Innovation Ag

Does big change have to cost big money? It doesn’t have to.

In this episode we look at funding on-farm innovation and building a network which will lead you to new opportunities. We look at all types of financing from debt-financing (ie. asking the bank manager!), to vendor financing, government grants, crowd sourcing, investors and even venture capital.
How do you know which option is best for you? And how do you explore potential opportunities with government or University-based projects which are looking for farmers or technologists to trial their research?

Guests:

Adam Coffey, Coffey Cattle Co.
Adam Coffey owns and operates a 2500ha beef breeding and trading operation on the central coast of Queensland with his wife Jacynta and two boys, Will and Sam.

They are very focused on production efficiency, whilst ensuring they continuously improve the condition of land under their stewardship.

Christine Pitt, Farmers 2 Founders
Christine is a globally recognised thought leader, investor and entrepreneur in the ag+food tech ecosystem. She has a particular interest in building globally networked agrifood ecosystems and creating new business models for raising funds to invest in disruptive innovation across the agrifood value chain. Her passion is to make a positive impact in the areas of sustainability, human health & wellbeing, food waste, food security, and creating transparent and ethical agrifood businesses and value chains.
Christine holds a Bachelor of Science, a Masters of Health Administration, and a Doctor of Business Administration in Innovation & Entrepreneurship.

Fiona Best, Birchip Cropping Group
In her position as CEO, Fiona works to bring relevant agricultural research and extension opportunities to farming communities by attracting investments to improve the prosperity of broadacre farming locally, regionally and nationally.
After growing up on her mixed enterprise family farm, cropping and producing sheep, Fiona studied a Bachelor of Agricultural Science (Honours) and Bachelor of Commerce at the University of Melbourne. Fiona is the regional director of the Victoria Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hub.
Emma Ayliffe, Yacker App
Emma is a farmer, researcher and consultant based at Tullibigeal, NSW. After moving from South Australia to New South Wales working as a cotton agronomist, Emma moved to Tullibigeal with her partner where they bought her first 1700 acre farm with the support of Craig’s family.

In 2020-2021, Emma was Australian Young Farmer of the Year. Emma prides herself on being an innovator pushing the boundaries and coming up solutions with farmers problems.

This podcast has been created by the Victoria Drought Resilience Innovation and Adoption Hub and is funded through the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund.

JACOB BIRCH is an academic, entrepreneur and Churchill Fellow passionate about re-awakening, and bringing into a modern context, the native grain foodways that sustained his Gamilaraay ancestors for thousands of generations.
In this episode, Jacob speaks about understanding the agronomy and nutrition of native grasses as well as the potential for cultural and community benefit.

Jacob’s received First Class Honours for a multidisciplinary research project that investigated the nutritional qualities of Australian native grains for human consumption, and Indigenist research methodologies which give agency to First Nations voices and experience.
Jacob led a national consultation to inform the AgriFutures commissioned Australian Native Grains Strategic RD&E Plan.
www.yaamarraandyarral.com.au

This podcast has been created by the Victoria Drought Resilience Innovation and Adoption Hub and is funded through the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund.

What kind of “innovation systems” do we currently have for Australian agriculture?

Well, according to a recent report commissioned by the Federal Government, it could be a lot better.

The report found that while Australia’s agriculture research is internationally renowned and individual farmers are good at adopting new practices, knowledge is often siloed.

Essentially, agricultural innovation in Australia was not designed to operate as a cohesive system, rather it’s made up of multiple institutions and organizations which have developed over time for various locations and commodities.

So how do we change this?

In this episode, we explore how we can work strategically to build an effective “innovation system”. From smart specialization, greater private sector participation to rethinking our water use, there is an opportunity to grow the total funding pool for Australian agriculture and be a global leader.

GUESTS

Nicola Pero - CEO, Food and Fibre Gippsland

David Downie – Strategic Advisor in Regional Development, Deakin University

RESEARCH
Agricultural Innovation — A National Approach to Grow Australia’s Future Summary report March 2019
What is Smart Specialisation - European Commission
Global Agriculture Leadership Initiative - Australian Government, The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry

This podcast has been created by the Victoria Drought Resilience Innovation and Adoption Hub and is funded through the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund.

Wayne Schild's journey from paramedic to commercial farmer has taken guts, vision and plenty of curiosity.
In this bonus episode, we're playing the extended interview with Wayne, who we spoke to in Episode 6 - 'Staying Operational While Innovating'.
Wayne grows garlic in Victoria's Western districts where farmers mainly produce sheep and wool.
It's been a huge journey for his business called Grange Garlic, from the lows of suffering major crop losses, to the highs of finding a way to mechanize his operations - allowing the business to move from artisan to commercial.

"I have no claim or credentials, only that I wanted to be a farmer and I wanted to do something that mattered. I simply have followed the path of authenticity and have refused to go to market with a substandard product. All other ways of processing garlic, in my view, destroy the natural attributes of what garlic has. Everyone knows garlic for its flavour and aroma."

Wayne Schild, Managing Director, Grange Garlic Pty Ltd

This podcast has been created by the Victoria Drought Resilience Innovation and Adoption Hub and is funded through the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund.

Rainfall levels for many parts of Australia haven’t recovered since the devastating millennium drought. Many rural communities are having to face a reality of landscapes and climate that have already changed, and are likely to continue to do so. So, what makes an effective climate adaptation initiative?

Following on from the previous episode about creating innovation systems on a national or regional scale, this episode looks at how innovation systems can function on a much smaller, local scale. We examine local innovation systems, through the lens of addressing the challenges of climate change in agriculture and in rural communities.

How are local water corporations, local government, scientists and community groups working together to offer effective solutions to drought? How so we make sure all the voices are heard, so that climate adaptation is not ‘top down’ but more grassroots in its design?

This episode draws from the speakers held at a recent Vic Drought and Innovation Hub Think Tank Event, held in Bendigo: “Are We Drought Ready?” Exploring local adaptation

Hear from:

• Prof. Lauren Rickards, Chair of Climate Change Adaptation, La Trobe University

• Caroline Welsh Deputy Chair, GWMWater, member of the Victorian Agriculture Climate Change Council and the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund Consultative Committee.

• Damian Wells, Managing Director at Coliban Water

• Prof Rebecca Lester, Freshwater Ecologist and Director of the Centre for Regional and Rural Futures, Deakin University

• Professor Richard Eckard, Professor of Sustainable Agriculture at the University of Melbourne and Director of the Primary Industries Climate Change Centre

• Dona Cayetana, Community and Partnerships Program Manager, DEECA (Department of Energy Environment and Climate Action)

• Cr Jennifer Alden, Deputy Mayor at the City of Greater Bendigo

View the Vic Hub’s latest research and resources on climate adaptation here.

Listen to Dr Rob Faggian, Associate Professor of Climate Change Adaptation at Deakin University speak about climate modelling for agriculture.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
AR6 Synthesis Report (SYR)
Tati Tati Kaiejin - Resources

This podcast has been created by the Victoria Drought Resilience Innovation and Adoption Hub and is funded through the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund.