Farmers Weekly Podcast

AgriHQ senior analyst Mel Croad reports on record export returns for red meat. She tells Bryan whether those prices will hold up as we head into the new season.

Federated Farmers South Canterbury dairy chair and Feds Dairy Advocate of the Year Jimmy Emmett joins the show to talk about his unique journey to the dairy farm. Jimmy ran a bar in Christchurch for a number of years but took a punt on dairying about 16 years ago. He says there are some similarities between managing drinkers and managing dairy cows. 

In this episode: News Wrap | Zespri takes on plant variety applicant 1:38 – Richard Rennie outlines how Zespri is opposing the registration of a type of fruit that it says is a version of its own SunGold variety. And, he reports that Rabobank and the government have given more funding to keep catchment groups going for a while longer. Market Insights | Winter store markets still red hot 6:17 – Agr...

A Christchurch company has found a unique way of extracting collagen from sheep skins and now exports its ingredients and products around the world. Bryan talks to Tertiary Extracts Õtautahi co-founder Dr Rob Kelly about the value to be captured in the growing industry.

Richard Rennie outlines how Zespri is opposing the registration of a type of fruit that it says is a version of its own SunGold variety. And, he reports that Rabobank and the government have given more funding to keep catchment groups going for a while longer.

AgriHQ senior analyst Suz Bremner checks in from Stortford Lodge to chat about the winter store markets. She says sky-high prices for lambs may be levelling off, but in the cattle pens vendors are still getting top money .

Federated Farmers banking spokesperson Mark Hooper outlines his issues with the proposed  Sustainable Finance Taxonomy, being developed by the Centre for Sustainable Finance and the Ministry for the Environment to provide a consistent framework for defining what is ‘green’ or ‘sustainable’ in financial markets.

In this episode:  News Wrap | Emissions reduction and the profitable farm 1:48 – DairyNZ head of data science and modelling Mark Neal tells Bryan about a newly released study that shows any farm in any region can be profitable and emissions efficient. The study drew on data from DairyNZ, Dairybase, Fonterra and LIC. Feature | Agroecology coach favours relationships over recipes 7:56 – Nicole Maste...

Nicole Masters, an agroecology coach, reckons that if we’re going to improve environmental outcomes we need to stop focusing on data and rules and instead look to relationships and values. Masters says farmers tend to use intuition when making big decisions, rather than relying on facts and figures.

DairyNZ head of data science and modelling Mark Neal tells Bryan about a newly released study that shows any farm in any region can be profitable and emissions efficient. The study drew on data from DairyNZ, Dairybase, Fonterra and LIC.

Bryan meets the new Federated Farmers meat and wool chair Richard Dawkins, a Marlborough farmer who was voted onto the national executive a few weeks ago. Richard talks about his farming life and what the meat and wool executive has planned for the months ahead.

In this episode:  News Wrap | Alliance’s financial D-Day draws nearer 1:43 – Senior reporter Neal Wallace outlines the latest developments in the Alliance funding saga as the clock ticks this month on an announcement about how the co-operative will raise the $200 million needed after two years of tough losses. He also talks to Richard about the other elephant in the room – ongoing overcapacity iss...

Julia Macdonald, director of research and engagement at the Asia New Zealand Foundation, talks about the Foundation’s latest “Perceptions of Asia” survey results.  It’s a deep dive into how New Zealanders relate to Asia, in a business, social and cultural sense. It also highlights just how far we have come in our understanding about that populous place, and how important we see Asian success being...

Senior reporter Neal Wallace outlines the latest developments in the Alliance funding saga as the clock ticks this month on an announcement about how the co-operative will raise the $200 million needed after two years of tough losses. He also talks to Richard about the other elephant in the room – ongoing overcapacity issues and how they still need to be resolved, regardless of what structure Alli...

Karl Dean, sharemilking at Leeston in Canterbury, unpacks where he sees the big challenges in his new role as the Federated Farmers national dairy chair.  He talks about the mixed bag of local and national issues that are likely to be challenging dairy farmers over the coming couple of years including migrant labour regulations, climate challenges and the perennial challenge of farm costs. For the...

In this episode:  News Wrap | The impact of slow agri-chemical approvals 1: 2 0 – Senior reporter Richard Rennie unpacks Bayer Crop Science’s exit from New Zealand. He says the exit highlights significant challenges in NZ's agricultural sector, particularly regarding the slow approval rates for new agri-chemical products, hindering local trials critical for product approval. He also tells Bryan ab...

Young Farmers’ new CEO, Cheyne Gillooly, joins the show to discuss his vision for the organisation, and the evolving role of young farmers in the agricultural sector. He says the sector is a lot more ambitious as it used to be, which is great for the future of farming. He also previews the upcoming Young Farmers Grand Final and the excitement surrounding it.

Senior reporter Richard Rennie unpacks Bayer Crop Science’s exit from New Zealand. He says the exit highlights significant challenges in NZ's agricultural sector, particularly regarding the slow approval rates for new agri-chemical products, which hinders local trials critical for product approval. He also tells Bryan about challenges faced by catchment groups, which are crucial for addressing loc...

Richard McIntyre reflects on his time with Federated Farmers, saying his departure comes with mixed emotions. He tells Bryan about the challenges faced during his tenure, including government regulations and the importance of effective communication with farmers, and says he’s grateful for the support received during his time at Feds.

In this episode: News Wrap | Real estate market comes back to life 1: 38 – Senior reporter Neal Wallace tells Bryan that farm sales are picking up and agents across the country are seeing more interest from buyers looking to farm, rather than plant. Market Insights | Stormy seas hinder Chathams lambs 7:19 – AgriHQ senior analyst Suz Bremner joins the show to talk about how farmers are faring on th...

Bryan catches up with Dr Beata Bukosa, a NIWA scientist who has just published a paper that shows our native forests are sequestering far more carbon than previously thought. Using a new technique, Bukosa found that previous thinking on mature native forests being carbon neutral may be wrong and that they continue storing it at a good rate.

Senior reporter Neal Wallace tells Bryan that farm sales are picking up and agents across the country are seeing more interest from buyers looking to farm, rather than plant.

AgriHQ senior analyst Suz Bremner joins the show to talk about how farmers are faring on the Chatham Islands. They’ve been battling the weather in an effort to get lambs to market. They’re hoping to cash in on strong farmgate prices being enjoyed on the mainland.

Executive director of the Fertiliser Quality Council Tyler Langford explains what’s in the recent update to the Spreakmark code and why it’s good news for farmers and the environment.

In this episode:  Market Insights | Dwindling sheep numbers worrying exporters 1:36 – AgriHQ analyst Alex Coddington reveals some worrying data about our sheep population. Numbers are down and processors are struggling to find stock to export. Feature | Checking out the herd at Fieldays 7:15 – Fieldays is underway at Mystery Creek and senior reporter Richard Rennie is there taking in the sights an...