10. The Caluka Experiment: Genetics, Pastures and the Hard Truths Behind Australia’s Sheep Industry

Agronomist and innovator Wayne Smith returns for one of the most candid conversations ever recorded on this podcast. Wayne opens up about the rise and collapse of Caluka Farms an ambitious livestock project that pushed the limits of pasture productivity, animal genetics and high-rainfall farming in Western Australia. Wayne also shares powerful insights on: • Trace-element deficiencies across Africa and Australia • Why many high-rainfall pastures underperform and how to fix them • How corporates get farming strategy wrong by ignoring the paddock-level detail • The future of livestock marketing, meat export policy and industry transparency This is a clear, practical and emotionally grounded conversation for anyone who cares about Australian farming from how we grow grass, to how we grow sheep, to how we rebuild an industry that still holds massive untapped potential. A must-listen for farmers, agronomists, investors and anyone seeking to understand what is truly possible in livestock agriculture when constraints are removed, and systems are pushed to their limits.