PODCAST · education
AgVic Talk
by Agriculture Victora
Welcome to the Agriculture Victoria ‘AgVic Talk’ podcast series. Follow along as we bring you stories, advice and information from around the state. In our first series we will be covering contemporary problems and solutions for bushfire recovery, drought and dry seasons, weather and climate as well as hearing some stories from inspiring young farmers.
Episodes
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Navigating a challenging season with dairy farmer Will McDonald
When two dry seasons hit hard, Bessiebelle dairy farmer Will McDonald faced a make-or-break decision: spend half a million dollars on fodder or rethink his entire approach. In this episode, Will shares how buying extra land transformed his business, secured feed, and even solved staffing...
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Building capacity in farming communities with Michael Gordon and Rob Gordon
In this episode, we explore the deeper meaning of resilience—not just as a trait, but as a process of building strength and capacity through adversity. This concept resonates strongly in farming, where daily decisions are made under uncertainty, and long-term outcomes are shaped by forces beyond...
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The power of farmer networks with Simon Lawler and Chris Mirams
This episode explores how joining farmer groups can transform farming businesses and personal well-being. Gippsland farmer Simon Lawler and consultant Chris Mirams share how networks like BetterBeef help farmers learn from each other, adapt to challenges, and build supportive communities. Want to...
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A bushfire recovery story with Matt Zagami
After losing his entire farm to a fire in 2020, Matt Zagami chose resilience by rebuilding and diversifying his business, Avagrow Farms. For him, farming in Australia means facing challenges head-on, solving problems pragmatically, and adapting to whatever the climate throws his way. The Farm...
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Planning shelter and shade with John-Paul Murphy and Kylie Macreadie
Providing shade and shelter on your property has multiple benefits for livestock, biodiversity and amenity. Join John-Paul Murphy and Kylie Macreadie to learn more about the how to plant the right trees in the right places to enhance farm business profitability and productivity. The Farm Business...
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Beekeepers vs Varroa: Survival, Support & Strategy with Mike Allerton and Jamie Perry-Meijer
Recreational beekeeper Mike Allerton shares his personal experience with Varroa mite, hive loss, and recovery, while Jamie Perry-Meijer, Resilience Officer Officer for the National Varroa Mite Management Program, discusses mental health impacts and support strategies for apiarists. Learn how peer...
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Embracing CaLD Workers in Victoria's Dairy Industry with Christine Sebire and Jenny Wilson
This podcast episode discusses the engagement of culturally and linguistically diverse (CaLD) workers in the Victorian dairy industry, featuring insights from Jenny Wilson of the Gardiner Foundation and dairy farmer Christine Sebire. They highlight the challenges faced by CaLD workers and...
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From the Kitchen Table to the Paddock: Rethinking Farm Safety with Samantha Pritchard
In this Farming Safe and Well episode, we explore how farm safety starts with inclusive inductions—especially for the 1 in 5 Australians affected by dyslexia. Samantha Pritchard shares her journey from corporate HR to developing dyslexia-friendly safety tools like short videos, simplified apps…
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Understanding Q Fever: Protecting Dairy Farmers with Karen McLennan
In this Farming Safe and Well episode, we delve into the topic of Q fever, a disease that is notably prevalent in Victoria, especially in the Gippsland region. Our guest, Karen McLennan from GippsDairy, shares valuable insights on the importance of vaccination and awareness among dairy farmers....
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Supporting Children's Mental Health in Rural Areas with Jacquie Lee
In this episode of AgVic Talk, listen to Jacquie Lee from Emerging Minds talk about strategies for supporting children's mental health during challenging times, particularly in rural areas affected drought and natural disasters like bushfires. Jacquie shares insights on the importance of...
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Farm Safety First: Tackling Fatigue with Simon Craig
In this episode of AgVic Talk, Simon Craig discusses the critical issue of fatigue in farming. He shares his journey managing a broad-acre grain and sheep farm in Kooloonong in North-western Victoria, and the steps he has taken to reduce fatigue on his property. Simon highlights the importance of...
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Improving Shearing Shed Safety with Jason Letchford and Craig French
In this episode of AgVic Talk, Jason Letchford from the Shearing Contractors Association of Australia and Craig French from Australian Wool Innovation discuss the safety challenges and improvements in the shearing industry. They delve into key safety issues such as musculoskeletal injuries,...
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Farming with a disability with Nigel Corish and Josie Clarke
In this episode of AgVic Talk, Nigel Corish, the 2023 Farmer of the Year and Chair of Ability Agriculture shares his journey of farming with cerebral palsy, the challenges he has faced, and how he has overcome them. He also discusses the importance of inclusivity in agriculture and how technology...
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Tackling Burnout with Maggie Bridgewater
This podcast episode features Maggie Bridgewater, a Wellbeing Counsellor with the Rural Financial Counselling Service in Western Victoria, discussing the unique challenges farmers face, such as financial instability and unpredictable weather, and the importance of recognising and addressing...
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Embracing Diversity, Ensuring Safety with Catherine Velisha and Vy Pham
In this episode Catherine Velisha, Managing Director of Velisha Farms, discusses the importance of cultural safety in the workplace, emphasising treating employees as individuals with unique needs and values. Vy Pham, a production manager, shares her experience of receiving language support and...
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Importance of Safety in Livestock Handling with Joel Haberfield and Peter Miller
This podcast episode focuses on farm safety, particularly the safe handling of livestock during loading and unloading processes. It features interviews with Joel Haberfield, a livestock transporter, and Peter Miller, a farmer, who share their experiences and insights on improving safety standards...
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Introduction - Farming Safe and Well
Welcome to season 10 of AgVic Talk. This podcast season covers farm safety and wellbeing in Victoria. In this introduction, Beth Jones, Chief Executive of Agriculture Victoria discusses the rewarding yet high-risk nature of farming, stressing the importance of raising awareness, sharing stories,...
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Protecting and improving Mallee soils with Richard McKee and Darryl Pearl
In this episode, we discuss demonstration sites across the Mallee aimed at protecting and improving the productivity of vulnerable Mallee soils. Discover how to boost Mallee soil productivity and protect the soil with expert tips from Darryl Pearl and Richard McKee. The Farm Business Resilience...
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Strengthening your bee-ness for the future with Richard Collins
Richard Collins, a 3rd generation beekeeper plans for the unexpected but with climate variability this can be challenging. Learn about Richard’s tips for planning for the unexpected and future climate risks. The Farm Business Resilience Program is jointly funded through the Australian…
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Planning for farm business success with Peter Brown and Paul Blackshaw
This podcast shares key tips from Peter Brown, a beef farmer from East Gippsland who participated in the Farm Business Resilience (FBR) Program and Farm Business Consultant Paul Blackshaw from Meridian Agriculture. Peter and Paul speak about embracing on-farm uncertainty, documenting the farms...
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Raising happy and healthy pigs with Regina Fogarty and Deb Hancock
In this episode, Deb Hancock and Dr Regina Fogarty provide best-practice biosecurity advice to help you raise happy, healthy pigs and protect Victoria’s pig industry. Learn more on the Agriculture Victoria Feeding Livestock webpage Subscribe to the Agriculture Victoria Backyard Biosecurity...
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Keeping your chickens happy and healthy with Cathy Ronalds and Dianne Phillips
In this episode, we’re talking to Cathy Ronalds and Dr Dianne Phillips to learn more about looking after the health and wellbeing of your chooks and maintaining good at-home biosecurity practices. For information on the current avian influenza response in Victoria Access templates to develop…
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Winning the battle with weeds with Jacob Pearce
Jacob Pearce has been battling weeds for a decade, some posing a biosecurity risk. Listen to this episode to hear what he has learned and steps you can take to reduce weeds and biosecurity risks on your property. Subscribe to the Agriculture Victoria Backyard Biosecurity newsletter Learn more on...
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Feeding cattle with Brett Davidson and Rachael Laukart
How much do cattle eat? How can I create a balanced diet for my cattle? In this episode, join Brett Davidson, Agriculture Victoria’s Dairy Regional Manager in Tatura and Rachael Laukart, Education Officer with the RSPCA as they share information about feeding cattle a balanced diet, and what to…
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Biosecurity Planning on your farm with Hannah Manning and Ben Pickles
Dr Hannah Manning and rare sheep and chicken breeder Ben Pickles discuss Biosecurity Management Plans and the sort of protection these plans provide to help farmers manage biosecurity. Subscribe to the Agriculture Victoria Backyard Biosecurity newsletter Learn more on the Agriculture Victoria...
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Tips for feeding your alpacas with Taryan Matthews
Join alpaca farmer Taryan Mathews for information and advice on managing biosecurity risks when purchasing supplementary feed. For further information: Subscribe to Backyard Biosecurity newsletter Learn more on the Backyard Biosecurity webpage Enroll in the biosecurity eLearn courses Develop…
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Introducing new livestock with Geoff Kroker, Brett Davidson and Rachael Laukart
Introducing new livestock to a property is a time of excitement but also trepidation, because potentially they may expose existing animals to new diseases. In this podcast episode, we find out about the simple things you can do when introducing new livestock to make it a smooth process for you…
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Adapting to the seasons by improving our subsoils with Chris Smith
Welcome to season 9 of AgVic Talk, 'Adapting to the seasons'. In this preview episode we meet Chris Smith who farms west of Horsham on some variable soil types. Chris explores sub-soil amelioration and discusses some of the benefits and challenges of undertaking this soil improvement project. The...
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Designing a farm map with Clem Sturmfels and Ian Powell
Everyone has a responsibility to manage biosecurity on their own property with their own animals. Creating a farm map can help landholders manage biosecurity risks, manage public access, and meet industry assurance requirements. Clem Sturmfels from Agriculture Victoria and Ian Powell a cattle...
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Buying and selling livestock 101 with Ben Fahy
There are many things for small landholders to consider when buying and selling livestock that can be confusing to a small landholder or newcomer. In this episode, Ben Fahy, Livestock Traceability Manager with Agriculture Victoria, helps simplify the requirements for buying and selling livestock....
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Common questions about biosecurity with Rachael Laukart and Brett Davidson
Everyone has a responsibility to manage biosecurity on their own property with their own animals. To start us off, hear from Brett Davidson, Dairy Regional Manager for Agriculture Victoria and Rachael Laukart, Education Officer with the RSPCA about how they are helping producers manage risk and...
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Farm with a difference with Jill Noble
In this episode we hear from Jill Noble from Hallston Valley farms who has biosecurity front of mind every single day, as she's part of a farming operation that is diverse and some would argue is exposed to more biosecurity risks than most. Subscribe to the Agriculture Victoria Backyard…
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What does recovery look like? with Sally Cunningham, Brad Costin and Brett Davidson
The effects of a disaster are felt long after the event. Support services and organisations are in for the long haul and available long after the event to help farmers recover. Sally Cunningham is the Flood Recovery Manager with the National Centre for Farmer Health and who is available, along…
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Biosecurity Basics with Erica Smith and Richard Smith
There are a number of simple steps that can be taken to help manage the biosecurity basics on-farm. Hear from Erica Smith from Glenstrae Highlands how she went about implementing these basics when she set up her property in Victoria. Richard Smith from Agriculture Victoria then talks you through...
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Introduction with Ros Spence, Minister for Agriculture
Welcome to season 8 of AgVic Talk which is a collaboration with RSPCA Victoria, Biosecurity Basics. This season will cover everything you need to know about biosecurity. We'll hear from farmers from all walks of life about the types of practical things they've put in place on their properties and...
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Growing strong in a changing climate with Chloe Fox
During the 2022 floods, Seymour market gardener Chloe Fox evacuated chickens by kayak as flood water rose and inundated her farm. Listen to Chloe’s remarkable story of resilience and her road to recovery. Note: Rural Finance administers the Victorian Primary Producer Flood Recovery Grants on…
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Navigating flooded vineyards with Matt Partridge
Being flooded 6 times in one season is beyond comprehension. Matthew Partridge, Operation Manager from De Bortoli Wines is flipping this on its head and using it as an opportunity to put processes in place to better deal with a changing climate whilst looking after his staff. Subscribe to…
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Active Farmers: Building strong bodies and stronger communities with Claire Harrison
If you didn't service your farm machinery what would happen? Treat your body like you treat your machinery, take an hour for yourself. It's an investment in your own body and in your business to ensure you are here into the future to do the work that you need to do. This is the message that…
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Many ways to repair with Bianca Jones and Anna McGee
Rebuilding and recovering when your livelihood has been washed away overnight is hard. However, you are not alone with some remarkable people and organisations lending a helping hand along the way. Bianca Jones, a Central Victorian farmer shares her story of resilience and the ‘angels’ that…
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Overcoming tragedy and shifting attitudes with Brad McEwan
Content warning – This podcast contains content about suicide. If this episode raises concerns or issues with your mental health visit beyondblue.org.au or contact Lifeline on 13 11 14. Your mental health is important. Some days are better than others and we all need a helping hand from time to...
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Returning high values for Australian products with David Lawson
Exporting Victorian produce to overseas markets can be challenging, but help is at hand. Austrade has a network of Trade Commissioners and offices in 68 countries to help producers expand their reach and access newmarkets. David Lawson, Assistant General Manager with Austrade explains more in…
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On the right track to recovery with Simone Murdoch and Darryl Pearl
When it comes to dealing with disasters like fire and floods, there's one consistent piece of advice. Have a plan. That was the case for Simone and Alistair Murdoch who recently dealt with floods on their properties. In this episode, Simone explains how their plans helped to remove emotion from...
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Hives in harm's way: navigating future weather events with Natalie Doran-Browne
One of Victoria’s biggest livestock groups has wings and is crucial for nearly a third of food production. Bees can fly above floods, sadly however the hives they live in cannot. We meet Natalie Doran-Browne from Wondermazing Honeybees in this episode and discuss what happened in the 2022 floods...
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How blockchain provides traceability along the supply chain with Jason Potts
Blockchain allows for information to be added and verified at any point along the supply chain and has the possibility to increase productivity. To explore this concept and better understand blockchain, we join Jason Potts, a Professor of Economics at RMIT University. Learn more about…
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Farming through the floods with Murray Van der Drift
Imagine being surrounded by flood water as it approaches your farm from three different directions. The water is starting to lap at the top of a levee, your last line of defense against the approaching torrent. This is all that is protecting your piggery with 20,000 head in it from going under....
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From crisis to cash flow with Chris Steele
A scene of abundant fertility was being developed on Ulunja farm – a 95-hectare Manuka tea tree plantation on the Murray River upstream of Echuca. That is until the October 2022 floods hit and wiped out most of the plantings. Despite the blow, the farm’s manager Chris Steele remains positive…
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Introduction with Victoria's Rural Assistance Commissioner Peter Tuohey
Welcome to season 7 of AgVic Talk, After the Flood - stories of farmer recovery and resilience. This season zeroes in on the practical aspects of preparing for, responding to, and recovering from natural disasters and is a partnership between Agriculture Victoria and the National Centre for…
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How traceability helps to protect public health and safety with Adele Yates
Good traceability systems ensure that businesses and industries can respond faster and more efficiently to food safety issues that impact human health. In this episode, Dr. Adele Yates from Food Standards Australia and New Zealand (FSANZ) explores food safety and the difference between recalls…
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Setting the temperature on traceability with Luke Wood
Traceability is about ensuring that food arrives at the end of its journey in the best possible condition. We turn back the clock in this episode with Luke Wood from Excavox as he discusses how they connect consumers back to where their food comes from. Learn more about traceability and access…
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Taking steps to traceability success with Michael Dosser
Traceability: Step 1: don’t be scared, step 2: standards and step 3: be bold These are the top 3 recommendations provided by Michael Dosser, Group General Manager with the Results Group after being involved in a traceability pilot with the Australian Table Grape Association. Learn more about...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Welcome to the Agriculture Victoria ‘AgVic Talk’ podcast series. Follow along as we bring you stories, advice and information from around the state. In our first series we will be covering contemporary problems and solutions for bushfire recovery, drought and dry seasons, weather and climate as well as hearing some stories from inspiring young farmers.
HOSTED BY
Agriculture Victora
CATEGORIES
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does AgVic Talk have?
AgVic Talk currently has 135 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is AgVic Talk about?
Welcome to the Agriculture Victoria ‘AgVic Talk’ podcast series. Follow along as we bring you stories, advice and information from around the state. In our first series we will be covering contemporary problems and solutions for bushfire recovery, drought and dry seasons, weather and climate as...
How often does AgVic Talk release new episodes?
AgVic Talk publishes regularly with 135 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
Where can I listen to AgVic Talk?
You can listen to AgVic Talk on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts AgVic Talk?
AgVic Talk is created and hosted by Agriculture Victora.
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