Australia’s chicken meat industry is a star performer of Australian agriculture with retail value of around $6.6 billion and employing more than 58,000 people. So how does an industry like that take its game to the next level? In this episode of Unearthed, we discover how the team at AgriFutures has taken a leaf out of the elite sports coaching manual as part of a new approach to chicken meat research.

The final episode in our three-part series celebrating 25 years of the Rural Women's Award, is a special one-on-one interview between AgriFutures Chair, Cathy McGowan and our host Michael Thomson. As one of the changemakers of rural Australia, Cathy shares her personal insights into the evolution of the award, the challenges faced by rural women in gaining recognition and taking a more prominent role in Australian agriculture, and the ongoing challenges to realising their full potential.

Unearthed continues the celebration of 25 Years of the Rural Women’s Award by delving into the next chapter of its the evolution. After emerging from the shadows in the previous episode, leading rural women are now in the spotlight and facing new and unexpected challenges. Through the use of design thinking, new support networks and alumni connections are created resulting in greater collaboration and diversity in the agricultural workforce. Looking ahead, the conversation envisions a future where the award continues to empower women and expand its reach within rural communities.

In part one of Unearthed’s special three-part series celebrating 25 years of the Rural Women’s Award, we go back to where it all began and discover the challenges facing women in rural Australia in the 1980s and ‘90s. Featuring interviews with Jeanette Long, Lisa Palu and Edwina Clowes, the episode explores how they were motivated to bring the contribution of women to agriculture and rural communities out of the shadows and into the spotlight, and how the Award has empowered women within the agricultural sector.

Episode 2 of AgriFutures new look podcast Unearthed, delves into the hives of Australia’s European honeybee population and the impact of the varroa mite on both the beekeeping industry and the crops that depend on pollination. To help keep track of varroa’s spread, and stay ahead of emerging pests and disease challenges, an early warning system in the form of an annual Colony Loss Survey as been implemented as part of the National Varroa Transition to Management Program, managed by the Australian Honey Bee Industry Council with support from AgriFutures Honey Bee & Pollination Program. Find out what the first Col Loss survey has revealed about the health and threats to our hives on Unearthed: The people changing Australian agriculture.

We’re off to the races in episode one of AgriFutures' new-look podcast, Unearthed: The people changing Australian agriculture, to find the people who’ve changed Australia’s racing industry using new research into Thoroughbred respiratory conditions.

Join host Michael Thomson as he unearths the farmers, scientists and big characters changing Australian agriculture in this new series from AgriFutures Australia.