Commodity Conversations

This week Olivia is joined by Nick Goddard, Executive Director of the Australian Oilseeds Federation.  Nick discusses the latest drivers in Canola and oilseed markets including the latest supply and demand dynamics, the biofuel boom and ISCC certification news.

This week Rob is joined by Stephen Hill, National Committee Chairman for the Australian Wool Production Forecasting Committee. Stephen talks us through some key findings from the latest forecast and discusses for what is ahead for wool production in Australia. 

This week Rob is joined by Mecardo livestock analyst Jamie-Lee Oldfield to discuss everything lamb and sheep markets with spring approaching.  Jamie-Lee is based out of a sheep and cattle operation in Coolac, NSW and is well placed to run us through the boom in supply, the lamb crop to come and what is happening to the flock across the ditch. 

This week, Rob has returned from the United States and is keen to discuss with the Mecardo team what he saw including some of the key insights from Mecardo's recent analysis of the US cattle market and its potential impact on the Australian market. 

This week Olivia and Ethan from Mecardo discuss the key insights from the latest Mecardo Quarterly Commodity Report. They discuss wool at the crossroads, the weather market impacts on grain, mutton milestones and cattle export signals. 

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.

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. 

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. 

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.

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.

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. 

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. 

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

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/

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.

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. 

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. 

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. 

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. 

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.