Farm life can sometimes be romanticized, with the wide open spaces, animals and the freedom to do what you want. You might love the bush and your community…but are you actually happy?

There are many factors that influence our wellbeing. This includes how well the business is running financially, farm succession (including whether it has been worked out or not) and your experiences of drought and natural disaster (including how many times you’ve been impacted). Then of course, all of these factors intersect. So, that’s why we’re looking at these issues altogether.

Hear from:

*Alice Byrnes - Family lawyer and Co-Director at Cheney Suthers Lawyers. She shares her own personal experience of growing up, when her grandparents died unexpectedly, without a clear plan for what would happen to the farm.

*Prof. Jacki Schermer - lead researcher on the Regional Wellbeing Survey team at the University of Canberra. Her research has found that happiness in rural areas has gone down recently.

There are big and sometimes difficult conversations that need to be had when working with family on the farm.

This episode will remind you why it’s so important to have them… and have them often enough to keep up with the inevitable changes and unpredictable events that come with life on the land.

Resources:

• From Crisis to Clarity Report: Proactive and Collaborative Farm Succession - Cheney Suthers Lawyers
• The Regional Wellbeing 2025 survey is open to responses now!

Interested in sponsoring the NEXT season of Ducks on the Pond? Let us know! Email: kirsten@ruralpodcastingco.com

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There’s a perception that rural healthcare means second-best or second-rate. Whereas the opposite is actually true. Rural medical students often out-perform their city-based counterparts on standardised tests. Most rural patients are better off being treated closer to home in their rural location (unless they have a very rare condition). And rural medical practices can often be better at adopting new technologies because of their smaller, more agile teams.

So why then, is it so difficult to attract and retain doctors, nurses and other health care professionals to rural and regional areas?

Hear from:

Dr Bridget Clancy - Ear, nose and throat surgeon based near Warrnambool, VIC and Chair of the Rural Surgery section at the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons .

Rebecca Bradshaw - child health nurse and founder of Rural Child Health, based in Jackson, QLD

In this episode we dive into some of the systemic issues from the housing and childcare crises, to sexism in the medical profession. But we also look at what we as individuals and rural communities can do better to help make health professionals feel welcomed and supported.

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Regional Australia has always been at the frontline for energy innovation and delivery. Sure, it's the politicians in the cities that talk about a transition, but it's in our backyard that these projects actually happen.

Some renewables, such as wind, seem to be particularly controversial in a few parts of the country right now. This episode is not diving into that. Instead, it’s looking at how we design renewable energy projects, to ensure farmers and communities have the value of renewables delivered back to them. This includes exploring how renewable could offset farm emissions, to demanding more from big companies to provide long term support to a community, in areas that will make a difference.

Guests:

• Karin Stark - Cotton Farmer in Narromine, NSW and founder of the National Renewables in Agriculture Conference.
• Susan Findlay-Tickner - Grain Grower near Horsham, VIC, who is part of a wind farm project.

So if you’re curious about renewables, from solar, to hydro, wind and even bio energy, we dive into how to assess whether it’s a good investment for your farm, what questions you should be asking and how to work together as a community.

Also, the National Renewables in Agriculture Conference is coming up on 23 July, in Bendigo.

This episode is sponsored by ByCC Fine Jewellery, thank you for your support. And there’s a special promo for listeners!

This is a Rural Podcasting Co. production - we help you tell your own story.

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There's sometimes a feeling in agriculture, that “climate” and “climate action” is a dirty word. Despite ‘the weather’ being every farmer’s favourite topic, the word “climate” can be seen as divisive. And you'd certainly better not talk about “climate action!”

However, this episode’s guest is not afraid of “climate action”… and also wants the best for farmers. The two aren't mutually exclusive.

Natalie Collard is the CEO of Farmers for Climate Action. She's been in the job for a couple of years now, but the group itself started 10 years ago as a growing voice for farmers who wanted to be able to talk about the realities of climate change, while also advocating for farmers.

FCA has steadily grown and is now holding its first National Summit in Canberra, called Farming Forever, on September 1- 3.

In this episode, Natalie talks about why FCA began and how farmers can be better recognized and incentivized for the simple practice changes (that many of us have already made). We also talk about the political mix we're facing in the Federal Parliament, after a resounding Labor win.

We also touch on ‘the climate guilts’ - that feeling some of us have that we could be doing more to be cleaner and greener. But why is it okay to just take it one step at a time!

GIVEAWAY! Listen to the episode to get the promo code, then head to the Ducks on the Pond website. (THIS GIVEAWAY RUNS FROM 19/6/2025 - 14/7/2025)

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It can be a hard case to argue… that your children should be subsidised to attend a private boarding school. But when you live in rural and remote Australia, boarding school is really the only option.

The Federal Government doesn’t fund state boarding schools (and you could only imagine the expense if they did). So if you are running a farm 600 kilometres away from the nearest high school, your only option is an expensive private school or distance education. But how many teenagers do you know, want to hang out with their Mum and Dad all the time?

Yes, some farmers can draw down on their land assets to help afford private schooling. But what about the wage earners in town? Many of them are forced to leave small towns, so their children can go to school in the cities. This has a huge knock-on effect for rural communities. So is there a way to make it easier for everyone?

Hear from:

*Louise Martin - President, Isolated Children’s Parent’s Association. Louise lives on a sheep and cattle property 30km from Tambo, in QLD. She is the mother of twins.

*Alana Moller - lives on a cattle station in central, west of Clermont, QLD. She is the mother of children at boarding school.

Louise and Alana share the realities of what it’s like to send your children to boarding school. From the fees, to the restrictions… and simply not being able to see your child every morning. These mothers share it all.

Follow Ducks on the Pond on Instagram. Like this podcast? Check out Two Smart Blondes and Town Criers. This is a Rural Podcasting Co. producton.

Want to contact us? Email: kirsten@ruralpodcastingco.com

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For too long, we as a society have dealt with the loss of a baby, by almost pretending he or she didn’t exist. But for the mother, that baby is always with her. The love is the same as it would be for any child; it’s just as strong and fierce.

But the grief is unique. The grief is for the baby they love, but also the future they never got to have. This can then be compounded by a healthcare system that doesn’t always assist grieving mothers in the way that’s needed.

In this special episode of Ducks of the Pond, we hear individual stories of grieving and baby loss, as well as a collective response from a group of Warrnambool mothers, who call themselves “the Electric Eight”. It’s a support group that started forming 13 years ago, for mothers whose babies have died.

You’ll hear the voices of:

• Louise Murrihy - Mother of 3 who is speaking on behalf of the Electric Eight. She lost her first born son, Max. She’s based in Warrnambool, VIC
• Rochelle Olsen - Mother of 3 who founded The Baby Loss Mentor. She lost her first born son, Edward. She’s a pharmacist, based in Hillston, NSW

This collective response is so valuable, because it’s a reminder that we all grieve differently - and that mothers who have lost a baby have different needs at different times. You’ll gain insight how a mother might be feeling and how to best support her as a friend, family member or co-worker.

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We get to design some of the chapters of our life… but others we don’t. Ashley Molloy has been a police officer, worked in marketing, built her own home and now designs jewellery. Each chapter seems very different on face value. But Ashley sees her life as a continuity of growth; in skills, experience and understanding what’s right for each chapter of life.

Her most difficult chapter was the unexpected loss of her daughter, who was stillborn. It was in this Chapter where Ashley learned courage, acceptance and perspective about what really matters in life.

Ashley is now channeling her passion into a new Australian gold jewellery business, ByCC Fine Jewellery. Her aim is to align her values with a business that supports other rural women.

Ashley’s business ByCC Fine Jewellery is also the sponsor of this season of Ducks on the Pond. Thank you Ashley!

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We are hearing more and more about the use of agtech for precision farming tech, for water level monitoring, soil carbon accounting, and so much more. So where do you even start? And is it even worth the time and effort?

In this episode we look at how you can better engage with these emerging technologies - whether that’s on farm, as an investor, or getting involved in the industry itself. In the future, we can also expect more regulations around sustainability, whether that’s in the form of carbon accounting or another form of environmental governance. So should we be getting ready now?

To discuss, we have two industry leaders:

• Ebony Greaves - CEO of Sea Oak Consulting, which helps agriculture businesses transition to more climate resilient practices. Ebony is based in Victoria’s High Country.
  
  
• Sarah Nolet - CEO and co-founder of Tenacious Ventures, an agrifood venture capital firm and advisory in climate resilient systems.

We also have some very frank discussions about the role of women in driving this change. Let's face it, when you get the technology industry mixed with the agriculture industry…. you generally get a lot of men. So, how can we, as women, get more involved to even up the scale?

This episode is hosted by Kirsten Diprose.

This is a Rural Podcasting Co. production. Love this podcast? You might also like: Two Smart Blondes and Town Criers.

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