Commodity Conversations
Mecardo
Mecardo's market analysts bring you Commodity Conversations, sharing the stories behind what's driving livestock, grain and wool market.
What's in store for 2025- 20th December 2025
This week Olivia Agar, Ethan Woolley and Rob Hermann talk through the year that was for Agricultural commodities and discuss what's in store for commodities in 2025.
Why the herd might not be in decline – 13th December 2024
This week Rob is joined by Ripley Atkinson, Australian Livestock & Commodities Manager with StoneX to discuss his latest article on Auctions Plus about the size of the national herd https://tinyurl.com/mr4a7drt .
Saddling up for the campdraft that could be the biggest show in town - 6th December 2025
This week Rob is joined by Mark Barton Livestock specialist with Nutrien Ag Solutions to talk about the fast approaching 2025 Nutrien Classic performance horse sale and campdraft event in Tamworth NSW.
What's happening in cattle country? -29th November 2024
This week Rob is joined by Colby Ede, Northern Livestock Manager with Nutrien Ag Solutions. Colby takes us through what's been a great year for the Northern cattle industry and the exciting prospects ahead over the summer.
Trump tariffs - 15th November 2024
This week Rob is joined by Mecardo Analysts Olivia Agar and Jamie-Lee Oldfield to discuss the potential impacts of US tariffs on imported products for Agricultural trade.
The Big Opportunity in India - 8th November 2024
This week Rob Hermann is joined by Michael Whitehead, Head of Food, Beverage and Agribusiness Insights at ANZ to discuss the latest ANZ report on the exciting opportunities for Australian Agriculture in India. The report can be found at the following link: https://www.anz.com.au/content/dam/anzcomau/documents/pdf/india-thenextfrontier.pdf
Making sense of the current grain market - 1st November 2024
This week Rob is joined by Nick Booth from Next Level Grain Marketing, (and Mecardo contributor) to discuss how Russia, China and conflict in the Middle East continue to drive uncertainty and volatility in global grain and oilseed markets.
Key Market Updates Q3 2024 - 21st October 2024
This week the Mecardo team (Olivia Agar, Robert Herrmann & Ethan Woolley) discuss the key drivers and trends impacting grains, oilseeds, cattle, sheep, lamb and wool markets for q3 2024.
An Aussie cropping in Ukraine - 11th October 2024
This week Rob is joined by Lawrence Richmond, a farm manager from Victoria who has been managing cropping operations throughout the Black Sea including Romania and Ukraine. Lawrence talks us through the challenges and opportunities cropping in the region provides.
Eat your Veggies!!! Challenges and opportunities for the Australian vegetable industry - 26th September 2024
This week Rob is joined by Lucy Gregg, General Manager of Public Affairs at AUSVEG. Lucy joins us to discuss key challenges of Australian vegetable growers and other insights on the labour market impacting growers.
Setting the benchmark for lamb carcase with merinos - 20th July 2024
This week, Rob is joined by Brad Cavanagh, part of the livestock team at Oxton Park. Brad joins us to discuss what goes into the Oxton Park livestock operation which received the honour of Gundagai lamb Producer of the year for the 2nd year running.
Woolpower: Wool enterprises and the numbers for staying - 16th September 2024
Rob is joined by John Francis, Director at Agrista and the author of a recent AWI report into the profitability of specialised wool sheep enterprises. John discusses the data, modelling and outcomes of the recent report into why there is a profit argument for staying in wool.
https://www.wool.com/globalassets/wool/news--events/2024/why-stay-in-wool-sheep/why-say-in-wool-sheep---report-by-john-francis-of-agrista.pdf
Projecting what's next for the national flock and herd - 6th September 2024
This week Olivia Agar is joined by Erin Lukey - Senior Market Information Analyst with Meat & Livestock Australia (mla). Erin joins us to discuss the latest sheep and her projections and the drivers behind the figures MLA landed on.
Forecasting Wool production - 20th August 2024
This week Rob is joined by Stephen Hill, National Committee Chairman for the Australian Wool Production Forecasting Committee. They discuss the changing dynamics that influence the forecasting process for Australian wool production.
Nice one day, perfect the next: Opportunities in FNQ
This week Rob is joined by Thomas Mugford, Branch Manager for Mareeba, Tolga, Richmond and Cloncurry for Nutrien Ag Solutions in Far North Queensland. Tom joins us to discuss the diverse opportunities and industries the region has to offer.
Key Market Updates Q2 2024 - 23rd July 2024
Olivia Agar is joined by Mecardo Analyst Ethan Woolley to discuss the key market insights from the Mecardo Quarterly report. They discuss the stability of cattle prices, optimism for lamb and sheep markets and the challenges from the Northern hemisphere on wool and grain markets.
Where to for the national flock? 19th July 2024
This week Rob is joined by Stephen Bignell, Manager of Market Information with Meat & Livestock Australia. Stephen discusses the changes in the sentiment of Sheep and Lamb producers detailed in the latest iteration of the Sheep Producers Intention Survey.
What to make of the Wool market - 15th July 2024
This week Rob is joined by Stewart Raine, State Wool Manager for Nutrien Ag Solutions. Stewart and Rob discuss the finish to the 2023/24 wool season and the market dynamics impacting pricing and demand currently.
Winter wondering about the land - 28th June 2024
This week Rob Hermann is joined by Michael Whitehead, Head of Agribusiness Insights at ANZ. He joins us to discuss what the winter has delivered and key insights from the 2024 Winter ANZ AGRI INFOCUS commodity insights report.
Steaks getting higher for cattle - 21st June 2026
This week Rob Herrmann is joined by Cattle Australia Deputy Chair Adam Coffey. Adam joins us to discuss the ongoing work of Cattle Australia as it handles a myriad of issues that currently or could potentially impact grassfed cattle producers in Australia.
Supply, demand and the recent rain for the livestock market - 31st May 2024
Robert Herrmann is joined by Ron Rutledge, Nutrien Ag Solutions Livestock Development Manager to discuss the impact that the recent rain will have on the livestock market, and the news that is China removing import suspensions on five Australian processors.
How will the live export ban impact the wool industry? – 24 May 2024
This week Rob Herrmann is joined by Jo Hall CEO of Wool Producers Australia to chat about some of the major policy debates currently shaping the farming landscape including shedding some light on the proposed live export ban.
An update on the Fertiliser market -16th May 2024
This week Olivia is joined by Mark Tully, Global Market Research Manager for Nutrien Ag Solutions based in Calgary, Canada. Mark joins us to discuss the latest drivers for key inputs for 2024 and beyond.
Decline in wool production on the cards for 2024/25 - 3rd May 2024
This week Rob is joined by Stephen Hill, National Committee Chairman for the Australian Wool Production Forecasting Committee to discuss the April report for 2024.
Key Market Updates Quarter 1 2024 - 22nd April 2024
This week, Rob Hermann, Olivia Agar and Ethan Woolley discuss the key takeaways from the latest Mecardo quarterly report for Q1 2024. to sign up to the mailing list please reach out to us through email: ask@mecardo.com.au
Prime lamb under pressure and benchmarking for success - 19th April 2024
This week Rob is joined by John Francis, Director at Agrista Agricultural consultancy to discuss his recent article ( https://www.agrista.com.au/articles-podcasts-tools-analysis/ ) and the key drivers impacting profitability for prime lamb producers.
When it rains it pours - 5th April 2024
This week Olivia is joined by Andrew Holt, Senior Account Manager & Divisional Livestock coordinator with Nutrien Ag Solutions. They discuss the impact of the big rain event on the East Coast for cattle markets in the short term.
Impacts of the Middle East Bag Lamb market
This week Rob is joined by Mecardo's Senior Livestock analyst Angus Brown to give an update on the lamb job. They discuss the impacts of elevated slaughter and the return of the Middle East Bag Lamb market.
Why the NZ sheep flock is in decline - 15th March 2024
This week, Olivia Agar is joined by Matthew Haddrell, Senior Agricultural Analyst with Beef + Lamb New Zealand LTD. Matthew joins to discuss how the livestock markets in New Zealand are shaping up in 2024 and some of the key drivers causing changes in the flock.
What is driving demand in the wool market - 8th March 2024
This week Rob is joined by Mark Symes, Southern Region Wool Manager for G.Schneider. Rob and Mark discuss what is driving demand in the wool market with insights from key customers in China and Europe.
What we have heard about the US cattle herd- 1st March 2024
This week Rob is joined by Ripley Atkinson, Australian Livestock and Commodities Manager with StoneX Financial. With cattle herds in Australia and the US a big topic of discussion, Ripley joins us to discuss the opportunities and key drivers behind the future US herd rebuild and the resulting opportunities for the Australian Beef Industry.
Making the most out of the current lamb market -16th February 2024
This week Rob is joined by Prime lamb producer Charlie de Fegely who manages the Quamby property in Ararat, Victoria. Charlie, his partner Liz, and their sons have been innovative, progressive producers looking to maximise productivity and Charlie discusses how they've managed the last 12 months of the turbulent lamb and sheep market.
On the lookout for more cattle- 9th February 2024
This week, Rob is joined by Jessica Clarke, Market Reporter for Argus Media to discuss the Northern cattle indicators and how the season is developing for grain fed cattle markets this season.
Key Market Updates Quarter 4 2023 - 30th January 2024
This week the Mecardo team (Rob Hermann, Olivia Agar & Ethan Woolley) discuss the key insights from quarter 4 of 2023 in commodity markets including the livestock market turnaround, freight issues and wool premiums. To be added to the Quarterly report mailing list, please reach out to us on ask@mecardo.com.au
Impact of large volumes for wool in 2024 - 19th January 2024
This week, Rob is joined by Stewart Raine, Victorian Wool brokerage lead with Nutrien Ag Solutions, to discuss the impact of the large wool offerings at auction to begin 2024 and the improving sentiment as we approach superfine sales in the next few weeks.
What’s driving this strong start for Cattle and Sheep markets? -12th January 2024
This week Rob is joined by commodity conversations regular Ron Rutledge, Livestock Development Manager with Nutrien Ag Solutions, to talk about the positive start to the year for cattle and sheep markets. They discuss recent weaner sales and the balance of the market drivers and new found confidence in buyers and sellers.
Takeaways from a rollercoaster year in commodities- 15th December 2023
This week Rob is joined by commodity conversations regular Michael Whitehead, Head of Food, Beverage and Agribusiness Insights with ANZ. Rob and Michael discuss some key takeaways from the Summer edition of the ANZ "Agri InFocus" Commodity insights report.
The Merino of the future - 1st December 2023
This week Rob Hermann is joined by Tom Silcock, former president of the Australian Merino Sire Evaluation Association. Rob and Tom discuss the future of Merino Sheep and market influences on breeder ram choices.
Where grains, oilseeds and wool are at in 2023 - 24th November 2023
This week we continue with Part 2 of Rob's discussion with David Cornish, Director of the Centre for Professional Development at Marcus Oldham College which can also be heard on the AgTalk Podcast. In this iteration, David and Rob discuss where the world is at with grain, oilseeds, and wool markets.
How cattle and sheep markets have changed - 17th November 2023
This week David Cornish, Director of the Centre for Professional Development at Marcus Oldham College interviews Mecardo's Robert Hermann as a 2-part series which can also be heard on the AgTalk Podcast. In this iteration, David and Rob discuss how cattle and sheep markets have changed in recent times.
Leaning on weaning - 10th November 2023
This week Ethan Woolley is joined by Courtney Tourle, Animal Production Specialist with Nutrien Ag Solutions based in Central West NSW. Courtney discusses the benefits of early weaning and livestock nutrition strategies to make the most out of dry conditions.
Sugar, spice and everything price - 3rd November 2023
This week Olivia Agar and Ethan Woolley discuss harvest progress, drivers impacting the global grain market as well as an update on the sugar and cotton markets.
Key Market Updates Quarter 3 2023 - 24th October 2023
This week Rob Hermann and Ethan Woolley discuss some of the key market highlights in commodities covered in Mecardo's latest Quarterly report. To access the quarterly report, reach out to the Mecardo team by email, ask@mecardo.com.au
Making sense of the Lamb market-13th October 2023
This week on episode 250, we have a heavy focus on the lamb market as Rob is joined by one of our favourite guests, Will Barton, CEO of Gundagai Meat Processors. Rob and Will discuss the supply and demand system at play with lambs currently and look ahead to the Summer.
Traceability for wool, farm gate to wool tops - 2nd October 2023
This week Rob is joined by Debora Tricarico, Authentico brand manager with the Schneider Group. Debora talks us through the importance of traceability and transparency in the wool supply chain.
Finding opportunity in today’s Lamb and Sheep market - 29th September 2023
This week Rob is joined by Angus Brown, analyst with Mecardo to discuss identifying opportunities during the current downturn in Lamb and Sheep markets.
They discuss store lamb trades, merino wether opportunities, and the current state of the market.
”Dairy Beef” production and opportunity - 22nd September 2023
This week, Rob is joined by Sarah Bolton, Dairy Beef and Animal Welfare Manager with Greenham. Sarah talks to us about the developing Dairy beef market including what's required to participate, how other countries have developed the industry, and finding sustainable ways to improve outcomes for Dairy producers.
Driving Success for Australian Wool - 15th September 2023
This week Rob is joined by Jo Hall, CEO of Wool Producers Australia.
We discuss the benefits of the Indian trade agreeent for Australian Wool, the economic feasibility of domestic wool processing, traceability, and the education of international processors through the Trust in Australian Wool Program.
Navigating the challenges ahead for livestock-8th September 2023
This week, Rob is joined by Jason Strong, Managing Director of Meat and Livestock Australia. Jason and Rob discuss priorities for the Red Meat and Livestock Industry, such as the big supply and demand issues the current market is facing as well as the strategic goals for long-term growth including processing and export markets.
Canola’s role in the Biofuel Boom- 1st September 2023
This week Olivia is joined by Nick Goddard, Executive Director of the Australian Oilseeds Federation. Nick discusses the latest drivers in Canola and oilseed markets including the latest supply and demand dynamics, the biofuel boom and ISCC certification news.
Where to for Wool - 25th August 2023
This week Rob is joined by Stephen Hill, National Committee Chairman for the Australian Wool Production Forecasting Committee. Stephen talks us through some key findings from the latest forecast and discusses for what is ahead for wool production in Australia.
A Tonne of Mutton and lambs to come - 4th August 2023
This week Rob is joined by Mecardo livestock analyst Jamie-Lee Oldfield to discuss everything lamb and sheep markets with spring approaching. Jamie-Lee is based out of a sheep and cattle operation in Coolac, NSW and is well placed to run us through the boom in supply, the lamb crop to come and what is happening to the flock across the ditch.
The US Cattle Markets differing fortunes- 28th July 2023
This week, Rob has returned from the United States and is keen to discuss with the Mecardo team what he saw including some of the key insights from Mecardo's recent analysis of the US cattle market and its potential impact on the Australian market.
Key Market Updates Quarter 2 2023 - 20th July 2023
This week Olivia and Ethan from Mecardo discuss the key insights from the latest Mecardo Quarterly Commodity Report. They discuss wool at the crossroads, the weather market impacts on grain, mutton milestones and cattle export signals.
Regional Cropping Update - 14th July 2023
This week Olivia travels across Australia with some of the Nutrien Ag Solutions network to get a regional update on the winter cropping season so far. Olivia is joined by Greg Toomey: Branch Manager at Elmore, Victoria; Nick Brennan: Agronomy account manager at Wee Waa NSW; and Tom Shaw: Farm Services Support Agronomist based in WA.
Lamb of the free, home of the brave-7th July 2023
This week Rob is joined by Heather Jones, a wool and meat sheep producer from Thermopolis, Wyoming. Heather talks to us about managing Rambouillet sheep through snow, mountain lions, badlands grazing and how the markets are treating lamb producers in the US.
On the Ranch with Rob - 30th June 2023
This week Rob is in the Wild West of America and is joined by Art Butler, who sits on the Board of Directors of the American Angus Association and is the Owner and manager of Spring Cove Ranch in Idaho. We talk about the cattle market in the United States.
The Bovine Boom -23rd June 2023
This week Mecardo's Ethan Woolley is joined by Ripley Atkinson, Senior Market Information Analyst with Meat & Livestock Australia. Ripley talks us through MLA's June update on cattle projections and discusses the fundamentals which are shaping cattle supply, demand and pricing this year.
Global grain update - 16th June 2023
This week the Mecardo team is joined by Nick Booth, Mecardo Analyst and Director of Next Level Grain Marketing. This week is all about cropping, as we dive into the ABARES crop progress report, global balance sheets in grain and the factors that will impact the upcoming season.
Seeding Success at Tax Time - 9th June 2023
This week, the Mecardo team is joined by John Gibson, Director of ProAdvice to discuss the upcoming end of the financial year. We discuss family farm finances including new changes to be aware of and other strategic planning opportunities growers can focus on.
Wool walking a fine line this winter - 2nd June 2023
This week Rob is joined by Mark Symes Southern Wool Manager at G. Schneider Australia to discuss the latest in the wool market. Mark talks us through the balance between demand and supply in the current market and where to next for accredited wool and the finer wool market in general.
El need to know - Weather update- 26th May 2023
With an El Nino looming and mixed conditions around the country, we turn to the skies this week with Eric Snodgrass, Principal Atmospheric Scientist at Nutrien Ag Solutions. Today's episode covers all things climate drivers, diving into what to expect from an El Nino this season, the implications for rainfall, temperature and frost patterns, as well as what might be in store beyond the current season.
You can check out Eric's latest fortnightly weather forecast for Australia here, https://yout
Sticking to the biosecurity plan - 19th May 2023
This week Rob is joined by Scott Young, Livestock Council President of the Victorian Farmers Federation. Scott’s mandate is to improve the Biosecurity outcomes for all farmers, and he talks us through what VFF is doing behind the scenes to ensure Biosecurity plans can protect farmers from risks such as trespassing. Read more at https://www.vff.org.au/policy/animal-welfare-biosecurity/biosecurity/
Beef, Budgets and Biosecurity - 12th May 2023
This week Rob is joined by Luke Bowen, the Inaugural CEO of Cattle Australia. We discuss the takeaways for the cattle industry with this week’s budget release and upcoming opportunities for the cattle industry.
Regional livestock roundup - 5th May 2023
This week Rob reaches out across the country to the Nutrien Ag Solutions livestock team, to get the latest insight into what exactly is happening in lamb and cattle markets. Andrew Holt, senior livestock account manager, talks about conditions for cattle up North. Leon Giglia, Regional Livestock Lead, runs us through supply situations in WA and Ron Rutledge, South-East Livestock Development Manager discusses the latest developments in South-East Australia.
Leadership success along the supply chain - 28th April 2023
This week, Rob is joined by David Cornish, Director at the Centre of the Study of Agribusiness at Marcus Oldham. The agenda is all about the landscape for developing and fostering the next generation of leaders in Agriculture.
Key Market Updates Quarter 1 2023 - 21st April 2023
This week the Mecardo team, Olivia Agar, Robert Hermann, and Ethan Woolley discuss the key market updates for commodity markets in 2023. We cover US Beef exports, wool supply surpluses, the ups and downs of the mutton job, Sugar cane success, cotton concerns, and barley back in China.
Key drivers of livestock profitability - 14th April 2023
This week, Rob is joined by Bronte Lloyd, Animal production specialist with Nutrien Ag Solutions. Bronte discusses some strategies for maximising efficiencies in livestock production including balancing nutrition through supplementation and the importance of managing feed and vaccinations for breeding stock.
Lambs’ seat at the trade table - 6th April 2023
This week Olivia is joined by Bonnie Skinner, CEO of Sheep Producers Australia. With free trade negotiations well underway in the EU and UK, Bonnie talks us through some key insights regarding the demands of the European lamb consumer. Bonnie also discusses how EID implementation and traceability can unlock value in these markets.
Ewe have got to be in it to win it - 31st March 2023
This week, Rob is joined by Ally Jaffrey, Wool Area manager for Nutrien Ag Solutions based in Crookwell NSW.
Ally plays a key role in the NSW SMBA Southern Tablelands flock ewe championship and joins us to discuss what farmers are getting out of the competition. We learn how benchmarking, networking, and the sharing of knowledge are driving excellence in Wool.
Commodity Outlook: Climate, Conflict, China, Costs & COVID - 24th March 2023
This week Rob is joined by commodity conversations regular Michael Whitehead, Head of Agribusiness Insights at ANZ. Michael talks us through some of the key insights from the ANZ Agri in focus autumn report. We cover the outlook for a number of commodities including the climate and cost trends for farmers, the impacts of Chinese demand, continued conflict, and Post COVID supply chain developments.
Managing cashflow for a tighter outlook - 10th March 2023
In this episode, Robert Herrmann chats with Tom Breen, General Manager of Customer and Business services at Nutrien Ag Solutions about the future of Ag, innovation in farm finance and how farmers can take advantage of those opportunities – even if cashflow doesn’t permit.
The fruits of 10 years labour - 3rd March 2023
This week Olivia is joined by Lucy Noble, Industry Analyst with Hort Innovation. We discuss some of the key drivers behind the significant growth in productivity and value in the horticulture industry achieved in the last decade. We learn more about the latest iteration of the Horticulture statistics handbook, a comprehensive resource covering over 75 different commodities; and when can we expect some relief to potato supply?
Why fertiliser skyrocketed in 2022, and what’s in store for 2023? - 24th February 2023
This week Rob is joined by Mark Tully - Market Research Manager at Nutrien, who is based in Calgary, Canada. Mark shares his insight into the Fertiliser market and covers the volatility of 2022, and what we can expect in Nitrogen and Phosphate markets for 2023.
Recruiting for the future of Agriculture - 17th February 2023
Agriculture is about production and people, and the difficulty in finding people to fill jobs in agriculture is one of the most common pain points. Rose Ferdinands and Dr Mike Stephens from Meridian Agriculture, join us to chat about the labour challenges, what new graduates are looking for and what we can do to promote the opportunities on offer in our sector.
Saddling up with Performance horses - 10th February 2023
This week Rob is joined by Mark Barton, Livestock agent with Nutrien Ag Solutions, to discuss the growth of the Australian performance horse industry. We cover the benefits of managing livestock from horseback to the history of performance horse sales in Australia. Mark has been instrumental in the success of one of the premier camp draft competitions and sales in Australia -The Nutrien Classic, where over $17 million of sale volume in high-performance horses was achieved this year.
Key market insights from last quarter- 3rd February 2023
This week Rob & Olivia from Mecardo dive into the latest quarterly market insights report covering our core commodities. The team discusses bumper harvests, another record canola crop, geopolitical influences on the grain market, continued volatility in the cattle market, and the latest trends in lamb and wool markets.
Understanding what to expect in the livestock market - 20th January 2023
In 2022 the long-term trend of rising sheep meat value was broken. In this episode of Commodity Conversations, Rob catches up with Will Barton, CEO of Gundagai Meat Processors, to get his take on the market. We’ll also hear his insights into the demand side of the equation, particularly with lamb export into the U.S market.
Understanding the Argus Feeder Steer Indicator - 14th January 2023
Welcome back! We're kicking the year with Jo Clarke Associate Editor of Argus. Today we follow on from a previous episode on managing risk with cattle swaps, discussing the Argus feeder steer indicator. We'll hear how the Argus Feeder Steer Indicator is calculated, how it's being used, how it can be used, and what other indicators Argus is exploring.
Part 2: How australian agriculture is exceeding expectations - 16th December 2022
Join Rob Herrmann and Michael Whitehead, Head of Agribusiness Insights ANZ for part 2 of their discussion on the pathways to capturing opportunities in agriculture. In this episode, we're looking at the outlook for 2030 and mapping out the main areas in which we'll need to focus to reach our full potential as an industry.
How australian agriculture is exceeding expectations - 9th December 2022
Join Rob Herrmann and Michael Whitehead, Head of Agribusiness Insights ANZ to discuss, off the back of ANZ's recently released report Greener Pastures Two, the opportunities we've seized over the decade and an outlook into 2030. We've broken this topic into two episodes. In this episode, we take a look back at how Australian agriculture has exceeded the forecast in terms of investment, product, and export as well as the lessons for success.
What’s driving the livestock market - 6th December 2022
Nutrien Ag Solutions Regional Livestock Lead Adam Mountjoy and Livestock Development Manager Ron Rutledge join Olivia Agar and Rob Herrmann to give an update on the current situation in the livestock market, discuss what's driving prices down, and talk through some of the opportunities in the market.
How to mitigate risk - 25th November 2022
Farming regions have been challenged with relentless events outside of their control in the last years such as drought, bushfires, and floods.
In this week's episode, Robert Herrmann catches up with Kris Nelson, General Manager of Insurance for Nutrien Ag Solutions to talk about what options there are for growers wanting to mitigate their risk, as well as how parametric weather insurance works.
What’s impacting cattle supply this season - 18th November 2022
On this episode, we check in with Andrew Hosken from Hosken Stock and Land, to hear how the season is impacting the supply of cattle, what he expects for this season's weaner sales in terms of supply and demand, and what insight we can take from the feeder cattle market.
Spring lamb supply picking up pace - 11th November 2022
It's that time of year when the lamb markets start to pick up the pace. Spring lamb supply is up and paired with constant wet weather, flooding, and public holidays the last few weeks have been enormous. In this episode, Robert Herrmann chats with Ron Rutledge about where we are today regarding the flow of lambs to market, what the road map is, and where opportunities can be found.
Market insights Q3 2022 – 4th November 2022
Off the back of our recent quarterly report, this week in Commodity Conversations, Olivia Agar and Robert Herrmann catch up to discuss the key trends and factors impacting our core commodity markets over the recent quarter.
Read the report here https://mecardo.com.au/reports
Wool weathering the storm(s)– 28th October 2022
Stewart is the Tasmanian state wool manager, with Nutrien Ag solutions, he’s worked nearly all over Australia, with 30 years’ experience as a wool classer, auctioneer and buyer. This week Stewart chats with Rob Herrmann about all things wool – from current price movements, export demand signals, shearing backlogs, Stewarts outlook for 2023 and more.
Managing risk with cattle swaps – a new era for Aussie beef, 21st October 2022
While swap contracts have been a key part of grain trading in Australia for a long time there’s been no such option for cattle traders – until now. Tim Jude, livestock and commodities broker for Stonex joins us this week to discuss the mechanics behind the new swap contracts, the wide range of businesses which can potentially benefit from it and how it’s being received in the industry so far.
Unseasonal seasons – 14th October 2022
It’s a mixed bag of old and new season lambs hitting the yards this week and to help us navigate through the current sheep and lamb supply outlook we have Adam Mountjoy, Southeast regional wool & livestock lead at Nutrien Ag Solutions with us. Adam’s insights from his travels around regional saleyards in south-east help make sense of the lamb supply story, processors managing the flow and opportunities in the market.
Macro-factors rain on markets – 7th October 2022
Volatility in agricultural markets continues to be the name of the game this year as commodities continue their roller coaster ride up and down. In this week’s episode Rob and Liv from Mecardo discuss the macro-economic factors weighing some markets down and what producers can do in the face of market volatility. They also discuss the current price difference between the sheep and cattle markets of late, and what we can expect going forward.
Iberian agriculture uncovered – 30th September 2022
This week we called in to check on Rob Herrmann who is currently travelling in Spain & Portugal. Although he’s on vacation, Rob’s been keeping a keen eye on the agricultural landscape in those countries and shares some of his observations with us around the similarities and differences with Australian agriculture. Grab your favourite tempranillo, some pan and enjoy this week’s chat with Rob, live from Spain.
Connections in the saleyards - 21st September 2022
Saleyards are the hive of activity for many regional areas. For hundreds of years, they have been an important connection and community interaction point for people living in rural areas. Heather Ellis from BlueWren connections, has produced a report on the social value of the saleyards, an initiative of The Australian Livestock Markets Association, highlighting some crucial ways that saleyards support individual and community well being & health. Heather’s stories of the personal aspects of sal
FMD & LSD, a report from Bali – Friday 16th September 2022
The FMD & LSD threat is still on our doorstep despite not dominating headlines as it was recently. This week we bring you an ‘on the grounds’ report from Dr Ross Ainsworth about the outbreaks in Indonesia, the local response to the situation and likelihood of either of the diseases spreading to Australian livestock.
Dr Ainsworth has 40 years plus working as a vet with large animals, mainly in the live export business in Northern Australia. Dr Ainsworth gives a concise summary of the Indonesian a
The grains & oilseed flipside – 4th September 2022
The grains & oilseed markets have been on a roller-coaster ride this year with prices for many crops reaching all-time highs earlier in the year before recently settling back down to pre-Russian invasion of Ukraine levels. Nick Booth from Next Level Grains Marketing joins us on episode 200 to talk us through the reasons behind the volatility this year and what we can expect going forward. As always Nick explains the key international market drivers for the grains & oilseeds complex in a clear,
From milk to grass - the science behind weaning, 28th August 2022
Good weaning practices provide the foundation for an animals genetic potential to be fully reached. Rob Bell from ProAgni, joins us this week to discuss the keys to a successful weaning program with some interesting scientific insights and good practical advice on the transition period from milk to grass for weaners and calves.
Behind ’the gavel’ with AuctionsPlus - 19th August 2022
AuctionsPlus have recently released its’ second edition of “The Gavel”, and this week on the podcast we have their chief economist Tim McRae on to share the key insights, stories and challenges facing Australian livestock producers from their producer survey.
Herd primed for growth
Restocking and breeding up has been a driving feature of the Australian cattle market since the breaking of the drought. While the market has come off the boil slightly, there are always opportunities to be found whether it's in genetics, branding or trading. This week we're talking with Andrew Hosken from Hosken Stock and Land to see how the season is progressing, what markets are performing well and some of the opportunities for growth.
Getting off the sheep & lamb market rollercoaster - 5th August 2022
There are plenty of challenges around in sheep and cattle markets but the underlying fundamentals for red meat demand remain strong. Ron Rutledge, Livestock Development Manager at Nutrien Ag Solutions, joins us today to share his insight into why we are seeing a rollercoaster ride on the sheep & lamb markets, what the outlook is for the spring flush, demand for meat and cattle market dynamics.
The digital future of the livestock industry - 29th July 2022
Data-driven insights and efficiencies for livestock marketing is speaking our kind of language, and Joel Rockes, Founder and Managing Director of Agrinous, has this at the core of his vision in digitising the livestock sector. Joel joins us to share how they are making this a reality, and some of the challenges & opportunities along the way.
Old season lambs dragging the chain – July 21st 2022
There’s a lot of pieces to the sheep & lamb supply puzzle at the moment with more plenty of old season lambs still trickling through as we approach the traditional influx of new season lambs in spring. To help us understand what’s happening on the ground and what might be around the corner, we’ve got Adam Mountjoy, Regional Livestock lead for Nutrien, back on the podcast to share his insights around space for new season lambs, and what that could mean for price going forward.
You can also read A
Market insights Q2 2022 – July 20th 2022
On this episode of commodity conversations, Olivia & Rob bring you the key stories & insights from Mecardo’s latest Quarterly Market Insights report for Q2 2022, covering the trends and movements in commodity markets as well as the outlook.
Key topics:
Quality issues and an extended season put pressure on ovine markets
Bullish fundamentals for grain & oilseed remain
Cattle market falls from its peak
Weaker AUD supporting demand for wool
For a copy of the full report click here:
Quarter 2 Mecar
Non-mulesed pathway driven by data & a whole farm perspective – 16th July 2022
Demand for non-mulesed merino wool shows no sign of abating and as the dominant producer of merino wool, increased supply will have to come from Australia eventually. This week we have Sally Martin from Sheep Metrix talking to Rob Herrmann about her & her teams approach to farm management including producers on the non-mulesed path.
Sally has 30+ years of experience working in the sheep industry and knows well the complexities involved in managing a farm business. Her method of assisting farmers
Will ag commodities weather the storm? – 8th July 2022
With headlines dominated by news of economic downturns nearly everywhere you look, due to a perfect storm of rising interest rates, ongoing logistic issues, covid resurgences & general political instability, not to mention Russia’s war on Ukraine - this week we bring you part 2 of David Cornish, director of Agribusiness at Marcus Oldham & Rob Herrmann from Mecardo, where the two discuss lamb, goat, grain, wool & diary’s outlook in the face of the seemingly endless bad economic news cycle, with
More mouths, more money & Australia in prime position – 1st July 2022
Covid-19, the Russian war on Ukraine, logistics issues & and growing global population are all combining to create a perfect storm, mostly driving up commodity prices. David Cornish director of Agribusiness at Marcus Oldham interviews Rob Herrmann on the big factors or trends affecting agricultural commodities in the world right now, as well as the underlying demand driving commodity markets.
This episode is split over two weeks, with the first episode the two discuss more of the big picture top
Rising weights & falling grain, market wrap with Mecardo – 24th June 2022
Plenty happening in Ag markets again this week. Oliva Agar & Robert Herrmann discuss rising cattle weights, new crop production forecasts, wools market share and sheepmeat exports. Head to the Mecardo website for all of this weeks analysis.
Maximising sheep & lamb health - 17th June 2022
Dr Paula Gonzalez-Rivas is the Technical Services Manager for Nutrition at Virbac and on today’s episode she discusses some of the latest products developed by Virbac in relation to sheep health and the potential benefits they can bring to Australian sheep farmers.
About Virbac:
Virbac (Australia) Pty Ltd is a specialist animal health company with its core business in sheep and cattle products, veterinary pharmaceuticals and vaccines, a wide range of petcare products for dogs and cats, plus a
Research cuts to agriculture when we should be investing more than ever - 11th June 2022
Charlie de Fegely, Dobie, south of Ararat, along with his family, run 9,000 composite ewes, turning off lambs in November. In 2019 he was awarded the biennial AW Howard medal for excellence in pasture research. It is believed to be the first time a farmer has been awarded the prestigious pasture improvement medal. Charlie has been a long term advocate of science based research and is well positioned to comment on the impact Ag department budget cutbacks will have on the agricultural industry.
The sustainability story - 3rd June 2022
The sustainability of wool as a fibre and sheep as a production system in Australia is well understood by those in the industry, but we can’t expect that end customers see it the same way. Ed Storey is president of Wool Producers Australia and joins us to talk to the trust in Australian wool, the sheep sustainability framework and why we need to give customers confidence in its provenance and our production.
FMD & LSD - has the risk increased? 27th May 2022
Australia's sheep & cattle meat is highly sought after around the world, partly because of the strict biosecurity standards and clean green reputation of our livestock industry. We’re not immune to unwanted diseases entering our country however and the potential devastation they can cause. This week we turn the tables and Meridian Agriculture’s Mike Stephens is interviewing Rob Herrmann. Mike is the founder, board director and a senior business consultant for Meridian Agriculture.
Currency, commodity corrections & crossbreds - 23th May 2022
Liv’s back on deck this week with Rob to catch up on all the latest moves in ag markets. This week they discuss the impact of the falling aussie dollar on commodities, India’s recent ban on wheat exports as well as some good news for crossbred wool growers.
India free trade agreement and more – 15th May 2022
This week on Mecardo, Michael Whitehead, head of agri-insights ANZ, joins us to discuss a whole range of commodities, from cattle, sheep and lamb, diary, wine and even berries. As usual Michael shares some astute insights about the current state of ag markets here in Australia and globally. Michael also touches on the recent free trade agreement between India and Australia and the opportunities it presents for Aussie producers.
Goat market kicking goals – 7th May 2022
Although Australian only produce around 1% of total goat meat in the world – demand for Aussie goat meat locally and internationally, has been steadily growing since around 2013 - pushing the price of goat meat on par with it's 'bigger cousin', lamb. This week on commodity conversations Gus Foot, Livestock account manager for Nutrien, based in Charlesville QLD, joins us to share his insights into this increasingly popular market.
Learning from the roo’s - 29th April 2022
What can kangaroo’s teach us about livestock farming methods? Tune in to commodity conversations this week to hear Lachlan Campbell, CEO and founder of ProAgni, explain their innovative new product, what problems they aim to address and some of the inspiration behind it’s creation.
Market wrap - 21st April 2022
This week Mecardo's Rob Herrmann and David Myers take a look at what's been happening in cattle, sheep and wool markets recently. Join us to hear the latest market developments and jump on the Mecardo website to read the full articles that are discussed briefly today.
Biosecurity alarm bells – 14th April 2022
Biosecurity issues have dominated agricultural headlines recently as South Africa grapples with another foot-and-mouth outbreak, meanwhile Lumpy Skin Disease outbreaks among cattle in Indonesia have Australian officials worried. This episode Rob & Olivia discuss these issues as well as pay a special tribute to two friends and colleagues. We hope you have a good Easter break, from the Mecardo team.
China still hungry for aussie proteins - 2nd April 2022
Russia’s war on Ukraine is still having ramifications across the global grains & oilseeds markets and indirectly across a whole raft of agricultural commodities. We’re seeing stronger demand for most agricultural commodities than we’ve ever seen before, as governments around the world try to secure essential food items to keep their populations content. China of course is no small fry when it comes to the global trade market, being one of the biggest if not the biggest importers of redmeat & gra
Unprecedented times or history repeating? - 25th March 2022
Prices for most agricultural commodities (and inputs) have increased to record levels due to the trio of tight supply, stretched supply chains & the war in Ukraine. But are we really in unprecedented times? We’ve seen prices shoot up for commodities before, like during the GFC of 2008, but this time round, while some things are the same, there’s certainly a lot more factors at play & uncertainty in the global economic outlook. To help us untangle the current volatility in the market, we’ve got o
Russian roulette, volatility on the rise - 18th March 2022
With the Russian war on Ukraine dragging on, we’re taking a look at how this war is reverberating around the globe and in particular it’s flow-on effects on markets that are directly affected, such as the wheat & oilseeds, to the in-directly affected livestock & wool markets. Rob & Olivia are back in the drivers seat this week for our podcast.
Market wrap with Adrian & Dave - 11th March 2022
This week Adrian & Dave from Mecardo discuss the main movements in the wool, sheep, cattle & grains movements this week. As always, there's plenty happening for us to talk about - head to the website if you want to read the full analysis of each topic we've covered this week. Our thoughts are with all of the flood victims up north, we hope that the clean up efforts continue and the towns and communities recover.
Wheat sweats on New World order – 4th March 2022
The wheat market has been up and down like a yo-yo in response to the invasion of Ukraine by Russia. The two countries together provide more than a quarter of world wheat supply, so we asked our resident grain expert, Nick Booth from Next Level Grain Marketing, on to help us understand the seismic impact this terrible situation is having on global grain market dynamics.
Online is on trend – 25th February 2022
Online platform AuctionsPlus has gone from strength to strength in the past few years with more and more producers getting on board. AuctionsPlus is now arguably the nations largest livestock ‘selling centre’ which now not only provides cattle & sheep auctions, but auctions for everything from farm machinery, properties, goats, working dogs, cars, charity fundraisers and more.
On this episode we’re fortunate to have AuctionsPlus’ chief economist Tim McRae on to give his perspective on why the p
Tipping the protein scales - 18th February 2022
Livestock prices have rarely been higher but what does the global protein supply and demand balance tell us about the outlook? Robert Herrmann and Simon Quilty presented on this topic at Gippsland Red Meat Conference recently and have joined us for this weeks episode to discuss the key factors.
The profitability playoffs: 2020/21 benchmarking review – 11th February, 2022
There were many price records broken last year and plenty of profits made in the process for some (despite the increasing cost of production and inputs). And although it’s easy to get distracted by the ‘hype’ around livestock markets, we’re lucky to have Sandy McEachern, Director of Aggregate Consulting, explain just which enterprises were the most successful, or profitable, in 2020/21, according to his latest benchmarking review.
Herd rebuild in the hands of the north, MLA cattle projections update - 4th February 2022
This week Rob & Olivia from Mecardo help tell the story behind some of the key figures in Meat & Livestock Australia’s latest cattle projections update along with the usual market overviews for grain, sheep & wool.
Global grains & oilseeds outlook – 28th January 2022
Mark Tully, senior grains analyst for Nutrien Canada, shares his perspective of how the Canadian grain & oilseed growers are going coming off the back of some of the worst droughts in Canadian history. We also dive into the geopolitical tensions in western Europe & discuss what impact escalation of conflict there could mean for grain & oilseed markets internationally. Finally, Mark gives us his outlook on the global supply & demand equation and key market drivers to watch out for in 2022.
Shear gas: beer, shearer wages & GHG emission - 21st January 2022
What’s beer and gas got to do with livestock and wool? This week we go left of field with our resident wool guru Andrew Woods from ICS commodity services to take a broad look at greenhouse gas emissions in agriculture and revisit whether the beer purchasing power of shearers has improved in the last few years, some good conversations starters for your local pub.
Weaners all round – Summer cattle update 14th January 2022
Red hot weaner cattle sales are the talk of the market, so this week we chat with Andrew Hosken from Hosken stock and land about who's buying the cattle and which markets they are destined for. As always, Andrew has his finger on the pulse when it comes to the cattle markets in Australia, tune in to hear the conversation.
What does 2022 have in store for us? - 7th January 2022
Join us as David Cornish and Robert Herrmann recap 2021 and look at what 2022 may have in store. This episode was originally recorded on the Marcus Oldham AgTalk podcast on the 20th of December 2021.
David is the Director of the Centre for the Study of Agribusiness at Marcus Oldham Agricultural College with over 30 years experience in Agricultural finance. In his spare time, he is involved in a family farming operation based at Casterton in Western Victoria.
Take a look at the full list of ep
Good signs for agriculture in 2022 - 22nd December 2021
For our final podcast of 2021 we have Michael Whitehead, head of agribusiness insights ANZ, on to discuss ANZ’s December Commodity Insights report.
We hope you enjoy the episode and from the team at Mecardo we wish you have a safe and happy holidays and we’ll see you in 2022 for more episodes of Commodity Conversations.
Merino wool, a global perspective - 20th December 2021
For the 2nd last podcast of 2021 we have Roberto Cardellino, director of DELTA consulting Uruguay on to discuss his latest report titled, 'The volume and diameter of merino wool in the main producing countries of the world'. Roberto shares his key findings from the report and also his outlook for merino wool production going forward.
Changing dynamics, the processors point of view – 10th December 2021
Last time we caught up with Will Barton, Chief Executive Officer at Gundagai Meat Processors, he spoke about his concerns around labour shortages, particularly heading into the ‘normal’ spring flush of lambs. This week we find out how the spring supply has eventuated and also how demand is looking from the consumer side.
Mutton to worry about - lamb and sheep market update with Ron Rutledge - 3rd December 2021
This week Nutrien Ag Solutions Livestock Manager, Ron Rutledge, joins us to give the low down on which yards are starting to get hit with lambs in the south and how producers and processors coping with the late 'spring flush'. Ron also gives us an insight into the first big weaner sale of the summer 21/22 season and a taste of what's to come in this space.
November rain - Mecardo market update 26th November 2021
The east coast is soaked, and the timing has been poor for those trying to harvest winter crops. This week Olivia and Rob from Mecardo take a look what implications the continued wet will have on the grains market.
Navigating the seasons & keeping lambs alive - 19th Novemeber 2021
Subdued lamb growth rates have been a major factor in the flow of lambs to market this season. This week, Jason Trompf, consultant and leader in the field of lamb survival, joins us to talk about why lamb growth has been slow this year, pasture management and keeping lambs alive.
Contradictory factors push & pull wool - 12th Novemeber 2021
Swings in wool supply have a large impact on price, and any price premiums, but the market is also balancing a number of demand influencing factors from overseas. This week resident wool analyst, Andrew Woods from Independent Commodity Services joins Robert Herrmann to discuss these price drivers.
The supply chain also has some big questions about wool quality schemes and supply, which we shed some light on in this episode, comparing Australia to South Africa. Responsible Wool Standards, otherwi
Strike while the irons hot- 5th Novemeber 2021
As the state borders open up, we knew there would be one person to count on to see what’s happening in the saleyards and paddocks from south to north, east to west. In a red hot market, this week Andrew Hosken, from Hosken Stock and Land, joined us to discuss how producers have been able to take advantage of the extraordinary prices of late across the cattle market.
Lamb supply snakes & ladders - 29th October 2021
This week Nutrien Ag Solutions Livestock Manager, Ron Rutledge, gives us the low down on what's happening in local lamb and sheep markets, as the '8 million residents' are 'released' in Melbourne and Sydney and the restaurant trade returns, will supply meet demand?
A great time for a big crop - 22nd October 2021
This week our resident analyst Nick Booth from Next Level Grain Marketing on to fill us in on what's happening in his local patch, the Eyre Peninsular, but also what's happening in the international grains markets. As Australia looks set for another record/near record wheat crop and is still relatively cheap internationally, they're should be no shortage of demand in the foreseeable future.
Preparing the next generation of Ag - 15th October 2021
This week we got the chance to chat with current Director of Studies and soon to be Principal of Marcus Oldham College (2022), Andrew Baker. We asked Andrew how the current demand is in the Agricultural sector for new Ag graduates and what skillsets are employee's looking for in new graduates and where the varied fields they can end up working in.
Fibres, fashion and the fate of wool - 8th October 2021
The recovery in apparel fibres over the past year looks to be a solid one and this week Andrew Woods, Mecardo analyst and Director of Independent Commodity Services, joins us to talk about what this all means for wool. We also break down the wool complex to discuss what is driving prices for fine, superfine, medium Merino and crossbred wool.
Fibres, fashion and the fate of wool - 8th October 2021
The recovery in apparel fibres over the past year looks to be a solid one and this week Andrew Woods, Mecardo analyst and Director of Independent Commodity Services, joins us to talk about what this all means for wool. We also break down the wool complex to discuss what is driving prices for fine, superfine, medium Merino and crossbred wool.
Good weather for wethers - 1st October 2021
Soaking spring rain has moved from the outlook to the paddock in areas, and with the weather warming up, feed is going to be abundant. It’s that time of year when NSW Merino wether lambs start to hit the market, and so it’s time Mecardo analyst Angus Brown joins us to share how the trade is shaping up this year and to discuss the underlying lamb demand outlook.
Rain, hail or shine - Long term weather outlook with Eric Snodgrass - 25th September 2021
In Australia we are coming into the critical finishing period of many crops so this week we were lucky to be joined by Eric Snodgrass, Principal Atmospheric Scientist at Nutrien, to find out what the weather outlook is for the west and east of Australia, whether there is much risk of frosts and how weather events around the globe are influencing our markets.
Kurra Wirra & Mecardo - a look back & forward - 18th September 2021
Agriculture is built on relationships, and for our 150th episode we’re joined by one of Mecardo’s longest partners – Kurra Wirra stud. Anthony Close is the 3rd generation of farm management at Kurra Wirra and shares how they've responded to market changes, found new opportunities, and adopted new tools, innovations and data into their business.
What‘s the beef with Brazil? - 10th September 2021
This week on Commodity Conversations we have Adrian Ladaniwskyj and Robert Herrmann on from Mecardo to discuss the big news coming out of Brazil this week as well as take a closer look into our local sheep and cattle markets and how they are performing.
Have we hit peak agriculture? - 3rd September 2021
There’s a long road ahead to a $100bn agriculture sector and expanding acreage isn’t going to get us there. Michael Whitehead, head of agribusiness insights at ANZ, has been researching these trends and joins us today to chat about how we will get closer to the target, what this might look like at a farm level and some of the long term trends and adaptions in cotton and sugar sectors.
PTIC Plus – An Australian First? 27th August 2021
This week on Commodity Conversations we had Ken Miall, Livestock Manager from Nutrien Wagga Wagga on to tell us about what is possibly an Australian, if not worldwide first in cattle sales.
For the first time, that we know of, PTIC’s were sold, with knowledge of the sex of their foetus/s, via the AuctionsPlus online market place.
Join us to hear how this came about and what the results were, with Ken and Robert Herrmann, Managing Director of Mecardo.
From Pooginook to Paris, Wool connections with Mark Symes - 21st August 2021
This week Rob had a chat with Mark Symes, Southern wool manager at G.Schneider Australia, about how the wool markets have fared post the recent 3 week recess. Mark also shares some insights into the inspiration behind the "Wool Connect" community initiative, which the Schneider Group started last year, and what to expect at this years upcoming online conference scheduled for September 7th -9th.
The download on digital stock sales - 13th August 2021
Online livestock auctions have seen incredible growth and this week we welcomed Tim McRae, Chief Economist at AuctionsPlus, back to Commodity Conversations to talk through the underlying trends. Rob & Tim cover what drove the lift in volumes online, ewe throughput and breed trends and the flow of stock between regions.
Big beef abroad - 6th August 2021
With a season of extremely low cattle slaughter and exports, the door has been opened for other exporters to move in on Australia's market share. South America is one of the competitors we are keeping a close eye on and this week Álvaro Pereira from the National Meat Institute (INAC) in Uruguay shares his insights into developments in Uruguayan beef production and markets.
Who will chop the spring lambs? - 30th July 2021
With a new season lamb supply not far on the horizon, we had Will Barton from Gundagai Meat Processors on to talk us through some of the challenges and opportunities in the months to come. We also got a unique insight into some of the innovative technologies they are incorporating into their day to day operations.
Cashmore 'Nudies' - 23rd July 2021
Heard of 'nudie' sheep before? This week we have John Keiller from Cashmore Park on to Chat with Rob Herrmann about some of the history of Cashmore Park and the interesting breeding programs they have implemented there. John discusses some of the challenges and opportunities unique to their environment and how they have adapted.
Market update - 17th July 2021
With plenty of rain continuing to soak most of the country and more to come on the horizon, will the Eastern Young Cattle Indicator nudge over the 1000 cent mark? This week we have the full team, Adrian Ladaniwskyj, Robert Herrmann and Olivia Agar, to discuss the EYCI's continued rise upward, droughts in Canada and what it means for Australian grain growers and finally a look at how far the wool market has come since this time last year as it moves into a three week recess.
Market recap - 9th July 2021
Market recap with Olivia Agar and Adrian Ladaniwskj from Mecardo. This week the team discuss what’s driving the cattle market on its continued record-breaking streak and what the outlook is for the near-term future for cattle and commodities in general in Australia. Sheep prices have continued to do well also so the team looks a bit closer behind the numbers there with a brief finish up look at the wool market.
On the land in Central Queensland - 2nd July 2021
Queensland's pastoral grazing zone is the backdrop to this weeks episode, where we're joined by Gordon Begg from Westfield Station near Longreach. Robert Herrmann caught up with Gordon to chat about their operation, the country and some of the challenges of running cattle, sheep and goats on their land.
All eyes on The Americas, a global crop update with Nick Booth – 25th June 2021
Corn, soybeans, canola and wheat are under the spotlight this week as the world watches the weather and crop conditions in the northern hemisphere. Hear more about what’s happening in that region and the rest of the world with our resident Grain analyst, Nick Booth, and Mecardo’s Olivia Agar.
Whiskey, Stilton, Bentleys and lawyers - June 18th 2021
The newly announced Free Trade Agreement between the UK and Australia is nothing but good news for Australian farmers, and for those that like a nice UK scotch. With a lot of hype surrounding the new deal, we’re joined this week by David Cornish, Director of Agribusiness at Marcus Oldham Ag College, to chat about what the likely impact is for our trade and markets.
More records broken - 11th June 2021
More records broken - 11th June 2021
On Commodity Conversations you'll hear about what records have been broken again - it feels like we have been saying this a lot at Mecardo, but agricultural commodities keep going from strength to strength at the moment, in the middle of a world wide pandemic which is hard to believe. This week we have the full team from Mecardo giving you a breakdown of key movements in the markets this week.
A South American special - June 6th 2021
This week on Mecardo we travel to South America to hear from Director of Delta Agri Consultants, Uruguay, Roberto Cardellino, on the cattle situation in Argentina, after their government's recent 30 day beef export ban was implemented.
Roberto chat's with our Roberto, Mecardo's Managing Director, Robert Herrmann, to help understand the possible reasons for and impacts of the ban, as well as give an overview of the main challenges of being a livestock/grains producer in Argentina today and South
What’s keeping livestock producers up at night? - 28th May 2021
How confident are livestock producers in their financial future? This is one of the questions asked by AuctionsPlus in a survey on the challenges and opportunities faced by producers in Australia. This week Tim Mcrae, Chief economist at AuctionsPlus, joined Olivia Agar to chat about what they learnt from the research.
What to expect from the herd rebuild - 21st May 2021
This week we delve further into MLA's latest cattle projections update with Mecardo's managing director Robert Herrmann and our resident livestock analyst, Angus Brown. The two discuss the details of MLA's latest updates and what this could mean for the pace of the herd rebuild as well as price expectations going forward.
An MLA cattle projections update with Stephen Bignell - 14th May 2021
This week on the podcast we had Stephen Bignell, Manager of Market Information at MLA, to unpack MLA's latest cattle industry projections update. Could we be seeing a reverse of the big decline in recent years in terms of the aussie cattle herd size? Tune in to hear Stephen chat with Manager of Business Development at Mecardo, Olivia Agar, about the key points in MLA's recent update.
To hedge or not to hedge - 7th May 2021
Canola prices are at extraordinary levels, with the whole oilseed market booming on tight supply and very strong demand. This week on commodity conversations our senior analyst Adrian Ladaniwskyj chats with Mecardo's managing director Robert Herrmann about the strong rises this year in oilseed prices. The two discuss ways in which producers can capitalise on strong prices through hedging strategies while at the same time minimising risk.
Rural land prices special + Market recap - 30th April 2021
This week on the podcast we have managing director of Mecardo, Robert Herrmann, and Manager of Business Development at Mecardo, Olivia Agar, on to chat about the recent increases in agricultural land prices and whose behind the buying, as well as a brief recap of the latest key moves and trends in the sheep, wool and cattle markets.
Market recap - 23rd April 2021
This week on the podcast we have managing director of Mecardo, Robert Herrmann, and Manager of Business Development at Mecardo, Olivia Agar, on to chat about the latest key moves and trends in the sheep, grain, wool and cattle markets. We hope you enjoy the episode.
The cattle conundrum - 16th April 2021
Records are there to be broken, and restockers are doing a good job of pushing young cattle prices into the record books again and again. But how can producers make the most of these extraordinary prices? Ron Rutledge, Nutrien Ag Solutions, Livestock Development Manager joins Robert Herrmann to chat about what producers should be considering in the current market and how supply chains are managing the tight supply environment.
Talking Wool with Andrew Woods - 9th April 2021
The wool market may be on recess but that hasn't stopped us from thinking about the big questions.
This week, Mecardo's wool analyst, Andrew Woods, Director of Independent Commodity Services, joins us to chat about wool price drivers, the flock rebuild and the market outlook for the rest of 2021. We hope you enjoy the episode.
Easter Weekend Market Wrap - 1st April 2021
These short week in the lead up to the Easter weekend we have managing director of Mecardo - Robert Herrmann and Manager of Business Development at Mecardo - Olivia Agar - in to chat about the recent rain and it's impact on the sheep, cattle and grain markets as well some insights into what is happening in international markets and they're potential to influence our local market. From the team at Mecardo, we would also like to wish everyone a safe and happy Easter weekend and we will back back n
Uruguayan wool special- 26th March 2021
Uruguay may only have 6.7 million sheep, but In a time of low Merino supply, there is a good argument to see other regions of production as allies. This week we have Roberto Cardellino Director of Delta Agri Consultants in Uruguay chatting to Robert Herrmann about sheep and wool production & processing in Uruguay, consumer trends and future prospects for the broader wool market.
Market recap - 19th March 2021
This week resident Mecardo Analyst, Adrian Ladaniwsky gives his insights into the latest moves in the cattle and grain markets with a brief wrap of the wool market from fellow colleague David Myers. We hope you enjoy this week's episode of Commodity Conversations.
Tracking livestock trends - 12th March 2021
This week on Commodity Conversations, Manager of Business Development at Mecardo has a chat with Mecardo's resident analyst Angus Brown about the latest moves and trends in the cattle and sheep markets. This week's episode has a look at cattle on feed numbers and how they are tracking against previous years.
Market recap - 5th March 2021
This week on Commodity Conversations we have the team from Mecardo giving their insights and updates on what has been happening in the cattle, sheep and wool markets.
Hefty prices on the road to rebuild - 26th February 2021
With the cattle herd on the edge of an official herd rebuild and the sheep flock well on its way, tight supply isn’t about to wane anytime soon. This week Mecardo’s senior analyst Adrian Ladaniwskyj and Olivia Agar chat about how livestock prices are holding up during this time, and what drivers are currently at play.
Keeping positive - Mark Symes and the state of the wool industry - 19th February 2021
Tune into to Commodity Conversations latest episode. Director of Mecardo, Robert Herrmann, has a chat with Mark Symes, Southern Regional Wool Manager for G. Schneider Australia where they take stock of where the market has ended up after the last turbulent 12 months and where it may head in the next 12.
Carbon neutral red meat - playing our part in emission targets 12th February 2021
Emissions targets have been heavily debated this week, and it’s sparked discussion across the agriculture industry. This week we have David Cornish from Marcus Oldham Agricultural college joining Olivia Agar to chat about the red meat industries carbon neutral 2030 target. David helps break down the discussion and also analyses the issues from key stake holders perspectives, from producers, industry groups, consumers and politicians. As always David is realistic about the current practical chall
Tightening stocks, rampant buying and wheat along for the ride - 5th February 2021
With a bumper harvest comes local price pressure, but overseas markets are abuzz and our growers are now reaping in good harvest and good prices. Nick Booth joins us this week to talk about the current market drivers - tight supplies, government interference and rampant buying activity by China.
Grass fever rolls on - 29th January 2021
On today's show we have Adam Mountjoy, southern region livestock manager for Nutrien in to talk with Robert Herrmann, director of Mercardo, about the bouyant market we find ourselves in at present. All our main commodity markets seem to be going strong at the moment, so we thought it would be good to get Adam in to hear what's been happening at the saleyards. Tune in to hear what it's been like on the ground for this week's episode with Adam and Rob.
Weekly market wrap- 22nd January 2021
After a strong start to the year across all markets, David Myers and managing director of Mecardo Robert Herrmann take a moment to take stock of the key trends market so far this year. On today's episode we cover sheep, cattle and the wool markets.
The business of succession - 15th January 2021
How do you build a farm business to make succession planning possible? That question was the main focus of an in-depth study into farm succession planning carried out by Dr Mike Stephens from Meridian Agriculture who joins us on this episode.
Mike shares some of the learnings of his research and talks about what can be done to allow owners to hand on a viable business, have sufficient funds for retirement and ensure the self interest of other family members is catered for.
Southern weaner sales like no other - 8th January 2021
Livestock commodity prices opened 2021 with a bang at the southern weaner sales. The weights, quality and prices were an impressive show. This week we have Angus Brown and Andrew Hosken joining Robert Hermann to discuss the results and what it means for the year ahead.
Looking back on 2020
For our final podcast for the year, David Myers has a chat with Robert Herrmann and Olivia Agar about the highs, lows and surprises of 2020 and also about what to look out for next year.
Thank you from the team at Mecardo, we always welcome sharing this podcast around and appreciate any feedback. We look forward to you tuning into Commodity Conversations in 2021.
That’s a wrap for wool - 18th December 2020
The wool market ended 2020 on a softer note, but has recovered well since September’s low. Mecardo analyst Andrew Woods joins Robert Herrmann this week to chat about how the wool market has performed this year and what we might expect as we move into 2021.
What's in store for the weaner sales? - 11th December 2020
The southern weaner sales are just around the corner and prices are sure to be hot. Just how hot and what we can expect in terms of supply and buyers are questions on many minds, so for this episode, Olivia Agar chats to Mecardo analyst Angus Brown, and livestock specialist Andrew Hosken about what we're likely to see.
Consumers: the real Ag influencers - 4th December 2020
This week we are talking consumer trends with David Cornish, Director at Marcus Oldham Agricultural College, who shares some insight on the emerging consumer, what they are telling us and what we should be telling them.
Fert Fundamentals - 27th November 2020
The fertiliser market has been fed by the hands of India and China in 2020. In this episode, Olivia Agar is joined by Yao Yao, market research manager at Nutrien in Canada, to discuss the key drivers of supply and demand in N, P & K markets, as well as the outlook for fertiliser in 2021.
Market Recap - 20th November 2020
The sheepmeat market is showing unusual strength at a time of supply increases. In this episode Robert Herman and Adrian Ladaniwskyj discuss the relationship between lamb and booming sheep prices and delve into the status of one of our key beef competitors - South America
What's in the WASDE? 13th November 2020
The outlook for Aussie wheat pricing is hinged on the global supply and demand equation for corn and soybeans. Nick Booth from Next Level Grain Marketing joined us this week to discuss the changes in the recently released World Ag Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) report.
Market Recap - 6th November 2020
A short summary of the agricultural markets in Australia by the team at Mecardo.
This week Olivia Agar and Robert Herrmann discuss the weather that's driving uncertainty in grain markets, recent moves in wool, and sheep crossing the Nullarbor.
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Global grain update
Crumbling pillars of support for global grain pricing and pushback from growers in the lamb market are the big stories in this episode. We're joined by Mecardo's grains and oilseed contributor Nick Booth from Next Level Grain Marketing for an update on what's driving the global grain market.
Host: Olivia Agar
Guest: Nick Booth
Audio Production: David Myers
Rain, restockers and rebuilding in the North - 23rd of October 2020
The incredible season has breathed new life into the northern cattle industry and this week Andrew Hosken joins us to chat about how the turnaround is impacting producers, processors and the all important herd rebuild.
Exporting wool in challenging times - October 16th 2020
What’s going on with wool demand? This week we spoke to Mark Symes, Southern Wool Manager at G.Schneider Australia. He shares some insight into how his business has adapted to the changing market dynamic and what signs of recovery and improved demand are coming from our customers.
A look at the lamb trade - 9th October 2020
In our next episode with guests from the field, we dive into the Riverina lamb market with Ron Rutledge, Livestock Development Manager at Nutrien Ag Solutions. He shares some insight into how producers are taking part in the new season lamb market and what changes in the Merino lamb have turned it into the asset that it is today.
Cattle trading at record store prices - October 1st 2020
A short summary of the agricultural markets in Australia by the team at Mecardo.
This week we're hitting the ground and talking cattle with Anthony Delaney from Nutrien Delaney Livestock. He shares some insight into the decisions that producers in Eastern Victoria are making and how the desire to rebuild herds is competing with record prices.
100th Episode Commodity Roundup - looking back and forward
This week is our 100th episode of Commodity Conversations so we thought we would have a bit of a chat about how the podcast got started and also how our key commodities have travelled since episode 1. This week we have Olivia Agar, Robert Herrmann, Adrian Ladaniwskyj and a surprise appearance from data/dj Dave Myer who has been doing the recording and editing of the podcast.
Market Recap - September 18th 2020
A short summary of the agricultural markets in Australia by the team at Mecardo.
This week we have Olivia Agar and Mecardo's newest commentator Adrian Ladaniwskyj discussing the latest developments in the local and international grain market, the latest lamb market figures and also an interesting discussion about the relationship between cattle and the search for a covid-19 vaccine.
Market Recap - September 11th 2020
A short summary of the agricultural markets in Australia by the team at Mecardo.
This week we have Olivia Agar and Mecardo's resident grain commentator, Nick Booth from Next Level Grain Marketing discussing the latest developments in the local and international grain market.
Market Recap - September 4th 2020
A short summary of the agricultural markets in Australia by the team at Mecardo.
This week we have Olivia Agar and Robert Herrmann discussing trends in the local wool market and it's trajectory compared to apparel fibres, overseas grain market movements particularly the strong Chinese demand for wheat, and the lamb and cattle trading scenarios.
Market Recap - 28th August 2020
A short summary of the agricultural markets in Australia by the team at Mecardo.
This week we have Olivia Agar and Robert Herrmann discussing trends in the local wool markets, overseas grain market price signals and the disconnect between local and global cattle prices.
Market Recap - 21st August 2020
A short summary of the agricultural markets in Australia by the team at Mecardo.
This week we have Adrian Ladaniwskyj and Robert Herrmann mixing things up a bit as they discuss the potential impact of the Chinese anti-dumping investigations on Australian wine exports as well as a discussion on trends in the wool market.
Market Recap - 14th August 2020
A short summary of the agricultural markets in Australia by the team at Mecardo.
This week we have Olivia Agar and Robert Herrmann chatting about long term wool trends, new restrictions on sales, cattle on feed numbers and lamb prices.
Market Recap 7th August 2020
A short summary of the agricultural markets in Australia by the Mecardo team. This week we have Robert Herrmann chatting with Angus Brown from Mercado about spring lamb prices, supply challenges, cattle markets and the return of wool sales.
Market Recap - 31st July 2020
A short summary of the agricultural markets in Australia by the Mecardo team. This week Olivia Agar, Robert Herrmann & Adrian Ladaniwskyj chat about Canola markets, spring lamb prices, supply challenges in Victoria and provide the usual market recap.
Market Recap - 24th July 2020
A short summary of the agricultural markets in Australia by the Mecardo team. This week Robert Herrmann and Nick Booth dive into an update on grain markets covering the global situation as well some insight into how the local picture with a focus on Nicks home turf on the Eyre Peninsula which is looking very different to many other parts of the country.
Market Recap - 17th July 2020
A short summary of the agricultural markets in Australia by the Mecardo team. This week Olivia Agar and Robert Herrmann chat about the fight for acres between meat sheep and wool, a bounce to east coast lamb markets and the shutdown of meatworks in Victoria due to COVID outbreaks.
#29 Meat and wool megatrends- what do they mean on-farm?
Now that we know what trends are impacting meat and wool sectors, we dive into what they mean for planning and decision making on-farm. In this part 2 episode, David Cornish, Director of Agribusiness at Marcus Oldham Agricultural College and Mecardo's Robert Herrmann provide some insight.
Market Recap - 3rd July 2020
A short summary of the agricultural markets in Australia by the Mecardo team. This week Olivia Agar and Robert Herrmann chat about the US grain harvest and production in Australia, the stocks of grower wool in store, and how local livestock markets are holding up with pressure from overseas.
#28 Meat and wool megatrends- what's changed?
We've all heard the trends impacting meat and wool markets like African Swine Fever and the rising Asian middle class, but what impact has a global pandemic had on these trends and how they affect commodity markets? In this episode, David Cornish, Director of Agribusiness at Marcus Oldham Agricultural College and Robert Herrmann provide some insight into these questions.
Market Recap - 19th June 2020
A short summary of the agricultural markets in Australia by the Mecardo team. This week Olivia Agar and Robert Herrmann chat about changing trade factors in the grain market, yield challenges for the wool market and record young cattle prices.
Market Recap - 12th June 2020
A short summary of the agricultural markets in Australia by the Mecardo team. This week Olivia Agar covers sheepmeat markets and an update to the flock and Robert Herrmann recaps the wool market and WASDE report.
Market Recap - 31st May 2020
A short summary of the agricultural markets in Australia by the Mecardo team. This week with Andrew Whitelaw, Olivia Agar and Matt Dalgleish.
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Market Recap - 22nd May 2020
A short summary of the agricultural markets in Australia by the Mecardo team. This week with Andrew Whitelaw, Robert Herrmann and Matt Dalgleish.
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Market Recap - 15th May 2020
A short summary of the agricultural markets in Australia by the Mecardo team. This week with Andrew Whitelaw, Olivia Agar and Matt Dalgleish.
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Market Recap - 1st May 2020
A short summary of the agricultural markets in Australia by the Mecardo team. This week with Andrew Whitelaw, Olivia Agar and Matt Dalgleish.
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Market Recap - 24th April 2020
A short summary of the agricultural markets in Australia by the Mecardo team. This week with Andrew Whitelaw, Olivia Agar and Robert Herrmann.
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Market Recap - 17th April 2020
A short summary of the agricultural markets in Australia by the Mecardo team. This week with Andrew Whitelaw, Olivia Agar and Matt Dalgleish.
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#27 Markets with the Mecardo team.
The Mecardo team of analysts have a chat with one another about what is happening with their respective commodities.
Wool with Robert Herrmann, grain with Andrew Whitelaw and livestock with Matt Dalgleish.
#26 What's happening in the wool market?
A discussion of the wool market with Olivia Agar and Robert Herrmann.
Market Recap - 3rd April 2020
A short summary of the agricultural markets in Australia by the Mecardo team. Andrew Whitelaw will cover grain and Robert Herrmann will cover wool.
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Market Recap - 28th March 2020
A short summary of the agricultural markets in Australia by the Mecardo team.
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#25 Does the tyranny of distance offer protection?
In a move away from our regular agriculture/market discussions, we are going to discuss the health implications of COVID-19 with a focus on rural areas.
In this podcast Robert Herrmann is joined by David Deutscher. David is a surgeon with experience working in rural areas, and also the chair of the Committee for Ballarat.
Market Recap - 21st March 2020
A short summary of the agricultural markets in Australia by the Mecardo team. This week with Olivia Agar, Andrew Whitelaw & Matt Dalgleish.
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#24 Coronavirus - The wider economy & FX
Go long toilet roll, short everything else.
In this podcast we discuss the impact of Coronavirus on the wider economy. We will follow up in recent days on the impact in agricultural markets.
Mecardo analysts Andrew Whitelaw & Matt Dalgleish are joined by Steven Dooley and Trent Osmond of Western Union Business Solutions. We will follow up shortly with further discussions.
Market Recap - 13th March 2020
A short summary of the agricultural markets in Australia by the Mecardo team. This week with Olivia Agar, Andrew Whitelaw & Matt Dalgleish.
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Market Recap - 6th March 2020
A short summary of the agricultural markets in Australia by the Mecardo team.
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Market Recap - 28th February 2020
A hack in the wool auction platform, a record number of cattle on feed and the four n twenty meat-free meat pie in this week's short summary of the agricultural markets in Australia by the Mecardo team.
Market Recap - 14th February 2020
A short summary of the agricultural markets in Australia by the Mecardo team.
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Market Recap - 7th February 2020
A short summary of the agricultural markets in Australia by the Mecardo team. This week covering wool, grain, cattle & sheep markets.
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#23 Phase 1 - Our view on the Australian impact
The Phase 1 deal between the US and China could have ramifications for Australian agriculture. Andrew Whitelaw & Matt Dalgleish have a chat about the deal and cover:
What the deal is (in layman terms)
Our opinions on the likely impact to Australian agriculture
The commodities most likely to be impacted.
Market Recap - 17th January 2020
A short summary of the agricultural markets in Australia by the Mecardo team. This week covering wool, grain, cattle & sheep markets.
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#22 Bushfire crisis in livestock
Australia has suffered through an agonizing bush fire season which has caused untold levels of damage to homes and businesses. In this update we talk about the livestock impacted by these bushfires.
The discussion between Andrew Whitelaw & Matt Dalgleish will cover livestock populations (sheep & cattle), death projections and the impact on the wider industry.
Market Recap - 20th December 2019
A short summary of the agricultural markets in Australia by the Mecardo team. This week Robert Herrmann will cover wool and Andrew Whitelaw will cover grain.
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#21 What is with this weather?
Everyone in agriculture follows the weather, including the Mecardo team. We are however not experts in that field, and we often have discussions with our friend Dr David Stephens of Agro Meteorology. We wanted to pick his brains on why this year has been so poor for the majority of the country.
Topics covered include:
The drivers of the last years weather and what caused it to be so bad.
The creation of models to forecast weather
His research into weather patterns moving due to changes in clim
Market Recap - 13th December 2019
A short summary of the agricultural markets in Australia by the Mecardo team. This week covering ASX wheat, South Australian GM crops & falling cow prices.
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Market Recap - 6th December 2019
A short summary of the agricultural markets in Australia by the Mecardo team. This week covering wool, beef, fertilizer & the ABARES crop update.
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Market Recap - 29th November 2019
A short summary of the agricultural markets in Australia by the Mecardo team.
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#20 An independent view of the fertilizer market
On Mecardo we recently provided an update on the fertilizer market. As one of the biggest input costs on farm, it's important to keep a close eye on the market.
We were asked for more information from a numbers of premium subscribers, it was therefore an opportune time to call in one of our analyst friends from the UK.
Andrew Whitelaw (Mecardo) and Chris Lawson (CRU) sat down for a chat about the fertilizer market and what is means for Australian prices.
Market Recap - 23rd November 2019
A short summary of the agricultural markets in Australia by the Mecardo team.
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Market Recap - 15th November 2019
A short summary of the agricultural markets in Australia by the Mecardo team.
Fertilizer & grain by Andrew Whitelaw (Twitter : WheatWatcher)
Livestock by Matt Dalgleish (Twitter : ballarat_matt)
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#19 What happens when the drought breaks?
Drought has been at the forefront of peoples minds in recent times, however it will break at some point.
In this podcast the Mecardo team look beyond the current drought and have a chat about some scenarios for when the drought breaks. What are the challenges and opportunities? We discuss cropping, cattle, sheep and wool.
This podcast includes Matt Dalgleish, Andrew Whitelaw & Robert Herrmann.
Remember to visit Mecardo.com.au to get the highest quality analysis of the market. Do us a favour a
Market Recap - 8th November 2019
A short summary of the agricultural markets in Australia by the Mecardo team.
Grain by Andrew Whitelaw (Twitter : WheatWatcher)
Livestock by Matt Dalgleish (Twitter : ballarat_matt)
Remember to visit Mecardo.com.au to get the highest quality analysis of the market. Do us a favour and share with your friends, family and colleagues.
Market Recap - 1st November 2019
A short summary of the agricultural markets in Australia by the Mecardo team.
Pigs & wheat by Andrew Whitelaw (Twitter : WheatWatcher)
Wool by Robert Herrmann (Twitter : robertherrmann1)
Remember to visit Mecardo.com.au to get the highest quality analysis of the market. Do us a favour and share with your friends, family and colleagues.
#18 The yarn with the contenders
This week we are talking with some of the candidates for the AWI board. These conversations include Janelle Hocking Edwards, George Falkiner & Paul Cocking.
Remember to visit Mecardo.com.au for your weekly injection of market analysis.
#17 Supermarkets - friend or foe?
"down, down, prices are down"
The Mecardo team discuss supermarkets - are they the farmers friend or foe?
Featuring:
Robert Herrmann
Andrew whitelaw
Olivia Agar
Remember to visit Mecardo.com.au to get the highest quality analysis of the market.
Market Recap - 25th October 2019
A short summary of the agricultural markets in Australia by the Mecardo team.
Grain by Andrew Whitelaw (Twitter : WheatWatcher)
Livestock by Matt Dalgleish (Twitter : Ballarat_matt)
Remember to visit Mecardo.com.au to get the highest quality analysis of the market. Do us a favour and share with your friends, family and colleagues.
NB. This podcast was recorded in advance on Thursday 24th October.
#16 A visit to the Canberra Bubble
Robert Herrmann took a trip to Canberra as part of 40th celebration of the National Farmers Federation. We have a chat about the trip discussing:
What did he think of the event
The $100bn plan
The new NFF advert 'We are Australian farmers
Remember to register for market analysis at mecardo.com.au
Market Update - 18th October 2019
A summary of the agricultural markets in Australia by the Mecardo team.
Wool by Olivia Agar (Twitter: Olivia_Agar)
Grain by Andrew Whitelaw (Twitter : WheatWatcher)
Livestock by Matt Dalgleish (Twitter : Ballarat_matt)
Remember to visit Mecardo.com.au to get the highest quality analysis of the market. Do us a favour and share with your friends, family and colleagues.
#15 Aporkalypse now
"I love the smell of bacon in the morning."
In this podcast Mecardo market analysts Andrew Whitelaw & Matt Dalgleish discuss the African Swine Fever outbreak and the impact that it is having on Australian agricultural markets.
Remember to visit Mecardo.com.au to get the highest quality analysis of the market.
Market Recap - 11th October 2019
A summary of the agricultural markets in Australia by the Mecardo team. This week Andrew Whitelaw and Matt Dalgleish are covering grain and livestock.
Remember to visit Mecardo.com.au to get the highest quality analysis of the market.
Market Recap - 4th October 2019
A summary of the agricultural markets in Australia by the Mecardo team. This week covering wool with Robert Herrmann, livestock with Matt Dalgleish and Grain with Andrew Whitelaw.
Remember to visit Mecardo.com.au to get the highest quality analysis of the market.
#14 A chat with a fake meat advocate
One of the most worrying trends for livestock producers is the push for fake meats. In this interview we talk with one of the fake meat industries main supporters - Thomas King of Food Frontier.
Food Frontier have recently released a report in which they believe that the faux meat industry in Australia could be worth A$3bn. As an open minded organisation we thought it was worthwhile having a listen to what they have to say.
Market Recap - 27th September 2019
A summary of the agricultural markets in Australia.
The wheat market has fallen but uncertainty continues.
The end of the Grainpro saga.
The wool market gets it's mo-jo back
Lamb prices crash in Tasmania and WA.
Remember to visit Mecardo.com.au to get the highest quality analysis of the market.
Market Recap - 20th September 2019
A summary of the agricultural markets in Australia.
Will grain prices rise above last year?
How is the live export moratorium impacting upon WA sheep pricing (hint: It's big)
How does the rise in the wool market compare to previous rallies?
Remember to visit Mecardo.com.au to get the highest quality analysis of the market.
Market Recap - 13th September 2019
A summary of the agricultural markets in Australia. This week we cover livestock with Matt Dalgleish, Grains with Andrew Whitelaw and wool with Olivia Agar.
Remember to visit Mecardo.com.au to get the highest quality analysis of the market.
Market Recap - 6th September 2019
A summary of the agricultural markets in Australia. This week Matt Dalgleish and Andrew Whitelaw update on wheat and livestock. The following topics are covered:
Corn might meet USDA expectations
Opportunity for hedging on ASX?
Cattle price forecasts
Remember to visit Mecardo.com.au to get the highest quality analysis of the market.
#13 The fate of the merino
Make Merino Great Again?
With droughts, strong demand for sheepmeat and a tough fight for acres, what is the fate of the Merino industry? In this podcast Rob Herrmann asks Andrew Richie from Icon Ag, Charlie De Fegely a western vic sheep producer and Marius Cuming from AWI, what will it take to make Merino great again?
Remember to visit Mecardo.com.au to get the highest quality analysis of the agricultural market.
Market Update - 30th August 2019
A summary of the agricultural markets in Australia. This week Olivia Agar and Andrew Whitelaw update on wheat and wool. The following topics are covered:
BOM outlook
WA Crop
Drop in demand for wool
Remember to visit Mecardo.com.au to get the highest quality analysis of the market.
Market Update - 23rd August 2019
A summary of the agricultural markets in Australia. This week Olivia Agar and Andrew Whitelaw update on cropping and livestock. The following topics are covered:
The removal of the South Australian moratorium on genetically modified crops
Processor margin update
Mutton export values
Remember to visit Mecardo.com.au to get the highest quality analysis of the market.
#12 The road to $100bn with Fiona Simson
This week we talk to Fiona Simson about the $100bn roadmap. This roadmap is a plan to move the agricultural industry from $60bn (2016) to $100bn by 2030.
We cover:
Summary of the plan and its importance to the industry
The five pillars of the plan
After a couple of years, how well is the plan being adopted?
We encourage you to read the NFF 2030, and read the full report (click here)
For your FX needs visit our podcast partner 'Western Union Business Solutions'
Remember to visit Mecardo.com.a
Market Update - 16th August 2019
A summary of the agricultural markets in Australia. This week Olivia Agar and Andrew Whitelaw will be cover grains and wool.
Remember to get your full update at http://www.mecardo.com.au
Market Update - 9th August 2019
A summary of the agricultural markets in Australia. This week covering wool, sheep, cattle and grains.
Remember to get your full update at http://www.mecardo.com.au
Market Update - 2nd August 2019
A summary of the agricultural markets in Australia. This week covering grain and the NFF $100bn aspiration for the agricultural industry.
#11 Insolvency in the grain game
There are rumours abound of the potential collapse of a small scale NSW based grain trader. The Mecardo team have fielded calls from a number of farmers who are collective owed large sums. We thought that this makes a perfect time to discuss counterparty risk in the grain trade.
Market Update - 26th July 2019
A summary of the agricultural markets in Australia. This week covering grain, cattle and sheep.
#10 Climate change with Oscar
In this episode we chat with Oscar Pearse aka Oscarthefarmer. We deep dive into agriculture's current issues/policies on biodiversity, natural capital, climate change, clearing laws and sequestration......
Market Update - 19th July 2019
A summary of the agricultural markets in Australia. This week covering grain, cattle and sheep.
Market Update - 12th July 2019
A summary of the agricultural markets in Australia. This week covering grain, cattle and sheep.
#9 What did I learn from my time in Africa?
We talk to Peter Walker about his time volunteering in a grain growing region in Kenya. How does agriculture in the first world compare with the developing world?
Market Update - 5th July 2019
A summary of the agricultural markets in Australia. This week we cover grain, wool & livestock
Market Update - 28th June 2019
A summary of the ag markets. Due to a broken arm Andrew is unable to make it onto this weeks update.
Market Update - 21st June 2019
A summary of the agricultural markets in Australia. This week we're talking US female slaughter ratios, the choice between mutton and lamb, ABARES grain forecasts and wool supply.
Market Update - 13th June 2019
A summary of the agricultural markets in Australia. This week we're talking US cattle prices, revised low in the sheep flock, cycles in the 21MPG price and the WASDE report.
#8 Farm Succession - Tips to ease the transition
In this conversation we are joined by Mike Stephens of Meridian Agriculture. Robert Herrmann chats to Mike about the importance of having a solid farm succession plan.
Market Update - 7th June 2019
A summary of the agricultural markets in Australia. This week we cover another month of high female cattle slaughter, sheep offtake and the flock size and low wool volumes.
Market Update - 31st May 2019
A summary of the agricultural markets in Australia. This week covering the corn-wheat story & livestock
#7 Post Election discussion & wheat imports
Brett Hosking of Grain Growers (and a Victorian farmer) joins the discussion with Mecardo. In this podcast we chat about some of the policies which Grain Growers would like enacted in the coming Australian parliament. We also have a brief chat about the controversial Canadian wheat import permits.
The following topics are discussed:
Telecommunications and black spots
Crop insurance
The importation of whole grain wheat into Australia
The innovation generation conference held in Ballarat during J
Market Update - 24th May 2019
A summary of the agricultural markets in Australia. This week we cover wheat, livestock and wool
Market Update - 17th May 2019
A summary of the agricultural markets in Australia. This week we cover wheat, livestock and wool
#6 Election Special
It's a couple of days out from the election. In this update the team at Mecardo have a chat with one another about the election.
Market Update - 13th May 2019
A summary of the agricultural markets in Australia. This week we cover wheat, cattle and sheep.
#5 The taste of fake meat and its potential impact
The entire team at Mecardo are on board for this conversation. We do a blind taste test of the beyond meat burger against the real beef burger. We also have a long chat about this product and its potential impact on the livestock industry.
This was record as a video, which can also be viewed on the following link :
https://bit.ly/2vBl2Lu
Our sponsor for this update was Livestock Pricing - the new app for Apple and Android to give transparency of the livestock markets.
Market Update - 3rd May 2019
A summary of the agricultural markets in Australia. This week we cover grain, wool and sheep.
Market Update - 26th April 2019
A summary of the agricultural markets in Australia. This week we cover:
Grain
-The situation for the global crop
-The continued divergence between global and domestic markets.
Cattle
-The unsustainable slaughter of female cattle.
Market Update - 18th April 2019
A summary of the agricultural markets in Australia. This week we cover:
-New crop pricing rising due to weather concerns
-The worlds major wheat producers are in good form
-Swine fever and its potential impact on Australian meat pricing
-Rainfall analysis on the Mecardo website
#4 Live export - 1 year on from the Awassi Express
Mecardo analysts Andrew Whitelaw & Matt Dalgleish discuss the live export industry one year on from the 60mins footage of the Awassi Express. This is a longer form discussion at 40mins, making it fantastic for commuting or working in the tractor!
Discussion includes:
Alternative origins for live sheep
The economic impact to Western Australian farmers and why Animals Australia were incorrect in their assessment.
Paying for footage
Value of live export to the agricultural industry
Market Update - 12th April 2019
A summary of the agricultural markets in Australia. This week we cover:
The high global wheat stocks and pricing
Sheep meat demand into China
Crossbred wool values
Market Update - 5th April 2019
A summary of the agricultural markets in Australia. In the introduction I mentioned that Matt would cover Cattle. However as a bonus he also provided Sheep.
This week we cover grain, cattle, sheep and wool.
#3 An Aussie taking on Africa
We talk to Stuart Barden, an Australian farmer taking on Africa.
This short conversation with Stuart was recorded whilst Robert was working on the ACIAR project - 'Farmers without borders'.
Market Update - 29th March 2019
A summary of the agricultural markets in Australia.
Cattle: How much money are the meat processors making?
Sheep: The lamb trade into the US increases dramatically.
Grain: We look into the evolving situation for canola imports from Canada into China.
Market Update - 22nd March 2019
A concise summary of the agricultural markets in Australia.
Wool: What impact does the dry have on wool quality.
Cattle: We put our head on the line and called for the EYCI, why were we right?
Sheep: What risks are in place for sheep farmers in Western Australia due to changes to regulations.
Grain: Positive demand for barley from Saudi Arabia. Rain on the way for the north, too much rain for the US. Mid-tier Victorian grain trader Lempriere grain goes into administration.
#2 Agtech - is it all hype?
Mecardo are joined by Dwain Duxson of Farm Tender. In this short conversation (30mins) we discuss the following topics:
The buzz/hype around agtech.
Innovation in ag from outside, what do these new entrants need to learn?
The value of failure in improving your business.
Market Update - 15th March 2019
Our analysts provide a short and sharp update on the main factors at play in their markets.
Wool: In response from a request from a listener we talk about demand for wool.
Livestock: This week we cover both cattle and sheep, and discuss our new model for lamb pricing.
Grain: The market has fallen through the past six weeks, however short sellers have closed their positions and prices have jumped dramatically.
Market Update - 8th March 2019
Our analysts provide a short and sharp update on the main factors at play in their markets.
Wool: Tightening supply is helping provide a very welcome market for wool producers.
Cattle: How will the floods in northern Queensland impact upon the wider cattle market?
Grain: Will China punish Australian barley producers for alleged dumping practices, and what would the retribution be?
#1 Social Licence in Agriculture
Commodity Conversations is produced by Mecardo, where we provide some insights into the agricultural industry.
In the the inaugural episode we discuss the buzzword of the moment, 'social licence'