In Episode 22 of the 4Farmers Podcast, Bill Crabtree sits down with Professor Wallace Cowling, one of Western Australia’s most respected plant breeders, to explore the science and history behind lupins, canola and modern crop breeding.

Wallace shares how his career took him from Melbourne and the United States to the WA Department of Agriculture, where he worked alongside renowned agricultural scientist John Gladstones. He reflects on the discoveries that helped domesticate lupins, the changing role of legumes in farming systems and the long-term breeding programs that brought better-adapted canola varieties to the WA wheatbelt.

The conversation also tackles common misconceptions about hybrid and genetically modified crops, explains how herbicide-tolerant canola transformed weed control and crop rotations, and explores the importance of maintaining genetic diversity for future farming conditions.

Drawing on a lifetime of research, Professor Wallace Cowling leaves young agricultural scientists with one enduring piece of advice: talk to farmers, understand their problems and ensure research delivers practical value in the paddock.

Rob Delane has spent much of his career at the heart of Western Australian agriculture, from early research in the Ord River and Geraldton to senior leadership in the Department of Agriculture and major roles in Australian biosecurity.

In this episode, Bill Crabtree and Rob revisit the evolution of WA farming, including the early days of lupin and grain research, deep ripping, no-till adoption, collaboration between farmers, researchers and agribusiness, and the sometimes heated debates that came with agricultural change.

Rob also reflects on leading the Department of Agriculture through major restructuring, the development of Australia's biosecurity systems, and why he believes the future of agricultural R&D may require greater direct leadership from growers themselves.

A fascinating conversation about the people, disagreements, decisions and innovations that helped shape modern Western Australian agriculture.

In EP 20 of Bill Crabtree’s conversation with Geoff Fosbery, they explore the challenges, weaknesses and opportunities shaping modern Western Australian agriculture.

Drawing on more than four decades of experience, Geoff explains why diversity is essential to building resilient farming systems and why repeatedly relying on the same crops, herbicides and management practices will eventually create problems.

The conversation covers crop rotation, herbicide resistance, ryegrass competition, early sowing, soil acidity, lime and gypsum, no-till farming, regenerative agriculture and the emerging potential of lentils in Western Australia.

Geoff also shares practical lessons from his career as a technical farm consultant, including why getting a crop established ahead of the weeds can sometimes be more valuable than simply increasing seeding rates.

It is a wide-ranging conversation filled with practical agronomy insights, farming history and important lessons for the future of Australian agriculture.