Podcasts

Focusing on shedding composites has reshaped farming at Waitohi Peaks, where Andrew, Sara, Digby and Guy Heard run stud and commercial flocks on North Canterbury hill country.

In this episode, Jo Scott speaks with the Heards about their shift to shedding composites, the workload and cost savings, genetic progress, and the opportunities they see for building more resilient and profitable sheep systems.

Silver Fern Farms, MIA and OSPRI have partnered with Prism Earth’s innovative technology to provide unprecedented insights into farmers’ natural capital that will provide continued market access to the European Union as well as potential new revenue streams.

In this episode, Sarah Perriam-Lampp speaks with Matt Lythe, managing director of Prism Earth, about using AI and satellite imagery to map carbon, biodiversity, and natural capital. This technology helps farmers meet EU deforestation rules and unlock opportunities in sustainable supply chains and nature-based markets.

Setting up cell grazing systems on their Te Pahu hill-country farm has transformed more than just Heather Gilbert and Elliot Kent’s bottom line.

In this episode, Sarah speaks with Waikato farmers Heather Gilbert and Elliot Kent about their shift to cell grazing and the transformation of their 325-hectare bull beef operation. They discuss challenges and learnings, how the system has lifted production while supporting environmental outcomes, and insights gained from being a Beef + Lamb New Zealand monitor farm.

CountryWide has partnered with the Institute of Rural Professionals to strengthen support, knowledge-sharing, and innovation across the agricultural sector.

In this episode, Sarah speaks with Jo Finer, CEO of the newly renamed Institute of Rural Professionals (IRP) (formerly NZIPIM) about CountryWide’s new strategic partnership with the organisation. They discuss the role of rural professionals, the institute’s history and future direction, and how collaboration, knowledge-sharing, and digital innovation will strengthen support for farmers and the wider agricultural sector.

In this episode, Sarah Perriam-Lampp talks with Ivan Lawrie, General Manager at the Foundation for Arable Research, about the New Zealand Grown Grains initiative. Ivan explains how growers, millers, and bakers are collaborating to create a traceable, certifiable brand, strengthen the domestic wheat industry, and open opportunities in premium markets, while sharing lessons on value chains and building a resilient local food sector.

In this episode, Sarah Perriam-Lampp visits Leefield Station in the Waihopai Valley to talk with Brent Marris, owner of Marisco Vineyards, and Greg Crombie, the station’s farm manager.

Brent and Greg explain how the property integrates vineyards, sheep, pigs and cattle into a profitable and sustainable operation, and how careful planning, brand-building and intergenerational leadership create authentic products, from award-winning wines to high-quality wool and meat, while sharing lessons for diversifying land use and connecting with markets at home and abroad.

In this episode, Sarah Perriam-Lampp talks with Lincoln University’s Professor Hamish Gow about the Value Chain Innovation Programme, run by Rural Leaders.

Hamish explains how the programme takes participants inside New Zealand’s dairy, kiwifruit, apple and red meat sectors to understand how value is created, captured and shared, and why the real learning happens on the bus as farmers, entrepreneurs and industry leaders connect and challenge their thinking.

In this episode, Sarah Perriam-Lampp talks with Jasper van Halder, Ravensdown’s General Manager of Innovation, about how Agnition is connecting global agri-tech with New Zealand farmers.

Jasper explains how the Farm Innovation Network is testing technologies like drones, satellite imagery and soil testing, and why proving real value on farm is key to building a more connected, data-driven future for agriculture.

In a quiet valley, just 20 minutes from downtown Wellington, farmer Hamish Best is marrying his passion for farming with his marketing which he hopes will become the red meat of choice for discerning Wellingtonians.

In this episode, Sarah Perriam-Lampp talks with Hamish Best from Conscious Valley about building a premium local red meat brand just outside Wellington. Hamish shares how combining strong agronomy, selective breeding, and direct-to-consumer marketing is helping connect city eaters with high-quality, sustainably produced lamb and beef from the doorstep. He also discusses the challenges of brand awareness and the value of independent awards in growing a trusted regional food business.

From data-driven decision making to environmental monitoring and compliance, Richard and Annabelle Subtil have reaped the rewards of lucrative supply contracts by being able to prove any claim by using technology while maintaining traditional high-country values.

In this episode, Sarah Perriam-Lampp talks with Richard Subtil from Omarama Station about how full mobile coverage is unlocking and boosting efficiency and compliance in the high country with technology. But Richard stresses that even with virtual fencing, EID tags and connected irrigation systems, it is so important to ensure traditional stockmanship remains at the core of farming.