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In this episode, Jake sits down with West Coast farmer Jim Evans to talk about the journey of building a farming business from the ground up. After starting out in contracting—running spray rigs, headers and trucks across the country—Jim made the move into farming in 2000 following the ’99 drought.

Over the past 25 years, he and his wife Janet have steadily grown their operation to around 35,000 acres of cropping, a mix of owned and leased land across the Upper Eyre Peninsula.

In this practical conversation, Jim shares how long-term planning, disciplined decision-making and careful cost management have helped the business navigate rising input prices and the challenges of farming in a marginal environment. They also discuss machinery replacement strategies, the role of lentils in the rotation, and how recent rainfall is shaping decisions as the new season approaches.

It’s a grounded look at the mindset, planning and risk management needed to run a large cropping operation in today’s farming landscape.

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After a welcome burst of rain across the Eyre Peninsula, the Riskwi$e Podcast is back for 2026. In this episode, Jake Giles sits down with third-generation farmer Andrew Watson to talk about what it really takes to farm in a marginal environment.

Andrew runs a mixed farming operation of around 15,000 acres of cropping alongside a growing feedlot enterprise — a shift that has helped the business navigate tough seasons, rising input costs and volatile grain prices. With some significant rainfall recently falling across the region, the conversation explores how that moisture could shape decisions heading into seeding.

From machinery costs and changing farm economics to soil moisture, livestock opportunities and sticking to a seasonal plan, Andrew shares practical insights from decades of farming experience. The discussion also touches on the realities of risk in agriculture and the difficult balance farmers face when making decisions in an unpredictable climate.

If you want a grounded, honest look at farming in one of EP's more challenging environments, this episode offers valuable perspective from someone who’s lived it.

Produced as part of the GRDC-funded Riskwi$e project.

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