The Country

Federated Farmers say the ‘Why Pines?’ report released today by the Our Land and Water National Science Challenge should serve as a major wake-up call for the Government. "It may have been published as a report, but it reads more like a horror story for New Zealand’s farmers and rural communities," says Federated Farmers meat & wool chair. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

 We yarn to the Act Party leader about selling off Landcorp/Pamu, the banking enquiry, the PM's harsh message to Councils, whether his Treaty Principles Bill is dead in the water, and has he been dining out on too much woke food? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today's farmer panel hails from Mid Canterbury. A dairy and deer farmer respectively. Will they both be in the clover with milk at $9 and venison at $10? Unfortunately we could only find Duncan so we didn't find out.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Monday's resident weather expert says a windy week is on the way for many parts of New Zealand as very large and powerful winter storms grow over the Southern Ocean and parts of coastal Antarctica. High pressure remains over central Australia and to the north of NZ. In a nutshell this means for a large part of Southern Australia and over to New Zealand windy spring-like westerlies will surge off a...

Jamie Mackay talks to Anne-Marie Roerink, Todd Charteris, Mark Warren, and Shane Jones. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rowena Duncum talks to Miles Hurrell, Emma Poole and Tim Dangen, Chris Russell, Anne Paterson, Sam Weller, and Chris Brandolino. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fonterra CEO on the co-op’s milk forecast upgrade this morning, on the back of strong GDT auctions this month. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The 2022 and 2023 Young Farmers of the Year – brother and sister duo Tim Dangen and Emma Poole looking at interest rates (have their banks passed on cuts yet?), strong beef (and beef calf) prices, a cracking season for the North Island and this week’s vet study highlighting shortages in the industry and poor retention.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our Australian correspondent looking at Australian fears of imposed tariffs on beef and lamb over the next five months as election fever sets in and Biden courts the farm lobby, plus how, despite being Australia’s cheapest protein in a cost of living crisis, Chicken consumption drops 9%.     See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kiwi Axe-woman and 2024 New Zealand Rural Sportswoman of the year ahead of competing in the STIHL Timbersports International Women’s Cup in Germany on Sunday night NZT. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From New World Ravenswood in Christchurch, who last night claimed the coveted Young Butcher of the Year title, with the judges commenting that “what set Sam apart was her back-of-house work – she left really clean bones, and her finishing standard was excellent.”   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

 NIWA Weather Guy on the mixed weather that’s in store across NZ for the next few weeks.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jamie Mackay talks to Shane Jones, Dr Jenny Webster-Brown, Mark Warren, and Jason Te Brake. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

He refers to himself as the "Prince of the Provinces" but is he still the Prince of the Pine Trees? Does he still want to plant a billion trees? And what’s he going to do about the energy crisis and are the banks ripping us off? We let Matua Shane off the chain! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The co-author of a just-released white paper - Why Pines? - warns there will be a significant transition of sheep and beef farmers into pine forestry unless the current government policies and economic signals are reconsidered. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We head to the coalface to talk to a Hawke's Bay sheep and beef farmer and farm forester who asks “Is production/carbon forestry the new diamond mining?” See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We yarn to the new chief executive of Zespri about record returns for the industry. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jamie Mackay talks to Christopher Luxon, Todd Charteris, Richard Allen, and Hunter McGregor. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The PM ponders Darleen, the banking (and rural banking) enquiry,  the latest One News poll, David Seymour's divisive Treaty Principles Bill, and whether he gets paid enough to get yelled at by disgraced former politician, Tuku Morgan, in the pouring rain?     See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We ask the chief executive of Rabobank whether he can sleep at night, and whether the banks are ripping farmers off, after Finance Minister Nicola Willis described competition amongst the banks as a "cosy pillow fight".    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fonterra's Chicago-based President Global Markets Ingredients reviews a jaw-dropping good GDT auction overnight (+ 5.5%, with WMP up a whopping 7.2%).   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We find Shanghai-based correspondent back in China where he's battling the heat after a month's holiday back home in New Zealand. He has little by way of good news around the economy but is enjoying Kiwi apples and the prospect of snow skiing in a 20-storey, $1 billion building. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jamie Mackay talks to Damien O'Connor, Harry Gaddum, Jim Hopkins, and Kate Acland. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Labour's Trade spokesperson is back for his "bi-monthly public flogging" on The Country. So what does he make of the 20 Government actions that have freed up the rural economy? And why have we only got 23 million sheep, where we used to have in excess of 70 million? What about the ETS (Emperor's New Clothes) settings update announced by the Government this morning? See omnystudio.com/listener for...

We head to Hawkes Bay where this month's Farmstrong farmer tells us his story and surviving and recovering from Cyclone Gabrielle.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.