The Weekly Grill

Today’s Weekly Grill podcast turns to the important topic of mental health in the bush, with contributions from Dolly’s Dream general manager Sally McSweeny and neuro science specialist Dr Simone Shaw. Dolly’s Dream was created by NT couple Kate and Tick Everett following the loss of their 14-year-old daughter, Dolly, to suicide, after ongoing bullying. They have been tirelessly working since then to change the culture of bullying. Today Dolly’s Dream addresses the impact of bullying, anxiety, depression, and youth suicide through direct support to young people and their families, especially to those living in rural, regional and remote Australia. At Beef 2024 in Rockhampton next month, Do It For Dolly Day will be celebrated in Friday 10 May, dedicated to bringing the community together, spreading kindness, and uniting to end bullying in honour of Dolly Everett. Here’s how visitors can participate: Go blue: Wear something blue on Friday 10 May or come down to the McKenzie Pavillion and buy some Dolly’s Dream merchandise. Be kind: Embrace kindness in all your actions and go that extra mile on the day (or week!) to be kind to someone. One kind word can change someone’s entire day. Fundraise: Help raise funds to deliver our anti-bullying initiatives. Your efforts will ensure that we can continue to support young people and families experiencing bullying. You can register your activity here. Donations: You can download a Do It For Dolly Day poster to display at your Beef 2024 site to encourage donations. There is also a fundraising lunch “Dining for a Dream” planned for  Tuesday 7 May. Click here for further details.     The Weekly Grill is brought to readers and listeners by Elders and Rhinogard by Zoetis.

Driven by favourable weather across eastern Australia, and growing international beef demand, the 2024 cattle market has some strong underpinnings for the 12 months ahead. Today's Weekly Grill podcast continues our occasional markets series, with host Kerry Lonergan talking with regular markets commentators RMA's Chris Howie and Ep3's Matt Dalgleish. The looming impact of the US drought on global beef supply and beef demand over the next two years out of the US and other countries is a key focus in today's update.   The Weekly Grill is brought to readers and listeners by Elders and Rhinogard by Zoetis.

Weekly Grill podcast host Kerry Lonergan this week turns up the heat on Darwin-based rural property valuer Frank Peacocke, discussing the outlook for land values in the Northern Territory and Kimberley region, alternate landuse with the region's emerging farming sector, carbon opportunities and other issues.

As part of our series relating to AA Co's 200-year anniversary this year, today's Weekly Grill episode sees host Kerry Lonergan chatting with former AA Co senior manager Geoff Wagstaff, who worked with the company for almost 30 years, from 1979.   Here's some of Geoff's recollections of early company operations. Click here to view Beef Centrals' earlier story on AA Co's genetics history   The Weekly Grill is brought to readers and listeners by Elders and Rhinogard by Zoetis.

On the eve of the annual Inter-Collegiate Meat Judging northern conference in Rockhampton next week, Weekly Grill podcast host Kerry Lonergan chats with ICMJ chairman Peter McGilchrist, on how the education body came into being, what purpose it currently serves for the beef and sheepmeat industry, and who has been part of the program over the years   The Weekly Grill is brought to readers and listeners by Elders and Rhinogard by Zoetis.

Former NFF President Brent Finlay came out of the paddock two decades ago to tackle agricultural representation including local, state, commodity, national and World Farm Organisation roles. Passionate about Australia's greatest industry  - agriculture - its people, its communities and its products, he is seeking support from across the sector and the rural community for landmark reforms to Australian agricultural representation. Relieving unnecessary regulatory burdens is just one of the topics raised during today's discussion with Weekly Grill podcast host, Kerry Lonergan.

With the countdown to the Australian beef industry's paramount event, Beef 2024, now down to seven weeks, podcast host Kerry Lonergan this week chats with event chairman Bryce Camm. More than 100,000 Australian and international meat and livestock industry stakeholders are expected to pass through the Rocky Showgrounds for the six-day event. How are preparations going? What's new for 2024? How can patrons extract the maximum benefit from attending? Beef 2024 chairman Bryce Camm has high expectations for the May event, which promises to inform, educate and entertain patrons like never before.   The Weekly Grill is brought to readers and listeners by Elders and Rhinogard by Zoetis.

Weekly Grill podcast host Kerry Lonergan this week chats with John Seccombe, Northern NSW beef producer and chairman of the Northern Co-operative Meat Co processing business at Casino. Operating since 1933, NCMC is recognised in Australia and globally as an industry leader in red meat processing, and along with WAMMCo in Western Australia, is one of only two cooperatively-structed red meat processors in the country. Through its world-class processing facilities, NCMC provides customers with a unique opportunity to process beef, veal and, pork. John has chaired the NCMC board for the past 11 years.   The Weekly Grill is brought to readers and listeners by Elders and Rhinogard by Zoetis.

Weekly Grill podcast host Kerry Lonergan this week chats with Michael Lee - Group manager for Science and Innovation at Meat & Livestock Australia.    In this role he provides strategic direction and leadership to MLA’s Science & Innovation team with the scope of work including food safety, processing efficiencies, automation, digital agriculture, objective measurement, food innovation, meeting market specifications, and positioning red meat value chains for future growth - as well as increasing demand for red meat through pioneering products and processes and new tools, techniques and technologies. Michael comes from a food and packaging technology background with 25 years’ experience across the meat supply chain from retail to operations. Prior to joining MLA he has worked for Woolworths Supermarkets National Office, Hans Smallgoods, and JBS Australia in various commercial and technical roles.   The Weekly Grill is brought to readers and listeners by Elders and Rhinogard by Zoetis.

Weekly Grill host, Kerry Lonergan this week catches up with Cattle Australia chief executive, Dr Chris Parker. Among other topics, the pair discuss the grassfed cattle levy, carbon and methane, biosecurity, skilled labour shortages, sustainability … and more.    

With Wednesday’s Indonesian national election victory being claimed by the Gerindra party’s Prabowo Subianto, attention will now focus on the prospects for 2024 live cattle import permits to be issued, following lengthy delays.   In this week’s Weekly Grill podcast, host Kerry Lonergan talks with Darwin based live exporter Patrick Underwood from Australian Cattle Enterprises, discussing the permit issue, prospects for live exports to Indonesia and other markets throughout 2024, and what happens to northern cattle – now rapidly gaining weight - if there are further permit delays. While unofficial tallies conducted by Indonesian polling agencies yesterday had Subianto holding between 57 percent and 59 percent of votes, it will take Indonesia’s Election Commission up to a month to confirm the final results.

This week’s Weekly Grill podcast guest, Chris Evans, has spent his working life involved in extensive cattle operations across Northern Australia – both as a consultant/advisor and under his own steam.   He was managing director and later chairman of prominent agribusiness consultancy and asset managers Taylor Byrne (later Rural Management Partners) from 1987 to 2015, managing a wide range of pastoral assets across Queensland, the NT and the Kimberley region. For a lengthy period he also played a significant role in Indigenous-owned pastoral operations. Chris also spent almost a decade as a director of Consolidated Pastoral Co, and under his own ownership, runs Bulloo River Pastoral Co, operating Nyngarie Station near Quilpie. He sits on the Western Queensland Beef Research Committee, and in 2013, undertook a new business venture, launching online rural merchandise sales platform, FarmShop Australia.

Driven by favourable weather across eastern Australia, the 2024 cattle market has opened with a flourish, as slaughter cattle, young cattle and breeder replacements all trend sharply higher in value.   Today's Weekly Grill podcast hosted by Kerry Lonergan features independent analyst Simon Quilty, discussing the current market environment and what lies ahead. Is the best of the price rally now behind us? Will current cattle prices be sustained? Will processors facing labour challenges be able to cope with greater slaughter cattle volume? What impact will the beef herd decline in the United States have on Australian meat and livestock markets? These and other questions are explored in this week's episode.

Driven by favourable weather across eastern Australia, the 2024 cattle market has opened with a flourish, as slaughter cattle, young cattle and breeder replacements all trend sharply higher in value. Today's return of Beef Central's Weekly Grill podcast series begins with host Kerry Lonergan talking with regular markets commentators RMA's Chris Howie and Ep3's Matt Dalgleish discussing the current market environment and what lies ahead. Is the best of the price rally now behind us? Will current prices be sustained? Will processors facing labour challenges be able to cope with greater slaughter cattle volume? These and other questions are explored in this week's episode. The looming impact of the US drought on global beef supply and beef demand over the next two years out of the US is another key focus in today's update. These and other topics are posed in today's cattle market update podcast by Weekly Grill host, Kerry Lonergan. Today's first podcast for the year is out of sync, due to the Friday public holiday, but normal Friday podcast upload schedules will resume from Friday this week, when Kerry Lonergan talks with analyst Simon Quilty.

adoption of of new practises and technologies.   Based out of Mareeba, west of Cairns, the Queensland Department of Agriculture senior beef extension officer received a NABRC Lifetime Achievement Medal during the recent at the Northern Beef Research Update conference in Darwin. Along with great depth and breadth of knowledge of extensive grazing operations in northern Australia, Bernie brings unbridled passion, energy and an engaging presence in his mission to help producers in his region optimise their operations' efficiency and productivity. In this week's Weekly Grill podcast discussion with host, Kerry Lonergan, Bernie discusses the evolution of beef extension in northern Australia, and modern day challenges and opportunities to bridge the gap between research and development, and the adoption phase by beef producers, in an era where they have countless other demands on their time. Mentoring young extension personnel has also been a passion as he enters the twilight of his career. During their conversation, Kerry asks Bernie a key question: "What changes would you make if you were Queensland Agriculture Minister for a week?"

It’s National Ag Day today, and in response Weekly Gill podcast host Kerry Lonergan chats with freshly-minted National Farmers Federation President, David Jochinke. The NSW farmer and grazier took over from Fiona Simson in late October, wasting no time in launching an unprecedented campaign against anti-farming policies.

In their final livestock markets wrap for the year, regular markets commentators, RMA’s Chris Howie and Ep3’s Matt Dalgleish face the big questions: Are we at or near the bottom of the cattle and sheep price cycle? What impact will the forecast drier summer have on supply and demand? What are the main drivers heading into 2024? These and other topics are posed in today’s cattle market update podcast by Weekly Grill host, Kerry Lonergan.

Where is progress up to in the development of feed additives designed to mitigate the product of methane in the rumen of beef cattle? In this week's podcast, host Kerry Lonergan chews the fat with Dr Adam Main from CH4 Australia, a company producing feed additives based on asparagopsis seaweed, farmed in a network of land-based ponds on the Eyre Peninsula. The products are already in commercial use in South Australia. Adam also talks about the benefits and applications of farming seaweed for cattle beyond the well-worn carbon/methane debate.

As the Australian red meat industry approaches the twenty-fifth anniversary of the launch of Meat Standards Australia, this week's Weekly Grill podcast episode dives deep into the evolution of the ground-breaking tenderness guarantee program with one of its pioneers, Rod Polkinghorne.     Rod provides a detailed and comprehensive background into what existed prior to MSA, the circumstances that led to the program's development and launch, and the originality of the 'consumer-driven' approach to meat science. Indeed, one of MSA's early signatures was the use of the 'empty chair', signifying that every decision at board level had to pass the 'pub test' with the average beef eating consumer before  implementation. Nobody has contributed more to MSA's enduring success than Rod, and his partner in countless consumer taste test programs and research trials over the past 30 years, Judy Philpott.