The Weekly Grill

This week the Weekly Grill podcast host Kerry Lonergan catches up with Jim Lindsay, one of the three co-founders of the Low Stress Stock Handling movement.

 

Over the past 30 years, Jim and his collaborators Graeme Rees and the late Rod Knight have delivered hundreds of LSS courses across Australia, imprinting thousands of beef producers with better understanding about work cattle. Some grazing families have now had three generations of members through an LSS course.

Few, if any programs have had as much direct impact on animal welfare, human welfare, productivity and stretching scarce labour resourcing than LSS.

While The Weekly Grill podcast host Kerry Lonergan was at the Brisbane Ekka he caught up with Greg Pankhurst.

In a wide ranging interview, Kerry spoke to the Qld Livestock Exporters Association president about the current markets, FMD, impacts on exports, plus what that means for Indonesia, Vietnam, China, Brazil... and more.

This week, The Weekly Grill podcast host Kerry Lonergan ventured out to the Brisbane Ekka to turn up the heat on NTCA President and Tipperary Group GM, David Connolly.

 

 

 

 

This week, The Weekly Grill podcast host Kerry Lonergan turns up the heat on our regular cattle market commentators, Chris Howie from Stockco, and Matt Dalgleish from Thomas Elder Markets.

There have been some dramatic movements in the Australian store and slaughter cattle markets since the trio last came together in June.

How much of it is driven by producer anxiety over the potential risk of BSE incursion? How much is due to normal mid-winter turnoff after frost, or financial management of cattle turnoff due to big tax bills leading up to June 30? Is the competitive pressure in international beef markets from the US, which is currently experiencing serious drought, have anything to do with it?

Matt and Chris answer these, and other questions around the current slide in cattle prices, and what lies ahead.

This week, The Weekly Grill podcast host Kerry Lonergan turns up the heat on industry identity David Larkin, head of the Kimberley Meat Co processing business near Broome.

 

How has this year's decline in live export activity out of northern Australia impacted Australia's most remote beef processing establishment? Is the labour access issue any different than it is for processors in more heavily populated areas? David answers these, and many other questions.

 

The Weekly Grill podcast host Kerry Lonergan this week turns up the heat on Beef Central's 'Man on the ground' in Indonesia, Dr Ross Ainsworth.

Dr Ross steps through the rapidly escalating crisis across the Indonesian archipelago, as it pushes closer to Australia in the tourism hot-spot of Bali.

What more can we do to mitigate risk to the Australian beef herd and sheep flock?

The Weekly Grill podcast host Kerry Lonergan this week turns up the heat on veteran Queensland red meat processor, Trevor Lee.

Trevor is the founder of Australian Country Choice, which operates a massive vertically-integrated beef supply chain stretching from breeding and backgrounding cattle to lotfeeding, processing and meat sales into a wide range of export and domestic markets.

Among other topics, the pair discuss the dramatic changes and challenges now facing the red meat processing industry, and how ACC has evolved over the years, including the development of a large Wagyu operation since 2020.

The Weekly Grill podcast host Kerry Lonergan this week turns up the heat on Central Queensland working dog legend, Frank Finger.

Fresh from his appearances on ABC TV's Working Dogs series Frank

Besides running his property – west of Clermont in central Queensland – Finger has decades of experience raising and training working dogs. He started a dog training school in 1995, which his sons and daughters now run. Unlike noisy quad bikes and deafening helicopters, dogs can also keep cows and sheep calm; as Finger says: “Dogs take the rattle out of the cattle.”

 

The Weekly Grill podcast host Kerry Lonergan this week turns up the heat on new Federal Agriculture Minister, Murray Watt.

 

In a wide-ranging discussion, the pair discuss jobs and the industry's underlying labour shortage, biosecurity challenges including FMD and Lumpy Skin Disease, energy prices, livestock export trade and carbon emissions.

Sen Watt was a solicitor before entering the Queensland public service where he worked as chief of staff to Premier Anna Bligh from 2002 to 2007.

He entered federal politics when he was elected to the Senate for Queensland in 2016, having previously served in the Queensland Parliament representing the seat of Everton.

Prior to last month’s Federal election, he served as shadow minister for Northern Australia, Disaster and Emergency Management and Queensland Resources in Opposition.

Senator Watt also participated in Senate Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport Committee inquiries in 2019 and 2020.

The Weekly Grill podcast host Kerry Lonergan this week turns up the heat on young NSW Wagyu beef producer, Charlie Perry.

Mr Perry, who lives and works on his family-owned and operated Trent Bridge Wagyu beef property near Guyra, returned to his passion for agriculture after a successful career in business consulting, and hasn’t looked back.

Since taking over management of his family enterprise in 2016, he’s overseen substantial growth in the family business, despite some of the worst years of drought on record, with a focus on productivity gains, genetic indicators and sustainability.

He also serves as the current president of the Australian Wagyu Association, representing Wagyu breeders, lotfeeders and other supply chain stakeholders across the nation.

Now in its eighth year, the Zanda McDonald Award supports talented and passionate young professionals in the ag sector from Australia and New Zealand.