The Weekly Grill

In this week’s episode of the Weekly Grill, host Kerry Lonergan catches up with Mia Ryan, founder of the dating App, Howdy – think Tinder for the bush.

 

From her family farm in the NSW Hunter Valley, Mia recognised an opening to help bush people make a romantic connection, with more than 20,000 downloads among bush folk using the App in their search for love.

 

And there’s been plenty of success stories along the way, with engagements, marriages and little ones already on the ground.

 

Howdy isn’t just about dating, Mia says – it’s about building a network where anyone in rural Australia can find their match, share stories, and create a stronger community.

 

 

 

The Weekly Grill is brought to listeners by Rhinogard and Bovi-Shield MH-One - the One Shot, One Spray, One Time BRD Vaccines by Zoetis.

 

In this week's episode of the Weekly Grill, host Kerry Lonergan catches up with Matt Dalgliesh and Chris Howie to dissect what’s been a ‘goldilocks year’ for the red meat industry.

 

Reviewing some of the year's major headlines, the trio discuss:

• The lamb market’s spring flush
• Lamb fetching upwards of $330 a kilo
• Australia's highest volumes of processed beef for 47 years
• Did Trump’s yo-yo approach to tariffs have any impact?
• Indonesia’s declining herd numbers. What does this mean for the rest of the world?
• Cattle Councils review of the cattle levy
• Expanding capacities in feedlots
• The number of feedlots coming onto the market
• Skilled labour supplies in regional Australia - is it still an issue?
• Property values
• The mood in the sale yard
• … plus more

And Matt and Chris proffer their thoughts on where the smart money might be in 2026!

 

The Weekly Grill is brought to listeners by Rhinogard and Bovi-Shield MH-One - the One Shot, One Spray, One Time BRD Vaccines by Zoetis.

 

 

The use of drones on farms and grazing properties has grown dramatically over the past few years. Drones are now routinely being used for monitoring, mapping, spraying... and in some situations mustering stock. This week podcast host Kerry Lonergan caught up with one of the industry's early adopters, Jack Sykes, co-principal of AgriDrone, to discuss the rise of the use and application of drones for agricultural purposes, and how they're changing the way people farm.

The crowd of 480 cattle producers attending the recent CA Cattle Connect annual event in Dalby saw a demonstration of a specialised eight-rotor drone employing a hopper with 30kg capacity, used for woody weed control in larger areas.

 

The Weekly Grill is brought to listeners by Rhinogard and Bovi-Shield MH-One - the One Shot, One Spray, One Time BRD Vaccines by Zoetis.

 

On the eve of next week’s Cattle Australia seminar and AGM in Dalby, MLA’s executive chef and Product Business Development Manager Sam Burke chews the fat with The Weekly Grill, host Kerry Lonergan.

The pair discuss consumer trends during the current cycle of rising beef prices, how food service operators are adjusting their businesses to remain competitive, the role value-adding is playing in delivering beef products with greater convenience and time saving, and other issues.

Industry stakeholders attending Cattle Australia’s Dalby event will see Sam in action, and get to taste some of his creative ideas for beef, lamb and goatmeat.

 

The Weekly Grill is brought to listeners by Rhinogard and Bovi-Shield MH-One – the One Shot, One Spray, One Time BRD Vaccines by Zoetis.

 

In this week's episode of The Weekly Grill, host Kerry Lonergan chews the fat with independent red meat and livestock analyst Simon Quilty, covering the opportunities ahead for Australian beef and lamb in a global market facing shortages, tariff challenges, and trade access issues for the next year or two.

 

 

Barring weather setbacks or some form of exotic disease incursion, it's hard not to be bullish about red meat export prospects for 2026 and 2027, Mr Quilty suggests.

 

 

 

The Weekly Grill is brought to listeners by Rhinogard and Bovi-Shield MH-One - the One Shot, One Spray, One Time BRD Vaccines by Zoetis.

 

In this week's episode of The Weekly Grill, host Kerry Lonergan chews the fat with red meat wholesaling identity David McNally, head of Australian Wholesale Meats.

  

Since 2001 AWM has grown to become one of the largest domestic beef wholesalers in the country, with offices in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne supplying food service customers across the restaurant, pubs and clubs sector, retail butchers, supermarkets and hospitality venues across the nation.

The pair discuss the level of demand for beef and lamb this year, how the food service sector is performing, consumer reaction to higher red meat prices, the role of Meat Standards Australia and other topics.

 

The Weekly Grill is brought to listeners by Rhinogard and Bovi-Shield MH-One - the One Shot, One Spray, One Time BRD Vaccines by Zoetis.

 

In this week's episode of The Weekly Grill, host Kerry Longergan catches up with two veterans who took part in Australia's incredible feat in the 1970s-80s era in eradicating Brucellosis and Tuberculosis from the national beef herd.

Ron Granville was Queensland's chief veterinary officer during the BTEC era, and Brian Radunz was a senior cattle vet in the Northern Territory. The pair talk about the herculean task of eliminating the diseases, the challenges faced, and the ultimate success of the $1.2 billion project.

 

The Weekly Grill is brought to listeners by Rhinogard and Bovi-Shield MH-One - the One Shot, One Spray, One Time BRD Vaccines by Zoetis.

 

 

In this week's episode of The Weekly Grill, host Kerry Longergan catches up with newly crowned Young Organic Champion of the Year, Stephanie Frankham. 

Stephanie has been instrumental in developing the organic red meat sector, transitioning more than 50,000 cattle to organic production, and pioneering sustainability initiatives, including emissions reduction strategies for producers.

 

 

The Weekly Grill is brought to listeners by Rhinogard and Bovi-Shield MH-One - the One Shot, One Spray, One Time BRD Vaccines by Zoetis.

 

This week, podcast host Kerry Lonergan dials in Patrick Hutchinson, Chair of the Australian Beef Sustainability Framework.

The pair discuss the hot topics of environmental stewardship, animal welfare and economic resilience.

Sector by sector, how is the industry performing in the sustainability space, and how best to achieve our future sustainability targets?

A lot has already been achieved and a lot of money invested (industry funds, government contributions and third party investors) so what are the future targets?

 

 

The Weekly Grill is brought to listeners by Rhinogard and Bovi-Shield MH-One - the One Shot, One Spray, One Time BRD Vaccines by Zoetis.

 

This week, podcast host Kerry Lonergan catches up with Livecorp CEO, Wayne Collier. The pair's wide-ranging discussion covers:

• Indonesian, Vietnamese and Middle Eastern markets, and how they are performing
• The current mood in Western Australia
• Crewing live export ships - staffing shortages/who foots the bill?
• The success of shipboard management and improvements of mortality numbers
• Biosecurity issues
• The key issues addressed at "Live Exchange” - the upcoming Trade Conference in Perth
• ... and more

 

 

The Weekly Grill is brought to listeners by Rhinogard and Bovi-Shield MH-One - the One Shot, One Spray, One Time BRD Vaccines by Zoetis.