STORIES
Our Community, Their Stories
Discover the people and stories behind agriculture.
From everyday experiences to extraordinary journeys, these are the voices that bring our industry to life and show the many pathways shaping its future.
Find a story…
Cattle Yards, Boardrooms, Floods, Mentors, Leadership and Life with Ben Dwyer
We got to know Ben Dwyer while filming This Is Aussie Ag - Harvest Road. His career in Australian agriculture is very cool and he’s an all-round top fella.
As the Chief Operating Officer of Agribusiness, he's a seasoned executive having led major Australian agribusiness operations.
Women in Wool: Gabby Neal
“For those who don’t know where Condobolin is, if you look on a map and draw a line between Broken Hill and Sydney you’ll find Condo smack bang in the middle.
It’s an amazing little community and I grew up on a family sheep and wheat farm about 20km north of town.”
#SheCan The Advocate
“I grew up in a fashion/retail world in Brisbane, but we always had a cattle property at Cooyar, QLD so that always kept my interest into the possibility of working in agriculture.
I went to UQ at Gatton and started a degree in Applied Science. After my first six months at Uni I went off to Theodore to start “bug-checking” in cotton, and after my first two weeks I fell in love with the crop and changed my degree to major in Plants and Rural business.
Family at the heart for Four Daughters with Molly & Bonnie Penfold
#SheCan The Student
“My weekends and school holidays would often consist of visiting stations across the north with my Dad, even though I never made a very good mechanic apprentice. These are some of my favourite memories growing up and it was also where I was able to gain exposure and make some lifelong connections in the northern agricultural industry, I did not realise at the time how important these would be to me in the near future.”
“Hey GPT - Summarise this week’s Poddy”
Channeling grief into opportunity with Sallie Jones
Women in Agriculture Live Podcast
Humans of Agriculture in partnership with Nutrien Ag Solutions are excited to be hosting our first event in Melbourne as part of our month of Women in Agriculture. Our live podcast will feature a panel of three incredible women who are making an impact in Aussie Ag and are passionate about the future of the industry.
#SheCan The Traveller
“Gosh, where do I start…It’s been one wild adventure since we last spoke. But one that did not come without tears of emotion and confusion amongst the breeze of freedom and fresh eyes.
I packed up my Troopy with my best belongings, one being my red dog, Dargo. To then say goodbye to my other ‘belongings’ – the land.
I was sent on my way with the support and love of my friends and family. For what was meant to be and seen as a wonderful new chapter.
#SheCan The Publicist
“I have always loved media and initially had dreams of becoming a journalist but I got distracted after uni when I landed my first job as an entertainment publicist in Sydney.
Most of my clients were in theatre or dance so there were events most nights, lots of champagne and taking media out for long relationship-building lunches. “
This is Aussie Ag - Harvest Road
In this episode of This is Aussie Ag we are heading from conception to consumption in Western Australia.
We’re here to meet the team to understand the role of people within their vertically integrated gate to plate beef business, an established and growing aquaculture brand and emerging horticulture operations.
Nedd Brockmann and Oli chat over choccy milk
On Day 2 of the Australian Dairy Conference in Tasmania this year, Oli sat down with Nedd Brockmann. This podcast linked at the bottom of this post is a live recording of that chat - it’ll feel like you were there!
In 2022, Nedd cemented his legend status by running from Perth to Bondi in 47 days, and not only that, but he raised $2.5 million for homeless charity We Are Mobilise.
#SheCan - From Fashion to Farmer
Vanessa Bell vividly remembers the day as a 15 year old, that would go on to shape the beginning of an international modelling career. The woollen fibres that once graced her on the runways of global fashion shows are now the same ones she grows on the property her family owns.
The Story of Aussie Ag Storyteller: Pip Courtney
Pip Courtney.
What else should we say?
She started at ABC's Landline in 1993, became the host of the program in 2012, and continues to thrive in the role today - but there’s so much more to the story.
#SheCan: The Shearer and Farmer
Jo Treasure is blazing a trail and showing what’s possible for Women in Agriculture, in her words, there are three things that make a successful woman in ag: grit, determination and her network.
Off Air and On Track with Joy McClymont
“I did teaching, I didn't do ag as such, however, it's so weird because you sort of get pulled in different directions. So I worked on a lot of farms overseas when I was travelling. I ended up teaching in lots of rural communities and working on people's places, cattle places, cattle stations and things like that… I did learn a lot, it does pay to work for lots of different people to see how different people do it.”
Having experienced a range of working environments across her lifetime, we land on today.
She’s a teacher, a farmer, a mum and a personal trainer. Her business, Off the Track Training, has been going for over 10 years and is currently a training group of 50 people, and there are around 200 people who are part of Joy’s Fitness Hub.
Incremental Gains in Footy and Farming with Dylan Grimes
“A lot of my ancestry has been directly involved in agriculture, mum’s parents are farmers, and through my dad’s side there was a pretty strong farming influence as well. I also grew up in an area that was sort of semi-rural, I grew up on a hobby farm and I remember from a young age being inspired by the farmers in my family, the farmers around my family.”
How the Sydney beach kid, Jack Berne, raised over $2.1 million dollars for Aussie farmers
Between school, basketball and fundraising, we caught up with Jack Berne (Founder of Fiver for a Farmer) to find out more about how he’s manage to accomplish everything he has from age 10 to 14.
Putting farmers through their paces with Ginny Stevens
“Everyone that lives in the bush, they love it, they live and breathe it, they choose to live there, but with that choice to live in the bush [there are] these conditions… challenges that are outside of your control,” said Ginny.
“Floods, fires, droughts, financial stress, succession planning, commodity price risk, you have isolation… we are herd animals, we are not meant to be alone a lot, there's a lot of farmers that are alone a lot.”
From Life at Sea to Chair of YLEN
“I would‘ve spent nearly three and a half years on and off sailing and I got to the point where I knew I needed something a little bit more. I was incredibly isolated for several years, away from my family and friends, from human connection and professional opportunity.