November 2, 2025 • 5 mins
Waitomo sheep and beef farmer and chief executive of Steelfort talks about generators, farming and shearing.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Here's a I time my sheep and beef farmer, also
the chief executive of steel Fort John. Before we talk
about sheep and beef farming, I want to talk to
you about generators. I know that you sell lawn Master generators,
but as I understand it, not big enough to power
a dairy shed. Is that a market you're thinking of
getting into.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
Yeah, well, funnily if you should say that, Jamie, because
you know gens it's all branded law Master, but we
only do up to about seven or eight killing one
and that's not big enough to power a dairy shed.
So they need to be significantly larger than that. But
you know, I to our general manager the other day
(00:41):
that you know something that we should be looking at
because the product is outstanding that we've got and we
should look to expanded into, you know, supporting the you know,
the program in New Zealand for dairy farmers and if
we can find the right spec then we should get
into that market. But you know, we want to be
(01:01):
known's outdoor power equipment in New Zealand and that's what
steel Ford and nornmost of does. So let's do it
once and do it properly.
Speaker 1 (01:09):
How are things on the White Tomo sheep and beef
farm because I know, or was it a couple of
three weeks ago you guys had some fairly serious rain.
No doubt you've recovered from that. No droughts in your
direction at the stage.
Speaker 2 (01:22):
No excuse me, Jamie, it's you know, it's been probably
one of the worst springs. I know in August, September
has been you know, even even halfway through October has
been average. I mean, it's come right this week, but
it's been very, very poor screen. And I'm always amazed.
We've just finished talking and we're about the same numbers
(01:46):
as we were last year. And I'm always amazed how
those little lambs and the rain and the cold, you know,
they get born and then they stand up and take
a drink from mum and away they go. It's incredible,
you know, they're so hardy, the sheep that we breathe
in this country. And I'm you know, I'm always amazed
how well the stock do.
Speaker 1 (02:07):
What are you going to do with all your money
this year?
Speaker 2 (02:09):
John, Yeah, well, I hope you don't worry. We'll be
spent on the farm. Tell you what, I've even taken
much out in the last ten years from when we've
been up at my time.
Speaker 1 (02:18):
Mate, Well that's fair you've got a pretty good paying
day job, so that's fair enough. But on a serious vein,
let's put it into context. We've got the Fonterra announcement,
No doubt you're up to speed on that one. There's
going to be a lot of money, in fact, three
point two billion alone off the Fonterra thing back into
the rural communities. How do you reckon it's going to
be spent.
Speaker 2 (02:40):
Well, you know, there's a lot of farmers around, dairy farmers,
pretty pragmatic sort of people, and I would say that
if they get that sort of three fifty to four
hundred k so first of them will be looking at
paying some dead back. Then they'll probably put it into
you know, product, and they'll put it into cows, they'll
put it into fertilizer, they'll put it into things that
(03:03):
make them have a better business. And I know that,
you know, Winston's a bit critical of Frontierra and he
likes that vertically integrated system. But you know, I would
have thought that the Miles Harralds of this world would
have investigated that pretty fully. In the arrangement that they've
made to sell to that French company will only be
(03:25):
good for the New Zealand aery farmer. You know, they've
got an incredibly good range of companies that sell their product.
You a lot bigger than Fontira, So I would say
it's only going to be good for the New zealandery farmer.
Speaker 1 (03:42):
Yep, stick to you and nitting, stick to what you
do best. Just a final one, you guys at steel
Fort slash lawn Master getting behind. I think he's an
outstanding young New Zealander Jack Fagan, See what on all round?
Are that young blokers?
Speaker 2 (03:56):
Yeah? Well I met Jack on a couple of occasions
and I've talked to him on a few more than that.
But I met him basically through your stand at the
Field Days when we were there, and I met David,
his father, and he's a really nice young guy. So
he wants a little bit of help in terms of
his expenses to tour around New Zealand and do what
(04:17):
he does, and he's just come back from overseas. We've
helped him out financially and he's going to be at
the field day. So you see law Master on the
back of his shirt, and you know we just want
to do our bit for the rural community. And I
actually put it on him that I've got a couple
of grandsons that i want to get them to learn
how to share. And he said to me, I'll come
out and give you a half day out there and
(04:38):
give you give the boys a pointer, and which I
think is fantastic. You know, if they learn from the best.
Hopefully it's a great discipline to have to know how
to share a ship. You've done a few in your day, haven't.
Speaker 1 (04:49):
Yeah, I'm a farmer hacker, but yeah, I can get
the wall off all right. I think it's a great skull.
And if you fall upon tough times John gets sacked
from your radio job, you can always go back get
on the end of a hand. He's still a bit
of lamb crushing great money, great bear money. Heading into Christmas.
Gotta go, mate, Thanks for some of your time.
Speaker 2 (05:06):
Nice to talk. Cheers,
Here's a I time my sheep and beef farmer, also
the chief executive of steel Fort John. Before we talk
about sheep and beef farming, I want to talk to
you about generators. I know that you sell lawn Master generators,
but as I understand it, not big enough to power
a dairy shed. Is that a market you're thinking of
getting into.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
Yeah, well, funnily if you should say that, Jamie, because
you know gens it's all branded law Master, but we
only do up to about seven or eight killing one
and that's not big enough to power a dairy shed.
So they need to be significantly larger than that. But
you know, I to our general manager the other day
(00:41):
that you know something that we should be looking at
because the product is outstanding that we've got and we
should look to expanded into, you know, supporting the you know,
the program in New Zealand for dairy farmers and if
we can find the right spec then we should get
into that market. But you know, we want to be
(01:01):
known's outdoor power equipment in New Zealand and that's what
steel Ford and nornmost of does. So let's do it
once and do it properly.
Speaker 1 (01:09):
How are things on the White Tomo sheep and beef
farm because I know, or was it a couple of
three weeks ago you guys had some fairly serious rain.
No doubt you've recovered from that. No droughts in your
direction at the stage.
Speaker 2 (01:22):
No excuse me, Jamie, it's you know, it's been probably
one of the worst springs. I know in August, September
has been you know, even even halfway through October has
been average. I mean, it's come right this week, but
it's been very, very poor screen. And I'm always amazed.
We've just finished talking and we're about the same numbers
(01:46):
as we were last year. And I'm always amazed how
those little lambs and the rain and the cold, you know,
they get born and then they stand up and take
a drink from mum and away they go. It's incredible,
you know, they're so hardy, the sheep that we breathe
in this country. And I'm you know, I'm always amazed
how well the stock do.
Speaker 1 (02:07):
What are you going to do with all your money
this year?
Speaker 2 (02:09):
John, Yeah, well, I hope you don't worry. We'll be
spent on the farm. Tell you what, I've even taken
much out in the last ten years from when we've
been up at my time.
Speaker 1 (02:18):
Mate, Well that's fair you've got a pretty good paying
day job, so that's fair enough. But on a serious vein,
let's put it into context. We've got the Fonterra announcement,
No doubt you're up to speed on that one. There's
going to be a lot of money, in fact, three
point two billion alone off the Fonterra thing back into
the rural communities. How do you reckon it's going to
be spent.
Speaker 2 (02:40):
Well, you know, there's a lot of farmers around, dairy farmers,
pretty pragmatic sort of people, and I would say that
if they get that sort of three fifty to four
hundred k so first of them will be looking at
paying some dead back. Then they'll probably put it into
you know, product, and they'll put it into cows, they'll
put it into fertilizer, they'll put it into things that
(03:03):
make them have a better business. And I know that,
you know, Winston's a bit critical of Frontierra and he
likes that vertically integrated system. But you know, I would
have thought that the Miles Harralds of this world would
have investigated that pretty fully. In the arrangement that they've
made to sell to that French company will only be
(03:25):
good for the New Zealand aery farmer. You know, they've
got an incredibly good range of companies that sell their product.
You a lot bigger than Fontira, So I would say
it's only going to be good for the New zealandery farmer.
Speaker 1 (03:42):
Yep, stick to you and nitting, stick to what you
do best. Just a final one, you guys at steel
Fort slash lawn Master getting behind. I think he's an
outstanding young New Zealander Jack Fagan, See what on all round?
Are that young blokers?
Speaker 2 (03:56):
Yeah? Well I met Jack on a couple of occasions
and I've talked to him on a few more than that.
But I met him basically through your stand at the
Field Days when we were there, and I met David,
his father, and he's a really nice young guy. So
he wants a little bit of help in terms of
his expenses to tour around New Zealand and do what
(04:17):
he does, and he's just come back from overseas. We've
helped him out financially and he's going to be at
the field day. So you see law Master on the
back of his shirt, and you know we just want
to do our bit for the rural community. And I
actually put it on him that I've got a couple
of grandsons that i want to get them to learn
how to share. And he said to me, I'll come
out and give you a half day out there and
(04:38):
give you give the boys a pointer, and which I
think is fantastic. You know, if they learn from the best.
Hopefully it's a great discipline to have to know how
to share a ship. You've done a few in your day, haven't.
Speaker 1 (04:49):
Yeah, I'm a farmer hacker, but yeah, I can get
the wall off all right. I think it's a great skull.
And if you fall upon tough times John gets sacked
from your radio job, you can always go back get
on the end of a hand. He's still a bit
of lamb crushing great money, great bear money. Heading into Christmas.
Gotta go, mate, Thanks for some of your time.
Speaker 2 (05:06):
Nice to talk. Cheers,
Popular Podcasts
Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang
Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.
The Joe Rogan Experience
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.