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The Angus Table

The Angus Table

By: Scott Wright CEO Angus Australia
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About this listen

  Welcome to the new look Angus Australia podcast. This season we'll be bringing you conversations designed to add real value to your business. As members of Angus Australia, you'll hear from the people across the breed and the wider beef industry sharing insights, stories, and ideas that really matter.Copyright © 2025, Angus Australia, All rights reserved.
Episodes
  • Episode 22 | Leading Australian Agriculture Through Global Challenges, with Minister Julie Collins

    Episode 22 | Leading Australian Agriculture Through Global Challenges, with Minister Julie Collins
    Apr 13 2026

    In this special episode of The Angus Table, host Scott Wright sits down with the Hon. Julie Collins MP, Federal Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, for an insightful conversation about leading Australian agriculture.

    Minister Collins shares perspectives from representing Australia's most southern electorate, current priorities including food security strategy and managing Middle East conflict impacts on diesel and fertiliser supply, achievements on trade diversification achievements, biosecurity vigilance around lumpy skin disease and our strong working relationship with Indonesia.

    Scott and Minister Collins discuss working collaboratively with industry peak bodies, the $100 billion agriculture target hit four years early, and why telling farmers' story about being world's most efficient producers matters.

    So pull up a chair at the Angus Table for insights from federal leadership on agriculture's future.

    Key topics covered:

    • How Minister Collins represents Australia's most southern electorate in Tasmania with berries, stone fruit, ham, aquaculture, and forestry
    • Maintaining the big priorities of food security strategy, trade and biosecurity, while dealing with immediate diesel/fertiliser challenges and impacts of the Middle East war
    • The success of the trade diversification approach the Federal Government has taken that has resulted in 250+ market accesses improved, restored or maintained
    • The importance of telling the story of Australian farmers being the most fuel efficient, lowest fertiliser use, and lowest water use farmers on the planet
    • Hitting the $100 billion target four years early by having a joint vision and working together with industry
    • Monitoring lumpy skin disease closely and working with the Indonesian government, cooperating on intelligence, lab testing capability, vaccines, and more
    • The Government’s R&D report and opportunities for R&D reform
    • How Labor is prioritising being in touch with regional communities, and working collaboratively with industry peak bodies
    • Minister Collins’ personal approach to maintaining balance and the advice from her grandmother to always do your best

    Contact details:

    This podcast is proudly brought to you by Angus Australia https://www.angusaustralia.com.au/

    +Follow Angus Australia on + Facebook + Instagram + X + LinkedIn +

    +Follow Angus Youth Australia on + Facebook + Instagram + X +

    CREDITS:

    Host: Scott Wright, CEO. Get in touch via email ceo@angusaustralia.com.au

    Producer: Mel Strasburg mel.strasburg@angusaustralia.com.au

    Audio editing and post-production: Ellen Ronalds Keene at https://perkdigital.com.au
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    27 mins
  • Helping Farming Families Through Adversity with Rural Aid CEO John Wartlers

    Helping Farming Families Through Adversity with Rural Aid CEO John Wartlers
    Apr 6 2026
    In this heartfelt episode of The Angus Table, host Scott Wright sits down with John Wartlers, CEO of Rural Aid, for an important conversation about supporting farming families through disasters and everyday adversity.John shares insights from Rural Aid's 11-year journey since forming during the 2015 drought, the remarkable scale of their impact, how trust guides every decision as their north star principle, and the importance of being visible in communities rather than waiting for crisis moments.They discuss John's journalism background preparing him for this role, the challenge of balancing strategic thinking with operational response, the importance of mental health support for all but especially for rural families, and why the difficult act of asking for help opens doors to support.So pull up a chair at the Angus Table for insights on community resilience and the organization making a difference for rural Australia.Key topics covered:How Rural Aid supports farmers first, their families, and communities as proudly farmer-focused organisationThe scale of impact since 2015: 200,000 bales of hay, 100 million litres of household drinking water, prepaid Visa cards ($1,500 typical value) empowering individuals to meet specific needs with money flowing back to local communitiesRural Aid’s national network of 10 counselors seeing producers on-farm where possible in order to break down barriers around potential judgment or stigmaErica Halliday's story of receiving Rural Aid support during 2017-19 drought, then joining the board to give back to organisation that helped her familyTrust as Rural Aid’s guiding principle: donors trust that funds reach the right people at right time, producers trust the organisation when making themselves vulnerable by asking for helpWhy Rural Aid waits for recovery phase rather than emergency response to avoid getting in way of front line and emergency servicesThe dairy farmer who said he was "a little bit broken on the inside," put on smiley face each morning thinking that's what his family needed, but counseling helped him recognise he needed help and it completely changed his outlookHow strategic thinking challenges John when operational response demands constant attention, and he balancing act between mental health counselors on ground vs immediate disaster relief capacityHow everyday challenges (rising costs, fluctuating prices, health scares, succession planning) need support beyond disaster context, not just emergency eventsLooking to 2030: growing to 20,000+ registered producers (currently 18,500) and amplifying Rural Aid’s voice to governmentJohn’s simple call to action: ask for help if you need it, phone 1300 327 624Relevant links mentioned in the episode:Rural Aid https://www.everystep.ruralaid.org.au/Phone: 1300 327 624Contact details:This podcast is proudly brought to you by Angus Australia https://www.angusaustralia.com.au/+Follow Angus Australia on + Facebook + Instagram + X + LinkedIn ++Follow Angus Youth Australia on + Facebook + Instagram + X +CREDITS:Host: Scott Wright, CEO. Get in touch via email ceo@angusaustralia.com.auProducer: Mel Strasburg mel.strasburg@angusaustralia.com.auAudio editing and post-production: Ellen Ronalds Keene at https://perkdigital.com.au
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    48 mins
  • Episode 21 | Producer Profitability, Levy Reform and Trade Resilience, with Will Evans, Cattle Australia

    Episode 21 | Producer Profitability, Levy Reform and Trade Resilience, with Will Evans, Cattle Australia
    Mar 30 2026

    In this strategic episode of The Angus Table, host Scott Wright sits down with Will Evans, CEO of Cattle Australia, for a comprehensive conversation about leading the peak body representing grass-fed beef producers.

    Will shares insights from his journey through NT Livestock Exporters Association and NTCA, launching the critical cattle transaction levy review, why the focus has realigned to producer profitability over market/consumer expectations as the fundamental underpinning of sustainability, trade diversification amid Middle East conflicts and China challenges, and landscape-level methane research fighting point-in-time regulatory misunderstanding.

    They discuss Cattle Australia's dual function and benefits to membership, regional consultation driving priorities, innovation and AI transforming genetic systems, and why Australian cattle breeding is now at the global forefront.

    So pull up a chair at the Angus Table for insights on policy, trade, and the future direction of Australian beef.

    Key topics covered:

    • Will's journey from Gatton Ag College through, Cattle Council, NT Live Exporters Association and NTCA learning policy theory and practical implementation
    • About Cattle Australia's dual function as both peak commodity voice with technical expertise plus prescribed industry body overseeing levy allocation to MLA/AHA/NRS
    • Why CA have launched a critical levy review: the first in 20 years, the focus is on capturing millions in lost value within existing $5 rather than automatic increases
    • The important realignment on producer profitability to underpin all sustainability initiatives and additional requirements
    • Why a global shift occurred from "feed people" to "how are we feeding them" with conditionality expectations
    • Landscape-level methane research: world-leading analysis of emissions + sequestration fighting regulatory misunderstanding of output-only emission reductions
    • The European regulatory risk and the need for adequate research because current research is led from environmental not beef business perspective
    • Taking a holistic view of trade diversification strategy amid global conflicts
    • Engaging with successive Federal governments and Labor government relationships being about competing priorities not an anti-agriculture stance
    • The opportunities and challenges of the AI and innovation frontier for beef
    • Advice for young people getting into the industry and the massive Southeast Asia opportunity

    Relevant links mentioned in the episode:

    • Cattle Australia https://cattleaustralia.com.au/

    Contact details:

    This podcast is proudly brought to you by Angus Australia https://www.angusaustralia.com.au/

    +Follow Angus Australia on + Facebook + Instagram + X + LinkedIn +

    +Follow Angus Youth Australia on + Facebook + Instagram + X +

    CREDITS:

    Host: Scott Wright, CEO. Get in touch via email ceo@angusaustralia.com.au

    Producer: Mel Strasburg mel.strasburg@angusaustralia.com.au

    Audio editing and post-production: Ellen Ronalds Keene at https://perkdigital.com.au
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    1 hr and 13 mins
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