The 4Farmers Podcast

Professor David Lindsay has spent a lifetime at the forefront of Australian agricultural science but this conversation goes far beyond the lab.

In this episode, Bill sits down with David to explore a career that shaped modern understanding of animal reproduction, fertility, nutrition, and farmer–scientist collaboration. From early breakthroughs in sheep fertility to the role of lupins, hormones, and gut biology, David reflects on the discoveries that genuinely changed farming systems across Western Australia.

Along the way, David shares candid stories from the paddock, the lecture theatre, and the research world that reveal how knowledge is built and how it can be lost.

This episode is essential listening for scientists, agronomists, farmers, students, and anyone interested in how ideas shape industries, policy, and public trust.

In this episode, Bill sits down with Professor Kevin Folta, molecular biologist at the University of Florida and host of the Talking Biotech podcast, to unpack the science, controversy, and real-world impact of genetic engineering in modern agriculture.

From the early days of producing insulin in bacteria to the development of Bt crops and genetically engineered oilseeds, Professor Folta shares how biotechnology was built to solve practical farming problems and why resistance to these tools has grown despite nearly three decades of safe global use.

The conversation dives into the communication breakdown between scientists and the public, exploring why data alone often fails to build trust. Kevin reflects on hard lessons learned engaging with concerned parents, the environmental movement, and policymakers, and explains why safety, transparency, and honesty matter more than technical jargon.

The episode concludes with a powerful call to action for farmers to step into the public conversation. As trusted voices, their role in sharing real experiences can drive meaningful change, one conversation at a time.

As Professor Folta puts it, the science takes care of itself. The challenge now is ensuring farmers have access to every tool available to feed the world safely, responsibly, and sustainably.

Agronomist and innovator Wayne Smith returns for one of the most candid conversations ever recorded on this podcast. Wayne opens up about the rise and collapse of Caluka Farms an ambitious livestock project that pushed the limits of pasture productivity, animal genetics and high-rainfall farming in Western Australia.

Wayne also shares powerful insights on:

• Trace-element deficiencies across Africa and Australia
• Why many high-rainfall pastures underperform and how to fix them
• How corporates get farming strategy wrong by ignoring the paddock-level detail
• The future of livestock marketing, meat export policy and industry transparency

This is a clear, practical and emotionally grounded conversation for anyone who cares about Australian farming from how we grow grass, to how we grow sheep, to how we rebuild an industry that still holds massive untapped potential.

A must-listen for farmers, agronomists, investors and anyone seeking to understand what is truly possible in livestock agriculture when constraints are removed, and systems are pushed to their limits.

Agronomist Wayne Smith has been behind some of the biggest shifts in Australian broadacre farming. In this episode, he joins Bill to unpack how no-till, better rotations, improved nutrition and smarter agronomy lifted WA cropping from two-tonne wheat to the high-yield systems farmers run today.

Wayne shares the breakthroughs that changed everything from zinc, copper and molybdenum diagnostics to the early disc-seeder revolution, stubble retention, deep roots and the move toward earlier sowing. He also reflects on the cultural resistance of the 80s and 90s, the “yeah-but” years, and the mindset shifts that helped WA growers become global leaders in no-till cropping.

A clear, honest and practical conversation for growers, agronomists and anyone wanting to understand why Australia’s grain yields have risen so dramatically.

Dr David Bowran has spent a lifetime at the forefront of agricultural science, from early herbicide trials in the jungles of Sabah to leading Western Australia’s research into weed management, chemistry, and crop tolerance. In this episode, Bill dives deep with David into the real science behind herbicides, the myths that refuse to die, and the innovations that transformed broadacre farming.

David shares candid stories from his decades in the field, including the rise of selective herbicides, the origins of IMI-tolerant crops, the controversy around glyphosate, and why understanding natural resistance is critical for the future. He also unpacks emerging risks in global agriculture, from biosecurity threats to the coming wave of autonomous and drone-driven farming systems.

This conversation offers rare clarity and grounded scientific insight into one of the most misunderstood areas of modern agriculture.

In this episode:

• How selective chemistry reshaped Australian farming
• The truth about glyphosate, DDT, and toxicity
• The creation of IMI-tolerant wheats and why it mattered

A must-listen for growers, agronomists, researchers, and anyone who wants to understand the real science driving Australian agriculture.