Johno Mackay grew up remote in the Northern Territory, shaped by hard work, risk-taking parents, and a deep love for the bush. In this conversation, Johno shares the path from School of the Air and station life to building a contract mustering and fencing business in Northern Australia, before an accident in his team pushed him into an entirely new chapter: ag tech.

What followed was the creation of JobSafe Pro, a practical safety and compliance platform designed to help agricultural businesses simplify paperwork, think more clearly about risk, and build stronger safety systems without adding more complexity.

This episode is about far more than an app. It is about backing yourself young, learning to lead, finding opportunity in tough moments, and recognising that agriculture today can open more doors than ever before. Johno also shares his belief in the value of the North, the importance of mentors, and why the people who get ahead are often the ones willing to work hard, show initiative, and keep having a crack.

It is a grounded and forward-looking conversation about agriculture, ambition, safety, and building something meaningful from the bush.

In this episode we cover

• Growing up remote in the Northern Territory and the influence of family
• Life after School of the Air and heading to Emerald Ag College
• Starting a contract mustering business at 21
• Building a life and business in Northern Australia
• The opportunity that still exists for young people in the North
• Lessons in work ethic, leadership and earning trust
• A serious workplace accident and the reality of risk in agriculture
• Why farm safety needs more attention across the sector
• Turning a hard experience into the idea for JobSafe Pro
• What Johno learned through Farmers2Founders
• Building partnerships with AgForce and Elders
• Bringing Patrick into the business after a life-changing accident
• Why the future of agriculture will belong to people willing to learn, move and adapt

Rabobank Community Fund!

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If you’re part of a local group, community initiative, or organisation looking to make an impact, this could be the opportunity to bring your idea to life.

Learn more and apply via rabobank.com.au.

Australian agriculture runs on more than crops, livestock, and markets. It runs on people and communities.

In this episode, Skye Ward shares the story behind the Rabobank Community Fund, a program designed to invest directly into grassroots initiatives across rural and regional Australia.

Since launching in 2021, the fund has invested over $4 million into projects that strengthen leadership, improve wellbeing, and support the resilience of rural communities.

Skye also shares her personal story of growing up in the Monaro region, the experience of moving towns and building community as an adult, and why belonging remains one of the most powerful drivers of strong rural places.

From succession workshops and financial literacy programs to melanoma skin-check trucks and simple community events that bring people together, the fund supports practical initiatives that make a real difference on the ground

This conversation highlights why investing in people and community capability is just as important as investing in farms and businesses.

In this episode we explore

• Why strong communities underpin successful agricultural regions
• The thinking behind the Rabobank Community Fund
• How grassroots funding creates real impact on the ground
• Examples of initiatives supported across rural Australia
• The role of leadership development and wellbeing programs
• Why collaboration and community capability matter for agriculture’s future

Find out more & apply now!!

Applications for the 2026 Rabobank Community Fund close on 15 March.

If you’re part of a local group, community initiative, or organisation looking to make an impact, this could be the opportunity to bring your idea to life.

Learn more and apply via rabobank.com.au.

Rabobank Community Fund!

Applications for the 2026 Rabobank Community Fund close on 15 March.

If you’re part of a local group, community initiative, or organisation looking to make an impact, this could be the opportunity to bring your idea to life.

Learn more and apply via rabobank.com.au.

In this episode of Humans of Agriculture, we dive deep into the innovative world of AMPS Agribusiness. Join us as we sit down with Tony Lockrey, a seasoned agronomist and leader who has dedicated decades to the fields of Northern New South Wales. Tony takes us "under the hood" of AMPS's unique, grower-led model that fast-tracks agricultural research from institutions directly into the paddock.

We explore how AMPS has built a seamless ecosystem connecting research, agronomy, and commercial supply. Tony shares the fascinating story of Lancer wheat, a variety that became a regional powerhouse thanks to intensive, localised trials. Beyond the science, we discuss the evolving role of an agronomist, the importance of nurturing the next generation through a "job-first" education model, and the unparalleled value of a business owned and driven by the growers themselves.

Chapter Markings

• [0:00] Introduction: AMPS Agribusiness and the Grower-Led Model.
• [1:15] Tony Lockrey's Evolution: From Technical Specialist to People Leader.
• [3:45] The Power of Relationships: When Customers Become Family and Shareholders.
• [5:10] Research in the Ute: Bringing the Lab to the Paddock.
• [7:20] Managing the Next Generation: Moving Out of the Way for Growth.
• [9:05] The Lancer Story: How Localised Research Accelerates Variety Adoption.
• [12:30] The "How-To" Grow Guide: Turning Data into Decisions in One Season.
• [14:15] The Origins of AMPS: A Response to Declining Institutional Research.
• [17:00] Commercial Synergy: Linking Supply, Procurement, and Paddock Outcomes.
• [19:40] Scientific Rigour: 30,000 Plots a Year and Statistical Significance.
• [22:15] Paddock Geography: Understanding Elevation, Frost, and Time of Sow.
• [25:30] Developing the "Agronomy Eye": Training the Future of Ag.
• [28:10] The Changing Face of Education: Work-First, Degree-Second.
• [31:00] Building a Safe and Cohesive Team Culture.
• [34:15] The Resilience of Australian Growers: Innovation Born of Necessity.
• [37:00] Pride in Cohesion: Six Branches, One Mission.
• [39:30] Upcoming Events: Winter Crop Reviews and Research Membership.

Rabobank Community Fund!

Applications for the 2026 Rabobank Community Fund close on 15 March.

If you’re part of a local group, community initiative, or organisation looking to make an impact, this could be the opportunity to bring your idea to life.

Learn more and apply via rabobank.com.au.

Season 4 of Monthly Markets opens with a strong pulse check across livestock, wool, property and grain.

Tom and Mick begin with:

• Wagga sheep market strength, with mutton pushing 7.50–8.00 and trade lambs over 10.50
• The Eastern Market Indicator hitting 1677 cents — a two-year record
• Cattle prices holding firm at Gunnedah
• Major rural property listings across NSW and QLD, including Springfield, Bogo, Glenfinnan, and Goodar Station

Then they’re joined by Tommy Taylor from Clear Grain Exchange for a deep dive into the grain landscape.

In this episode:

How Clear Grain Exchange works

• Empowering growers to set their own target prices
• Bringing 140+ buyers into a single digital marketplace
• Secure settlement and title retention for reduced counterparty risk
• Digitised documentation simplifying compliance and accounting

2025–26 Harvest Review

• Record WA crop
• Strong Northern NSW and QLD yields
• Chickpeas, lentils and canola performing well
• Barley trading near parity with wheat in some regions

Global Market Pressures

• Argentina’s 30 million tonne wheat crop flooding lower-spec markets
• Freight advantages favouring WA exporters
• Stocks-to-use ratios tightening globally despite current surpluses

On-Farm Storage Trends

• Increased investment in storage infrastructure
• Growers holding grain as both a price strategy and drought hedge
• Risks and costs of multi-year carry

China & Canola

• First canola exports to China since 2020
• Political risk remains, but diversified export markets provide resilience

Feedlots & Domestic Demand

• Potential 6 million head on feed
• Feedlots becoming a major structural demand driver
• Barley strength in northern markets driven by ration preferences

Tommy’s Advice

• Don’t miss opportunities
• Set target prices
• Volatility creates upside for prepared sellers

This episode is essential listening for growers, traders, feedlot operators, advisors and agribusiness professionals planning for the year ahead.

Rabobank Community Fund!

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If you’re part of a local group, community initiative, or organisation looking to make an impact, this could be the opportunity to bring your idea to life.

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For decades, Australian agriculture has operated within a set of conditions that quietly shaped its success - stable geopolitics, expanding global trade, predictable markets, and steady productivity gains.

That era is ending.

In this conversation, Tim Hunt joins Oli Le Lievre to unpack the global forces reshaping food and agriculture right now, from geopolitics and trade fragmentation to climate volatility and rapid technological change. With a career spanning banking, economics, and international agriculture, Tim brings a clear-eyed, global perspective on why these shifts are structural, not cyclical - and what that means for producers, agribusiness leaders, and the wider food system.

Recorded just one week out from evokeAG 2026, where Tim and Oli will be part of the MC team alongside Liz Brennan, this episode is about making sense of a changing world - and asking how Australian agriculture adapts, evolves, and leads in what comes next.

In This Episode, We Explore

• Why the conditions that built modern Australian agriculture are no longer guaranteed
• How geopolitics, trade, climate, and technology are colliding to reshape food systems
• Why these shifts represent long-term structural change, not short-term cycles
• The role realism plays in building resilient farm businesses and industries
• Why agriculture sits at the centre of global economics, politics, and culture
• How a top-down view of the world complements on-farm decision-making
• Technology as agriculture’s most important tailwind in an increasingly volatile era
• What real value-adding looks like beyond branding and provenance
• Why adaptation, not protection, has always underpinned Australia’s agricultural success
• The role events like evokeAG play in helping the industry respond collectively

Rabobank Community Fund!

Applications for the 2026 Rabobank Community Fund close on 15 March.

If you’re part of a local group, community initiative, or organisation looking to make an impact, this could be the opportunity to bring your idea to life.

Learn more and apply via rabobank.com.au.

Millie Moore didn’t leave her job because she was unhappy. She left because she was curious.

After four and a half years in a corporate ag role, Millie made a decision that many people talk about but few actually take. She quit, moved to Canada, and went ranching to properly immerse herself in the beef industry and test herself on the ground.

That choice led to something bigger. In this episode, Millie shares how ranch life in Alberta opened doors to meat judging, scholarships, and ultimately a fully funded Masters in meat science at the University of Illinois.

This conversation explores career risk, confidence, building networks without a farming background, and why agriculture offers far more pathways than most people realise. It also kicks off a year-long series with Millie, where she’ll continue to share what she’s learning across the US, Canada, and Australia.

⏱️ EPISODE TIMESTAMPS

00:00 — Quitting a corporate job to go ranching
02:10 — University, early career, and choosing what not to do
03:20 — Why Millie stayed 4.5 years in her first role
04:40 — The fear and reality of moving overseas
06:30 — First impressions of ranch life in Canada
08:45 — Canada vs the US beef industry
09:05 — Not coming from a farming background
10:30 — “If you want to be in beef, go be in beef”
11:40 — How Millie built her network from scratch
13:40 — Why agriculture feels hard to break into (and why it isn’t)
15:20 — Dealing with rejection and imposter syndrome
19:55 — Meat judging and why it shapes so many careers
22:10 — The US meat judging circuit explained
24:40 — Sponsorship, alumni, and industry support
26:20 — Returning to study and why Illinois made sense
28:30 — What’s next and a year of conversations ahead

Rabobank Community Fund!

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If you’re part of a local group, community initiative, or organisation looking to make an impact, this could be the opportunity to bring your idea to life.

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At just 19 years old, Sam Rogers is building one of Australia’s most exciting agtech startups. Founder of GrazeMate, Sam is using autonomous drones, robotics, and AI to help farmers and ranchers move cattle, measure pasture, and gain real-time insights straight to their phone. In this episode, Sam shares his journey from growing up on a cattle station in North Queensland to raising capital, relocating to the US, and taking GrazeMate global. This conversation explores innovation in agriculture, resilience, robotics, and what the future of farming could look like when technology meets deep agricultural knowledge.

Keywords: agtech, agriculture innovation, autonomous drones, robotics in farming, cattle mustering technology, GrazeMate, EvokeAG, future of agriculture, ag startups, Australian agtech

Episode Summary

In this episode of Humans of Agriculture, Oli Le Lievre sits down with Sam Rogers, the 19-year-old founder of GrazeMate, an agtech startup redefining how cattle are managed using autonomous drones and artificial intelligence.

Sam shares his remarkable personal story, growing up on a cattle property in North Queensland, competing internationally in robotics as a teenager, surviving a spinal tumour, and climbing peaks in Nepal. These experiences shaped his mindset and ultimately led him to build GrazeMate, a technology that helps farmers muster cattle, estimate liveweight, analyse pasture, and manage grazing with far greater efficiency.

The conversation explores Sam’s rapid rise in the agtech world, including global media attention, raising investment, relocating to California, and preparing to take the stage as a Groundbreaker at EvokeAG. Together, Oli and Sam unpack the opportunity agriculture presents for solving some of the world’s biggest challenges, the power of robotics at scale, and why the future of farming depends on aligning innovation with real on-farm needs.

This is a powerful story about curiosity, resilience, and the role young innovators can play in shaping the future of agriculture.

Chapter Markings

00:00 Why now matters and the idea behind robot cowboys

00:35 Welcome back to Humans of Agriculture and introducing Sam Rogers

03:49 Media attention, Forbes features, and global interest in GrazeMate

05:07 What farmers around the world are really struggling with

06:46 Growing up on a cattle station in North Queensland

08:26 The influence of family, curiosity, and learning by doing

09:43 Early robotics, AI competitions, and environmental motivation

12:09 The origins of GrazeMate and spotting the on-farm opportunity

14:00 Surviving a spinal tumour, Everest Base Camp, and mindset shifts

16:53 Why agriculture is the most important industry in the world

19:39 Technology, incentives, and what society chooses to reward

20:50 Why GrazeMate moved to the US and what is happening on the ground

24:18 Building a world-class team and earning investor trust

27:01 Teaching robots at scale and the future of autonomous systems

29:46 EvokeAG, coming home, and Sam’s message to Australian agriculture

31:39 Final reflections and looking ahead

Rabobank Community Fund!

Applications for the 2026 Rabobank Community Fund close on 15 March.

If you’re part of a local group, community initiative, or organisation looking to make an impact, this could be the opportunity to bring your idea to life.

Learn more and apply via rabobank.com.au.

Clancy Mackay’s story is one of the most extraordinary ever shared on Humans of Agriculture and there’s a reason it remains our most downloaded episode of all time.

This is a full re release of our most listened to episode ever.

In this conversation, Oli Le Lievre sits down with Clancy Mackay to share one of the most extraordinary stories ever told on Humans of Agriculture.

From growing up off grid in the Northern Territory with no power or running water, to breaking horses, mustering cattle, riding saddle broncs in the US, flying helicopters across remote Australia, and navigating profound personal loss, Clancy’s journey is raw, confronting, and deeply human.

This episode explores resilience beyond the buzzword. It is about grit, grief, purpose, and learning how to keep moving forward when life repeatedly tests you. It is also about respect for animals, people, and place, and why calm leadership and deep understanding matter more than force or ego.

Why this episode matters

Clancy’s story is not polished or comfortable. It is honest.

It reminds us that agriculture is built on people who endure, adapt, and keep showing up. People shaped by hardship, curiosity, and responsibility rather than shortcuts or certainty.

This is an episode to sit with.
 An episode to return to.
 And an episode worth sharing.

Rabobank Community Fund!

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I loved the day we had with the team at Rohde's and the way we crafted this into an amazing video and our last #ThisIsAussieAg video in audio format did pretty well -  you can check it out on our YouTube in full!

Watch it on YouTube here - link to our video

Rabobank Community Fund!

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If you’re part of a local group, community initiative, or organisation looking to make an impact, this could be the opportunity to bring your idea to life.

Learn more and apply via rabobank.com.au.

In today’s episode, I wanted to do something a little different and share an update on where Humans of Agriculture is heading. Over the last six years we’ve told hundreds of stories and met thousands of people, and it’s clear that the beating heart of our work isn’t just the stories themselves, but the people behind them.

We’re stepping into a new chapter. One that builds on our storytelling roots, but focuses more deliberately on careers, connection, and helping people see what’s possible for them in agriculture.

After that, I sit down with two remarkable leaders. First up is Billy Slater, who shares insights on confidence, preparation, transition, and why the biggest moments require the smallest focus. Then, I chat with Adrian Capogreco, Managing Director of Nutrien Ag Solutions, about leadership, resilience, community, and the future of the industry.

Episode Chapters

00:00 — Welcome and Why This Episode Is Different

01:20 — What’s Ahead: Upcoming Conversations and Guests

02:24 — The Honest Update: Where Humans of Agriculture Is Heading

04:49 — How the Project Started and Why It Still Matters

06:55 — The Pivot: From Storytelling to Stories + Careers + Community

08:40 — Introducing HOA Recruitment

09:36 — Oli’s Personal Challenge: The Longest Resume in Agriculture

10:35 - Setting Up Today’s Conversations

11:00: Leadership with Billy Slater

11:46 — Preparing for Transition and Backing Yourself

12:55 — Earning Confidence

13:34 — Overcoming Self-Doubt

14:45 — Handling Big Moments

15:38 — Vulnerability, Courage, and Team Culture

17:00 — Positive Reinforcement and High Standards

18:32 — Oli’s Reflections on Billy’s Lessons

19:30 - Leadership and the Future with Adrian Capogreco

19:41 — Introducing Adrian at the Nutrien Stand

19:56 — Adrian’s Non-Negotiables in Leadership

20:20 — A Non-Negotiable in Life: Balance

20:55 — Advice for First-Time Managers

21:55 — The Quirks and Strengths of Agriculture

22:40 — Mindset When Things Get Tough

23:45 — What’s Next for Nutrien

24:45 — Wrapping Up with Adrian

Rabobank Community Fund!

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Bridgitte Brooks is rewriting the story of Australian wool - and of rural women. 

The fifth-generation sheep farmer has launched a wool athleisure brand from her farm in Yuna, Western Australia in a bid to connect modern consumers with a natural fibre that she feels is undercelebrated. 

From baby blankets to wool athleisure wear, Bridgitte is stitching together sustainability, style, and heritage—with a deep belief that rural communities can thrive when families are supported and fibre stories are told well.

Chapters
00:00 Introduction to Bridgitte and Her Journey
02:58 Life in Rural Australia and Its Challenges
05:41 The Birth of a Fashion Business
08:13 Navigating the Fashion Industry
10:36 Sustainability and the Future of Fashion
13:17 The Importance of Succession Planning
16:09 Family Dynamics in Farming
18:59 Advice for Future Generations
21:30 Reflections and Future Aspirations
24:11 Closing Thoughts and Future Plans

Learn more about Homestead Road and how Bridgitte is rewriting a new story for Australian wool.

Find more stories from us on our Instagram, Facebook and Linkedin.

ALSO - Come to our event in either Brisbane or Melbourne!

You can hear more episodes of Humans of Agriculture here.
 
If you enjoyed this episode, share with a friend and let us know your thoughts at [email protected].  Don't forget to rate, subscribe, and leave a review!

Rabobank Community Fund!

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If you’re part of a local group, community initiative, or organisation looking to make an impact, this could be the opportunity to bring your idea to life.

Learn more and apply via rabobank.com.au.