Humans of Agriculture

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.

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.

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

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

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