Podcasts

In this episode, Sarah delves into an in-depth discussion with Geoff Simmons, Chief Economist for the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment. The conversation focuses on the report Going with the Grain: Changing Land Uses to Fit a Changing Landscape, which was published in May 2024. Geoff highlights the importance of adopting a catchment-level approach to land use changes, moving beyond a one-size-fits-all national regulation.

In this episode, Sarah Perriam-Lampp sits down with Methven farmer Hamish Marr, who serves as New Zealand’s Special Agricultural Trade Envoy. They discuss his role in representing New Zealand agriculture in global markets, the evolving international landscape, and the impact of policies like the Paris Accord and the Net Zero Banking Alliance. Hamish emphasises the fundamentals of farming—efficiency, productivity, and pride in production—while also addressing the uncertainty farmers face amid shifting political and economic climates.

This episode brings together insights from a diverse group of Homeblock columnists, offering a broad perspective on farming both in New Zealand and abroad. Rebecca Greaves and Sarah Perriam-Lampp discuss a range of topics, from sheep breeding and cattle fertility to shifting seasonal conditions and life on the land. This episode explores the evolving challenges and triumphs of farmers across different regions, highlighting their experiences and expertise.

The big craze over how technology and AI will drive the next wave of productivity gains in farming isn’t slowing down. Off the back of Tony Leggett’s feature on improvements in tech in the Summer issue of Country-Wide, Rebecca Greaves and Sarah Perriam-Lampp discuss where the biggest opportunities lie, the barriers to adoption—particularly cost—and the importance of understanding the value behind tech investment.

The hot topic at the moment is New Zealand’s wool quality challenges to position both merino and strong wool with a positive future. Following our release of the annual Merino Review magazine, Sarah Perriam-Lampp discusses merino clip tenderness and improvements through farmer education, the rise of female wool classers and wool research’s renewed mission to return better value to farmers.

In this episode of the Country-Wide Podcast, we take a deep dive into farming insurance and how farmers across the country are being affected. We hear from Brett Borrell, commercial and rural manager for Gallagher Insurance, about our insurance premiums. He breaks down what’s in them and what causes them to change. We also hear from Lucie Douma, head of client strategy and advice for FMG, who was interviewed by the editor of NZ Dairy Exporter, Sheryl Haitana, about a new insurance model, parametric insurance, that will help farmers insure against extreme weather events.

With the start of the new year, more signs are appearing for the sheep industry. The majority of these signs are positive and are pointing towards an exciting year for the industry. In this episode, hear from the South Island Livestock Manager for PGG Wrightson, Shane Gerken about how prices have looked over the summer break and what they’re shifting towards. We also hear from a young up and coming sheep breeder, Jasper Hewlett-Coffey about what he plans to do as part of a new generation of sheep breeders. Hank Vogler, a sheep farmer based in Nevada, U.S.A, gives his insight on what lamb in the US is looking like and how this might affect New Zealand.

Selecting sheep for their lower methane traits could be a great tool for farmers, if emissions pricing is on the cards. Cool Sheep Programme Manager Dr Cynthia Lawrence discusses how they are using gene selection to breed lower methane sheep. Central Otago farmer Emma Crutchley shares how they’ve tackled emissions reductions on her family farm, using a range of actions, including a larger arable component, which led to a reduction in stocking rate.

Deferred grazing could be a great option for your farm, to reduce costs, and improve soil health, with environmental benefits too, and could be as simple as shutting the paddock gate. In this episode, hear from Waikato farmer Bill Garland, who has implemented this practice on his farm, and AgResearch’s Dr Katherine Tozer, the scientist behind the research into deferred grazing. We also hear from Property Brokers General Manager Rural, Conrad Wilkshire, about what changing land use regulations could mean for the rural property market going into 2025.

2025 could be a window of opportunity for farmers to get into the deer industry, with the sheep industry facing tough times. With new market access opportunities opening up in China and South Korea, and the benefits of mixed species farming in mind, it could be the year of the deer for New Zealand farmers. Hear from Taihape deer farmer and Chairman of the New Zealand Deer Farmers Association, Mark McCoard, and Deer Industry New Zealand CEO, Rhys Griffiths.