The Weekly Grill

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.

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

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.

In today's episode, host Kerry Lonergan turns up the heat on Beef Central's regular live export market commentator and columnist, Dr Ross Ainsworth.

Ross has spent a lifetime working in the Australian live cattle export industry, including lengthy periods living and working in-market.

In this episode he explores prospects for live export cattle prices for 2022, how major markets like Indonesia and Vietnam are performing, and competition from other protein suppliers in South America and India.

Beef Central's ever popular podcast series, The Weekly Grill, has returned from its summer recess with today's second episode of a new series.

Host Kerry Lonergan this week turns up the heat on StockCo's Chris Howie and Thomas Elder Markets' Matt Dalgleish, in our first markets wrap for the year.

The pair explore the current drivers for young cattle, breeding cattle and slaughter cattle prices and where the markets may head in coming months.

Sponsoring our Weekly Grill podcast series again in 2022 is Elanco Animal Health

Beef Central's ever popular podcast series, The Weekly Grill, returns from summer recess this week with the first episode of a new series.

Kicking off this year's program, host Kerry Lonergan this week turns up the heat on Australian Meat Industry Council chief executive, Patrick Hutchinson.

In a wide ranging interview, the pair explore the challenges ahead for red meat processors and retailers, including labour issues, livestock supply, consumer meat buying habits during COVID, and key export market access issues.

Sponsoring our Weekly Grill podcast series again in 2022 is Elanco Animal Health.

Marking National Agriculture Day today, this week's episode of The Weekly Grill podcast series sees host Kerry Lonergan turns up the heat on Federal Agriculture Minister David Littleproud.

In a wide ranging interview, the pair explore the road to zero net emissions for Australian farmers and graziers, description of plant based proteins purporting to be ‘meat’, and industry representation.

Today's episode brings to a close our 2021 Weekly Grill podcast series, brought to listeners with the support of Elanco Animal Health.  Series Two will be launched in January.

In this week’s episode of The Weekly Grill podcast series, host Kerry Lonergan turns up the heat again on StockCo’s Chris Howie and Thomas Elder Markets’ Matt Dalgleish, as the Eastern Young Cattle Indicator continues to surge to new record highs and torrential rain blankets large parts of eastern Australia.

Have we yet seen the peak in young cattle prices? Will the spring flush cattle turnoff in southern Australia pressure young cattle values? Both Matt and Chris are forecasting a softening trend, but market fundamentals among restockers, lotfeeders and processors jostling for scarce young cattle remain buoyant, to say the least.

 

In this week's episode of The Weekly Grill podcast series, host Kerry Lonergan turns up the heat on Garry Edwards, founder and managing director of AAM Investment Group.

Garry has over 20 years’ experience in investments and management within the Australian agribusiness sector. As an equity investor, he has developed assets and opportunities in livestock production, livestock marketing, value added marketing and processing, and consistently delivered superior financial returns.

He studied a Bachelor of Applied Science, Systems Agriculture at the University of Western Sydney, Hawkesbury where he graduated as dux of his course and also received a scholarship to attend the University of Illinois in the United States.

In his early career, Garry created Livestock Exchange and developed the technology and systems that today underpin Australia’s multi-billion dollar livestock industry through NLIS. These days, Australia is the envy of all other livestock export markets due to the value attributed to commodities that fall under the NLIS program.

Garry has extensive experience in a diverse range of agricultural businesses from family operations through to large scale integrated corporate agricultural operations across a range of industry sectors. In 2007, AAMIG commenced the development, operation and management Operation and Management a portfolio of livestock selling facilities on behalf of Australian Superannuation funds which today trade over $1 billion of livestock annually.

 

 

In this week's episode of The Weekly Grill podcast series, host Kerry Lonergan turns up the heat on Angus Australia’s chief executive officer Peter Parnell, who retires in February next year, having managed the nation's largest breed society for the past twelve and a half years.

 

Dr Parnell has presided over a period of dramatic growth for the Angus breed in Australia, driven in part by relentless breed improvement delivered through objective measurement and performance recording through Breedplan.

He foresees an exciting time ahead for the seedstock industry, driven in part by new genomic tools.

Dr Parnell took over from Grahame Truscott as Angus Australia CEO in 2009, having worked for NSW DPI for the previous seven years as a genetics research manager. Prior to that, he spent a lengthy term as Angus Australia’s breed development manager.