A look at farm biodiversity and nature markets
In this episode of Over the Fence, we share a conversation we had recently on a webinar about farm biodiversity and the federal government’s Nature Repair Market legislation.
This webinar was hosted by Emily Jones from the Farmers for Climate Action team, with guest speakers Les White and Professor David Lindenmayer.
It explored the challenges and opportunities farmers face managing biodiversity outcomes on-farm, in the context of a changing climate.
A conversation with Emma Germano, Victorian Farmers Federation President
In this episode of Over the Fence, president of the Victorian Farmers Federation, Emma Germano, is in conversation with Farmers for Climate Action CEO, Fiona Davis.
Fiona talks to Emma about her early life, her career, what drives her, and what her hopes are for the future of Victorian agriculture.
This episode was recorded late last year, and since then Emma Germano has been re-elected for a second term as VFF President.
A look at rural politics and climate with Chris Bowen MP
In this episode, we share a recent conversation our CEO Fiona Davis had with the Shadow Minister for Climate Change and Energy, Chris Bowen, about opportunities for emissions reductions and plans for agriculture.
While we didn’t get a chance to discuss Labor’s planned $500 million fund to encourage investment in the farm sector – that was announced a few days after this chat – we did get to hear a lot more about where Chris sees the biggest opportunities to lower emissions across the economy, as well as ag and climate change more generally.
A look at rural politics with Kevin Hogan MP
In this episode we talk to Kevin Hogan, the federal MP for Page in NSW. Kevin was elected to parliament in 2013 and previously worked in finance and as a teacher.
We spoke with Kevin about growing up in regional Australia, climate policies, his visit to COP26 in Glasgow, and what it’s like being in politics.
Opportunities for on-farm emissions reduction, with Prof Richard Eckard
In this episode, Fiona and Cam are talking to Professor Richard Eckard from the University of Melbourne.
Professor Eckard is a world authority on sustainable agricultural production, with a focus on carbon neutral agriculture and agricultural adaptation.
In this conversation, Fiona and Cam asked Richard about the opportunities out there for farmers today as they look to reduce their emissions on farm, as well as what’s just around the corner.
A look at rural politics and climate with David Littleproud MP
Recently we sat down for a chat with David Littleproud MP, Member for Maranoa, leader of the Federal National Party and Shadow Minister for Agriculture.
In this episode of Over the Fence, our CEO Fiona Davis talks to David Littleproud about his childhood in rural Queensland and journey into politics, his vision for rural Australia and how he thinks we should go about tackling climate change.
Fork In the Road: Impacts of climate change on Australia’s food supply
In this episode of Over the Fence, we share a conversation that our CEO Fiona Davis had recently at the launch of our latest report. It’s called Fork in the Road and it examines the impacts of climate change on Australia’s food supply.
This conversation is with the report author Stephen Bartos, plus John McGoverne who’s the CEO of the Cattle Council, and Brett Hosking, chair of GrainGrowers.
A look at grassroots rural politics with Ruth McGowan
In this episode we talk to Ruth McGowan, an expert on getting people elected to politics. Ruth grew up on a farm in north-east Victoria. She later worked as a senior scientist for the Victorian government, and as mayor she helped lead her community through the 2009 Black Saturday bushfire disaster. We spoke with Ruth about growing up on the farm and what led her to become passionate about grassroots politics.
A look at rural politics and climate with Gabrielle Chan
In this episode we talk to Gabrielle Chan, a farmer, journalist and author of ‘Rusted Off: Why country Australia is fed up’. Gabrielle is now working on another book about food and agriculture in Australia. We talk with Gabrielle about rural politics, life on the farm and how climate change is impacting Australia’s food sector.
A conversation with Tony Mahar, CEO of the National Farmers’ Federation
In this episode, Fiona and Cam from the Farmers for Climate Action team are talking to Tony Mahar. Tony is the CEO of the National Farmers Federation.
Tony is from a farming background in south-west Victoria. We discussed farmers engaging in carbon markets, the NFF’s net zero by 2050 target, and Tony’s journey to the NFF CEO role (including his passion for baking!).
A look at rural politics and climate with Peter Walsh MP
In this episode of Over the Fence, we talk to Peter Walsh, the member for Murray Plains in the Victorian Parliament and leader of the Nationals in Victoria.
Our host Fiona Davis, CEO of Farmers for Climate Action, chats to Peter about how he ended up in politics, his hopes for regional Victoria and agriculture, and how he’d like to see us tackle climate change.
How rural community groups are faring, with the Foundation for Rural & Regional Renewal
In this episode, Fiona talks to Nina O’Brien who is the Disaster Resilience and Recovery Lead at the Foundation for Rural & Regional Renewal (or FRRR). Our conversation is about what resilience looks like on the ground and what farmers and farming communities can be doing to prepare for future challenges, including climate change.
A look at rural politics with Steph Ryan
In this episode we talk to Steph Ryan, the Deputy Leader of the Victorian National Party and member for Euroa. Steph was elected to parliament in 2014 and previously worked as a rural journalist. We spoke with Steph about life on the farm, the millennium drought and what it’s like being in politics.
A look at community-led energy with Totally Renewable Yackandandah
In this episode we talk to Matt Grogan and Matt Charles-Jones from Totally Renewable Yackandandah. Totally Renewable Yackandandah is a community group in North-East Victoria working to power their town with 100% renewable energy. Totally Renewable Yackandandah worked with their community on Australia’s first microgrid and after the recent summer bushfires are exploring how renewable energy can help build a stronger electricity grid.
A look at community in a changing climate with Judy Brewer
In this episode we talk to Judy Brewer about her experience as a farmer, how she has adapted to a changing climate and about her involvement in rural and regional politics. Judy has a long history of involvement in rural and regional community organisations, including with Australian Women in Agriculture, Landcare, the National Party and as the national president of the Australian Women’s Refugee Network.
A look at rural politics with Cathy McGowan
In our first episode we talk to Cathy McGowan, the former federal MP for Indi. Cathy made history when she was elected to parliament in 2013 because she defeated the Liberal party incumbent, Sophie Mirabella, with a grassroots independent campaign. Cathy worked in rural politics for decades before entering parliament and has a small farm in the Indigo Valley where she runs Dorper Sheep.
