A Conversation With Two Australian Farmers, the Fertiliser Shock and the Future of the Family Farm

Fresh from the fiftieth birthday party and Cereals, we sit down with two farmers who have come a very long way to be here, brothers David and Ed Cox from Western Australia. With one of them due to fly home within the hour, we take the chance to talk honestly about what farming looks like on the other side of the world, and how many of the same pressures are being felt everywhere. We get into the global fertiliser and fuel shock and how war and wider disruption have hit supply and pricing, the extraordinary story of clearing five thousand acres of failed carbon scheme woodland to build a farm at Esperance, and the big question hanging over agriculture in both countries, whether the family farm can survive rising land values, capital gains tax and succession, or whether the future is corporate. We also talk through a major shift in their business, cutting back on wheat and pushing livestock towards half of the operation, and share some honest and at times provocative views on commodity prices, whether the world really needs to grow more food, and where farming goes from here. From global markets to the future of the family farm, this is an honest conversation behind the scenes of modern farming, on both sides of the world. 0:00 Intro 0:49 What's happening in Australia 1:13 The fertiliser and nitrogen shock 2:31 How Australian fertiliser supply works 6:22 Clearing the trees to build a farm 10:13 Splitting the family business 15:42 Two brothers, two businesses 17:00 Land values, capital gains tax and succession 19:18 Is this the end of the family farm? 21:32 Plateaued yields and a fertiliser tax 24:39 Are we really growing too much food? 26:33 The Monday fertiliser scramble 27:46 The fuel supply worry 31:12 Cutting wheat, doubling livestock 35:18 The protein debate 36:43 Excited by the challenge, or adjusting? 43:04 Good rains and the season ahead Contact: Email: [email protected] #Farming #Agriculture #FarmingUK #AustralianFarming #AusFarming #FamilyFarm #Fertiliser #Livestock #Dairy #FarmingPodcast #GlobalFarming #ArableFarming #FarmLife #Harvest2026 #PXFarms Thank you for watching and supporting our farming journey! Don’t forget to like, comment, and share this video! Your support helps us bring you more content from the farm.