hosking, Ryan Milgate, Josh Lamb, Michael Gooden, Warwick Long, Andrew Freshwater, James Stacey, Nigel Hart, Mary Obrien, Mae Connelly, Andy Jacobs, Kerry Lonergan, Jessica Wallace, Chris Lawson, Benjamin Bodart, Corey Ryan, Corey Nesteroff, Justyn Peters, Gabby Chan, Jackie Peacock, Chick Olsson, Simon Keustenmacher, Nathan Cattle, Dwain Duxson, Patrick Hutchison, Angus Street, Andrey Sizov, Fiona Simson, Mark Allison, Zac Halman, Ryan Hoiberg aka Chris, Andrew Henderson, Richard Riordan MP, Tim Neale, Steve Bolt, Doug Fitch, Switter, Senator Susan McDonald,  David Mckeon, Tim Worledge, Marcelo Artal, Hugo Boudet and finally Andrew's mum. 

We have a chat with Hugo Boudet, an analyst from AgFlow, based in Geneva. We have a chat about La Nina, the EU harvest and why EU farmers aren't happy with the EU government environmental regulations.     

The sheep flock is rising, and so is the fertilizer price. We've had a whole bunch of questions this week on both the state of sheep and the fertilizer market. We thought it was worthwhile having a really quick update.  We cover the sheep turn off ratio and the herd rebuild, the forecasts for lamb pricing, the updated fert model pricing and the light at the end of the tunnel for fertilizer pricing. 

Our podcast sometimes gets berated for lacking intelligence, so we thought we would bring some artificial intelligence onto the podcast.  AI is all around us at the moment, from netflix to amazon. It isn't getting all that much attention from the point of view of helping farmers price grain.  We have a chat with Marcelo Artal, CEO of Hedgit. We find out what AI is, the opportunities for AI to assist farmers price grain and a whole lot more.       

A quick market update on the impacts of the wet weather on livestock and grains. 

Rain is impacting the supply chain in Australia and now Canada.  You might have seen the images in the press this week of Vancouver and the deluge they have received. We bring back Corey Nesteroff to tell us what is happening and the supply chain impacts of the floods. These rains are impacting the main port for grain and fertilizer exports in Canada.  We also talk about the impact of the rains on our own crop. 

In a first for our podcast, maybe the first for any ag market podcast we record to a live audience in Geneva at the Global Grain conference. We chat with Dave McKeon, CEO of GrainGrowers and Tim Worledge, editor of Fast Markets.  The chat was all about what is happening in the grain space. What is happening with the barley tariff, the impact of the wet weather and what is happening with government intervention in markets. 

We have a quick chat with Michael De Kleuver about what is happing in the wool market. We talk about how Chinese energy woes have impacted wool processing, but also recent military uniforms purchases have assisted the market. We talk about our reliance on China for wool (+90%), and how early-stage processing could feasibly move here. As always a bunch of topics, including something for everyone. 

We have a quick update on the markets. Topics covered include livestock, a moan about COP26, fertilizer woes and the harvest pressure on grain. 

We have a chat with Queensland Senator Susan McDonald. This conversation covers a wide range of topics with a focus on fake meat labelling, climate change and the livestock industry.   

We have a chat with Swithun Still, a 'veteran' grain trader based out of Geneva with a focus on the black sea region. We talk through a bunch of topics including how he survived the 2010 export ban, how he may be related to @wheatwatcher (he's probably not) and how he got into the industry. 

100% serious, 10% of the time. A quick update for a Friday afternoon.  We talk about the sheep yarding numbers being low, the controversy of sheep types and Andrew dials it up for the grain update.  In this episode, we find out that @wheatwatcher can't do a Scottish accent.

We have a chat with Doug Fitch, CEO of AgWorld. We cover a range of areas, from data ownership, connectivity, how Australia is too small for agtech and also a couple of tangents.  As always a fun conversation!

We have a chat with Steve Bolt, Corrigin wool grower, leader of the livestock leaders and chair of the WoolPoll panel. In this discussion, we introduce the new six for six sense segment. We have a chat about the sheep industry in WA, live export, advocating for agriculture and the coming wool poll.  Remember sharing is caring - send to your friends. 

We have a candid chat with Tim Neale of Datafarming about a whole range of things. Tim is a forthright speaker, and doesn't hold back on his opinions of agtech. Our type of guest! We cover off on the craziness of money in agtech, farming getting more efficient (and reducing input costs) and the pitfalls that agtech innovators are falling into. 

A quick market update. We cover off on Canola for this year and next. The issues of a wet harvest and protein premiums. The rampaging heavy cattle and the risk of covid restrictions on lamb processing.  Remember, sharing is caring.

On the day that Victoria hits record daily covid numbers, we have a chat with candid MP Richard Riordan, Shadow Minister for Local Government and Resources.  We chat about the impact of COVID on business, city slickers relocating to the country, renewables on farming and the state government covid response. 

On the day of China 'banning' fertilizer exports, we have a chat with podcast regular Chris Lawson of CRU about the fertilizer market.  We cover the issues of fertilizer in the US, Europe and China that are causing the fertilizer price to rise. The China ban, high energy prices, hurricane IDA, fertilizer substitutions and carbon impact. 

We have a chat with Andrew Henderson, consultant and chair of SAFEMEAT advisory group. We discuss the importance of biosecurity, and its impact upon national security. Recent reports indicate there is almost a 1 in 10 chance of a foot and mouth outbreak in the next ten years in Australia, we talk about this, along with Andrews recent report on his biosecurity to food security to national security equation.  You can read his short report here

There is a labour crisis on-farm, what is often not spoken about is the supply chain labour issues. It is getting harder for businesses to get staff. A strong jobs market is a strong barometer of the health of the industry.  So we had a chat with Ryan Hoiberg from Rimfire resources about the jobs market, and the big changes in the post-drought and covid era.  Ryan tells us about the job market, his criticisms of Agwatchers (specifically Andrew!), the rural jobs index, the advent of social media in recruitment and a lot more.  A great mixed bag chat with Ryan. 

We love oysters, and we wanted to learn a bit more about them. So we reached out to Zac Halman the founder of Angel Seafood to talk oysters.  Zac definitely wasn't shellfish with his knowledge. In this chat, we learnt about the market for oysters, the logistics and how they have survived covid. 

A quick update from us on what is happening in the market. We cover off on the situation in Canada with Canola, the rampant increase in fertilizer price and the big issues in livestock - Brazil and local shutdowns. 

Last week we had a chat with Fiona Simson about the state of the industry from a farming perspective. This week we thought it was a good idea to delve into the state of the supply chain.  We have a chat with Mark Allison, chair of Agribusiness Australia, director of Grain Growers and CEO of Elders. As usual, we talk about a wide range of topics - China & geopolitics, sustainability, getting ag to $300bn and the COVID supply chain. 

We have a chat with Fiona Simson, president of the National Farmers Federation. A wide range of topics from China, fake meat to carbon/biodiversity trading. Remember - sharing is caring. 

We chat with Andrey Sizov of Sovecon and the Sizov Report about what is happening in his part of the world. We talk about food inflation, the downgrade of the Russian crop and the Russian export tax and its potential to impact the future growth of the Russian wheat trade.  Remember to subscribe, and that sharing is caring. 

In our final in our series looking at how farmers can buy or sell their produce electronically - we get the word on the street from Angus Street*, CEO of Auctionsplus.  We talk about where it came from, the impact of COVID, the importance of conflict resolution and a few other bits and pieces.  *Sorry for the pun.

We have a chat with Patrick Hutchison (CEO of the Australian Meat Industry Council) about the meat processing sector. We cover off on the last-minute changes to staffing rates due to covid, the new ag visa, the importance of the whole supply chain & black pudding supply.