DIGGING DEEPER - AG CHATS WITH AL

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In a discussion about farm business performance, the speaker explains ballpark cost-of-production calculations using accountant figures and cautions that benchmarking can mislead because farms differ by growth stage and maintenance investment. He says their operation is increasingly a “land business” as lifestyle-driven prices distort productive value, making expansion difficult and prompting thoughts about relocating capital north despite drought risk. He emphasizes labor efficiency—top producers running far higher DSE per labor unit—supported by infrastructure, scale, and cash flow, and argues the key success ingredient is knowledge and paid expertise when needed. For an upcoming pasture talk, he describes shifting from a “cow hat” to a “grass hat,” focusing on perennial pastures (notably Polaris) to double winter growth and carrying capacity via rotational grazing, nitrogen and foliar inputs, and careful management of clover and fertility, while mitigating grass tetany with bore water and supplements. The conversation also covers his daily working-dog training, yard weaning to improve cattle quietness and labor efficiency, and advice to his younger self: pursue the dream, keep learning, and handle people better.
00:00 Cost of Production Basics
01:53 Benchmarking Reality Check
02:48 Land Prices and Lifestyle Money
04:01 Growth Plans and Expansion Dilemma
05:35 Labor Efficiency and Scale
07:45 Cash Flow and Critical Mass
10:40 Grass Hat Profit Drivers
12:21 Polaris and Winter Feed Boost
14:09 Storing Feed on Cows
15:51 Rotational Grazing Rules
20:42 Fertiliser and Foliar Strategy
21:14 Managing Grass Tetany Risk
22:40 Grass Tetany Explained
23:22 Salt and Magnesium Routine
23:48 Drought Water Realities
24:35 Perennial Pasture Mix
26:02 Establishing Polaris Successfully
27:51 Grazing and Seeding Strategy
28:47 Working Dogs and Trials
30:35 Yard Weaning with Dogs
32:49 Training Young Dogs
37:02 Advice to Younger Self
38:35 Final Thanks and Wrap

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Host Al opens 2026 by thanking listeners and outlining more practical guests, more local producers, and monthly segments from Chelsea (Herd Solutions) with veterinary updates and Morgan Davies (Elders) with livestock market updates. Morgan reviews the move of the mountain calf sales to the Bensdale facility, noting strong results, accurate weighing and presentation, good seasonal rain, few cattle health issues, no cattle getting out, and appreciation for locals and staff. They discuss strong lamb and sheep prices (including heavy lambs and cull sheep), solid cattle pricing, and the impact of higher diesel on freight costs. Morgan says Middle East disruption has slowed air freight for sheep and lamb, but believes global protein demand remains. They promote a May 6 red-meat marketing/selling event and cost-of-production sessions, debate bull replacement economics, preview Easter events and Morgan’s 30th birthday trip to the Swifts Creek races, warn spring could tighten and dry, and predict local fuel may reach $3.35–$3.40 and possibly $4.00.
00:00 Welcome Back 2026
01:07 Meet Morgan Davies
01:14 Easter Road Banter
02:10 NSA Move To Bairnsdale
03:40 Sale Highlights And Rain
04:34 Smooth Sale Thanks Crew
05:27 Sheep And Cattle Prices
06:16 Diesel Hits Freight Costs
07:31 Middle East Conflict Impact
09:39 Upcoming Marketing Events
10:51 Facebook Warriors Callout
11:50 Bull Resale Value Math
12:37 Birthday Race Day Plans
13:15 Easter Events Rundown
13:53 Season Weather Outlook
15:14 Market Prices Update
16:28 Fuel Price Predictions
17:50 Final Advice and Signoff

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Host Al opens 2026 by thanking listeners and outlining plans for more practical guests, more local producers, and monthly segments from Chelsea (Herd Solutions) on animal health and Morg's (Elders) on livestock markets. He then interviews Mansfield-based Rod Manning, a retired vet turned large-scale beef producer and consultant, who recounts starting a veterinary practice in 1973, surviving the 1975 beef collapse with government testing work, and learning to sell cattle when ready. Manning describes growing an 8,000-acre operation running about 2,400 autumn-calving cows plus 200–300 spring cows, focusing on better red-gum country. He discusses subclinical selenium deficiency and supplementation to reduce immune-related issues, improved low-stress weaning, and “More Beef from Pastures” findings on heifer development, six-week joining, critical joining weights, and using HACCP-style critical control points based on megajoules/day. He argues profitability hinges on throughput, feed allocation away from maintenance, achieving critical herd scale, and minimizing cost of production to manage price risk.
00:00 Welcome Back 2026
02:30 Meet Rod Manning
02:56 Vet Career Beginnings
04:39 Beef Crash Lesson
06:26 From Vet to Consultant
08:44 Scaling the Family Operation
10:01 Buying Better Country
10:21 Trees as Land Clues
11:53 Listener Question Selenium
14:09 Low Stress Weaning System
16:27 More Beef From Pastures
17:01 Heifer Development Focus
17:27 Heifer Weight Failures
18:06 Old Cows Low Retention
19:17 Shorten Joining Window
20:45 Grass Versus Supplement
21:07 HACCP For Cattle
23:17 Energy Targets Explained
24:44 Critical Mating Weight
26:59 Farmwide Control Points
28:21 New Country Crash Fert
29:51 Feed Allocation For Profit
32:36 Scaling Systems Up
33:36 Critical Herd Size
34:18 Cost Of Production Wins
35:42 Risk Proofing Profit
36:23 Final Takeaway

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Al opens 2026 by thanking listeners after the first full podcast year and outlining plans for more practical guests and more local producers, with monthly veterinary updates from Chelsea (Herd Solutions) and monthly livestock market updates from Morgs (Elders). Chelsea returns, briefly updates her healed foot injury, then discusses an increase in plant-toxicity risk with warm, humid autumn conditions and rain, including rising facial eczema spore counts and how to collect pasture samples cut to the base for testing. They cover paspalum staggers indicators, then review local toxicity cases: bracken fern linked to later bladder cancer when cattle were exposed during a wart outbreak (leading to euthanasia), bracken’s potential to cause hemolysis and red urine, St John’s wort causing photosensitization (primary and secondary) from roadside grazing, prussic acid (cyanide) toxicity causing sudden deaths after cattle ate dredged drain plants, and nitrate toxicity risks in overcast conditions and fertilized forages, including persistence in silage and testing options.
00:00 Welcome Back for 2026
01:04 Chelsea Returns and Toe Update
03:29 Back on the Horse
06:10 Horse Fitness and Rest Days
08:16 Why Plant Toxicity Spikes
09:08 Facial Eczema Spore Testing
11:54 Pasture Staggers and Temperature Thresholds
13:07 Local Toxic Plants to Watch
15:36 Bracken Fern Case Study
20:00 How Bracken Causes Bladder Cancer
21:50 Herd Risk and Hard Decisions
23:07 Why Thorough Exams Matter
23:53 Bracken Fern Blood Risks
25:17 Red Urine False Alarm
26:09 St Johns Wort Signs
29:48 How Photosensitization Works
32:42 Prussic Acid Sudden Death
38:02 Garden Waste Toxicity Chat
39:10 Nitrate Toxicity and Testing
41:54 Wrap Up and Thanks

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Host Al opens 2026 by thanking listeners, outlining more practical guests and local producers, and announcing monthly veterinary updates with Chelsea (Herd Solutions) and livestock market updates with Morgs (Elders). He interviews PJ Budler, a South African-born, Fort Worth–based cattle consultant with Trans Ova Genetics (embryos) and Global Livestock Solutions, speaking at an event at the Sykes property at Mawarra after traveling to 123 countries. PJ describes his farming background, climates and breeds, and lessons from consulting in the Seychelles about understanding local profit drivers. He urges learning from multiple mentors, respecting disagreement, and avoiding dogmatism. PJ explains an “eight spokes” cattle business model (genetics, herd management, nutrition, animal health, marketing, record keeping, forage management, human capital), advocates supporting cow-calf producers, warns about subsidies, promotes sexual dimorphism and fertility over growth, critiques extreme EBV use, and argues profitability comes from balanced, average, functional cattle and openness to changing one’s mind.
00:00 Welcome to 2026
01:01 Meet PJ
02:35 Cattle Roots
04:07 Farms and Breeds
05:47 Seychelles Lesson
08:24 Heroes and Mentors
12:13 Eight Spoke Wheel
15:49 Primary Producers
17:54 Subsidies Debate
19:37 Dimorphism and Fertility
23:05 EBVs and Balance
26:41 Changing Your Mind
30:11 Thanks and Wrap Up