May 13, 2022
The Weekly Grill host Kerry Lonergan this week talks with Sally Warriner, who recently published her memoirs, having spent nearly 25 years living in the outback on cattle stations with her former husband, Ken.
Sally left cattle station life when her children were in boarding school. Her sons are spread across the country and most are still involved in agribusiness.
She originally trained as a nurse - a useful skill in the isolated communities she lived in - and has lost track of the number of times she stitched up injuries over the years.
Books: Not Just the Wife of the General Manager: Life in the Outback and a Whole Lot More
A celebration of a woman's life on an outback station writ large.
In a wide ranging discussion, Ian and Kerry explore livestock's opportunities and challenges in an increasingly sustainability-conscious world.
![S2 Ep 12: Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef president, Ian McConnell]()
May 6, 2022
The Weekly Grill host Kerry Lonergan this week talks with Ian McConnell, the Australian-born president of the Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef.
From a well-known Queensland grazing family, Ian studied animal science at UQ Gatton and then meat science at Colorado State University. He worked as a DPI livestock extension officer for almost a decade, during which time he was named Australian Rural Youth Ambassador and Cattle Council of Australia’s Beef Industry Rising Champion.
In 2012 Ian joined the World Wildlife Fund For Nature Australia to lead the environmental organisation’s engagement with the Australian beef industry, before being promoted to WWF’s global beef industry lead in 2014. Last year Mr McConnell joined Tyson Foods, one of the world’s largest protein companies, as the director of sustainability for Tyson's international business unit.
In a wide ranging discussion, Ian and Kerry explore livestock's opportunities and challenges in an increasingly sustainability-conscious world.
April 29, 2022
The Weekly Grill host Kerry Lonergan this week talks with Australia's chief veterinary officer Dr Mark Schipp, discussing latest biosecurity issues of relevance to the beef industry - and in in particular, the looming threat of Lumpy Skin Disease.
Now appearing on Australia's doorstep in Indonesia, LSD presents an enormous biosecurity threat to Australian livestock - and not just the beef industry, but potentially sheep and goats as well.
Topics explored in today's podcast include the issue of vaccine development, and whether Australia should simply use currently existing live vaccines from overseas.
April 22, 2022
Rural property: what’s happening, and where are values headed? Weekly Grill host Kerry Lonergan this week talks with Herron Todd White’s Tim Lane, discussing some of the key messages from HTW’s recent annual rural property briefings held in Brisbane and Melbourne.
Will land prices and demand come under pressure from rising interest rates? Will the momentum in interest in land for carbon projects continue? Where are the likely hot-spots for rural property investment, heading deeper into 2022? Have we seen the end of the foreign and institutional investment cycle?
April 8, 2022
The Weekly Grill podcast host Kerry Lonergan this week turns up the heat on RCS's Terry McCosker, aiming to better understand the increasingly complex carbon sequestion and trading market.
In a wide-ranging conversation, the pair touch on a range of topics from carbon offsets, likely future price trends in the carbon market, tax implications for carbon projects and what a change of government might mean for the carbon market.
April 1, 2022
On the eve of the 150th Royal Easter Show in Sydney next week, the Weekly Grill podcast host Kerry Lonergan this week turns up the heat on two prominent people involved in cattle showing and competition in Royal shows in Sydney and Brisbane.
Sydney show chief beef cattle steward Al Rayner and Brisbane show's chief beef cattle steward Gary Noller have seen stud show rings and led steer judging evolve over the last 40 years.
Is there a future for showing stud cattle, in a world increasingly dominated by objective measurement? What does the future hold for led steer competitions? Is Australia likely to embrace the US trend, where led steer prize money is emerging as a form of tertiary education 'scholarship' for some lucky young handlers?
In a wide-ranging conversation, the pair touch on a range of topics to do with the hallowed tradition of showing stud and commercial cattle.
March 25, 2022
The Weekly Grill podcast host Kerry Lonergan this week turns up the heat on Wagyu industry pioneer, David Blackmore, who has been a key player in Wagyu's extraordinary trajectory in Australia since the mid-1990s.
In a wide-ranging conversation, the pair touch on topics including how Wagyu got a foothold in the Australian beef industry, the quest for quality over quantity, the extraordinary prices high-end restaurant customers around the world are prepared to pay for elite Wagyu, and the risk of over-producing Wagyu beef in Australia.
Sponsoring our Weekly Grill podcast series are Kelly's Finance Group and Elanco Animal Health.
March 18, 2022
The Weekly Grill podcast host Kerry Lonergan this week turns up the heat on beef processing plant manager Wasa Mudannayake. Sri Lankan born Wasa has experienced an extraordinary career path, starting in the casual labour queue at Beenleigh, before rising through the ranks to become general manager at Teys Lakes Creek - one of the largest meat plants in Australia.
In a wide-ranging conversation, the pair touch on topics including the challenges surrounding attracting labour to the processing industry, and the crucial involvement the plant has with the Rockhampton community, as one of the region's biggest employers. And he is forever grateful to the Teys boys – and Australia – for all the opportunities that have come his way.
Sponsoring our Weekly Grill podcast series are Kelly's Finance Group and Elanco Animal Health.
March 11, 2022
Host Kerry Lonergan this week turns up the heat on grazing industry identity Jock Whittle, the head of asset performance for MIRA Agriculture for the Macquarie Group, who spent 12 years as chief executive officer of Paraway Pastoral Co. In a wide ranging interview, the pair touch on topics including the grazing industry (and Paraway's) approach to sustainability, carbon farming, and the critical need to focus on farm safety
February 24, 2022
Host Kerry Lonergan this week turns up the heat on veteran red meat industry leader David Crombie.
After forging his career as a director of Gunn Rural Management (GRM) and live exporter Austrex, Mr Crombie later became the chairman of the steering committee that moulded the formation of the Meat Standards Australia tenderness guarantee scheme, sat as chairman of Meat & Livestock Australia for six years, and served terms as president of the National Farmers Federation. In all capacities, he acted as a high profile industry leader, prepared to engage with grassroots producers across the length and breadth of the country.
Today he spends his time on his small cattle property near Warwick, and is a passionate participant in carcase competitions.
