Farmers Weekly Podcast

In this episode:Market Insights | Lamb season ends on a high1:25 – AgriHQ senior analyst Suz Bremner joins Bryan to wrap up the season, as the last of the lambs hit the market. Farmgate returns are still sky-high and are looking good as new season lambs start to emerge. Some dry weather, particularly in eastern parts of the North Island, appear to be the only challenge at the moment.Feature | Economic trends impacting NZ farmers7:14 – ASB chief economist Nick Tuffley outlines how the changing global economic and political landscape is influencing our food and fibre sector. Exchange rates, trade wars and the continued focus on accounting for climate change are all exerting pressure. But, with farmgate returns strong, now’s the time to ensure farm businesses have the resilience to withstand future shocks.Feds Focus | Farmers push back on grazing charges25:14 – Southland president Jason Herrick says farmers are annoyed at being charged for winter grazing monitoring, despite not actually being found at fault. He questions whether the approach by Environment Southland is an effective way to move the dial on improving practices.The Final Word30:41 – A report on the viability of new crop varieties for Northland food production highlights the challenges and the opportunities many regions face as the climate and consumer preferences change. How can we explore new ways to produce food while still ensuring each link in the value chain can thrive?

ASB chief economist Nick Tuffley outlines how the changing global economic and political landscape is influencing our food and fibre sector. Exchange rates, trade wars and the continued focus on accounting for climate change are all exerting pressure. But, with farmgate returns strong, now’s the time to ensure farm businesses have the resilience to withstand future shocks.

AgriHQ senior analyst Suz Bremner joins Bryan to wrap up the season, as the last of the lambs hit the market. Farmgate returns are still sky-high and are looking good as new season lambs start to emerge. Some dry weather, particularly in eastern parts of the North Island, appear to be the only challenge at the moment.

Southland president Jason Herrick says farmers are annoyed at being charged for winter grazing monitoring, despite not actually being found at fault. He questions whether the approach by Environment Southland is an effective way to move the dial on improving practices.

In this episode:News Wrap | Bullish outlook for the red meat sector2:19 – Senior reporter Neal Wallace has been following trends in the red meat sector both at the farmgate and market level. He looks at Beef + Lamb forecasts for the upcoming season and finds a very bullish outlook for the red meat sector. He also unpacks prospects for a new exporting season, and what it means for farm incomes.Market Insight | Livestock EYE on high spring store cattle prices8:15 – Winter’s cold grip may remain across much of the country in early September, but spring store cattle prices are running hot. AgriHQ analyst Fiona Quarrie provides a run down on some of the notable prices being fetched through North Island saleyards. With prices passing the $5.50/kg mark, Fiona muses on the possibility sales with a “$6” could become a reality this spring.Feature | Fonterra's bold move: the economics of value add14:11 – Dr Hamish Gow, professor of agribusiness at Lincoln University, talks to Richard about Fonterra’s multi-billion dollar exit from its brands business, and what that means for “value add” and returns to shareholders. He pulls apart what true “value add” really is, and how it does not always mean a product must have a brand name on it to achieve it.Feds Focus | Tackling New Zealand's pest problem25:24 – Richard Dawkins, Federated Farmers national chair for meat and wool, outlines why there is a need for an integrated pest management strategy in New Zealand.He says NZ’s growing pest burden has an increasingly high cost of control being imposed upon farmers and talks about how Feds would like to see greater co-ordination across all government departments and NGOs to better manage pest numbers and impact.

Dr Hamish Gow, professor of agribusiness at Lincoln University, talks to Richard about Fonterra’s multi-billion dollar exit from its brands business, and what that means for “value add” and returns to shareholders. He pulls apart what true “value add” really is, and how it does not always mean a product must have a brand name on it to achieve it.

Senior reporter Neal Wallace has been following trends in the red meat sector both at the farmgate and market level. He looks at Beef + Lamb forecasts for the upcoming season and finds a very bullish outlook for the red meat sector. He also unpacks prospects for a new exporting season, and what it means for farm incomes.

Winter’s cold grip may remain across much of the country in early September, but spring store cattle prices are running hot. AgriHQ analyst Fiona Quarrie provides a run down on some of the notable prices being fetched through North Island saleyards. With prices passing the $5.50/kg mark, Fiona muses on the possibility sales with a “$6” could become a reality this spring.

Richard Dawkins, Federated Farmers national chair for meat and wool, outlines why there is a need for an integrated pest management strategy in New Zealand.He says NZ’s growing pest burden has an increasingly high cost of control being imposed upon farmers and talks about how Feds would like to see greater co-ordination across all government departments and NGOs to better manage pest numbers and impact.

In this episode: News Wrap | Growers face a variety of issues1: 29 – Senior reporter Richard Rennie outlines major concerns with our plant variety pipeline, saying growers face long waits and large bills when trying to import new plant variety types. He says Biosecurity NZ is aware of the issue and is reviewing regulations.Market Insights | Aus processors struggling to maintain margins7: 42 – AgriHQ analyst Alex Coddington provides an update on the Australian market, where processors are struggling to maintain margins after paying top dollar for lambs. The Aussies are pumping out the beef, though and with the cattle population at high levels that will continue for a couple of years.Feature | Woolworths backing regenerative approach11:18 – Bryan catches up with Woolworths NZ sustainability manager Catherine Langabeer about a regenerative management project run with partners Leaderbrand and Plant & Food Research. Growers found using cover crops and adding compost improved yields and soil health.Feds Focus | Contractors facing weighty issues20:50 – Arable chair David Birkett says we need a stop-gap measure to ensure contractors don’t face being fined as they go about their work this season. Last year some were found to be overweight when moving around the country and David says this is down to larger machinery, not larger loads.The Final Word27:15 – While all the talk is about the march of pines, some sheep and beef farmers are looking to grow their businesses, in a sign that confidence is returning to the hill country. After calls to “save our sheep” in the past few months, are sheep now beginning to save themselves?

Bryan catches up with Woolworths NZ sustainability manager Catherine Langabeer about a regenerative management project run with partners Leaderbrand and Plant & Food Research. Growers found using cover crops and adding compost improved yields and soil health.

Senior reporter Richard Rennie outlines major concerns with our plant variety pipeline, saying growers face long waits and large bills when trying to import new plant variety types. He says Biosecurity NZ is aware of the issue and is reviewing regulations.

AgriHQ analyst Alex Coddington provides an update on the Australian market, where processors are struggling to maintain margins after paying top dollar for lambs. The Aussies are pumping out the beef, though and with the cattle population at high levels that will continue for a couple of years.

Arable chair David Birkett says we need a stop-gap measure to ensure contractors don’t face being fined as they go about their work this season. Last year some were found to be overweight when moving around the country and David says this is down to larger machinery, not larger loads.

In this episode: News Wrap | Meeting the changing market in Japan1: 29 – Senior reporter Richard Rennie discusses his recent trip to Japan, which is faced with a population that’s increasingly dominated by older people. He says protein is the buzzword and NZ food producers are primed to meet that need.Feature | Fruits of resilience: horticulture profits and challenges12:16 – Bryan catches up with Horticulture NZ chief executive Kate Scott at the industry body conference in Wellington. She says while returns have been positive, extreme weather over the past year have been challenging for growers in many regions.Feds Focus | Farmers to join emergency planning23:27 – Sandra Faulkner from Federated Farmers is celebrating Cabinet signing off on a plan to give farmers a seat at the emergency management table. She says they’ll be involved in strategy and planning and also be an integral part of any major response.The Final Word30:49 – Getting older isn’t something many of us think too much about, but with many nations experiencing a shift in demographics there’s a real need to find ways to keep older people nourished.

Senior reporter Richard Rennie discusses his recent trip to Japan, which is faced with a population that’s increasingly dominated by older people. He says protein is the buzzword and NZ food producers are primed to meet that need.

Bryan catches up with Horticulture NZ chief executive Kate Scott at the industry body conference in Wellington. She says while returns have been positive, extreme weather over the past year have been challenging for growers in many regions.

Sandra Faulkner from Federated Farmers is celebrating Cabinet signing off on a plan to give farmers a seat at the emergency management table. She says they’ll be involved in strategy and planning and also be an integral part of any major response.

In this episode: Market Insights | Historic stock sale hits a high note1:34 – AgriHQ senior analyst Suz Bremner discusses the recent Feilding-Marton hoggett fair, which has been a highlight of the calendar for almost a century. Regular buyers were back and paid top dollar for the stock on offer.Feature | How to tackle farm succession6:27 – Lawyer Andrew Clements of Grayson Clements joins the show to share his insights on how to tackle farm succession. He says there’s no one template that will work for everyone and suggests addressing the values of the people involved is more important than the value of the business.Feature | The evolving landscape of rural banking21:35 – ASB head of food and fibre Kristen Ashby joins the show to talk about rural banking, whether banks are turning woke, and just how they assess risk. She also reflects on how bankers are being asked to bring new expertise to farm businesses and how to approach succession planning.Feds Focus | Glyphosate claims out of order40:31 – Federated Farmers arable chair David Birkett takes Greenpeace to task over its recent claims about glyphosate. He says the public has been misled by the campaign, which claims glyphosate residue can be found in bread. In fact, grower contracts stipulate that glyphosate can’t be used on grain grown for human consumption.The Final Word46:17 –  The wellness sector bombards us with the latest food products that will aid our health and cognition, but rarely are they backed by science. This week, however, NZ kiwifruit did get a big scientific tick, after the European Union signed off on a health claim that kiwifruit aids digestive health. It’s these sorts of claims we should really be believing.

Lawyer Andrew Clements of Grayson Clements joins the show to share his insights on how to tackle farm succession. He says there’s no one template that will work for everyone and suggests addressing the values of the people involved is more important than the value of the business.