Humans of Agriculture

What happens when you step outside your own patch and spend time learning from some of the best operators in agriculture? 2026 Australian Zanda McDonald Award winner Bryce Neyland joins Oli after completing his mentoring trips across New Zealand and Australia. Bryce shares what he learned about risk, resilience, investment and leadership, and why seeing how other businesses operate has challenged the way he thinks about his own career and family farming business. Importantly, Bryce didn’t win the first time he applied. He reflects on what changed between applications, the value of getting clear on where you want to go, and why sometimes the best thing you can do is put your hand up and have another crack. In this episode: What Bryce learned travelling through Australian and New Zealand agriculture Why New Zealand challenged his thinking about productivity and getting more from what you have What resilient Australian farming businesses do differently How leading businesses think about investment, risk and long-term decision-making Why Bryce is now thinking differently about planning for tough seasons on the family farm Learning to expect pressure rather than being surprised by it Why getting outside your own "sandbox" matters for personal and professional growth What changed between Bryce's first unsuccessful Zanda application and ultimately winning the Award Why the alumni network may be one of the Award's greatest opportunities Bryce's advice for anyone considering putting their hand up Applications for the Zanda McDonald Award are open from 1 October to 31 October 2026. If you’re involved in agriculture, want to keep learning and are curious about where you could take your career, Bryce’s advice is pretty simple: get your application in and have a crack. Chapters 00:00 Catching up with Bryce 02:15 Life as the 2026 Zanda McDonald Award winner 03:11 The Australian and New Zealand mentoring trips 05:20 What New Zealand agriculture taught Bryce 06:32 Productivity versus resilience 08:04 How great businesses think about investment and risk 10:34 Bringing the lessons back to the family farm 11:30 Leadership, negotiation and personal development 13:27 Learning to expect pressure 14:39 What successful dryland farming businesses taught Bryce 17:00 Why apply for the Zanda McDonald Award? 19:01 Bryce didn't get through the first time 20:18 "I only know what I know" 22:04 What changed between Bryce's two applications 23:31 Bryce's advice to future applicants

Fourth-generation beef producer Stafford Ives-Heres is building Shanford Park on Tasmania's north-west coast with one eye firmly on the generations still to come. From starting with 10 cattle and working cray boats to fund his growth, to succession, leasing land and questioning whether owning more country always makes commercial sense, Stafford shares how he's thinking about building a family business that's valuable enough to be taken on, not simply sold. We chat about: Growing up at Shanford Park and being the last of four kids to become interested in farming Starting with 10 cattle as a teenager Working cray boats along Tasmania's remote west coast Using off-farm income to build livestock ownership Why the family moved from dairy into beef The beginnings of Tasmanian Seaweed Fertilisers Separating family businesses to make succession work Growing livestock numbers through ownership, leasing and share farming Why Stafford questions the need to own every hectare Building equity and optionality for the next generation Creating pathways into agriculture without owning land Why professional development and strong networks matter Chapters 00:00 The realities of regional connectivity 05:09 Meet Stafford Ives-Heres 06:17 Farming on Tasmania's north-west coast 10:21 Starting with 10 cattle 12:15 Leaving farming for the cray industry 16:24 Lessons from working at sea 18:01 From dairy farming to seaweed fertiliser 23:40 Separating businesses and navigating succession 25:36 Growing the beef business 28:29 Having children and thinking generations ahead 31:04 Playing the long game with land and scale 32:22 Professional development, equity and what's next 36:18 Leasing land and creating pathways into agriculture 39:05 Rabobank's Executive Development Program

Jack and Lisa Beattie didn’t set out to build a strawberry propagation business. After leaving Jack’s family dairy operation and trying several different ventures, an unexpected opportunity at Ouse in Tasmania changed their direction. Today, JCLM Farming produces around 10% of Australia’s strawberry nursery plants. Jack and Lisa share the decisions, setbacks and lessons behind that growth, and their ambition to become the provider of choice for Australian strawberry growers. In this episode: Leaving the family farm and starting again Why their early businesses were important stepping stones The unexpected move from dairy into strawberry propagation The moment they decided to back one business rather than keep diversifying Why Ouse is uniquely suited to growing strawberry nursery plants Growing JCLM to around 10% of the Australian market Finding and bringing new strawberry genetics into Australia How six plants can become millions through propagation Digitising the customer journey from ordering through to delivery Building a team around Jack and Lisa’s different strengths Their goal to double JCLM’s share of the Australian market Chapters 00:00 Introduction and JCLM Farming today 02:20 Jack’s farming roots and moving from the UK to Tasmania 05:09 Leaving the family dairy business 07:25 The difficult first decade on their own 09:06 Their first businesses and lessons from things that didn’t work 12:12 Lisa’s perspective on money, growth and building the business 16:11 How strawberries unexpectedly entered the picture 18:55 The two phone calls that changed their direction 22:43 Building JCLM into 10% of Australia’s strawberry plant market 24:44 Creating value for customers and aligning the team 26:29 Jack and Lisa’s different strengths as leaders 28:45 Global genetics and the story of six Eclipse plants 32:34 Building a digital-first strawberry nursery 37:47 The ambition to double JCLM’s Australian market share 39:14 What are the chances your strawberries started at JCLM? 40:41 The strawberry needle scare, COVID and labour challenges

Michael Spencer has spent more than 30 years across livestock agency, corporate agriculture, cattle processing and pastoral operations, including roles with Elders, AACo and Bindaree Beef before helping build Adcock Partners. In this episode of The Tom & Mick Show, Michael joins Tom and Mick to unpack what good livestock agency actually looks like, why Adcock Partners deliberately operates under the radar, and what he is seeing across cattle markets from northern Australia through to the eastern states. They discuss: Michael’s unconventional path through Elders, AACo, Bindaree Beef and into Adcock Partners Why relationships and people remain the foundation of a strong agency business Building a business around agility rather than corporate complexity Why Adcock Partners has deliberately stayed relatively quiet and selective How livestock agency has changed over the past 30 years What good service looks like when clients span enormous distances Seasonal conditions across Queensland and the Northern Territory Why producer confidence can move cattle prices quickly The relationship between live export and domestic cattle markets Why live export remains critical to northern Australia and Indonesia What Michael expects from cattle markets heading through spring and into 2027 Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Michael Spencer and Adcock Partners 05:24 Michael’s path from Melbourne to livestock agency 12:41 From Elders and AACo to Bindaree 18:05 Building Adcock Partners and the business philosophy 23:34 What good livestock agency service looks like 29:48 Seasonal conditions across northern Australia 35:12 The cattle market and influence of the farmer 40:36 Live export, Indonesia and changing cattle markets 46:18 What happens next for the cattle market 50:20 The Charbray question and wrapping up

Gerard Hines and Chris Duff have spent nearly four decades working alongside each other, building one of Australia's most respected independent agribusinesses from a single rural store into a national business. What does it take to build an agribusiness from a handful of people into a national business, without losing the culture, relationships and local connection that made it successful in the first place? Gerard Hines and Chris Duff are the co-founders of Delta Agribusiness. Their working relationship stretches back almost 40 years, from a small rural business near Young, NSW, through the creation of Delta Agribusiness in 2006 and more than 20 acquisitions, before Delta ultimately became part of Elders. This is a conversation about much more than growth. Gerard and Chris unpack the decisions, people and principles underneath it, from backing themselves during drought, putting their own money on the line and using employee ownership to create alignment, to learning why balance sheet strength, local relationships and great people matter when building a business for the long term. Key insights from the conversation: How Gerard and Chris built a partnership spanning nearly 40 years through trust, respect and shared values Why bringing independent agronomy into agricultural retail fundamentally changed their business model The role mentors and early equity opportunities played in shaping Delta's inclusive ownership philosophy What IAMA, Wesfarmers and AWB taught them about leadership, governance, systems and financial discipline Why Delta was founded during the middle of a severe drought and how backing themselves changed everything The importance of maintaining a strong balance sheet so opportunities can be seized during difficult seasons How focusing on people, culture and local relationships drove more than 20 successful acquisitions across Australia Why equity ownership became one of Delta's greatest tools for attracting, retaining and aligning great people How staying connected to customers and the frontline has remained critical, even as the business has grown nationally The lessons learned from succession planning, bringing in private equity, and ultimately partnering with Elders to secure Delta's next chapter Chapters: 00:00 Introduction to Gerard Hines and Chris Duff's Journey 01:52 Early Days of Agriculture and Agronomy 04:00 Founding of Delta Agribusiness and Initial Challenges 08:05 The Impact of Industry Changes and Mergers 11:57 Lessons Learned from Industry Challenges 15:57 Growth Strategies and Private Equity Involvement 20:08 Building Company Culture and Leadership 25:02 Managing Growth, Succession, and Industry Dynamics 31:47 The Decision to Start Delta and Early Risks 36:04 Timing and Market Conditions During Launch 40:03 Resilience During Droughts and Market Cycles 45:07 The Role of Relationships and Trust in Business 49:48 Strategic Acquisitions and Private Equity Partnerships 54:58 Adapting to Industry and Market Changes 59:55 Leadership, Culture, and the Future of Delta Podcast Keywords Delta Agribusiness, Gerard Hines, Chris Duff, Australian agribusiness, agronomy Australia, agricultural leadership, agribusiness entrepreneurship, rural business, agriculture careers, agricultural retail, private agronomy, Australian farming, business growth, mergers and acquisitions, employee ownership, business culture, drought resilience, leadership development, succession planning, Elders, regional business, entrepreneurship in agriculture