September 10, 2026 • 5 mins
Michelle Watt talks to Farm Source Regional Head for the Lower North Island Nicola McCarthy.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
OK, it's been a while since we've had a catch
up with the team at Fonterra. And today we're joined
by Nicola McCarthy, FarmSource's regional head for the Lower North Island. Hi, Nicola.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
Hello, how are you?
Speaker 1 (00:10):
Great, thank you. And you're up in the mighty Taranaki.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
I am indeed.
Speaker 1 (00:15):
Beautiful day up there. Glorious. Grass growing well?
Speaker 2 (00:19):
It sure is.
Speaker 1 (00:21):
Oh, that's good to hear. Always good to hear that
things are going well up in the north as well
as down here in the south. And we're three months
into the season now and talking about great starts, it
looks like it's been a great start on farm.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
Yeah, it has been. We had a really big season
last year in terms of our milk collections and it's
good to see some of that momentum carry on. So
July milk collections for the co-op were up 8% compared
to last year and that's a new July record for
the co-op. Season to date collections are also tracking above
where we were last season. The weather conditions have been
(00:53):
great for pasture growth across many parts of the country.
And we know that our farmers have got a real
focus on productivity at the moment. And while it's still
early days, it's a really encouraging start. And our operations
teams have been working pretty hard to ensure we're well
prepared as those collections continue to pick up across the country.
Speaker 1 (01:11):
And it's exciting times. I mean, the sector in general
and the primary sector around New Zealand is looking really
positive today. dairy the whole lot is and I guarantee
farmers are really happy. Have you been talking to many farmers?
Speaker 2 (01:21):
I have and they are absolutely delighted with how the
season's going so far.
Speaker 1 (01:26):
Excellent it's always good to hear a bit of positivity
out there. So you and your team you've been pretty
busy as well what's been keeping you busy?
Speaker 2 (01:33):
Yeah, we have. We've recently shared with our farmers their
annual Farm Insights report. And so that report provides them
with a personalised snapshot of each farm and covers a
wide range of areas, including feed, herd performance and emissions.
And it's been designed to help farmers better understand how
their farm is tracking and identify where they might have
opportunities to improve productivity, profitability and efficiency over time.
Speaker 1 (01:57):
Excellent. So it sounds like a really useful tool that
farmers could use to help with productivity on farm.
Speaker 2 (02:03):
Yeah, it really is. And I mean, what's great about
this report is that it's tailored. So as we know,
every farm is different and the report is designed to
give farmers insights based on their own personal farm data
and benchmark it across others in their region. One of
the things the report highlights are the potential improvement opportunities,
whether that's through things like feed utilisation, animal performance or
(02:25):
overall farm productivity. And it helps farmers better understand their
emissions profile and where improvements in efficiency can support lower
emissions on farm. So we all know that the co-op
has an on-farm emissions intensity reduction target. So it's important
for us to keep working alongside our farmers and offering
practical farm-specific information that can help them out in this area.
Speaker 1 (02:46):
And where can farmers find this? If they want to
find out this information or this report, where can they
find it, Nicola?
Speaker 2 (02:52):
They can find it through the FarmSource website dashboard specific
for their farm. And the report's only a starting point, really.
And our farmers have got a wide range of support
options available through their local teams, such as our milk
quality managers or sustainable dairying advisors, who can help them
understand their results and explore what's most relevant for their farm.
(03:13):
And they can also book on-farm efficiency service for a
more personalised discussion. And it's really about helping them make
decisions that work for their business and building a resilient,
sustainable farm for the future.
Speaker 1 (03:25):
So Fonterra's annual results are just around the corner. In fact,
I think 24th of September might be the day by memory.
So that means you'll be on the road soon chatting
to farmers? Yeah, we will be.
Speaker 2 (03:38):
And I'm really looking forward to catching up with our
farmer shareholders at the annual results roadshow. So we're going
to have 31 farmer meetings held across the country, and
they run from the 28th of September to the 2nd
of October. And we're going to have some additional meetings
on top of that as well, specifically for our rural professionals.
And the roadshow is a great opportunity for farmers and
(03:58):
rural professionals to hear directly from our board and management
team about the co-ops performance, how we're tracking against our
strategy and the outlook ahead. And it's also a chance
to connect with the local FarmSource team and other farmers
in the area. And just as importantly, it's an opportunity
for us to hear directly from our shareholders and understand
what's front of mind for them. So we'd strongly encourage
(04:19):
co-op farmers and rural professionals to come along to one
of our meetings. And all the details for those can
be found on the FarmSource website or jump into the
My Co-op app.
Speaker 1 (04:28):
Excellent. And I bet there's quite a few farmers still,
or dairy farmers definitely, in the throes of calving at
the moment. So it'll be busy times. Is it busy
up in the knacky?
Speaker 2 (04:39):
Yeah, it sure is at the moment. So I guess
we're coming to the tail end and thankfully it's been
really lovely weather up to this point. Brilliant.
Speaker 1 (04:47):
Well, fingers crossed for more great weather. And just to
cover that off again, if farmers wanted to find more
support or information about some of the things that are
in that report, they can just go to FarmSource on
the website or the co-op app.
Speaker 2 (04:59):
Yeah, absolutely. Or reach out to anyone in the FarmSource
team and they can point you in the right direction.
Speaker 1 (05:04):
Excellent. Thank you so much for your time today, Nicola.
Hope the weather stays well and the grass keeps growing.
Speaker 2 (05:10):
Always a pleasure. Thank you.
OK, it's been a while since we've had a catch
up with the team at Fonterra. And today we're joined
by Nicola McCarthy, FarmSource's regional head for the Lower North Island. Hi, Nicola.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
Hello, how are you?
Speaker 1 (00:10):
Great, thank you. And you're up in the mighty Taranaki.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
I am indeed.
Speaker 1 (00:15):
Beautiful day up there. Glorious. Grass growing well?
Speaker 2 (00:19):
It sure is.
Speaker 1 (00:21):
Oh, that's good to hear. Always good to hear that
things are going well up in the north as well
as down here in the south. And we're three months
into the season now and talking about great starts, it
looks like it's been a great start on farm.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
Yeah, it has been. We had a really big season
last year in terms of our milk collections and it's
good to see some of that momentum carry on. So
July milk collections for the co-op were up 8% compared
to last year and that's a new July record for
the co-op. Season to date collections are also tracking above
where we were last season. The weather conditions have been
(00:53):
great for pasture growth across many parts of the country.
And we know that our farmers have got a real
focus on productivity at the moment. And while it's still
early days, it's a really encouraging start. And our operations
teams have been working pretty hard to ensure we're well
prepared as those collections continue to pick up across the country.
Speaker 1 (01:11):
And it's exciting times. I mean, the sector in general
and the primary sector around New Zealand is looking really
positive today. dairy the whole lot is and I guarantee
farmers are really happy. Have you been talking to many farmers?
Speaker 2 (01:21):
I have and they are absolutely delighted with how the
season's going so far.
Speaker 1 (01:26):
Excellent it's always good to hear a bit of positivity
out there. So you and your team you've been pretty
busy as well what's been keeping you busy?
Speaker 2 (01:33):
Yeah, we have. We've recently shared with our farmers their
annual Farm Insights report. And so that report provides them
with a personalised snapshot of each farm and covers a
wide range of areas, including feed, herd performance and emissions.
And it's been designed to help farmers better understand how
their farm is tracking and identify where they might have
opportunities to improve productivity, profitability and efficiency over time.
Speaker 1 (01:57):
Excellent. So it sounds like a really useful tool that
farmers could use to help with productivity on farm.
Speaker 2 (02:03):
Yeah, it really is. And I mean, what's great about
this report is that it's tailored. So as we know,
every farm is different and the report is designed to
give farmers insights based on their own personal farm data
and benchmark it across others in their region. One of
the things the report highlights are the potential improvement opportunities,
whether that's through things like feed utilisation, animal performance or
(02:25):
overall farm productivity. And it helps farmers better understand their
emissions profile and where improvements in efficiency can support lower
emissions on farm. So we all know that the co-op
has an on-farm emissions intensity reduction target. So it's important
for us to keep working alongside our farmers and offering
practical farm-specific information that can help them out in this area.
Speaker 1 (02:46):
And where can farmers find this? If they want to
find out this information or this report, where can they
find it, Nicola?
Speaker 2 (02:52):
They can find it through the FarmSource website dashboard specific
for their farm. And the report's only a starting point, really.
And our farmers have got a wide range of support
options available through their local teams, such as our milk
quality managers or sustainable dairying advisors, who can help them
understand their results and explore what's most relevant for their farm.
(03:13):
And they can also book on-farm efficiency service for a
more personalised discussion. And it's really about helping them make
decisions that work for their business and building a resilient,
sustainable farm for the future.
Speaker 1 (03:25):
So Fonterra's annual results are just around the corner. In fact,
I think 24th of September might be the day by memory.
So that means you'll be on the road soon chatting
to farmers? Yeah, we will be.
Speaker 2 (03:38):
And I'm really looking forward to catching up with our
farmer shareholders at the annual results roadshow. So we're going
to have 31 farmer meetings held across the country, and
they run from the 28th of September to the 2nd
of October. And we're going to have some additional meetings
on top of that as well, specifically for our rural professionals.
And the roadshow is a great opportunity for farmers and
(03:58):
rural professionals to hear directly from our board and management
team about the co-ops performance, how we're tracking against our
strategy and the outlook ahead. And it's also a chance
to connect with the local FarmSource team and other farmers
in the area. And just as importantly, it's an opportunity
for us to hear directly from our shareholders and understand
what's front of mind for them. So we'd strongly encourage
(04:19):
co-op farmers and rural professionals to come along to one
of our meetings. And all the details for those can
be found on the FarmSource website or jump into the
My Co-op app.
Speaker 1 (04:28):
Excellent. And I bet there's quite a few farmers still,
or dairy farmers definitely, in the throes of calving at
the moment. So it'll be busy times. Is it busy
up in the knacky?
Speaker 2 (04:39):
Yeah, it sure is at the moment. So I guess
we're coming to the tail end and thankfully it's been
really lovely weather up to this point. Brilliant.
Speaker 1 (04:47):
Well, fingers crossed for more great weather. And just to
cover that off again, if farmers wanted to find more
support or information about some of the things that are
in that report, they can just go to FarmSource on
the website or the co-op app.
Speaker 2 (04:59):
Yeah, absolutely. Or reach out to anyone in the FarmSource
team and they can point you in the right direction.
Speaker 1 (05:04):
Excellent. Thank you so much for your time today, Nicola.
Hope the weather stays well and the grass keeps growing.
Speaker 2 (05:10):
Always a pleasure. Thank you.
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