#74: Grass, Cattle & Customers: Building an Ag Businesses with Charlie Thurgate Artwork

A Place to Call Home | Stories from Australian Agriculture

A Place to Call Home, hosted by Sam Fryer, is a podcast for the next generation of Australian primary producers, sharing the stories, lessons and insights from people building a life on the land.

Through honest conversations with farmers, industry leaders and rural entrepreneurs, each episode explores the journeys behind agriculture — the successes, the challenges, and the decisions that shape life in rural Australia.

Guests share first-hand experiences from across the industry, along with practical knowledge to help guide those looking to build their future in agriculture and find a place to call home.

Whether you're already farming, looking to return to the land, or simply passionate about the future of Australian agriculture, this podcast is here to support the journey.

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A Place to Call Home | Stories from Australian Agriculture

#74: Grass, Cattle & Customers: Building an Ag Businesses with Charlie Thurgate

February 14, 2026 • A Place to Call Home Group • Season 7 • Episode 2

0:00 | 1:04:51

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G’day and welcome to the A Place to Call Home Podcast.

In this episode, I’m joined by Charlie Thurgate, a 24-year-old cattle producer based in Tamworth, New South Wales — and someone who genuinely wears a lot of hats.

Charlie’s story is one of resilience, responsibility, and having a crack. From stepping into management at a young age, to building his own trucking business, surviving a serious accident, and rebuilding from the ground up — Charlie has packed a lot into his early twenties.

Today, he’s building Kamilaroi Cattle Company, a paddock-to-plate beef business grounded in regenerative principles, while also growing Element Agri, a mineral business supplying livestock and soil health products across Australia — all while continuing to learn, trial, and refine his systems.

What stood out most in this conversation is Charlie’s level of perspective and wisdom for someone his age. He’s thoughtful, open about mistakes, and deeply committed to building systems that work with the land, not against it.

This is a practical, honest conversation about regenerative agriculture, genetics, business, and what it really takes to build something from scratch in agriculture.

In this episode, we chat about: