Our Business

2021 – Priag celebrated 30 years!!

For 27 years Priag Marketing was an acquisition agent for AWB in Northern NSW. In this role, Priag serviced growers from Willow Tree, up to Narrabri, out to Walgett and through to the Queensland border and all places in between. Since March 2017 Priag has been fully independent in representing the grower, rather than the buyer for their commodity marketing. Priag aligns themselves with buyers who we have had a long history with and who have robust balance sheets.

 

Priag assists growers with making informed marketing decisions on cotton, pulses and grain and then executing these decisions in a hassle free environment, for both the farmers and the buyers.

Priag Marketing can also assist growers with both summer and winter broad acre and cotton crop insurance on behalf of Crop Risk Underwriting, Australia wide.

 

Free Daily Market Report

Priag Marketing also provides a free daily market report for growers. In location please also include your job.

Meet Our Team

Kevin Schwager - Director

Kevin started Priag Marketing with his wife Mary-Ellen in July 1991. Kevin has long term domestic and international agricultural marketing experience, specialising in grain and cotton, in Australia, South East Asia and South America. Kevin has helped pioneer modern day marketing services to grain and cotton growers in Northern NSW especially in the areas of risk management, market assessment and contract execution.

Kevin has a Bachelor of Business degree with a Marketing Major and a Diploma in Market Research from the University of Southern Queensland.

Kevin is Tier 1 Financial Services Reform Act Accredited and is a former Registered Representative of the Sydney Futures Exchange. When Kevin isn’t at his desk, you could find him inspecting crops, visiting farmers and partaking in his own farming businesses.

Sally Bell - Crop Insurance Representative

Sally joined Priag Marketing in January 2025 as our Crop Insurance Representative. The key focus is on servicing the needs of clients across Australia for their Crop Insurance requirements for both winter and summer crops. Sally provides a professional and personalised approach to insurance and ensures quotes and policies are issued in a timely and proficient manner. Sally has a passion for being more involved in Australian Agriculture and providing farmers with solutions to support their business.

In the downtime of Crop Insurance Sally is busy assisting with office administration and assists Laurie with our Cotton program.

Sally is an Authorised Representative for Crop Insurance on behalf of CRU.

Outside of work Sally is a busy mum of four children (twins included) and enjoys spending time on their small farm outside of Narrabri.

Jessie Schwager - Commodity Broker

Jessie completed a Bachelor of Commerce with a Major in Marketing and Public Relations from the University of Notre Dame. Jessie joined Priag Marketing in December 2014. Jessie was living in Sydney and working in a Public Relations and Communications Agency when she decided a change to the country was due.

Jessie’s role at Priag Marketing is to assist growers with their marketing of grains, pulses and cotton as well as their Crop Insurance requirements. In 2016, Jessie attended the ACSA International Cotton Institute in Memphis.

Jessie is an Authorised Representative for Crop Insurance on behalf CRU and is accredited in Tier 1 Financial Services Reform Act.

Carly Baxter - Administration

 Carly Baxter is a Narrabri local and joined Priag in October, 2022 to coordinate our farm logistics and administration for harvest. After realising Carly was invaluable to the team she continued on and has handled not only our office administration but also takes control of our farm logistics and administration. 

At Priag, Carly is responsible for our administration. This role entails the monitoring of all our grain contract execution on behalf of buyers and sellers. Carly shares her time between our farming operation at harvest time and also in the office.

Outside of work Carly is an avid Narrabri Blue Boars Rugby 10’s and two time reigning premiership player of the Central North competition.. 

Laurie Sharp - Commodity Broker

Laurie has completed a Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Business Degree with a Major in Marketing from the University of New England. Laurie was previously employed by Priag Marketing for three and a half years from February 2011 until September 2014. Laurie left Priag Marketing and took up employment with a cotton company in Emerald. Laurie and her husband Jack have since returned to Narrabri and Laurie returned to Priag Marketing in March 2016. Laurie knows Northern NSW well having grown up in the Burren Junction area.

Laurie is an Authorised Representative for Crop Insurance on behalf of CRU.

Outside of work Laurie is kept busy with her two young boys and growing a budding vegie patch.

Jillian Foster – Administration and Finance Officer

Jillian has over 23 years experience in financial and administrative roles predominately in the agriculture and mining industries. Jillian has a Diploma of Accounting and Cert IV in Book Keeping. Jillian’s key skills centre around MYOB and Xero, MyHQ (SAP), M1 Software, CM9/HP Records Management and Microsoft Office. Jillian is responsible for all of Priag Marketing’s accounts, cashflow and financial recordings.

 

Outside of work Jillian has three children and is busy running their family logistics business.

Sarah McGrath - Pool Commercial & Risk Manager

Sarah is an agribusiness professional with a demonstrated history of working in commodity price risk management, commodity supply chains, strategic marketing, product development, financial services, compliance and agribusiness management. Having worked for some of the biggest national and international agribusiness and trading companies including Elders Limited, AWB Ltd and Cargill over the last 20 years Sarah is well placed to assist Priag in establishing the governance, systems, marketing and product development required for the Priag Pool.

Sarah’s formal qualifications include a Bachelor of Rural Science and Masters in Applied Finance and Investment.

Mary-Ellen Schwager - Director

Mary-Ellen formed Priag Marketing with Kevin in July 1991. Mary-Ellen has extensive experience in administration having obtained administration qualifications from St Patrick’s Business College, Sydney.

In 2024, Mary-Ellen stepped back from her role within the business, however remains a director of the company.

 

Meet Our Farm Team 

Zac Sketchley - Farm Overseer

Zac is Farm Overseer on the farms ‘Melburra’ and ‘Wentworth’ which trades as JKG Pastoral Co.

Zac was born at Inverell and spent most of his formative years in Sydney. After completing secondary education the pull to agriculture beckoned and he relocated to Narrabri. To date Zac’s experience has centred on the irrigation industry. Qualified as a shop fitter, Zac also has accreditation with multi combination truck licence, advanced chemical certification, elevated work platform, forklift and crane licences. Zac is well qualified in the use of planting equipment, spray rigs and harvesters and machinery maintenance.

Trent Burey - Farm Overseer

Trent is Farm Overseer on the farms ‘Roma Station’ and ‘Myalls’ which trades as Roma Ag Pty Limited. 

Trent comes from a rural background having grown up on a farm at Glen Innes. Trent has qualifications across a wide range of agricultural spheres including Certificates 2 and 3, First Aid, Firearms, Multi Combination Driving Licence and Chemcert. He has capability across all farm machinery and servicing. Trent has responsibility for co-ordinating the activities of all contractors coming onto Roma Ag and the production and harvesting of crops. Trent’s most recent role was as Assistant Manager of the Lawson Grains owned farm, ‘Livingston Farms’ at Moree.

 

Our Philosophy

When attempting to meet the marketing needs of our clients we need to leave them with the understanding they have benefited from the experience through a professional and competent provision of information. This will allow them to make informed marketing decisions, then to execute these decisions in a hassle free environment for both the seller and the buyer. 

 

Commodities we deal with:

  • Bread wheat, soft wheat and durum
  • Feed and malt barley
  • Canola
  • Chickpeas
  • Faba beans
  • Sorghum
  • Corn
  • Mung beans
  • Cotton – lint and seed
  • Chicken manure
  • Protein meals

Our Approach

At Priag we know that achieving the best price is not always easy. There are many factors that need to be taken into consideration when doing your marketing and we believe it is more important to remember why, how and when you need to sell.

We are here to assist with these decisions and ensure that your overall average price better reflects the market movements, in order to avoid selling at the bottom.

Our Travels

Kevin and Mary-Ellen Schwager with farm hosts in the northern prefecture of Hokkaido Japan.
At Priag Marketing we don’t just stay at home. Over many years we have travelled overseas to understand the vagaries of crop production in other countries and the influences of price discovery. These locations have consistently included the United States, Canada, South America, South East Asia and the Middle East.
A cottonseed stock pile in Lubbock, Texas.
A group of northern NSW growers on a GRDC-sponsored chick pea marketing mission to India. A highlight was a visit to the Australian High Commission in New Delhi.
Divella pasta products on supermarket shelves.
We also receive delegations from all over the world and here we had representatives from Mitsubishi.
Jess Schwager (top right) yield testing hard red winter wheat crops in northern Oklahoma in the US. Pictured are agronomist Drew Penberthy, Jim Roestel from Kellogg’s North America, Narrabri farmer Matthew McDonnell, Jiin Lee from Mission Foods, and Guillermo Badino from Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Kevin and Mary-Ellen with Francesca Divella of the world-renowned Divella product range of pasta. In northern NSW much of our durum wheat is exported to Bari, Italy where the Divella company is headquartered.

Address

Level 1, 69 Maitland St
Narrabri NSW 2390

Email

[email protected]

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