The Weekly Grill

S4 Ep38: Environmental Social Governance, Catherine Marriott OAM

In this week's episode of the Weekly Grill podcast, host Kerry Lonergan sits down with respected leader for change and 2024 Nuffield Scholar, Catherine Marriott who was invited to present at the BeefEx feedlot convention in Brisbane recently.

Over the last 20 years, Catherine has worked as an executive, a non-executive director and consulting roles in the agricultural, reseach and regional development sectors in Australia and internationally. During this time, she has become a proven business leader, communicator and organisational renovator, focussed mostly on leadership development, advocacy and delivering innovative solutions for the industries in which she works.

In this episode the pair discuss Catherine's journey through the Nuffield program, ESG (Environmental Social Governance) and where it started, its impact across Europe, Asia and the United States, and how if impacts Australian agriculture.

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S4 Ep37: Charlie Arnot, CEO of Centre for Food Integrity

In this episode of the Weekly Grill podcast, host Kerry Lonergan sits down with Charlie Arnot, CEO of the Centre for Food Integrity, who spoke at the grainfed beef industry's BeefEx conference in Brisbane last week.

He spoke about how global expectations around animal welfare are shaping beef production practices in Australia, and how the industry can help protect its freedom to operate.

 

S4 Ep36: Energy and Agriculture, Professor Ralph Schoellhammer

This week Kerry Lonergan sat down with international economist and political theorist, Ralph Schoellhammer following his presentation at Beef Ex 2024.

Professor Schoellhammer specialises in the intersection of political philosophy and energy policies. His work explores how cultural convictions influence policy outcomes, particularly regarding energy, industry, and agriculture, addressing what he sees as a cultural self hate in the West.

As reported earlier this week, Professor Schoellhammer advocates 'The world needs more Australian agriculture and mining". However, as Kerry and the professor discuss, the challenge lies in changing deep-rooted idealologies.

 

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S4 Ep35: Renewable energy services provider Carl Duncan

Momentum continues to grow in the sustainable and renewable energy field, with plenty of applications emerging in the beef industry's processing and lotfeeding sectors, especially.

 

In this week's Weekly Grill podcast, host Kerry Lonergan talks with Carl Duncan, former sustainability officer with Teys Australia who now heads sustainable energy solutions provider NRG-One.

The company helps agribusinesses reduce their carbon footprint for a variety of reasons, from reducing operating costs to making brand claims around carbon reduction.

How far can solar, methane capture and wind projects go in the bush?

S4 Ep34: Lotfeeder and grainfed branded beef exporter, Lachie Hart

The head of the vertically-integrated Stockyard grainfed beef business, Lachie Hart, sat down last week for an extended chat with Weekly Grill podcast host Kerry Lonergan.

Among a host of topics touched on by the pair was Stockyard’s experiences as one of Australia’s trail blazers in the field of sustainability performance-linked finance; the rapidly growing cost to operate in the commercial lotfeeding industry; Stockyard as a multi-generational family business; trials and adoption of new technologies like live animal scanning for marbling performance; and how the Stockyard business has evolved from its earlier heavy focus on Japan to other high-value export markets like the Middle East.

 

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S4 Ep33: Evolving state of Australia's rural property market, with LAWD's Danny Thomas

 

There's a lot happening in the international and domestic environment that's shaping the Australian rural property market heading towards 2025, leading property marketing identity Danny Thomas tells Weekly Grill podcast host Kerry Lonergan in this week's episode.

The Weekly Grill is brought to readers and listeners by Rhinogard by Zoetis.

 

S4 Ep32: Turning the tide on the anti-farming agenda - Claire Taylor

Young Scotswoman Claire Taylor has risen in prominence as an ag communicator since tackling a Nuffield Scholarship last year, helping turn the tide on the global anti-farming agenda.

Farming is coming under increasing fire on multiple fronts, and the industry has a job to do, to rise above the noise and present a stronger, more united voice against many of the criticisms thrown at its door, she tells Weekly Grill podcast host Kerry Lonergan in this week’s episode.

Throughout her Nuffield scholarship, Claire uncovered brilliant examples where farming has a voice at the decision-making table and strong relations with policymakers, the media, and members of the public. Her objective is to share these stories and encourage farmers to step outside the agricultural echo chamber and better communicate with members of the public, media and politicians, to ensure their voices are not only heard, but valued.

Claire grew up on a small beef farm on the west coast of Scotland, later studying Politics and International Relations at Edinburgh University. She spent ten years working with the BBC and the Scottish Farmer – first as a reporter and later as political editor - covering the ag sector she cares so passionately about.

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S4 Ep31: Agribusiness lawyer Trent Thorne on livex class action, legalities around drone use

Recent episodes of animal activists using drones to intrude on feedlot sites has reignited interest in laws and rights over intrusion on private property.

 

In this week's Weekly Grill podcast with host Kerry Lonergan, Brisbane-based agribusiness lawyer Trent Thorne from Hamilton Locke steps through the laws, regulations and rights surrounding drone use, and how they apply to commercial businesses like feedlots and cattle properties.

Among other topics, the pair also discuss developments in the long-standing live export class action following the suspension of live export cattle trade into Indonesia in 2011, and what it takes to climb Mt Everest.

 

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S4 Ep30: MLA managing director, Michael Crowley

Meat & Livestock Australia's new managing director Michael Crowley has well and truly got his feet under the desk since kicking off in his new job in late May.

 

 

Many in the industry got their first insight on Mr Crowley's take on the industry service delivery company's future direction in an address to the Queensland Rural Pres Club last month.

One of his key visions is to see Value-Based Marketing embedded within the Australian beef industry, delivering performance-based payments to producers that factor in meat yield, as well as meat quality and carcase traits.

 

The Weekly Grill is brought to readers and listeners by Rhinogard by Zoetis.

S4 Ep29: Rabobank chief analyst Stefan Vogel

Rabobank’s general manager for ag research, Stefan Vogel chats with Weekly Grill podcast host Kerry Lonergan on where Australian livestock industries currently sit in a challenging global environment.

Logistical challenges around the Suez Canal, regional conflicts and challenging economic conditions are creating some headwinds for Australia’s ag exports – but there’s still plenty to be optimistic about, he says.

 

The Weekly Grill is brought to readers and listeners by Rhinogard by Zoetis.