Podcasts

In February 2024, the Overseas Investment Office approved 7 foreign buyer sales to pine trees under the eye of the current coalition government.
It has hill country sheep and beef farmers scratching their heads as to whether National and ACT were even listening to the drum being beaten by the “50 Shades of Green” movement at all?

Old chemistry is being withdrawn from the market globally, and being more selective is encouraged for both avoiding insecticide and pesticide resistance while also bringing down onfarm costs. So how do you control pests without relying on an overuse of pesticides? Three science experts aim to support the major knowledge gap on pests and diseases in pasture, forage and cereal crops.

Shearing & animal health costs outstrip the income from strong wool and one academic believes it’s a no brainer to lean into Wiltshires (shedding sheep). Rebecca uncovers the benefits of the breed from the research trial at Massey University along with the inspirational story of one East Coast farmer who had his capital stock wiped out from a drought and a cyclone.

Following the tragic death of her husband Gav, Rosie Dowling wasn’t going to leave their first farm and was determined to carry on farming despite a steep learning curve. This episode features Rosie sharing her inspiring story. We also hear learnings on resilience in farming from Gerard Vaughan, project director at Farmstrong, and catch up with Jack Jensen, the man behind the #sparkthatchat movement and who pulled together the Fuel Your Stoke Tour on the East Coast.

The concept of receiving funds or credits for planting native bush rather than pine trees on farms could encourage farmers to retire sensitive land to regenerating native bush. But what’s the right financial model that can help outweigh the cost of establishment and maintenance for farmers that prefer natives to pines? 

Are you having to balance a lack of feed and holding ewe condition in a dry Autumn? This episode is jam-packed with technical knowledge from two farmers and a veterinarian. Mark Zino shares how to juggle feeding grain and silage to not overdo it, Alistair Bird shares why he’s not mating his ewe hoggets this season, and vet Peter Anderson of Marlborough gives key tips for tupping, teaser rams, timing and triplets.

With Golden Shears 2024 being packed with crowds and the sheer number of women coming into both shearing and wool-handling, how do we keep stoking the fire of talent whilst we wait for a return to better wool prices? 

Is it possible to truly forecast a drought? Country-Wide editor, Rebecca Greaves speaks to three passionate industry experts working to support New Zealand farmers to avoid being caught out by drought by staying one step ahead of mother nature. Guests include Ben Noll from NIWA, Kristin Kirkpatrick of B+LNZ and Vanessa Winning, chief executive of Irrigation NZ.

In a special bonus episode, independent nutrient advisor Melinda Turner helps balance animal health with the soil nutrients we are applying to ensure we aren’t curbing the animal’s performance in the meantime.

Country-Wide editor, Rebecca Greaves is taking their farm through integrated farm plan workshops in 2024. In this episode she speaks with Rachel Joblin of BakerAg, Sara Clarke from the Ministry for the Environment, and Annie Cates, Wairarapa sheep & beef farmer, about what integrated farm plans are, how they work, how the Ministry for the Environment plans to align with MPI to achieve them.