Podcasts about zanda mcdonald award

Joining us from his ute on top of a hill during a busy week of shearing is the 2025 Zanda McDonald Award winner from Australia, Jack O'Connor. Jacko is the General Manager at his family mixed farming operation, Oxton Park. His career has seen him working on farms in developing countries such as Uganda, in the Head Office for Meat and Livestock Australia and now back home in Harden, NSW.In this chat we cover;The moment he found out he won the award from the shearing shedreflecting on his life-changing experiences in Uganda The pride he has in the family businessThe community of Harden and the role of sport in the local community.Jack also mentions - The Schools for Life project and the Manjeri School Project.

Maegen Blom is the Operations Manager within her family owned business Mills Bay Mussels. She is the 2025 Zanda McDonald Award winner from New Zealand, so we thought we would love to get to know a bit more about her and share it with you! We cover: How she found out that she'd won, a bit more about the vertically integrated business selling direct to businesses and households, her role and passion for supporting and promoting the aquaculture industry in New Zealand and what the year ahead has in store.

How do we get the next generation onto farms while helping established farmers transition out? In this episode of Head Shepherd, Mark chats with Sarah How, co-founder of Landify and New Zealand finalist for the Zanda McDonald Award. Sarah shares her journey from family farming in Mid-Canterbury to launching a platform that connects farmers, aspiring landowners, and investors. Sarah co-founded Landify after years of working in agronomy and research when she saw firsthand the challenges both young farmers and retiring landowners faced. Transitioning from a stable career to entrepreneurship wasn't without its challenges, but with a passion for problem-solving and a belief in the power of partnerships, Sarah is determined to reshape the future of farm ownership.Mark and Sarah discuss what's next for the platform- Whether you're a farmer looking to transition, an investor curious about opportunities, or someone dreaming of owning a farm, this episode is packed with insights to help you take the next step. https://www.landify.co.nz/Head Shepherd is brought to you by neXtgen Agri International Limited. We help livestock farmers get the most out of the genetics they farm with. Get in touch with us if you would like to hear more about how we can help you do what you do best: info@nextgenagri.com.Thanks to our sponsors at MSD Animal Health and Allflex, and Heiniger Australia and New Zealand. Please consider them when making product choices, as they are instrumental in enabling us to bring you this podcast each week.Check out Heiniger's product range HERECheck out the MSD range HERECheck out Allflex products HERE

Today’s Zanda McDonald Award panel features the founder and the 2024 winner.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We announce the New Zealand finalists for the 2025 Zanda McDonald Award — a transtasman honour that recognises and nurtures exceptional talent in agriculture. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We catch up with the 2024 Zanda McDonald Award winners on their Australian mentoring trip. The New Zealand winner, Nancy Crawshaw, 27, is an extension officer for Angus Australia (based in New Zealand), and the Australian winner Tessa Chartres, 32, is the general manager of business development at Murray Irrigation.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The hunt is on for the next generation of trailblazers in agriculture as applications open for the 2025 Zanda McDonald Award. This esteemed trans-Tasman award, recognised as one of the most coveted prizes in Australasian agribusiness, seeks to identify and support young leaders who are making significant strides in the sector. The Zanda McDonald Award is open to Australian and New Zealand residents aged 21-35 who are actively involved in agriculture.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We find the 2024 Zanda McDonald Award winners, one from each side of the Tasman, in Palmerton North today as their week-long study trip around NZ winds up this weekend in Wairarapa.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Send us a Text Message.This week on the podcast we have Nancy Crawshaw, Extension Manager for Angus Australia and winner of the New Zealand Zanda McDonald Award 2024.The conversation kicks off with Nancy's reflections on the aftermath of Cyclone Gabrielle in her home region of Gisborne. “It brought communities together,” says Nancy. “When you're completely cut off, you've got no outside communication, you can't get anywhere. It's only your neighbours and your community who you've got.”  As for the recovery, Nancy points out that there's still a long way to go. “With the land being so wet, it's been moving. You can go and fix a fence one day and then it's down the next,” she explains. “There's been a lot of repairs that probably need to be done, but we're just waiting to see if that land sort of holds up or not.” Nancy highlights that it's important to celebrate the small wins, such as a stock-proof paddock, rather than only looking at the overwhelming task ahead of you. Nancy's role as Extension Manager for Augus Australia takes her across Australia and New Zealand meeting producers and helping them add value to their business, be that through identifying ‘low-hanging fruit' or education. Nancy is also heavily involved in the Angus youth program, GenAngus which is an initiative to help youth in agriculture with their first steps in agriculture. Nancy has been involved in multiple youth initiatives in agriculture and is a firm believer in surrounding yourself with the right people and finding specific mentors within the sector you want to grow in. “You have to ask yourself: who do you actually want to learn from? Who is there in the industry that you want be mentored by and learn from, that's going to actually set you up?” asks Nancy. This is a fantastic podcast to inspire any young people in agriculture, so make sure to forward it on to your children or young shepherds! Head Shepherd is brought to you by neXtgen Agri International Limited, we help livestock farmers get the most out of the genetics they farm with. Get in touch with us if you would like to hear more about how we can help you do what you do best - info@nextgenagri.com.Thanks to our sponsors at MSD Animal Health and Allflex, and Heiniger Australia and New Zealand.These companies are leaders in their respective fields and it is a privilege to have them supporting the Head Shepherd Podcast. Please consider them when making product choices, as they are instrumental in enabling us to bring you this podcast each week.Check out Heiniger's product range HERECheck out the MSD range HERECheck out Allflex products HERE

Send us a Text Message.This week on the podcast we have one of the fantastic winners of the 2024 Zanda McDonald Award, Tessa Chartres, to discuss her career, how she manages her work-life balance and much more.Tessa grew up on a farm in Bathurst. She became an accountant, specialising in agribusiness and farming, and later moved to Deniliquin to be with her husband. There, she joined Murray Irrigation, where she is now the General Manager of Business Development. With Muray Irrigation providing irrigation for 740,000 hectares of farmland, Tessa's role is certainly diverse.“The thing I love about irrigation is I get to be a part of so many different industries across the ag sector. I see so many different crops or livestock or dairies or any of those things,” she explains. “Being part of the water sector means I get to have an influence on all of those parts and enable all of those different strains of the ag sector to exist in our footprint.”Tessa sees irrigation as the lifeblood of the region and believes that Murray Irrigation is vital in ensuring the growth and sustainability of the region. With that comes a huge responsibility, particularly in light of climate change, environmental impacts and the concept of water as a tradable commodity. “What has been interesting about it, has been how people have adapted to the change in water availability, both from water being removed through mechanisms for the environment and just with climate change,” Tessa explains. “What I see is often people adapting to those in really interesting and different ways within their business models. Concepts around permanent and temporary water and how people can structure their businesses to suit the commodity that they're producing is something that, from my business mind, I've found that interesting.”Tessa and Mark also discuss work-life balance, the importance of good employers, a lively community and how she made all of this happen with two young twins! Tessa's story is a great example of a mutually successful career trajectory and personal life.Head Shepherd is brought to you by neXtgen Agri International Limited, we help livestock farmers get the most out of the genetics they farm with. Get in touch with us if you would like to hear more about how we can help you do what you do best - info@nextgenagri.com.Thanks to our sponsors at MSD Animal Health and Allflex, and Heiniger Australia and New Zealand.These companies are leaders in their respective fields and it is a privilege to have them supporting the Head Shepherd Podcast. Please consider them when making product choices, as they are instrumental in enabling us to bring you this podcast each week.Check out Heiniger's product range HERECheck out the MSD range HERECheck out Allflex products HERE

Zanda Panel. Rhys (Align Farms in Mid Canterbury) won the Zanda McDonald Award in 2022 and Adam (Restore Native in Cambridge) was a finalist in 2022. It's Earth Day and we find Adam in the middle of his first day planting trees for the season, while Rhys is getting ready for the end of the dairy season and a farming trip to China.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.Chapters00:00 Introduction and Background01:09 The Big Battle of Easter - The Deni Rams vs Finley Cats03:27 Transition to Deniliquin and MIL05:12 Impact of Drought on Deniliquin 06:24 Initial Takeaways from MIL08:04 Overview of Murray Irrigation Limited09:48 Importance of Long-Term Thinking11:00 The Future of Regional Communities12:38 The Role of Southwest Music Regional Conservatorium13:49 Vision for Deniliquin as a Town16:18 The Zanda Mentoring Trip and Areas of Interest21:04 The Importance of Collaboration and Positive Thinking

Today we head to the Dangen Zone with two members from the high-achieving family. Emma talks about the Taranaki/Manwatū Young Farmer regional final over the weekend and addresses an international women's day event. Tim reflects on last week's Impact Summit conference, the Zanda McDonald Award winners and a big family wedding coming up on his Muriwai farm. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We catch up with the two winners of the 2024 Zanda McDonald Award. Kiwi winner Nancy Crawshaw, 27, is an extension officer for Angus Australia based in New Zealand; and Australian winner Tessa Chartres, 32, based in Deniliquin NSW, is the general manager of business development at Murray Irrigation.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The former chair of Cattle Australia, and long-time supporter of the Zanda McDonald Award, shares his thoughts on a highly successful Impact Summit Conference in Queenstown.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The 2023 Zanda McDonald Award winner on her next Think Safe Brain farming day coming up on February 8, in Te Anau.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The chairman of the Australian Cattlemen's Association is in New Zealand looking at Marlborough oysters. We talk about the Rugby World Cup, Eddie Jones, Zanda McDonald Award finalists and FTAs with India and the EU.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The 2022 Australian winner of the Zanda McDonald Award is on a rural mentoring tour of New Zealand as a part of his prize.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We catch up with a well-known agribusiness leader, entrepreneur, Wairarapa farmer and founder and chair of the Zanda McDonald Award (with entries closing on October 31) which is now in its 10th year. And what's with the 11ha of Chrysanthemums?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, we are fortunate to have back Richard Rains, a well-known and successful figure in the Australian meat export industry, to discuss the crucial topic of building networks for success and fulfillment. Richard, a passionate advocate for mentoring young talent, is a keen supporter and board member of the Zanda McDonald Award which provides opportunities that can transform the lives of aspiring individuals.Ben and Richard will be exploring the power of networks, and the significance of building a solid network of peers and mentors. Genuine success rarely happens in isolation and Richard explains how great mentors are like rocket fuel for your success.Ben and Richard will also discuss the Zanda McDonald Award, and how participating in an award can immediately introduce you to a high calibre network and open-up unexpected opportunities.Don't miss this valuable episode on the power of networks and the life-changing potential provided by opportunities like the Zanda McDonald Award. Remember, “Your Network is your Net Worth”!To learn more about the Zanda McDonald award, visit: https://www.zandamcdonaldaward.com/-----------------------Ben spent over 20 years working with successful business owners and farming families which allowed him to unearth the timeless principles on how to successfully grow, protect and maintain wealth.If you want to learn the principles of how to grow your family's wealth throughout the generations, then you might consider joining The Financial Bloke each fortnight for more Wealth & Wisdom.Disclaimer: The information contained in this podcast is general in nature and for education purposes only. It is not financial advice. It is not legal advice. No one should act on the information without appropriate specific advice for your particular circumstances. Ben Law is a former financial advisor but is no longer licensed and cannot and will not give you specific or personal advice in this podcast. The Financial Bloke Group Pty Ltd accepts no responsibility for any loss or damage occasioned by any person acting or refraining from action as a result of reliance on the information in this podcast.https://thefinancialbloke.com.au/

The Restore Native owner and former Zanda McDonald Award finalist talks nudity, saving the planet and his wonderful Trees for Tairawhiti initiative which is now up to over 10,000 donated native plants.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Applications for the 2024 Zanda McDonald Award open on Sunday (October 1). We ask the 2023 winner why young (21-35) agriculture leaders should consider entering.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Thirty-three year old Mitch Highett is a city boy by origin, but has forged an impressive early career in the beef industry. He chats this week with Weekly Grill podcast host Kerry Lonergan.     The Australian winner of the 2023 Zanda McDonald award lives in Orange NSW, and is the founder and managing director of Bullseye Ag. Mitch's farm management company works alongside farms across NSW and QLD with an area totalling more than 200,000ha. He also has a cattle enterprise running 250 breeders, and assists farmers through the Rural Assistance Authority and as Chair of the NSW Young Farmers.  

Our final ‘Best Of' interview for our Easter Sunday Special is Harriet Bremner; author, speaker, Southland farmer and advocate for health, safety and wellbeing in agriculture…  She added to that list last month, winning the 2023 Zanda McDonald AwardSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Southland farmer Harriet Bremner has taken out the Zanda McDonald Award for NZ, with Mitch Highett taking out the Australian title. The awards recognise people who are making a difference in agriculture in NZ and Australia, and are named after one of the founding members of a trans-Tasman agricultural networking group in 2005…  Zanda McDonald was a prominent identity in the Australian beef and livestock industry but died following a tragic accident on his Queensland cattle property, aged just 41. Harriet Bremner joins us now from Brisbane.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We head to Brisbane where we find one of two winners of the 2023 Zanda McDonald Award, which recognises and supports exceptional young professionals in the Australasian primary sector.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Zanda McDonald Award finalist, and director of Restore Native, talks about sequestration and the role native trees can play in mitigating climate change. He also puts on his mortgage broker's hat to take a look at the future of mortgage rates.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Right back in the early days of 2020 I remember reaching out to Hugh, time of year: summer. Day – not sure. Location: Barwon Heads on the side of the road. At the time: Hugh was the Head Stockman on Beetaloo Station and I was just blown away by how mature he was. Hugh came on for a chat for episode 25 of the podcast. I feel pretty fortunate to nowadays call Hugh a mate and someone I've had plenty of conversations with.  In that episode, we talked about what Hugh was up to and his passion for advocating for the northern beef industry. He was fairly settled in his role, and had big aspirations for where his career would take him. Switching the chopper cab for a classroom and the stock camp for a shoebox of a bedroom didn't seem to be on the list. Fast forward to 2021 and Hugh was a finalist in the Zanda McDonald Award, he recognised he wanted to learn more and even came up with his own succession plan at the age of 23 to make himself redundant & pursue further education.I have wanted to sit down with Hughie for a while and chat about his first year of at Marcus Oldham. What lead to the decision to study, what the year has been like, with Movember underway how he's kept himself mentally healthy and how getting familiar with himself has enabled him to push the boundaries of what he's capable of.  

Success leaves clues and if you're the type of person who wants to learn what it takes to be successful then this is an episode for you. This week on The Financial Bloke podcast, I have retired beef exporter Mr Richard Rains.In this episode we'll be discussing his passion for mentoring the next generation, dig into the secrets of his success, and uncover how he achieved the ‘impossible' and persuaded McDonald's to include imported Aussie Beef in their All American Burgers. Prior to his retirement Richard was the major shareholder of Sanger Australia, one of Australia's largest meat exporters.He is most well-known for convincing fast food giant McDonald's to include imported Australian beef in their US restaurants. McDonald's has since become Australia's single largest beef customer.Since retiring Richard has served on several boards but his main passion is developing and mentoring young people coming through the industry. He is integrally involved in a number of mentoring programs including The Zanda McDonald Award (https://www.zandamcdonaldaward.com/). -----------------------Ben spent over 20 years working with successful business owners and farming families which allowed him to unearth the timeless principles on how to successfully grow, protect and maintain wealth.If you want to learn the principles of how to grow your family's wealth throughout the generations, then you might consider joining The Financial Bloke each fortnight for more Wealth & Wisdom.Disclaimer: The information contained in this podcast is general in nature and for education purposes only. It is not financial advice. It is not legal advice. No one should act on the information without appropriate specific advice for your particular circumstances. Ben Law is a former financial advisor but is no longer licensed and cannot and will not give you specific or personal advice in this podcast. The Financial Bloke Group Pty Ltd accepts no responsibility for any loss or damage occasioned by any person acting or refraining from action as a result of reliance on the information in this podcast.https://thefinancialbloke.com.au/

On this episode, We profile inspirational Aussie female farmer Jackie Elliott, We look at the vexed issue of ag emissions pricing with former Zanda McDonald Award winner Dean Rabbidge, And this week's View From the Top Paddock features the one and only Katie Milne.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dean Rabbidge, former Zanda McDonald Award winner and Federated Farmers' exec member is all about good outcomes but thinks taxing farmers won't produce any good outcomes at all. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The founder of the Zanda McDonald Awards - recognising excellence in future leaders in Australasian agriculture - announces the six 2023 finalists, with the two winners to be announced at the Impact Summit in Brisbane in March 2023.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Charlie Perry manages the family business, Trent Bridge Wagyu in the Northern Tablelands of NSW. Producing high performing bulls for the Full Blood and First Cross market for the last 16 years. They sell approximately 150 Wagyu bulls privately each year. Their bulls are bred with a focus on marbling, growth and structural soundness. They also supply First Cross Wagyu/Angus cattle and Fullblood animals into the feeder market. Charlie exemplifies leadership, vision and humility, which resulted in him being crowned the 2022 Zanda McDonald Award winner. After a successful career in business consulting, Charlie's passion for agriculture, drew him home. Since taking over management in 2016, he's overseen substantial growth in their family business, despite some of the worst years of drought on record, with a focus on productivity gains, genetic indicators and sustainability. He also serves as president and chair of the Australian Wagyu Association (AWA). To apply for the Zanda McDonald award visit zandamcdonaldaward.com.auSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The chief executive of Canterbury-based Align Farms (and 2022 Zanda McDonald Award winner) continues the discussion on the trial work comparing regenerative vs conventional farming methods.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We continue the rural health theme by talking to a Wairarapa farmer who took matters into his own hands and built a health centre. We ask how his health centre is handling the health crisis and how he is staffing it? Is the New Zealand health system in crisis? Do we need more philanthropists to build hospitals? Plus, the search is on for two more incredible Zanda McDonald Award winners, one from each side of the Tasman, for 2023. Applications for the Award open on August 1 and they're looking for promising 21 to 35-year-old young leaders already making their mark to apply.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The 2021 Zanda McDonald Award winner is on tour in New Zealand after presenting to Ian Proudfoot and Julia Jones this morning in a Dragon's Den at KPMG. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Weekly Grill podcast host Kerry Lonergan this week turns up the heat on young NSW Wagyu beef producer, Charlie Perry. Mr Perry, who lives and works on his family-owned and operated Trent Bridge Wagyu beef property near Guyra, returned to his passion for agriculture after a successful career in business consulting, and hasn't looked back. Since taking over management of his family enterprise in 2016, he's overseen substantial growth in the family business, despite some of the worst years of drought on record, with a focus on productivity gains, genetic indicators and sustainability. He also serves as the current president of the Australian Wagyu Association, representing Wagyu breeders, lotfeeders and other supply chain stakeholders across the nation. Now in its eighth year, the Zanda McDonald Award supports talented and passionate young professionals in the ag sector from Australia and New Zealand.

Sticking with our Zanda McDonald theme, this week on the Head Shepherd podcast we have Australia's 2022 award winner, Charlie PerryCharlie grew up on a farm in northern NSW, Australia, but as with many family operations, was told he had to work elsewhere before he could work on the home farm. He went to study in Sydney and stayed there for seven more years working in management consulting.The family farm Charlie has returned to is in Guyra, a relatively summer safe part of Australia, with 30-32 inches of rainfall a year, hence Charlies interest in New Zealand pasture growing methods. It's something he hopes to see on his Zanda McDonald Award tourCharlies family farm Wagyu cattle, with 600 seedstock registered animals, plus F1 crosses on the family farm so there's plenty to keep Charlie busy after taking over management in 2016.The Wagyu breed is something Charlie is very passionate about and he serves as president and chair of the Australian Wagyu Association.Charlie definitely has a passion for genetics, and the Wagyu breed offers him a challenge. There are the usual dilemmas that come with seed sock breeding, but there's an additional layer of complexity due to the limited foundation animals in Australia.Charlie says he spends more hours than he should looking over genetic plans, but he doesn't mind at all. The reward of meeting with the end-product consumers in Michelin star restaurants makes it all worth it.Not only restaurants, but also commercial farmers, appreciate the effort Charlie puts into breeding top Wagyus. "90% of our bulls go into a Southern F1 system," increasing the marbling exponentially, but maintaining the birthing ease.After a "shove" from a friend (after 6 years of a more gentler approach), Charlie finally applied for the Zanda McDonald award. Charlie says that the application process itself was an incredible experience and recommends anyone else thinking about it to do the same.Growing Ewe MasterclassWe will be running our third cohort of the Growing Ewe Masterclass in March, 2022. If you would like to find out more, contact us at info@nextgenagri.comCheck out The Hubthehub.nextgenagri.comOur community where our members have the opportunity to keep up to date with everything we are working on.Thanks to our SponsorsAllflex Livestock Intelligence is the leader in the design, development, manufacturing, and delivery of animal monitoring, identification, and traceability solutions. Their data-driven solutions are used by farmers to manage animals. By putting intelligent, actionable information into farmers' hands, their solutions empower them to act in a timely manner for optimal outcomes.A big thank you to our sponsors, Allflex Livestock Intelligence and MSD Animal Health Intelligencewww.allflex.global/nz/  

Rhys Roberts is the winner of the 2022 New Zealand Zanda McDonald Award which recognises young people making a difference in agriculture.

We catch up with the Australian winner of the 2022 Zanda McDonald Award - a northern NSW Wagyu beef farmer with an interesting connection to The Country. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the show today;  We chat with Beef and Lambs South Island General Manager John Ladley about reports farmers in the south are flouting covid rules to avoid having their farming operations compromised…  We profile this year's Zanda McDonald Award winner Rhys Roberts…  And, we talk with legendary retiring horticulture tutor Gordon Reid…  Plus, we have our usual features, including the latest weather with our man Richard Green…  You can also listen to Rural Exchange right here on Magic Talk Saturdays & Sundays 6 - 8am  Find out more at Magic.co.nz See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rhys Roberts is Chief Executive and Director of the Align Group, who operate 7 farms, a market garden, and are vertically integrated with a yoghurt brand and milk processing facility.An entrepreneurial approach to primary production has resulted in Rhys Roberts of mid-Canterbury receiving the 2022 New Zealand Zanda McDonald Award.  The Zanda McDonald Award, now in its eighth year, supports talented and passionate young professionals in the ag sector from Australia and New Zealand.Rhys is passionate about food production and future workplaces. He's currently running a regenerative agriculture project trial, to monitor farm productivity, animal health, human health and environmental outcomes . His focus on building a “future workplace” has resulted in creating a market garden that feeds his team through the fruit, vegetables, meat, poultry and eggs from their farms. All of the team are on fully flexible rosters, and can manage their own schedules, choosing shifts that suit them.https://alignfarms.co.nz/regenerative-farming/regenerative-data/We will be running our third cohort of the Growing Ewe Masterclass in March, 2022. If you would like to find out more, contact us on info@nextgenagri.comCheck out The Hubthehub.nextgenagri.comOur community where our members have the opportunity to keep up to date with everything we are working on.Allflex Livestock Intelligence is the leader in the design, development, manufacturing, and delivery of animal monitoring, identification, and traceability solutions. Their data-driven solutions are used by farmers to manage animals. By putting intelligent, actionable information into farmers' hands, their solutions empower them to act in a timely manner for optimal outcomes.A big thank you to our sponsors, Allflex Livestock Intelligence and MSD Animal Health Intelligencewww.allflex.global/nz/

The founder and patron of the Zanda McDonald Awards announces the 2022 winner from an outstanding field of four young leaders in NZ agriculture - Katie Vickers, Olivia Weatherburn, Adam Thompson and Rhys Roberts. And the winner is....Rhys Roberts! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We head to a North Canterbury sheep and beef farm to talk to a Rabobank Ag Analyst (and 2021 Zanda McDonald Award finalist) about the bank's latest NZ Agribusiness Monthly Report - A slow start to new season growth.

With news yesterday of the covid-related postponement of the Zanda McDonald Award until February 2022, we talk to our fourth and final New Zealand finalist.

We continue our series profiling the four Kiwi finalists for the Zanda McDonald Award - recognising excellence in young leaders in the primary sector in Australasia.

He's a nurseryman, conservationist, farmer and mortgage broker. He's also a finalist in the 2021 Zanda McDonald Award.

Oli Le Lievre is the Content Marketing Manager at AuctionsPlus and the Founder of Humans of Agriculture. His career to date has seen him working in a variety of roles ranging from farm management, to fresh produce export, corporate agribusiness advisory to agtech startups. Oli is passionate about increasing consumer awareness, showcasing career opportunities in agriculture to the next generation and believes that innovative people and ideas will deliver solutions for businesses and communities to thrive. Oli takes on these tasks in his day to day role as well as through his initiative Humans of Agriculture, which is on a journey to share 10,000 stories of people influencing our food and fibre system. He is currently the Vice-Chair of The Future Farmers Network and a current participant in the Australian Rural Leadership Program, the flagship program run by the ARLF. In 2021 Oli was a Zanda McDonald Award finalist and in 2018 was selected in the inaugural National Farmers Federation ‘2030 Leaders Program' See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rozzie O'Reilly (I: @rozzieoreilly) grew up on a small sheep and cattle enterprise in southern NSW. She completed a Bachelor of Animal Science at the University of New England (UNE) in 2014, and went on to work in the beef feedlot industry for two years following. Rozzie now works for LAMBPRO, Australia's largest prime lamb seedstock business and has done for the past five years. Her current role is Operations Manager. This involves managing the database for around 7,000 performance recorded stud ewes, coordinating staff and day to day activities for running the business, as well as providing numerous client services. LAMBPRO provides genetics to over 300 lamb producing businesses around the country, and it is expected in 2021 that these clients will produce over 1 million lambs. Aside from work, Rozzie is a national committee member of the Australian Intercollegiate Meat Judging Association, and she and her husband John, also operate their own livestock business on lease and agistment country. Their goal is to purchase their own farm over the coming years. Most recently, Rozzie was named a joint winner of the 2021 Zanda McDonald Award. Don't forget to send us an email if you know of a story that we should tell at hello@generationag.com.au *Become a Patreon Partner* - https://patreon.com/generationag Find us here: Instagram: @generation.ag Twitter: @generation_ag Website: www.generationag.com.au

We catch up with the first of four Kiwi finalists in the Zanda McDonald Award, recognising excellence in our young leaders in the primary sector in Australasia. Today it's the turn of a Southland-based National Extension Programme Manager for Beef + Lamb NZ.

An inspirational Wairarapa farmer (and health centre builder in his spare time) announces the eight Australasian finalists for the Zanda McDonald Awards.

We talk to the 2016 and 2018 winners, respectively, of the Zanda McDonald Award and encourage other innovative young professionals in Australasian agriculture to do likewise.

Black Box Co is the brain child of Shannon Speight and Emma Black who both have backgrounds in the beef industry and have both won the Zanda McDonald award. After seeing how little data was utilised at all levels in the industry, Shannon was inspired to find a way to capture and standardise the data that potentially existed all along the value chain. She met Emmathrough the Zanda McDonald award, Emma shared her passion and frustrations around data and convinced her to join her on the Black Box Co journey. Roll forward a few years, and Black Box Co has just registered their millionth animal on the database and have a 10 people team- they also have their sights on the sheep industry!Mark, Emma and Shannon discuss what Black Box Co is, and the potential in the industry. With such scale in Northern Australia, incremental differences really make a difference to the dollar at the other end. It is truly inspiring to hear the enthusiasm both women have for genetics and data. An enthusiasm so great, they created a solution to an industry-wide problem. If you would like to learn more,  visit their website here. https://www.blackboxco.com.auFind more information on the Zanda McDonald Award herehttps://www.zandamcdonaldaward.comCheck out The Hub belowthehub.nextgenagri.comAllflex Livestock Intelligence is the leader in the design, development, manufacturing, and delivery of animal monitoring, identification, and traceability solutions. Their data-driven solutions are used by farmers to manage animals. By putting intelligent, actionable information into farmers' hands, their solutions empower them to act in a timely manner for optimal outcomes.A big thank you to our sponsors, Allflex Livestock Intelligencewww.allflex.global/nz/

Can you imagine being the person responsible for first selling Australian meat to Korea? Or having the brainwave that Americans should have Australian meat in their hamburgers?Richard Rains can.He's been a champion of the Australian red meat industry for his entire career with boundless energy and enviable lightbulb moments. After a cadetship with Dalgety Australia he then joined meat exporting company Sanger Australia in 1976 and by 2000 he owned a majority stake in the business.He is also keen to see more young people stand up for leadership roles in the beef industry to drive change in the way the industry communicates outside their peer groups. As he tells What's Your Beef? host Jayne Cuddihy, he believes there are some amazing emerging leaders.

Shannon Speight Shannon is the co-founder & CEO of Black Box Co. Shannon's career is anything but linear; born in Mount Isa she followed her parents across Australia for their work before beginning her studies with a focus on becoming a large animal vet. It was during her uni days that she stopped and reflected, and ultimately deciding to defer her studies saw Shannon heading to Northern Australia where her love for cattle and the northern pastoral industry really shone through. But it hasn't all be high tech for Shannon, as a qualified Vet, her work saw her playing an integral role in the Northern Genomics project where ultimately while on her mentoring trip as part of the Zanda Mcdonald Award saw her life changing opportunity really uncover itself. Shannon's accolades are plenty; the 2019 joint Zanda McDonald Award Winner, more recently being listed by Forbes as one of the 30 under 30 Asian region Entrepreneurs… mind blowing! Her story is one of tenacity, of rolling your sleeves up, of taking time to learn about others and what the problem is on hand, and what really makes Shannon so incredibly unique, on top of being able to fit in everything, is her willingness to give back. As always, thank you to this episodes sponsor who really help me make it possible to bring these conversations to life. LAWD are the specialists in agribusiness valuations and transactions. You can find out more at www.lawd.com.au --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/humans-of-agriculture/message

OPINION MAKER Leadership comes in many forms as the world evolves and the farming industry deals with a rapid rate of change. In this week’s Opinion Maker, Sarah asks the four finalists in the 2021 Zanda McDonald Award for New Zealand what their ideas of leadership really look like, how to have your ideas heard, how they have felt supported in the primary sector to thrive and their advice to other young leaders. For more information about the Zanda McDonald Award, visit: www.zandamcdonaldaward.com This interview was featured as part of this week’s Opinion Maker programme brought to you by Farmlands, New Zealand's largest farmer owned rural supplies co-operative. Visit them at farmlands.co.nz To watch the show, visit www.sarahscountry.com Subscribe to Sarah’s Country on the podcast and if you love us, please leave a review! Contact the show: sarah@sarahscountry.com Follow Sarah’s Country on: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sarahscountry  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahscountry

Shannon Speight is the CEO and Cofounder of Black Box Co, an innovative Saas product solving big data problems in the livestock industry. Aside from Black Box, Shannon is a wife, mother, farmer and qualified veterinarian. She has extensive experience across the beef industry from beginning work as a jillaroo in the Northern Territory to coordinating a large scale beef genomics project. Shannon was the 2019 co-winner of the Zanda McDonald Award with Luke Evans. She is passionate about the beef industry and innovation to make it more sustainable productive and profitable. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We head to Holbrook NSW to catch up with a dynamic young agri-business leader who was last night crowned the 2021 Australian winner of the prestigious Zanda McDonald Award.

Zanda McDonald Award judge and mentor Richard Subtil encourages young people to enter this year's awards.

We yarn with the man behind the PPP Farming Conference and the newly-announced 2020 Zanda McDonald Award winner.