The Country

Every farm has hidden inefficiencies—whether it’s feed wastage, poor timing, or small leaks that quietly drain profit and add stress.  Episode two brought to you by Beef +Lamb New Zealand and powered by The Country, looks into Body Condition Scoring. A simple, cheap management tool, to help get the most out of stock performance, and ultimately improving your bottom line....

Jamie Mackay talks to Christopher Luxon, Mark Gunton, Jane Smith, and Claire Taylor. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Prime Minister ponders his personal popularity and the performance of the economy. Plus, what is Winston Peters up to in New York? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Alliance Group’s chairman Mark Wynne has all but shut down a letter penned by a group of farmers wanting to recapitalise the embattled processor themselves as providing “false hope”. Five current shareholders have pulled together what they describe as an “alternative finance proposal” to prepay its debt money from capital raised from farmers, retaining profits as...

North Otago farmer and award-winning environmentalist who has just been elected to the board of directors for Ravensdown. We also get her views on the Alliance Group recapitalisation. Plus, what did she think of yesterday’s interview with GreenXperts Ltd principal scientist, Susan Harris, who said New Zealand should lobby the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change to remove livestock emis...

We head to Orange, NSW, to catch up with our favourite Scottish/Aussie Nuffield Scholar and find out what she’s up to. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jamie Mackay talks to Ben Picton, Chris Webb, Rob Penney, and Susan Harris. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rabobank's Macro Strategist (Senior Economist) comments on last week's dismal GDP number (-0.9% for the June quarter) and what it means for interest rates for NZ farmers. Plus, could we see our OCR drop to as low as 2% by February 2026? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We mix high-performance sport with high-performance agribusiness on today's panel with a former Wallabies manager and the current Crusaders Coach.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Principal Scientist at GreenXperts Limited, a New Zealand-based sustainability consultancy involved in numerous carbon and land management projects. Today, she says huge pieces of Antarctica are not falling off due to livestock emissions. Rather, she says, we should be global leaders and a better investment for NZ would be "to develop some diplomatic bottle" and lobby the IPCC to remove livestock...

Jamie Mackay talks to Hayley Gourley, Todd Clark, Pita Alexander, Andrew Hoggard, Grant McCallum, and Phil Duncan. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A long-standing friend of The Country has been appointed to the Reserve Bank's Monetary Policy Committee. With a background in banking and agri-business we look at her progression through Rabobank and Skellerup to deciding the OCR on October 8. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our US farming correspondent reflects on Farm Aid 40 years on, a dry fall/autumn, and he looks forward to seeing the All Blacks in Chicago in November.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We catch up with a globe-trotting Christchurch farm accountant and raconteur who looks at the true cost of farm wages in 2026 and he asks whether our politicians are worth their pay? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We ask today's farmer/politician panel if they're worth their keep. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We ask Monday's resident weatherman whether the spring equinox will herald a change in our fortunes. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jamie Mackay talks to David Clark, Todd Charteris, Nicola Grigg, Simon Beamish, and Shane Jones. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jamie Mackay talks to Chris Brandolino, Riley Kennedy, Damien O'Connor, Emma Poole, and Sandra Faulkner. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Earth Sciences NZ weather guy on the most tempestuous month of them all - September! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“Very real.” That’s how Mark Wynne, chair of Alliance Group, describes the threat of the processor collapsing if the proposed deal with Dawn Meats fails. It is just over a month until the processor’s current farmer-shareholders will vote on what is effectively a $250 million bailout to repay its working capital. We catch up with a senior journalist at BusinessDesk to find o...

The former Minister of Primary Industries debates the future of the Alliance Group. Plus, who is responsible for our economic mire, who's fit for Parliament, and Pāmu's management. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our Young Farmer and Federated Farmer Panel is quite literally on fire today. A dairy farmer and a sheep/beef/cropping farmer, respectively, sum up their seasons and talk on their pet subjects. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jamie Mackay talks to Shane Jones, Simon Beamish, Peter Newbold, and Chris Russell. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Prince of the Provinces has finally been crowned the NZ First Deputy Leader, and today he talks about Stuart Nash, Environment Canterbury declaring a  “Nitrate Emergency”, and saving Yellow Eyed Penguins (but what about the dolphins, skinks, lizards and blind frogs?). See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This Hawke’s Bay farmer is a former winner of the 2024 East Coast Ballance Farm Environment Awards. He’s also the father of World Champion 3000 metre steeplechase athlete Geordie Beamish. Today, we talk to a very proud parent in Tokyo See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.