What happens when you step outside your own patch and spend time learning from some of the best operators in agriculture?
2026 Australian Zanda McDonald Award winner Bryce Neyland joins Oli after completing his mentoring trips across New Zealand and Australia. Bryce shares what he learned about risk, resilience, investment and leadership, and why seeing how other businesses operate has challenged the way he thinks about his own career and family farming business.
Importantly, Bryce didn’t win the first time he applied. He reflects on what changed between applications, the value of getting clear on where you want to go, and why sometimes the best thing you can do is put your hand up and have another crack.
In this episode:
- What Bryce learned travelling through Australian and New Zealand agriculture
- Why New Zealand challenged his thinking about productivity and getting more from what you have
- What resilient Australian farming businesses do differently
- How leading businesses think about investment, risk and long-term decision-making
- Why Bryce is now thinking differently about planning for tough seasons on the family farm
- Learning to expect pressure rather than being surprised by it
- Why getting outside your own "sandbox" matters for personal and professional growth
- What changed between Bryce's first unsuccessful Zanda application and ultimately winning the Award
- Why the alumni network may be one of the Award's greatest opportunities
- Bryce's advice for anyone considering putting their hand up
Applications for the Zanda McDonald Award are open from 1 October to 31 October 2026.
If you’re involved in agriculture, want to keep learning and are curious about where you could take your career, Bryce’s advice is pretty simple: get your application in and have a crack.
Chapters00:00 Introduction to Bryce Neyland and the Zanda McDonald Award
01:37 Catching up after the New Zealand and Australian mentoring trips
04:12 New Zealand productivity versus Australian resilience
06:16 How great businesses think about investment and risk
08:18 Bringing the lessons back to the farm and boardroom
10:46 Lightbulb moments and learning to expect pressure
12:08 What successful dryland farming businesses taught Bryce
13:52 Why apply for the Zanda McDonald Award?
18:01 What changed between Bryce's two applications
19:24 Bryce's advice to future applicants
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