Unearthed: The people changing Australian agriculture

The Changemakers series has examined how leaders from across rural Australia and at different stages of their diverse career paths, navigate the pitfalls of making change happen.
John Harvey has been at the pointy end of change having ledAgriFutures for the last 10 years, and served as CEO of the Grains Research and Development Corporation for five years before that.
But for all of the technical knowledge and the complexity of the organisations he has led, the simplicity of the insights John shares speaks to an incredible wisdom.
He discusses the importance of understanding farmer perspectives, emotional intelligence in leadership, and the value of feedback.

Lisa Anderson is anything but “just a farmer” – her career journey spans agriculture, the legal profession and serving as a board director.
Lisa shares the importance of curiosity, building trust throughvulnerability, the balance of culture versus strategy, and the impact of peer-to-peer learning in driving change in agriculture.

The road to the top isn’t a straight line – every interesting life experience and the meaningful relationships built along the way are of immense value when it comes to driving change in agricultural industries and rural communities.
In this conversation, we meet Courtney Bailey, the agriculture sector lead at Voconiq and CEO of Country to Canberra, who discusses her non-linear career path, the importance of mentorship, and the impact of agriculture education can have on a young person’s life.

At just 22 years old, Basil Nolan demonstrates diplomacy andhumility beyond his years, skills that have him earmarked as a young leader in the Thoroughbred racing industry.
A recipient of the AgriFutures Les Young Scholarship, Basilshares his experiences at the famed National Stud in the United Kingdom, where he learnt from some of the best in the business, resulting in refinements to the operations at his family’s home stud of Raheen in Warwick, Qld.
The conversation covers the value of community andnetworking, and the importance of moving slowly and considering the ‘why not’ when embarking on changing the status quo.

Stephanie March shares her deeply personal story of the birth of her son, Bill, and the immediate diagnosis of a rare but chronic respiratory illness.
The conversation covers the emotional turmoil of navigating the healthcare system, the impact on family dynamics, and the power of feedback as an advocacy tool for change.
When you hear Steph’s story and the impact it is having on the medical system, you’ll understand why she’s a Changemaker of Australian agriculture.