Seeds for Success

The Lime Light: How Angus Knight incrementally managed soil acidity at Junee

Welcome to part 2 of our Summer series of Seeds for Success - The Lime Light series. We’re shining a light on lime and digging into acidic soils to optimise pastures as we chat with farmers who have been part of the High Performance Pasture Mixes for Acidic Soils, a project co-funded by NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, and Meat and Livestock Australia Donor Company.  Angus Knight runs Fairview, a mixed farming operation south of Junee, where he manages a prime lamb enterprise alongside cereals, canola, and lupins. In this episode, Angus talks through the productivity push he’s made since returning to the farm in 2018 coming from his studies, including how identifying acidic soils as a limiting factor reshaped his management decisions. He discusses tackling an acid throttle at depth, the resulting lift in carrying capacity, and the flow-on benefits to crop performance. Finally, Angus digs into the practical realities of making these changes, from timing and logistics to the day-to-day adjustments that drive long-term gains on mixed farms.   Resources and links: * Holbrook Landcare Network – Soil Testing Process [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72poGUrvtgQ&t=54s]   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.

The Lime Light: The key messages on acid soil management for 2026

Welcome to our Summer series of Seeds for Success - The Lime Light series. Join us as we shine a light on lime and dig into acidic soils to optimise pastures. Over the coming four episodes, we'll be chatting with farmers who have been part of the High Performance Pasture Mixes for Acidic Soils, a project co-funded by NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, and Meat and Livestock Australia Donor Company. Our first guest is Dr Richard Hayes. As well as being involved in the family farm between Crookwell and Goulburn, Richard is a research agronomist with the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development. In this episode, Richard tells us how his background in the family farm gives him insight into the kind of messages that resonate with farmers. Richard also explains his latest project and the key messages for farmers managing acid soils which include new pH targets and incremental soil sampling. Local Land Services Mixed Farming Advisor Rohan Leach sat down with Richard to learn more about the curiously nicknamed HIPPO project. Resources and links: * NSW Department of Primary Industries - Pastures on acid soils [https://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/agriculture/pastures-and-rangelands/research/acid-soils]   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.

Red hides and fence lines, with Dean Hague

Dean Hague is a Farmer on Tara Station, near Mount Hope. Alongside his wife, Jayde, and their kids, Dean has been continuing a century-old legacy of cattle raising and farming. In this episode, Dean explains the composition of his 98 thousand acre property: the merinos and dorpers, mixed farming, stud cattle, and cereal cropping. He discusses the exclusion fence project, the results so far in keeping his resources safe, the current status, and the small struggles he faces as a local leader. Finally, he breaks down the animals in the farm, the studs and their history, working with dogs, and a comparison between goat and sheep.   Resources and links: * Rockingham Santas Website [https://rockinghamsantas.com.au/] * Rockingham Santas on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/rockinghamsantas/]   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.

Math in modern cropping, with Paul Tognetti

Paul Tognetti is a farmer in Myee, near Grenfell. His farm consists mostly of wheat, canola, and faba cropping operations alongside a few sheep across a 26 hundred acre area.  In this episode, Paul walks us through his farm and the numbers that go in and out of his operation. He expresses his passion for precision agriculture, the math behind it all, and the technology that lets it all happen. Paul discusses variable rate applications throughout the farm, gauging his paddocks, and making the most out of them. Finally, Paul reflects on how helpful technology has been for Australian agriculture, saving producers such as himself from all the manual labor of notebooks, pencils, and calculators. 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: * Farming Forecaster network [https://www.farmingforecaster.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.

Crop Calculus: This farmer’s mathematical approach to cropping

Paul Tognetti is a farmer in Myee, near Grenfell. His farm consists mostly of wheat, canola, and faba cropping operations alongside a few sheep across a 26 hundred acre area.  In this episode, Paul talks to us about his farm, its size, and its makeup. He explains the operations in depth, from their continuous cropping system, preparation and benchmarking of soil, and herbicide rotations. Finally, Paul shares what he’s learned from paddock and cropping operations across his decades of experience. 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: * Farming Forecaster network [https://www.farmingforecaster.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.