Good People to Know

Cyber Risk on the Farm: Digital Threats Facing Australian Agriculture

In the last episode, Damien Gallagher spoke with Dr Kyle Mulrooney, co-Director of The Centre for Rural Criminology at the University of New England. The two spoke about rural crime impacts on farmers, their families and their communities. During the conversation they touched on one of the emerging threats to farms, cyber-crime.  With ABS data showing that one in five agricultural businesses have experienced a cyber incident, this is a real and growing threat. To find out more, Dr Kyle Mulrooney shares his insights into what cyber-crime looks like for agricultural businesses, how increased on-farm digitisation and automation are elevating risk levels and how farmers should be thinking about protecting their business.

Rural crime - the silent epidemic

In this episode of Good People To Know, WFI Executive General Manager Damien Gallagher shakes hands with Dr Kyle Mulrooney from the University of New England’s Centre for Rural Criminology to chat about rural crime and its impact on farmers. Dr Mulrooney’s recent major national farm crime survey, reveals just how common rural crimes—such as trespass, illegal hunting, and livestock theft are, with more than 90% of New South Wales farmers affected and around 30% victimised 7 or more times. The conversation touches on the emotional and financial toll these crimes take on farmers, their families, and entire communities, and why so many incidents go unreported. Listeners will walk away with practical tips, including why it’s so important to report every incident (no matter how small), and how community and police partnerships can make a real difference. Check out the WFI Rural Crime fact sheet for a summary, as well as a checklist of ways to help protect your farm. [https://bit.ly/44xIQko] You can also find out more about the Centre for Rural Criminology here. [https://www.une.edu.au/about-une/faculty-of-humanities-arts-social-sciences-and-education/hass/humanities-arts-and-social-sciences-research/centre-for-rural-criminology]

Learning from the near misses - 2025 Safer Farms Report

National Farm Safety Week is a time to reflect on how we can make Australian farms safer. Tragically, 2024 was a devastating year for Australian farming communities. The industry suffered its highest year of fatalities in over two decades, with 72 lives lost. Last year on the podcast, FarmSafe Australia Chair and Tasmanian farmer, Felicity Richards, shared insights from the 2024 Safer Farms Report about how farmers can make their world a safer place. Felicity now returns to discuss Farmsafe Australia’s 2025 Safer Farms Report, proudly sponsored by WFI, with new podcast host Damien Gallagher. Conversation centres around the alarming number of fatalities and accidents still occurring on farms, what can be done to raise awareness of the risks and how to improve safety on farms. Felicity also reflects on stories of near misses, and the learnings from what could have been. As you’ll hear - a momentary lapse in concentration can change a life forever. To access the Report and other important Farmsafe Australia resources, please visit: Safer Farms Report 2025 - Farmsafe [https://farmsafe.org.au/safer-farms-report-2025].

Farm Innovation with Brad Egan

Today on National Ag Day themed ‘Grow you Good Thing’, we celebrate farmers and the incredible contribution they make to the lives of all Australians. Farmers are central to the future of this country and serve as an incredible example of resilience and ingenuity, adapting to the harsh Australian climate to feed the country and the world. One of those farmers is Brad Egan, who was awarded ‘Young Farmer of the Year’ in 2022 for his utilisation of technologies to help decision-making and lift productivity on farms. During the series, many of our Good People to Know have discussed the role and potential of technology to revolutionise the sector and Brad is the perfect example of how it can be put into practice. Brad joined Andrew Beer in person to talk about his family farm in Scaddan WA, the technology systems they’ve adopted and the benefits they’ve seen, as well as discussing sustainability and how technology can help the industry meet its goals.

Building bushfire resilience and capturing carbon credits

With spring upon us, many regional communities’ thoughts are turning to preparation for bushfire season. With climate change causing an increase in the frequency and severity of bushfires in Australia, there is a pressing need to reduce emissions and find new ways to make communities resilient. In this episode Andrew Beer speaks with Sean Appoo from the Aboriginal Carbon Foundation, an organisation who use traditional burning methods to reduce the impact of bushfires and the emissions they cause. Working with traditional owners and organisations like the Aboriginal Carbon Foundation, landowners can not only make their farms more resilient to fire, but also earn carbon credits that they can invest back into their business. Disclaimer: WFI’s parent company, IAG, partners with the Aboriginal Carbon Foundation as part of their Reconciliation Action Plan.