July 23, 2025 • 4 mins
Our Australian correspondent on drought-breaking rain in the south, pasture pests taking over, the lifting of the US beef ban and the second Lions Test at the MCG.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Here's our Ossie correspondent, Chris Russell, based out of Sydney,
born and bred in South Australia, Adelaide, Chris ad spein
in a crippling drought and I'm talking about the southern
part of Australia that's about to change this week or
this weekend.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
Yeah, well that's right. They're expecting the heaviest rain and
snow in years, to quote the paper this morning, for
Southern Australia bringing drought relief. We've been waiting for it
for a long time. I've had cousins down in South
Australia dry sowing crops and you know, no one knew
which way to turn. But we're looking at a massive
(00:34):
amount of rain over a huge percentage of Australia, probably
widespread rain covering. Maybe looking at the weather map here,
sixty percent of Australia, maybe even more is going to
get good rain this weekend over fifty mils. The snow
season looks like it's going to be amazing. They're they're
really expecting a big drop of snow as well. So
(00:54):
I think we're in hope that maybe the drought is
over down there, and my goodness, they need follow up
of course, as always, but that's a very welcome relief, Jamie.
Speaker 1 (01:04):
Lamb prices keep setting new records every week now up
to now up to a whopping four hundred and sixty
dollars per head. How big were those lambs?
Speaker 2 (01:14):
Yeah? Absolutely, I mean normally I don't keep repeating stories
each week, but I mean every week I come in
with another record. This one was said at Forbes this week,
thirty three lambs selling of four hundred and sixty dollars
a head. That's a lot of money for a lamb.
Mind you, when you look at them, they are big lambs.
But we've had big lamb records down in Tasmania, in Ballarat,
(01:35):
all over the place. So I guess the concern now
is we want to have a heck of a good
spring or we're going to be pretty short of lambs
when that comes about. Then, because everybody is putting all
their sheep on the market, the overseas market seems almost
insatiable at the moment, Jamie.
Speaker 1 (01:51):
Now, and it doesn't help that some of that pastoral
land that you want to grow or breed some lambs
on as being overtaken by kangaroo's goats and eat news No, and.
Speaker 2 (02:01):
This is a real concern because very limited in how
many you can shoot or get a license to cull.
But you know, if you've got forty thousand kangaroos running
around on your property, you get the professional shooter in.
He might knock off sixty five a night, but you
know that's not even going to make a dent. So
there are farmers actually stocking some of their land in
(02:22):
West New South Wales because that the feed is just
disappearing under the weight of native animals that are moving
into that area. And I think we're going to see
more of that, although this rain, if it now becomes
pretty general, that maybe will spread them back out again.
But at the moment, goats which they can't haven't got
enough killing capacity to get more taken off. EMUs and
(02:44):
kangaroos which are all protected, and the prices are low anyway,
it's a real challenge for the farmers.
Speaker 1 (02:50):
Jamy Australia has lifted it's US beef band is this
elbow folding?
Speaker 2 (02:55):
Well, this is the question. I think I've said to
you before that the US beef was never banned and
it was just that they couldn't tell us which us
beef actually came from the US and which had been
brought in earlier from Mexico and other places. We still
have foot in mouth disease prevalent. Now it sounds like
the Americans have given more assurances about being able to
trace their beef, and that sounds like where this has
(03:17):
come from. But of course everyone over here is screaming
that we're folding and we're trying to get good brownie
points with Trump and so on. We'll just see what happens.
I think even it's academic to a large degree, Jamie,
because to be honest, US beef ain't ever going to
sell here other than some sort of boutiquey thing where
an American company might want to proclaim they're selling US beef.
(03:40):
But in terms of being competitive here, it's just not competitive.
So we're not going to see a kilo sold here
if it's down to general price. But psychologically, maybe it
is a giveaway we can, in a calculated way give
away in order to try and get some of these
other tariffs on things like pharmaceuticals deal and aluminium reduced, Jamie.
Speaker 1 (04:02):
Chris Russell, thanks for your time as always. Good luck
for that second Lions test. This weekend MCG sell out
one hundred thousand people. You got a chance.
Speaker 2 (04:13):
Look based on the second half, I hope we're going
to be competitive. It's all about confidence, Jamie. We didn't
have our confidence they did in.
Speaker 1 (04:20):
The first half.
Speaker 2 (04:21):
They walked all over us. If we can be expansive
with the ball, I'd love to see Tom Laoner back
getting the ball again. If he can do to do
his thing and get a bit more chance with the ball,
we've certainly got a chance. It'll be a good game.
Speaker 1 (04:34):
Don't hold your breath. See you next week.
Speaker 2 (04:36):
See mate,
Here's our Ossie correspondent, Chris Russell, based out of Sydney,
born and bred in South Australia, Adelaide, Chris ad spein
in a crippling drought and I'm talking about the southern
part of Australia that's about to change this week or
this weekend.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
Yeah, well that's right. They're expecting the heaviest rain and
snow in years, to quote the paper this morning, for
Southern Australia bringing drought relief. We've been waiting for it
for a long time. I've had cousins down in South
Australia dry sowing crops and you know, no one knew
which way to turn. But we're looking at a massive
(00:34):
amount of rain over a huge percentage of Australia, probably
widespread rain covering. Maybe looking at the weather map here,
sixty percent of Australia, maybe even more is going to
get good rain this weekend over fifty mils. The snow
season looks like it's going to be amazing. They're they're
really expecting a big drop of snow as well. So
(00:54):
I think we're in hope that maybe the drought is
over down there, and my goodness, they need follow up
of course, as always, but that's a very welcome relief, Jamie.
Speaker 1 (01:04):
Lamb prices keep setting new records every week now up
to now up to a whopping four hundred and sixty
dollars per head. How big were those lambs?
Speaker 2 (01:14):
Yeah? Absolutely, I mean normally I don't keep repeating stories
each week, but I mean every week I come in
with another record. This one was said at Forbes this week,
thirty three lambs selling of four hundred and sixty dollars
a head. That's a lot of money for a lamb.
Mind you, when you look at them, they are big lambs.
But we've had big lamb records down in Tasmania, in Ballarat,
(01:35):
all over the place. So I guess the concern now
is we want to have a heck of a good
spring or we're going to be pretty short of lambs
when that comes about. Then, because everybody is putting all
their sheep on the market, the overseas market seems almost
insatiable at the moment, Jamie.
Speaker 1 (01:51):
Now, and it doesn't help that some of that pastoral
land that you want to grow or breed some lambs
on as being overtaken by kangaroo's goats and eat news No, and.
Speaker 2 (02:01):
This is a real concern because very limited in how
many you can shoot or get a license to cull.
But you know, if you've got forty thousand kangaroos running
around on your property, you get the professional shooter in.
He might knock off sixty five a night, but you
know that's not even going to make a dent. So
there are farmers actually stocking some of their land in
(02:22):
West New South Wales because that the feed is just
disappearing under the weight of native animals that are moving
into that area. And I think we're going to see
more of that, although this rain, if it now becomes
pretty general, that maybe will spread them back out again.
But at the moment, goats which they can't haven't got
enough killing capacity to get more taken off. EMUs and
(02:44):
kangaroos which are all protected, and the prices are low anyway,
it's a real challenge for the farmers.
Speaker 1 (02:50):
Jamy Australia has lifted it's US beef band is this
elbow folding?
Speaker 2 (02:55):
Well, this is the question. I think I've said to
you before that the US beef was never banned and
it was just that they couldn't tell us which us
beef actually came from the US and which had been
brought in earlier from Mexico and other places. We still
have foot in mouth disease prevalent. Now it sounds like
the Americans have given more assurances about being able to
trace their beef, and that sounds like where this has
(03:17):
come from. But of course everyone over here is screaming
that we're folding and we're trying to get good brownie
points with Trump and so on. We'll just see what happens.
I think even it's academic to a large degree, Jamie,
because to be honest, US beef ain't ever going to
sell here other than some sort of boutiquey thing where
an American company might want to proclaim they're selling US beef.
(03:40):
But in terms of being competitive here, it's just not competitive.
So we're not going to see a kilo sold here
if it's down to general price. But psychologically, maybe it
is a giveaway we can, in a calculated way give
away in order to try and get some of these
other tariffs on things like pharmaceuticals deal and aluminium reduced, Jamie.
Speaker 1 (04:02):
Chris Russell, thanks for your time as always. Good luck
for that second Lions test. This weekend MCG sell out
one hundred thousand people. You got a chance.
Speaker 2 (04:13):
Look based on the second half, I hope we're going
to be competitive. It's all about confidence, Jamie. We didn't
have our confidence they did in.
Speaker 1 (04:20):
The first half.
Speaker 2 (04:21):
They walked all over us. If we can be expansive
with the ball, I'd love to see Tom Laoner back
getting the ball again. If he can do to do
his thing and get a bit more chance with the ball,
we've certainly got a chance. It'll be a good game.
Speaker 1 (04:34):
Don't hold your breath. See you next week.
Speaker 2 (04:36):
See mate,
Popular Podcasts
Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang
Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.