Podcast Highlights

In this episode of Hay Matters, brought to you by LocalAg and Feed Central, host Jon Paul Driver concludes his three-part series with South Australian farmer Matt Eckert. This final instalment shifts focus to the financial, mechanical, and personal pressures that often sit behind the paddock - and how Matt and his team are navigating them.

From soaring machinery costs and safety scares to family life, team trust, and planning for the future, this conversation reveals the daily challenges that aren't always get discussed, but shape everything on the farm.

• Why machinery costs are blowing out and how that’s reshaping timelines for soil improvement and capital investment
• What efficiency really looks like across an operation, and how mismatched upgrades can create new bottlenecks
• Lessons from scaling up hay production, from baler selection to matching loaders, trucks and shed space
• How past safety incidents have prompted changes in processes and a stronger focus on risk management
• Why trust and teamwork are central to how the farm operates today and how stepping back has helped others step up
• The juggling act of parenting, marriage and leadership and how Matt is learning to keep farm pressures from following him home
• What tough seasons have taught Matt and why backing your people makes all the difference