The Quorum Sense Podcast

In this episode Jono sits down with educator and author John King. You may have read some of John's articles in various publications or his books. John is passionate about helping farmers help themselves through dialogue. John has found that getting farmers together in a room or out in a paddock (or on a bus so they can't run away!) is one of the most powerful ways to stimulate conversation and kn...

In this episode of the Quorum Sense podcast, Jono interviews his wife Ruby Frew! Ruby is a farmer and a mother among many other things. However, family and farming are what matters most for Ruby. In this short and sweet conversation, Ruby shares her journey from an early interest in sheep and beef farming to a career in dairy, and also how becoming a mother has shaped her life. Ruby shares some ch...

In this episode, Jono sits down for a pre-sunrise yarn with Logan Wait. Logan's family have been dairy farming in the Waikato for a century and a half, but this conversation is not so much focused on the family dairy farm... Instead, Logan shares a brand new concept: Earth First Food. Earth First Food creates the opportunity to buy high quality, direct-to-consumer meat products from farmers transi...

In this episode, Jono takes the podcast kit to North Canterbury to check out Underground Festival. This was a great opportunity to capture some of the conversations happening while people mingled between presentations at this wonderful celebration of soil. There were some stand-out themes like community and connection, and also practical takeaways that came through from festival goers, presenters...

In this episode Jono jumps in the tractor cab with dairy farmer and president of Federated Farmers' North Otago Provincial Executive, Otto Dogterom. Otto has been dairy farming for over 30 years and has a wealth of knowledge to share from how he got started, to navigating family farming ups and downs, to simple principles he uses to monitor farm performance. Otto talks about how looking after your...

We decided to sneak one more podcast in for 2024!! In this episode Jono sits down with food fanatic and farmer Matthew Evans from Fat Pig Farm in Southern Tasmania. Matthew started his career as a chef and food critic, and through a love for food - and noticing a link between good food flavour and soil health - he began a life-changing journey into the world of soil health. For eight years Matthew...

In this episode Jono sits down with Rachel and Greg Hart from Mangarara Station in central Hawke's bay. Greg and Rachel are passionate about nature, community and farming, and this is very easy to pick up in this wonderful conversation. It's a conversation that covers the farm's journey from sheep farming to the haven of life it is today, covering the 28 years that Rachel and Greg have been on the...

With this release, we celebrate episode 50 of the Quorum Sense podcast!! Jono sits down with Darren Doherty from over the ditch in Australia. Darren is a farmer and an educator, well known for his vast knowledge of farm systems function, design and management. In this conversation we hear how about Darren's journey to where he is now. He and Jono discuss what kinds of hurdles are common in practic...

In this special episode of the Quorum Sense podcast going abroad, Jono sits down to chew the fat with 6th generation family farmer Allen Williams. Allen was a university professor with 24 years in academia under his belt when he decided that he needed to go back to his roots on the farm. Since this challenging step, Allen has been on an incredible learning journey. He has taken his experience and...

In this special episode - which is part 1 in the mini series of the Quorum Sense podcast going abroad - Jono sits down with Jim Elizondo to discuss grazing management and nutrition. Jim has vast experience trialing different types of grazing management over his long career as a cattleman and educator. Jim is trained in accountancy and yet he also likes to keep things simple on his farms. This conv...

In this episode Jono speaks with keen 24-year-old kiwifruit orchard manager Levi Belcher about how he got started in the industry, and why he was attracted to soil health and regenerative practices. Levi talks about how having a "get stuck in" attitude has made a big difference in his career. If you are a Kiwifruit grower interested in regen practices and / or organics, or looking to get started i...

In this discussion, Jono sits down with dairy farmer and Quorum Sense board member Willie White to hear about his journey into organic regen dairy farming. From humble beginnings on the family farm as a child - and watching his parents convert a part of the farm to dairy - Willie has always had a strong connection with the land. After a career in rural banking, Willie came home to take on the fami...

In this special episode of the Quorum Sense podcast, Jono interviews Professor Jack Heinemann from the University of Canterbury on the topic of GE and GMO in New Zealand. Professor Heinemann's experience in this field, along with a long list of credentials, make him one of the leading voices in the country. And this conversation uncovers issues and insights into GE and GMO that many may not be awa...

In this episode Jono catches up with Carrie and Tom Andrews from Wholly Cow Butchery in Cambridge. Carrie and Tom are passionate about supporting their local community and creating opportunities from listening to their customers needs. From caring for the animals, to slaughter, to butchery and even turning what would normally be waste products into soil building compost - Carrie and Tom are respon...

In this episode we have an in-depth and very personal conversation with Zeb Horrell. Zeb is a third generation sheep and beef farmer from northern Southland, and Zeb's contributions span much wider than the family farm. Zeb shares his experience with enterprises, Future Whenua, Polyculture Paddock and Burning Horse festival, and a recent move from his family farm - Motana Flat - to Mangaroa Farms...

Charlotte and Russell Heald are passionate dairy farmers "living their dream life" in Norsewood, Manawatū. Earlier this year they won the OrganicNZ award for Regenerative Organic Farmer of the Year. Russell and Charlotte share their journey from conventional share milking to dairy farm ownership. And how a personal health focus began their on farm transition to regenerative and then organic certif...

In this episode Stephen Newman shares his journey from the IT industry, to dairy farming in his thirties, to later discover regenerative agriculture and the power of farm discussion groups. Stephen had no farming background when he started dairy farming and relied heavily on advice from consultants. And he saw synthetic nitrogen as a vital element of his farming business. After watching a Country...

In this episode of the Quorum Sense podcast, Jono has a fascinating discussion with David Musgrave about pastoral farming and science in New Zealand David is a multi-generational farmer who's family started farming at Waihi Bush Farm in the 1800s, and its where David farmed until recently. As well as farming, he has a vast career in science and research exploring what makes our pastures here produ...

In this podcast, recorded especially for our Wintering Innovations Series, Deane Parker, Duncan Humm and Jono Frew discuss their wintering journeys. Deane talks about going from relying on unreliable winter crops to a full bale grazing system on his mid Canterbury dairy farm. Duncan shares his journey from heavy pugging on his mid Canterbury deer farm, which included wintering cows from nearby dai...

In this fascinating episode of the Quorum Sense podcast, Jono sits down in the studio with Dylan Graves from Tuatapere for an in depth talk about some of the powerful uses and functions of Biochar. After years of journeying around the world teaching, Dylan felt there was something missing in his life. Then he discovered Permaculture and the wonders of soil which then lead onto discovering the amaz...

This month, we ride the airwaves to the UK to hear from Claire McKenzie, the producer and filmmaker behind Six Inches of Soil - a grassroots UK documentary which Quorum Sense is bringing to New Zealand next month.  Jono has a fascinating conversation with Claire about the film, the young aspiring farmers it follows, and how its captivating non-farming audiences. We also explore how the regene...

Beef farmer and Quorum Sense Team member Nick Tucker has swapped his urban luxuries for an off-grid cabin on 160 acres amid the backroads of Northland. From the family dairy farm as a young boy, to ruminant nutrition research, being the PR bridge between marketers and farmers, and working for intensive ag companies, Nick pivoted to more 'meaningful work' in 2019 – and with that, a complete mindset...

Farming for Good (NB webpage not live yet) is a research collection that explores our sense of connection with farming in Aotearoa New Zealand. It’s about supporting everyday people and leaders across our communities, farming sector and government, to build trust in our food and farming system.  In this is podcast, we’ll be talking specifically to a research project led by Peter Edw...

National food awards, 10t/ha increases of soil carbon and nitrate levels now undetectable. These are results that’ll open your mind to what Coromandel drystock farmer Ewan Campbell has to say about his discoveries. National food awards, 10t/ha increases of soil carbon and nitrate levels now undetectable. These are results that’ll open your mind to what Northland drystock farmer Ewan Campbell has t...

Growing up in California, Phyllis Tichinin witnessed the abundance of local fruit orchards and their deep, rich soils begin to be concreted into what is now Silicon Valley. After meeting her Kiwi husband, Phyllis now resides in Hawke’s Bay and is well-known as an eco-nutritionist with a passion for regenerative farming practices that produce nutrient dense food. “If we get agriculture right, we ge...