Humans of Agriculture Humans of Agriculture

“I never thought I'd be chatting on an agriculture podcast.”

Founder and CEO of IVM Group, Nick Bloor describes his business as having a mission to improve people's lives through plant science. At only 19 years old, Nick founded his first business in vegetation management space. To us, Nick’s work is pretty mind-blowing. And he is so humble in how he talks about the business growth and people. To Nick, people are everything. 
“I don't grow a business, our people do.”

Podcast partnership: Nick Bloor was announced as the recipient of theJudges Choice Award in the category of Innovation at the 2023 Syngenta Growth Awards. This podcast episode is in partnership with Syngenta Australia featuring recipients of the Syngenta 2023 Growth Awards.

Welcome back to the Tom and Mick Show! In this episode they are joined by special guest - Justin Oakenfull, from Elders at Inverell and recently the 2024 National Young Auctioneer Of The Year! 
Key Topics:
Justin's journey in the auctioneering and livestock industryMarket trends and predictions in the livestock industryJustin's pump-up routine and favourite podcasts for the road (cheers for the shout-out, Justin!) *Note this was recorded in early April and the livestock markets have shifted since. 

To describe Sarah Sivyer as worldly and business savvy would be absolutely under-selling her. Sarah describes herself as a ‘serious data nerd’ and a ‘serious business model nerd’. After sitting down with her to record the podcast, we believe it and love it!

“I'm going to sound a bit wacky, I just love excellent businesses.”

Sarah has some incredible experiences and habits that have led to this appetite for continual growth and data-driven success. Just to name a few: 
Combined Chemical Engineering and Commerce degree from Sydney UniversityFour years being mentored at College following High School - there’s people from these formative years who are still having an impact on Sarah’s lifeMasters of Business Administration (MBA) from Oxford University in London Work on the mines for BHP in continual business improvement projects in Western Australia Work for Syngenta in Switzerland in food security Nuffield Scholarship in 2018 Avid podcast listener - “How I Built This” with Guy Raz is one of her favourites!As life would have it, it’s of course never quite that linear progression. Now back on the family farm, Sarah chose to generate impact in her own way that wasn't the traditional dairy farm she had always known... She instead developed a subscription model for pastuerised eggs that has social impact. 
There’s so much more to Sarah’s story, from raising a toddler while running the business, marketing strategies and her most recent endeavours in agritourism. Sarah's story is part of our partnership with the Nuffield Australia - Nuffield Scholar program - Where we are shining a light on some of the incredible stories of some of their scholars.
A message from this episode sponsor, ANZ Agribusiness:
Farming in Australia is never without opportunity, nor challenge. From season to season, and from day to day, producers manage a myriad of risks and rewards as they produce the vast range of commodities global markets now demand. At ANZ Agribusiness, we’ve been supporting farmers to take opportunities and manage through challenges for over 150 years. We’re a proud and long term partner of Nuffield Australia, supporting its goal of capacity building for producers, their businesses, industry and rural community. Our network of regionally based Agribusiness bankers are ready to support both our existing customers, and any farming business seeking a review of their banking arrangements at any time. Find your local ANZ Agribusiness manager at ANZ.com.

This week we're sitting down with Nancy Crawshaw, the New Zealand winner of the Zanda McDonald Award.Nancy shares her journey in agriculture and the importance of connection to the land. She discusses the multi-generational impact in agriculture and the responsibility of caring for the land for future generations. Nancy talks about her experiences as a Quality Assurance manager in Naracoorte and the challenges and growth that came with managing a team through COVID. She highlights the power of networking and the value of mentoring in the agricultural industry. Nancy's career aspirations include staying involved in the family business and focusing on people management in agriculture.
TakeawaysThe connection to the land and the responsibility of caring for it for future generations is a core value in agriculture.
Networking and building connections in the industry is invaluable for personal and professional growth.The QA manager role during the COVID-19 pandemic presented unique challenges and opportunities for learning and development.Promoting career pathways and investing in people management in agriculture is crucial for the industry's growth and success.

Tessa Chartres is the 2024 Zanda McDonald Award winner for Australia, in this episode she sits down with host Oli Le Lievre to chat about her background, her role as the General Manager of Business Development at Murray Irrigation Limited (MIL). She highlights the impact of the drought on regional communities and the importance of long-term thinking in preserving agricultural assets for future generations. Tess also shares her involvement with as the Chair of the Southwest Music Regional Conservatorium and her vision for the town of Deniliquin in Southern NSW, emphasising the need for collaboration and positive thinking.

Other topics discussed:
Long-term thinking is crucial for preserving agricultural assets and ensuring the viability of regional communities for future generations.Collaboration and positive thinking are essential for solving the challenges faced by regional communities and the agricultural industry.The arts, such as music and culture, play a vital role in making regional communities attractive places to live and work.The Zanda McDonald Award provides valuable networking opportunities and a platform for sharing knowledge and experiences.Chapters
00:00 Introduction and Background
01:09 The Big Battle of Easter - The Deni Rams vs Finley Cats
03:27 Transition to Deniliquin and MIL
05:12 Impact of Drought on Deniliquin 
06:24 Initial Takeaways from MIL
08:04 Overview of Murray Irrigation Limited
09:48 Importance of Long-Term Thinking
11:00 The Future of Regional Communities
12:38 The Role of Southwest Music Regional Conservatorium
13:49 Vision for Deniliquin as a Town
16:18 The Zanda Mentoring Trip and Areas of Interest
21:04 The Importance of Collaboration and Positive Thinking

We're about a quarter of the way through 2024 (HOW?!) and we thought it was time to give our Community a bit of an update.
It's almost exactly 4 years since the release of our first ever podcast, and there's been almost 250 podcasts since then which feels HUGE.  In that time so much has evolved as we continue to grow and adapt.  A quick shout out to all the ExtraOrdinary humans who have shared their story with us in that time! 
In this episode, Oli and Milly talk about where HOA is today, compared to where Oli thought it might be. Oli also gives us a bit of an insight into perhaps where it's going and the potential to tap into our Community more.