Kite Consulting

To find out more about Kite's Herd Management Training which starts in August 2025 and is now open for applications, please email people@kiteconsulting.com  Please note: The information provided during this podcast has been prepared for general informational purposes only and does not constitute advice. The information must not be relied upon for any purpose and no representation or warranty is gi...

Episode 152 Please note: The information provided during this podcast has been prepared for general informational purposes only and does not constitute advice. The information must not be relied upon for any purpose and no representation or warranty is given as to its accuracy, completeness or otherwise. Any reference to other organisations, businesses or products during the podcast are not endors...

After Chris’ market report this week, highlighting a positive outlook for dairy prices, Will and Ben shift their focus from milk markets to the intricacies of feed markets, featuring insights from Chris Pickles, Procurement Manager at KW Feeds and Kite Technical Consultant Maimie French. Maimie provides an overview of the spring season, noting the quality of first cuts and the impact of weather on...

Will and Ben are back this week, joined by Chris, who has just returned from holiday. In this episode, they delve into the current milk volume situation and the evolving milk market dynamics. With insights from Kite Director John Allen and podcast producer Becki Reay, the team discusses the implications of spring peak milk production, processing capacity, and the unexpected stability of milk price...

Will and Ben return after a short break for Easter, to explore the current state of the dairy industry in New Zealand with insights from James Allen, CEO of AgFirst and John Allen, Kite Director. Following Chris’ market report, James and John discuss the impact of recent weather patterns on milk production, dairy economics, and the implications of environmental policies. With an analysis of produc...

After Chris’ report this week on the Kite Podcast, Will and Ben bring you a timely spring update, joined by Kite Consultant Marcus Doig and Cumbrian dairy farmer Paddy Morris-Eyton. They share insights into the potential long-term effects of this spring’s weather on forage and milk flows, they also discuss the impact of recent market fluctuations, including milk price feed price ratio and the ongo...

NMR The National Johne's Management Plan Please note: The information provided during this podcast has been prepared for general informational purposes only and does not constitute advice. The information must not be relied upon for any purpose and no representation or warranty is given as to its accuracy, completeness or otherwise. Any reference to other organisations, businesses or products duri...

This week, Will and Ben explore the crucial topic of soil organic carbon, delving into its definition, benefits and ways to enhance its presence in our soils. They are joined by Robert Nightingale, Sustainability Technical Lead at Frontier Agriculture and Kite's Sustainability Lead, Helen Dent, along with everyone's favourite dairy market analyst, Chris Walkland. The discussion covers the signific...

Please note: The information provided during this podcast has been prepared for general informational purposes only and does not constitute advice. The information must not be relied upon for any purpose and no representation or warranty is given as to its accuracy, completeness or otherwise. Any reference to other organisations, businesses or products during the podcast are not endorsements or re...

AHDB Events Please note: The information provided during this podcast has been prepared for general informational purposes only and does not constitute advice. The information must not be relied upon for any purpose and no representation or warranty is given as to its accuracy, completeness or otherwise. Any reference to other organisations, businesses or products during the podcast are not endors...

This week, our hosts Will and Ben focus on Dairy Producer Organisations (DPOs) and their vital role in the dairy industry. With Ian Harvey, farmer, Director at Davidstow Creamery as well as a member of the NFU Dairy Board and former member of AHDB Dairy Sector Council, along with our own dairy market analyst, Chris Walkland. Starting the discussion prompted by a recent article from Chris in Britis...

Following Chris' report this week, Will and Ben are joined by Jukka Likitalo, Secretary General of Eucolait, and Kite Director John Allen to examine the European Commission's recently published Vision for Agriculture and Food document. Jukka elaborates on the Commission's perspective regarding the future of agriculture and food in Europe, highlighting key priority areas aimed at enhancing the comp...

This week after Chris’ report, Will and Ben are joined by Nick Evans, co-founder and Managing Director of Oxbury Bank and David Keiley from Kite, to discuss financing and sustainability. They focus on Oxbury’s new ‘transition facility,’ designed to offer finance at as low as 1% over base for farmers who are carbon footprinting & actively looking to improve their carbon credentials either via engag...

Will Evans, Becki Reay and Chris Walkland are joined this week by Betty Berning; Contributing Dairy Economist at Highground Dairy. After Chris' rather inert milk market update, they go on to discuss the economics of USA dairy production and what is driving low volumes we are currently seeing from the USA, including record low heifer inventory numbers and record high beef calf prices. They discuss...

After a successful day at Dairy Tech, Chris presents his usual market report. Will and Ben are joined by James Bolesworth, CEO of CRM Agricommodities, and Kite Consultant Amy Watson to discuss the effects of Trump's tariffs, particularly on agricultural commodities & feed markets. James updates on the market impact of tariffs on China since Trump's inauguration, focusing on Europe’s protein market...

After Chris’ report this week, Will and Ben are joined by Luis Cubel, Group Vice President and Managing Director of Arla Foods Ingredients to discuss the acquisition of the Volac Whey nutrition business last year. Luis gives an overview of why AFI was interested in Volac, with a change in consumer habits and the growth in popularity of Whey protein and where Volac sits in the context of other inve...

After Chris’ report this week, Will & Ben are joined by podcast regulars, Erik Elgersma, founder & director of Strategic Analysis Services BV & Kite Director John Allen to discuss US & global dairy following the inauguration of Donald Trump as the 47th President of the USA. Erik & John discuss if there is any predictive value in what Trump did in his first term in relation to how the current term...

We are starting the year as we mean to go on, our first podcast of 2025 is a positive one; featuring the milk market report from Chris and discussing the exciting developments from Muller. Ben is joined by Rob Hutchison, CEO Muller Milk and Ingredients, Kite’s Becki Reay and Chris Walkland as they debrief on the Semex conference earlier this week and discuss what’s going on at Muller in more detai...

In the final podcast episode of the year, we are joined by Dale Farm’s Group Chief Executive, Nick Whelan and podcast producer Becki Reay. Following on from Chris’ milk market report we discuss Dale Farm, the largest UK only farmer-owned dairy co-op. Located in Northern Ireland, Dale Farm has recently invested £70 million in their cheddar processing facility at Dunmanbridge. The podcast team discu...

After Chris’ report this week, Will and Ben are joined by Rachael Madeley-Davies, AHDB’s Head of Environment Technical and Dorset dairy farmer and Nuffield scholar Sophie Gregory to discuss the most recent UN Climate Change Conference - COP29. They outline some of the key themes from COP and how agriculture was featured; with a full day looking at food and farming for the second year in a row. Rac...

Following a week long media storm triggered by Arla’s press release relating to Bovaer, we couldn’t not discuss on the podcast this week. And who better to join Ben & Will than Bas Padberg; Managing Director of ARLA Foods alongside John Allen, Becki Reay & Chris Walkland. They discuss the timeline of events including ARLA’s response along with unpicking some of the detail around the product, ARLA’...

This week after Chris’ report and discussion on the media flurry around the use of Bovaer, Will and Ben are joined by Robert Martin, Chair of the Tenant Farmers Association and Kite’s John Allen to discuss farm tenancies and landlord tenant relationships in the context of the UK Inheritance Tax reform. Rob firstly explains the role of the TFA in making sure tenancies work for tenant farmers and th...

Read the Dairy UK report here Please note: The information provided during this podcast has been prepared for general informational purposes only and does not constitute advice. The information must not be relied upon for any purpose and no representation or warranty is given as to its accuracy, completeness or otherwise. Any reference to other organisations, businesses or products during the podc...

After Chris’ usual report and following on from last week’s episode on the Governments new Budget, Will and Ben are joined by Rob Hitch, Partner at Dodd Accountants and Alex Jack, dairy farmer from Fife, to discuss what farming families and businesses can practically do to make sure they are fit for the new legislation. Rob outlines some advice to farmers in terms of working out assets and risks a...

NFU Online - what is a mass lobby Please note: The information provided during this podcast has been prepared for general informational purposes only and does not constitute advice. The information must not be relied upon for any purpose and no representation or warranty is given as to its accuracy, completeness or otherwise. Any reference to other organisations, businesses or products during the...