Advertise on podcast: Agsolutely Fabulous

This week, don’t miss it as Katja and Gillian catch up on station and farm life, including renovations, recent cattle events, and travel to the NFF Leadership Forum and the Adelaide show, before previewing a live podcast recording and “activations” at Floriade tied to the International Year of Rural Women. They discuss encouraging youth into recreational shooting, emphasizing supervised training, safety, Australian licensing rules, and the discipline and life skills involved. The hosts then examine labor laws versus family farming, noting Australia lacks national data on children’s farm work, highlighting childcare and policy gaps, unpaid family labor (18% in 2016), women’s often-unrecognized contributions, and concerns about unpaid adult children and coercive control. They critique AI-generated regenerative-ag media imagery comparing perennial and annual wheat roots and promote Kim Storey’s What Does a Farmer Look Like? project. Finally, they outline HarvestHer Power fundraising webinars with Boyce Accounting on budget changes, working with accountants/banks, and succession planning, stressing advice is general. HHP webinar Collaboration with Boyce coming up! Wednesday 23rd September 2026 - Working Effectively with Your Accountant and Your Bank Wednesday 18th November 2026 - Preparing for the Next Generation to Take Over. Find out more, including speaker bios head to HarvestHer Powers website and socials. Links & Resources Landcare Australia: https://landcareaustralia.org.au/ Find or Register a Group: https://landcareaustralia.org.au/find-a-group/ Learn how to Get Involved with Landcare here: https://youtu.be/3s74Lvmlutk 💕 Support Our Partners THANK YOU TO OUR PODCAST SPONSORS! Farm Table – Your online hub for all things ag, connecting farmers with resources, events, and opportunities. Check them out at https://farmtable.com.au/ Book Box - Use code Fabulous15 for a special discount at checkout! Start your next chapter here → https://bookbox.au/

This week, don’t miss it as Katja and Gillian discuss the difficulty of sponsoring visas for a young couple to work in remote Australia, calling the process overly complex and asking listeners with agriculture sponsorship experience for tips, while suggesting dairy farmers and abattoirs may have relevant visa experience. Katya shares updates on her upcoming Australian fiction romance book, due before Christmas, the first in a six-part family series set out west, and encourages pre-orders via a waitlist with personalized signed copies. They criticize “Farmer Wants a Wife” for using non-farmers and staged filming that misrepresents agriculture and misses educational opportunities. The episode then introduces an interview with Cassie Andrews, a Coonamble Landcare coordinator, about a May horsemanship clinic with Texas Star Performance Horses, linking horse welfare and safety to land management practices like rotational grazing, weed control, waterway protection, and community engagement through Landcare events. HHP webinar Collaboration with Boyce coming up! Wednesday 23rd September 2026 - Working Effectively with Your Accountant and Your Bank Wednesday 18th November 2026 - Preparing for the Next Generation to Take Over. Find out more, including speaker bios head to HarvestHer Powers website and socials. Links & Resources Landcare Australia: https://landcareaustralia.org.au/ Find or Register a Group: https://landcareaustralia.org.au/find-a-group/ Learn how to Get Involved with Landcare here: https://youtu.be/3s74Lvmlutk 💕 Support Our Partners THANK YOU TO OUR PODCAST SPONSORS! Farm Table – Your online hub for all things ag, connecting farmers with resources, events, and opportunities. Check them out at https://farmtable.com.au/ Book Box - Use code Fabulous15 for a special discount at checkout! Start your next chapter here → https://bookbox.au/

Katja and Gillian celebrate two years of the Agsolutely Fabulous podcast, thank listeners, and discuss upcoming automation for a bare-bones website that will transcribe episodes into blog posts and schedule social posts. Katja promotes the upcoming Polldale bull sale in Dubbo on 26 August, highlighting QR-coded catalogs linking to YouTube bull videos and the extensive work behind stud sales. They preview and begin discussing key topics: a Dubbo Solar Recycling Hub proposal (supporting recycling but raising concerns about location on productive farmland, infrastructure/workforce needs, environmental risks like leaching, and better siting on existing industrial/contaminated coastal sites), a young listener’s “same sheep, zero waste” lanolin/wool question (not new, but lost urban knowledge; noting industry incentives for synthetics and advising ingredient checks and patch testing), and Channel 7 food shortage fears (expect bottlenecks and price rises, not running out of food, with suggestions for pantry backups and local producers). HHP webinar Collaboration with Boyce coming up! Wednesday 23rd September 2026 - Working Effectively with Your Accountant and Your Bank Wednesday 18th November 2026 - Preparing for the Next Generation to Take Over. Find out more including speaker bios head to Harvest Her Powers website and socials. Main website: https://www.gondwanamacadamias.com.au/ Head straight to the skincare: https://www.gondwanamacadamias.com.au/collections/botanicals-skincare-range Savvi Main Website: https://savvithelabel.com/ Foundation: https://savvithelabel.com/pages/savvi-foundation Future Her Event - 25th September 2026 6-8pm, Black Cat Cocktails, Wellington NSW.

In episode 87 of the Agsolutely Fabulous Podcast, Katja and Gillian share updates including merch shirts nearly selling out and how to buy remaining sizes; they preview topics such as the Cattle Australia levy review, Katja’s upcoming bull sale, and new product shout-outs. Katja recaps attending the Australian Women in Agriculture Conference with 250 women, sessions on AI, agrotourism, advocacy, and she co-facilitated a workshop identifying barriers to women’s leadership and developing advocacy pathways. Gillian explains the cattle transaction levy, where funds go (MLA marketing/R&D, Animal Health Australia, NRS), concerns about using compulsory levies for advocacy, transparency, and upcoming voting at MLA’s AGM. They promote Gondwana Macadamias, a Savvy event in Wellington, and HarvestHer Power planning and sponsorship needs, then criticize Telstra’s outage and accountability, and Gillian briefly recaps attending LambEx in Adelaide. HHP webinar Collaboration with Boyce coming up! Tuesday 18th August 10am - Tax Structure and Potential Impacts of the Federal Budget Wednesday 23rd September 2026 - Working Effectively with Your Accountant and Your Bank Wednesday 18th November 2026 - Preparing for the Next Generation to Take Over. Find out more including speaker bios head to Harvest Her Powers website and socials. Main website: https://www.gondwanamacadamias.com.au/ Head straight to the skincare: https://www.gondwanamacadamias.com.au/collections/botanicals-skincare-range Savvi Main Website: https://savvithelabel.com/ Foundation: https://savvithelabel.com/pages/savvi-foundation Future Her Event - 25th September 2026 6-8pm, Black Cat Cocktails, Wellington NSW.

In episode 86 of the Agsolutely Fabulous Podcast, it’s part 2 of the live discussion with Katja and Gillian. In this episode, Katja explains navigating male-dominated workplaces by listening, reflecting others’ language, and using structured tools like strong chairs and timed speaking limits in boardrooms to ensure all voices are heard. The group critiques agriculture’s tendency to elect poor leaders who block new talent and rely on “fight” tactics with government, emphasizing that boardrooms should be gender neutral and that governance matters. They discuss using DiSC/Myers-Briggs-style profiles to communicate in others’ “language” and how to motivate participation by framing it as business value. The conversation shifts to how appearance affects success only “to a point,” noting women receive conflicting judgments regardless of dress. They then address perimenopause/menopause, its early and insidious symptoms (brain fog, irritability, UTIs) and safety/family impacts in farming, and link it to succession stress, arguing succession should start early, be regularly reviewed, involve honest, age-appropriate family conversations, and consider business viability, fair pay, diversification, and vertical integration to support returning children. Links & Resources Landcare Australia: https://landcareaustralia.org.au/ Find or Register a Group: https://landcareaustralia.org.au/find-a-group/ Learn how to Get Involved with Landcare here: https://youtu.be/3s74Lvmlutk 💕 Support Our Partners THANK YOU TO OUR PODCAST SPONSORS! Farm Table – Your online hub for all things ag, connecting farmers with resources, events, and opportunities. Check them out at https://farmtable.com.au/ Book Box - Use code Fabulous15 for a special discount at checkout! Start your next chapter here → https://bookbox.au/

In episode 85 of the Agsolutely Fabulous Podcast, we are jumping into a three part series from a live recording with Gillian and Katja. In part 1, the ladies recap networking, gift bags, and Gillian’s art before tackling “You Can’t Ask That” questions with audience input. They discuss how to gain hands-on farm skills without moving remote, debating the value of soft skills versus practical competence, the safety and insurance risks of inexperienced workers, and the lack of clear apprenticeship-style pathways in agriculture despite varied farm contexts. They note trial traineeship efforts, limited farmer participation in work experience, and barriers like supervision burden and “who you know” networking. On funding youth attendance and engagement, they argue for capturing motivated young people at stock shows and improving farmer accessibility and school-industry links. They then address empowering men to call out other men’s bad behaviour, emphasizing early intervention, accountability, community norms, support for underlying stress, and prioritizing victim safety and leaving unsafe situations. Links & Resources Landcare Australia: https://landcareaustralia.org.au/ Find or Register a Group: https://landcareaustralia.org.au/find-a-group/ Learn how to Get Involved with Landcare here: https://youtu.be/3s74Lvmlutk 💕 Support Our Partners THANK YOU TO OUR PODCAST SPONSORS! Farm Table – Your online hub for all things ag, connecting farmers with resources, events, and opportunities. Check them out at https://farmtable.com.au/ Book Box - Use code Fabulous15 for a special discount at checkout! Start your next chapter here → https://bookbox.au/

In episode 84 of Agsolutely Fabulous, Gillian is solo today with her guest, Sarah Secker, a farm and business owner in Keith, South Australia, who previously worked as a marketing and advertising executive in Sydney and London. Secker describes how the country work ethic helped her gain opportunities, then explains her current advocacy focus: regional childcare access as a critical “livability” and economic development lever for rural communities with seasonal work patterns and smaller populations. She argues government policy is city-centric, market-driven childcare fails in low-density areas, and government must play a larger provider and regulatory role, including more flexible subsidies and support for in-home care. They discuss practical reforms such as adding au pairs to the 88-day ag visa and addressing HECS indexing when parents can’t work due to childcare shortages. Sitker calls for regional voices at decision-making tables, sharing media links, and contacting local members, noting impacts on essential workers, volunteers, and regional political shifts. Links & Resources Landcare Australia: https://landcareaustralia.org.au/ Find or Register a Group: https://landcareaustralia.org.au/find-a-group/ Learn how to Get Involved with Landcare here: https://youtu.be/3s74Lvmlutk 💕 Support Our Partners THANK YOU TO OUR PODCAST SPONSORS! Farm Table – Your online hub for all things ag, connecting farmers with resources, events, and opportunities. Check them out at https://farmtable.com.au/ Book Box - Use code Fabulous15 for a special discount at checkout! Start your next chapter here → https://bookbox.au/

In episode 83 of Agsolutely Fabulous, Katja and Gillian share personal updates and Katja explains recording a mini-series with her husband to market Polldale’s Shorthorn Bull Sale (Wednesday 26 August), covering family history, what makes a good bull, and balancing predicted genetic data with traditional stockmanship, plus upcoming photography and a Kalgold Magazine collaboration. They discuss China’s 55% tariff on Australian beef as an over-quota measure announced on New Year’s Day, urging listeners to seek deeper market analysis. They also address University of Adelaide research on women in farm businesses and labels like “farmer” versus “farm wife,” then warn about bird flu detections in WA and SA with practical biosecurity advice. Katja reveals she has written a nonfiction book about moving to the farm and a closed-door Australian romance. Links & Resources Landcare Australia: https://landcareaustralia.org.au/ Find or Register a Group: https://landcareaustralia.org.au/find-a-group/ Learn how to Get Involved with Landcare here: https://youtu.be/3s74Lvmlutk 💕 Support Our Partners THANK YOU TO OUR PODCAST SPONSORS! Farm Table – Your online hub for all things ag, connecting farmers with resources, events, and opportunities. Check them out at https://farmtable.com.au/ Book Box - Use code Fabulous15 for a special discount at checkout! Start your next chapter here → https://bookbox.au/ Email us - [email protected] SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEWSELTTER: https://tr.ee/qd6wlKKB1W 00:00 Welcome Back AgFabs 00:24 Catholic Funeral Stories 04:50 Bull Sale Podcast Marketing 09:05 China Beef Tariff Explained 14:58 Women And The Farmer Label 18:36 Farm Wife Identity Debate 25:25 New Books And BookTok 31:03 Bird Flu Biosecurity Tips 34:13 Wrap Up And Listener Question

This week, Katja Williams continues a Landcare chat with Danielle Littlewood, Central West regional Landcare coordinator, and Dr. Aurelie Quade, director of Soil and Resilience. They discuss their women-focused soil health workshop “Talk Dirty To Me,” funded through Landcare Enabling Program Phase 3 grants, designed to remove barriers via a safe space and provided childcare; about 25 women attended despite cold, wet weather. Dr. Quade explains translating soil science into accessible language, building women’s confidence to participate in farm decision-making, and myth-busting around buying inputs without measuring, emphasizing soil tests and targeted use of fertilizer. Practical signs and activities include digging, assessing structure, infiltration and pH, and smelling soil for microbial activity. They connect soil health to wellbeing and profitability, note global pressures from rising input costs, and share upcoming workshops, soil test subsidies, and contact details. Links & Resources Landcare Australia: https://landcareaustralia.org.au/ Find or Register a Group: https://landcareaustralia.org.au/find-a-group/ Learn how to Get Involved with Landcare here: https://youtu.be/3s74Lvmlutk 💕 Support Our Partners THANK YOU TO OUR PODCAST SPONSORS! Farm Table – Your online hub for all things ag, connecting farmers with resources, events, and opportunities. Check them out at https://farmtable.com.au/ Book Box - Use code Fabulous15 for a special discount at checkout! Start your next chapter here → https://bookbox.au/ Email us - [email protected] SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEWSELTTER: https://tr.ee/qd6wlKKB1W 00:27 Meet Danielle01:06 Meet Aurelie01:42 Talk Dirty Workshop Origins03:03 Removing Barriers for Women04:53 Making Soil Health Simple06:00 Confidence at the Farm Table08:24 Myth Busting and Measuring09:31 Paddock Tests You Can Do10:38 Soil Health and Worry12:26 Global Trends and Profitability15:22 Inputs and Smart Decisions16:55 Next Steps Soil Testing17:46 Urban Rural Storytelling19:46 Simple Signs and Smell Test22:22 Farms as Complex Systems23:51 Why Workshops Feel Safe25:59 How to Get Involved

In episode 81 of Ag Absolutely Fabulous, Gillian and Katja share updates including a new AgFab merchandise drop (limited-run pink and blue T-shirts via an Etsy shop, with hats and larger stickers planned) and talk about recent travel, rain (about 16 mm), and road conditions on the Stuart Highway. Katja recaps the National Shorthorn Sale in Dubbo, noting seasonal uncertainty and El Niño concerns, with 38 of 39 bulls sold averaging $9,846 and a $36,000 top. Gillian discusses a Farmers for Climate Action panel on “energy sovereignty,” describing their off-grid setup reducing diesel use from 110,000 litres to about 30–40, and a proposal to cap large miners’ fuel rebate to fund farmer energy upgrades. They promote HarvestHer Power’s 2027 Adelaide residential event, seeking speakers, sponsors, and registrations, and mention South Australia election postal-vote failures and a carcass jigsaw model from the SA Heifer Show. Links & Resources Landcare Australia: https://landcareaustralia.org.au/ Find or Register a Group: https://landcareaustralia.org.au/find-a-group/ Learn how to Get Involved with Landcare here: https://youtu.be/3s74Lvmlutk 💕 Support Our Partners THANK YOU TO OUR PODCAST SPONSORS! Farm Table – Your online hub for all things ag, connecting farmers with resources, events, and opportunities. Check them out at https://farmtable.com.au/ Book Box - Use code Fabulous15 for a special discount at checkout! Start your next chapter here → https://bookbox.au/ Email us - [email protected] SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEWSELTTER: https://tr.ee/qd6wlKKB1W 00:38 IKEA inspired declutter 03:37 Road trip and rain 04:57 Wildflowers and grazing 06:47 AgFab merch drop 09:28 Shorthorn National recap 13:56 Farmers for Climate panel 23:26 Harvest Her Power callout 27:17 What is Harvest Her Power 30:04 Bus trip and Priscilla idea 32:20 SA election postal vote mess 35:09 Carcass puzzle and butchery chat

It's a Q&A episode! Gillian and Katja answer your questions, straight up, no notes prepared. 💇‍♀️ Gillian's hair saga — the perm that never was, the toner-covered mishap, and the new Dame Edna glasses 🧊 What's really under the iceberg — Katja on why every project takes longer than you think, and Gillian on why she plans nothing and just makes it happen 😅 Our biggest "oh sh*t" moment since starting the podcast (spoiler: we haven't had one — yet) 👩‍🌾 If we could sit down with one woman in ag, dead or alive — Gillian wants the women who crossed the Blue Mountains in petticoats and built a life from nothing; Katja just wants more real conversations with the women already doing the work today 🤝 Where we actually disagree — homesteading, raw milk, and Gillian's very firm stance on microplastics 🏙️ What we wish city people understood about agriculture — the skill it actually takes, and the fact that most farming families aren't wealthy 📖 The wildest listener story we've received — a nurse turned newspaper editor turned dance school founder turned kelpie stud owner and children's book author. Yes, really. 🎙️ Plus: the true story of how Agsolutely Fabulous got its name (hint: a stranger on Twitter came up with it) 💕 Support Our Partners THANK YOU TO OUR PODCAST SPONSORS! Farm Table – Your online hub for all things ag, connecting farmers with resources, events, and opportunities. Check them out at https://farmtable.com.au/ Book Box - Use code Fabulous15 for a special discount at checkout! Start your next chapter here → https://bookbox.au/ Email us - [email protected] Subscribe to the newsletter: https://tr.ee/qd6wlKKB1W #AgsolutelyFabulous

Back from Adelaide and straight into it — this week Gillian and Katja tackle two of the biggest issues rippling through rural Australia right now. 💰 The 30% "Death Tax" — what the proposed capital gains changes actually mean for farm succession, family trusts, and multi-generational businesses (and why talking to your accountant has never been more urgent) 👮 New Police Powers Over Livestock — proposed NSW laws that could let authorities treat your entire farm like a crime scene during a livestock seizure, and why Gillian and Katja think the real fix is training, not more power 🎉 Adelaide Recap — how the live event went, and why more live recordings might be on the cards 🌾 Harvest Her Power 2027 — the conference is moving to Adelaide, and here's what's coming: expressions of interest for attendees, presenters, and goodie bag donations Plus: superannuation and unrealised capital gains, why "don't take financial advice from TikTok" needs to be said out loud, and what actually happens when a working dog or breeding bull looks "too skinny" to someone who's never worked livestock. 💕 Support Our Partners THANK YOU TO OUR PODCAST SPONSORS! Farm Table – Your online hub for all things ag, connecting farmers with resources, events, and opportunities. Check them out at https://farmtable.com.au/ Book Box - Use code Fabulous15 for a special discount at checkout! Start your next chapter here → https://bookbox.au/ Email us - [email protected] Subscribe to the newsletter: https://tr.ee/qd6wlKKB1W #AgsolutelyFabulous

This week Gillian and Katja cover a genuinely varied lineup — from country show controversies to national policy debates. 🏆 Show Judging Drama — a noxious weed wins the "native flora" photography category at a local show, sparking a debate about who's actually responsible: the steward or the judge? 📺 Gillian Joins the ABC Advisory Panel — what it actually involves, why she's excited about bringing a rural voice to the table, and how you can have input too 🥾 Gumboot Recommendations — an Ag Fab's Bogs gumboot recommendation for the dairy farmers out there 👩‍👧 Stay-at-Home Mums: Short-Term vs Long-Term — the real financial cost of stepping out of the workforce, the superannuation gap it creates, and why Gillian reckons a stay-at-home parent's work is worth around $250k a year 🗣️ The Debate Over the Legal Definition of "Woman" — Gillian and Katja share their thoughts on the current national conversation, following the Giggle v Tickle case and recent political commentary 💕 Support Our Partners THANK YOU TO OUR PODCAST SPONSORS! Farm Table – Your online hub for all things ag, connecting farmers with resources, events, and opportunities. Check them out at https://farmtable.com.au/ Book Box - Use code Fabulous15 for a special discount at checkout! Start your next chapter here → https://bookbox.au/ Email us - [email protected] Subscribe to the newsletter: https://tr.ee/qd6wlKKB1W #AgsolutelyFabulous

Episode 76 of Agsolutely Fabulous is a Q&A with Gillian and Katja, including updates on Gillian’s possible trip south and concerns about flight cancellations, and plans for a live recording at the Duke of Brunswick Hotel (a fully gluten-free venue) featuring a bespoke non-alcoholic cocktail, merch, and possible discounted nearby accommodation. They answer why it’s important for young people to work off their home station—highlighting independence, professional workplace structure, broader agricultural exposure, networking, boundaries, and avoiding assumed knowledge. They discuss hard moments on farm, focusing on overwhelm, mental load, safety anxiety, and feeling dismissed by outsiders, and suggest checking in and listening without immediately offering solutions. They share what meeting them in person is like, clarify “farm” vs “station,” and compare gumboot options, sock strategies, and wet-weather footwear. Links & Resources Landcare Australia: https://landcareaustralia.org.au/ Find or Register a Group: https://landcareaustralia.org.au/find-a-group/ Learn how to Get Involved with Landcare here: https://youtu.be/3s74Lvmlutk 💕 Support Our Partners THANK YOU TO OUR PODCAST SPONSORS! Farm Table – Your online hub for all things ag, connecting farmers with resources, events, and opportunities. Check them out at https://farmtable.com.au/ Book Box - Use code Fabulous15 for a special discount at checkout! Start your next chapter here → https://bookbox.au/ Email us - [email protected] SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEWSELTTER: https://tr.ee/qd6wlKKB1W

Title: High Tech on the Farm: How Drones Are Transforming Landcare It’s episode 75 of Agsolutely Fabulous! Today, Gillian and Katja kick off the third in their Landcare series, featuring Three Rivers Landcare coordinator Carmel Bundy and drone survey pilot Ben Watts. They discuss how drones are used less as a novelty and more as a tool to collect objective, high-resolution mapping data, including 3D models and plant health maps, to benchmark ground cover and land condition over time and help landholders communicate stewardship to stakeholders. Carmel explains the project began through ag skill funding and quickly filled, leading to a second course that trained 27 Landcare members of diverse ages. Ben describes 15 years of agricultural drone use, benefits for safety and coverage, early stress detection 7–10 days before visible symptoms, and targeted treatment to reduce chemical use and support sustainability. Learn More About Landcare: Landcare Australia is a national, independent not-for-profit established in 1989. For over 35 years, it has led community and corporate engagement in environmental conservation and sustainable land management, helping protect Australia’s land, water, soils, plants, animals, and ecosystems. The organisation supports Landcare groups and partners through funding, on-ground project delivery, capacity-building, and knowledge sharing, while also managing large-scale restoration initiatives like the Landcare CarbonSMART program. Working alongside a network of 6,000 groups and more than 100,000 volunteers, Landcare Australia strengthens biodiversity, restores landscapes, and builds resilience in food and farming systems. As climate change and environmental challenges intensify, its focus remains on innovation, partnerships, and empowering the next generation—including stronger engagement with First Nations communities. Links & Resources Landcare Australia: https://landcareaustralia.org.au/ Find or Register a Group: https://landcareaustralia.org.au/find-a-group/ Learn how to Get Involved with Landcare here: https://youtu.be/3s74Lvmlutk 💕 Support Our Partners THANK YOU TO OUR PODCAST SPONSORS! Farm Table – Your online hub for all things ag, connecting farmers with resources, events, and opportunities. Check them out at https://farmtable.com.au/ Book Box - Use code Fabulous15 for a special discount at checkout! Start your next chapter here → https://bookbox.au/ Email us - [email protected] SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEWSELTTER: https://tr.ee/qd6wlKKB1W