Seeds for Success

Nic Baker is a Farmer and Contractor, and he runs a 3,600-acre cropping, cattle, and contracting operation with his wife and parents just outside Coonabarabran. In this episode, Nic discusses how his farm’s breeding operation shifted from Angus to Wagyu and how dual-purpose cropping helps to fill the winter feed gap for his breeding stock while also improving his cash flow. He also outlines his journey from purely haymaking to incorporating silage into their fodder program and how they were able to reduce the cost of upgrading by utilising as much existing machinery as possible. Local Land Services Cropping Officer, Tim Bartimote, caught up with Nic for this chat on his property overlooking the Warrumbungles on a beautiful sunny day.   Nominate a Mate: * If you'd like to nominate a mate (or yourself) as a potential future guest on the podcast, you can do so here: Nominate a Mate for 'Seeds for Success' [https://regionalnsw.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_aVuHOf7krHE9Voq].   Connect: * Central West LLS website [https://www.lls.nsw.gov.au/regions/central-west] * Central West LLS on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/CentralWestLLS] * Central West LLS on X [https://twitter.com/CentralWestLLS] * Central West LLS on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/user/CentralWestLLS]   The views contained in this podcast series are not necessarily endorsed by Central West Local Land Services. Listeners are advised to contact their local office to discuss their individual situation. This show is produced in collaboration with Wavelength Creative. Visit wavelengthcreative.com [https://wavelengthcreative.com/?utm_source=show-notes&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=rss-feed-footer] for more information.

Mitch Rubie and his father run the 1,400 mixed farming operation that forms the basis of Lachlan Merinos. Mitch describes it as a grass-growing business, with the Rubies growing irrigated fodder crops, grazing canola, cereals, and lucerne-based pastures alongside their Merino seed stock. In this episode, Mitch explains how they select the best Merinos for breeding, the importance of good breeding values and genetics, and how better benchmarking has led to better genetic decisions in their seed stock. Local Land Services Mixed Farming Advisor, Rohan Leach, sat down for this chat with Mitch at his kitchen table overlooking the Lachlan River. This episode of the Seeds for Success podcast is supported by the Australian Government through funding from the Natural Heritage Trust under the Climate-Smart Agriculture Program.   Resources and links: * Lachlan Merinos website [https://www.lachlanmerinos.com.au/]   Nominate a Mate: * If you'd like to nominate a mate (or yourself) as a potential future guest on the podcast, you can do so here: Nominate a Mate for 'Seeds for Success' [https://regionalnsw.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_aVuHOf7krHE9Voq].   Connect: * Central West LLS website [https://www.lls.nsw.gov.au/regions/central-west] * Central West LLS on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/CentralWestLLS] * Central West LLS on X [https://twitter.com/CentralWestLLS] * Central West LLS on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/user/CentralWestLLS]   The views contained in this podcast series are not necessarily endorsed by Central West Local Land Services. Listeners are advised to contact their local office to discuss their individual situation. This show is produced in collaboration with Wavelength Creative. Visit wavelengthcreative.com [https://wavelengthcreative.com/?utm_source=show-notes&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=rss-feed-footer] for more information.

Tim Flynn is the Principal Solicitor at Land Law Co and also owns and runs his family’s farm, ‘Strathallyn’, north of Mudgee. ‘Strathallyn’ is a 50/50 fine wool and cattle operation that is in the process of transitioning to a straight cattle trading operation. In this episode, Tim discusses the importance of succession planning, how his legal background helped him navigate his family's succession process fairly, and the lessons he has learned through these experiences. He also discusses the challenges of an off-farm business and a working farm, the role of agritourism, and the rise of renewable energy companies pitching "alternative income streams" to farmers, with the reminder to any farmers considering a renewables proposal to seek professional advice before signing anything. Local Land Services Senior Ag Advisor, Lauren Roberts, caught up with Tim at his office in Mudgee for this chat.   Resources and links: * Land Law Co website [https://www.landlawco.com.au/] * Young Farmer Business Program website [https://www.youngfarmer.nsw.gov.au/]   Nominate a Mate: * If you'd like to nominate a mate (or yourself) as a potential future guest on the podcast, you can do so here: Nominate a Mate for 'Seeds for Success' [https://regionalnsw.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_aVuHOf7krHE9Voq].   Connect: * Central West LLS website [https://www.lls.nsw.gov.au/regions/central-west] * Central West LLS on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/CentralWestLLS] * Central West LLS on X [https://twitter.com/CentralWestLLS] * Central West LLS on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/user/CentralWestLLS]   The views contained in this podcast series are not necessarily endorsed by Central West Local Land Services. Listeners are advised to contact their local office to discuss their individual situation. This show is produced in collaboration with Wavelength Creative. Visit wavelengthcreative.com [https://wavelengthcreative.com/?utm_source=show-notes&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=rss-feed-footer] for more information.

Ian Manwaring and his family run a mixed farming operation alongside his brother Doug and his family across 65,000 acres at Malleevale near Condobolin. In addition to a successful cropping enterprise, Ian and his wife have a goat breeding operation, crossbreeding rangelands and imported U.S. bloodlines.  In this episode, Ian explains the origins of their goat breeding business and how they’ve bred the Contender goat line to produce animals tough enough for the environment but with good muscling and meat. Local Land Services Senior Natural Resource Officer, Jasmine Wells, caught up with Ian at home in Malleevale.   Resources and links: * Contender Meat Goats on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/Contendermeatgoats/]   Nominate a Mate: * If you'd like to nominate a mate (or yourself) as a potential future guest on the podcast, you can do so here: Nominate a Mate for 'Seeds for Success' [https://regionalnsw.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_aVuHOf7krHE9Voq].   Connect: * Central West LLS website [https://www.lls.nsw.gov.au/regions/central-west] * Central West LLS on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/CentralWestLLS] * Central West LLS on X [https://twitter.com/CentralWestLLS] * Central West LLS on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/user/CentralWestLLS]   The views contained in this podcast series are not necessarily endorsed by Central West Local Land Services. Listeners are advised to contact their local office to discuss their individual situation. This show is produced in collaboration with Wavelength Creative. Visit wavelengthcreative.com [https://wavelengthcreative.com/?utm_source=show-notes&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=rss-feed-footer] for more information.

Stephen and Melanie Cooper run a self-replacing merino operation and winter crop on their 4,200-hectare property at Caragabal, west of Grenfell. In this episode, Stephen and Melanie discuss the strip and disc seeding system they use on their farm. They get candid about how drought and rising input costs influenced their decision to adopt the strip and disc method, and the benefits they’ve already seen in soil health and ground cover. Melanie also shares her love of working with Weddin Landcare to bring farmers together to learn from each other. Local Land Services Mixed Farming Advisor, Rohan Leach, settled in for this chat with Stephen and Melanie on-farm after some much appreciated rain.   Resources and links: * Weddin Landcare website [https://weddinlandcare.com.au/]   Nominate a Mate: * If you'd like to nominate a mate (or yourself) as a potential future guest on the podcast, you can do so here: Nominate a Mate for 'Seeds for Success' [https://regionalnsw.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_aVuHOf7krHE9Voq].   Connect: * Central West LLS website [https://www.lls.nsw.gov.au/regions/central-west] * Central West LLS on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/CentralWestLLS] * Central West LLS on X [https://twitter.com/CentralWestLLS] * Central West LLS on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/user/CentralWestLLS]   The views contained in this podcast series are not necessarily endorsed by Central West Local Land Services. Listeners are advised to contact their local office to discuss their individual situation. This show is produced in collaboration with Wavelength Creative. Visit wavelengthcreative.com [https://wavelengthcreative.com/?utm_source=show-notes&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=rss-feed-footer] for more information.