March 4, 2025 • 7 mins
We catch up with a Scottish farmer, agronomist and journalist, who has been visiting NZ for 50 years. Yesterday he texted into our show - today we get him on it!
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
I've got a really interesting text on yesterday's show by
(00:03):
a Scottish farmer and journalists by the name of Gordon Rennie.
He's in New Zealand for six weeks. Gordon said, I'm
a British farmer and a Nuffield scholar. UK consumers want
one thing, low prices for all food. Look at the
rise of Audi, the German discount store and he's talking
about net zero is nowhere near the mines of the
(00:26):
vast majority of consumers and a cost of living crisis.
And Gordon, I guess you're reflecting what a lot of
people are saying. So are Scottish farmers of a similar
ilk to their New Zealand counterparts when it comes to.
Speaker 2 (00:39):
This, yep, the very big similarity in the Scottish farmers.
Farmers have one objective is to produce food. That's an
o DNA, to produce food efficiently. We still get subsidies
in Scotland, so I must say we're probably not quite
as efficient as you cut you Chatstone here, but we
(01:01):
do get you know, we have a lot of government
intervention help telling us to set aside bits the ground,
do some regenerative farming which comes at a cost. But
unfortunately these extra costs are not returned at the time
gate price because the the big supermarkets in Britain they're
(01:25):
under pressure to keep prices down. So we may do
lots of good things for the for the climate change,
but we very seldom get rewarded.
Speaker 1 (01:34):
Now, the problem with that the UK has got is
that you're not food sufficient. I think you only only
produced just over fifty percent of the food consumed in
the UK. So therefore you've got an issue to start with.
You actually want farmers to get credits, and this is
a bit of a bugbear of mine, get credits for
everything on their farm that sequesters carbon. And we're not
(01:57):
only talking vegetation, we're talking grass and we're talking soil.
You want farmers to measure soil carbon.
Speaker 2 (02:07):
I want farmers in New Zealand. I'm very passionate about that.
We had Professor David Polson from often Staid Research speaking
to us in Dundee about one year ago, and in
relation to New Zealand, I asked them a direct question,
what sequestrates is the most carbon one hectory of pine
(02:27):
trees or one hectorare of productive grass. And this is
a world expert there is no difference. So I feel
that farmers in New Zealand grass will be sequestrated. There's
only one single way we can remove carbon from the
atmosphere and it's called photosynthesis. So grass is fantastic and
(02:48):
grass not only reducing the carbon. We produce food from grass.
So it's really important that New Zealand farmers are valued
of what they're doing. And trees, you cannot eat trees.
Speaker 1 (03:01):
My friend talk to me about soil sequestor and carbon.
Speaker 2 (03:06):
Right, Well, what happens is there's only one mechanism in
the world that is for the cynthus as well know
no by plants breathe, we absorb carbon dioxide, and that
that carbon dioxide is produced into the grass that that
she'd eat, and also goes into the roots and into
the soil building up humanus and organic matter. And over
(03:27):
time organic matter starts to build up and are not
zero point one percent increase in so organic matter will
secreate an extra nine tons per hectare of carbon dioxide.
So farming is the solution, not the problem. We have
the solution to climate change, and.
Speaker 1 (03:47):
That solution is more farming. Does it therefore follow Golden
Renny from Scotland that we need more ruminants praising those pastures.
Speaker 2 (03:56):
Yes, absolutely, and you know the world, every single country
in New Zealand, this part of the agreement is using
the wrong matrix for measuring methane. Meetings are short lived
twelve year gas. It's not really a true greenhouse gas.
And we have to get politicians to realize that grass
is the most fantastic crop. Ruminants eat grass and ruminants
(04:19):
produce food. So in Britain, yes, we're only sixty percent
self sufficient, and the British government doesn't seem to have
food production in its DNA. But we all have to eat.
It's going to be a population of nine billion people
and it's really important that we understand the value of
grass and other crops in the role for sequestrating carbon.
Speaker 1 (04:41):
So you yourself, you're an agronomist, you're an outgrower, you're
a journalist, obviously a farmer. You've been a n a
field scholar thirty years ago. You've been coming here to
New Zealand, Gordon Renny for fifty years. What brought you
over here?
Speaker 2 (04:56):
It's a long story. But as a younger man, and
I'd heard so many wonderful stories about New Zealanders. And
when I was a young kid doing geography, the mister
Newton toook pictures of all that, you know, all the
red stuff, the British stuff, and one day we have
a day, he said, the Canterbury Plains. It's one of
(05:18):
the greatest plain, the greatest places in the world for
growing food. And I just decided New Zealander's great people,
lots of Scottish connections, Canterby planes had been coming here
ever since. I didn't know anybody fifty years ago, and
I was given kindness, hospitality and often a wee draft.
(05:40):
What's not to like?
Speaker 1 (05:41):
Okay, the Canterary plans great cereal or crop growing area,
no doubt about it. But when it comes to growing
your favorite crop oats, I'm going to go into bed
for my home province of Southland. That's what I had
a Kromoto mill down there, the Sergeant Dan Kromota mill
and gore because Southland grows the best oats in the world.
Speaker 2 (06:03):
I totally agree it. Actually it hurts me to say
I'm being Scottish. So it's a national crop. But so
and the tago. The needen is a Gellick name for
Edinburgh as you know, and the Guardone family who are
great friends of mine. I go down there every year.
I speak to the producers group. No one throws better
(06:26):
oats than that area. It's a fantastic area, natural rainfall,
super people. Probably I have to correct myself. Sofa is
the best area in New Zealand.
Speaker 1 (06:39):
There we go. I'll take that. Hey, Gordon, Rennie, lovely
to catch up. Thank you for listening to the show,
thanks for texting and yesterday and I haven't got time
to go through a wonderful story. But you were the
inspiration for Jeremy Clarkson's Clarkson's Farm due to a young
guy who worked for you who ended up working for
top Gear and was a bit of an inspiration Forson's Farm,
(07:00):
another story for another day. It's been great catching up.
You enjoy the rest of your stay in God's own
New Zealand.
Speaker 2 (07:08):
Thank you very much, my friends,
I've got a really interesting text on yesterday's show by
(00:03):
a Scottish farmer and journalists by the name of Gordon Rennie.
He's in New Zealand for six weeks. Gordon said, I'm
a British farmer and a Nuffield scholar. UK consumers want
one thing, low prices for all food. Look at the
rise of Audi, the German discount store and he's talking
about net zero is nowhere near the mines of the
(00:26):
vast majority of consumers and a cost of living crisis.
And Gordon, I guess you're reflecting what a lot of
people are saying. So are Scottish farmers of a similar
ilk to their New Zealand counterparts when it comes to.
Speaker 2 (00:39):
This, yep, the very big similarity in the Scottish farmers.
Farmers have one objective is to produce food. That's an
o DNA, to produce food efficiently. We still get subsidies
in Scotland, so I must say we're probably not quite
as efficient as you cut you Chatstone here, but we
(01:01):
do get you know, we have a lot of government
intervention help telling us to set aside bits the ground,
do some regenerative farming which comes at a cost. But
unfortunately these extra costs are not returned at the time
gate price because the the big supermarkets in Britain they're
(01:25):
under pressure to keep prices down. So we may do
lots of good things for the for the climate change,
but we very seldom get rewarded.
Speaker 1 (01:34):
Now, the problem with that the UK has got is
that you're not food sufficient. I think you only only
produced just over fifty percent of the food consumed in
the UK. So therefore you've got an issue to start with.
You actually want farmers to get credits, and this is
a bit of a bugbear of mine, get credits for
everything on their farm that sequesters carbon. And we're not
(01:57):
only talking vegetation, we're talking grass and we're talking soil.
You want farmers to measure soil carbon.
Speaker 2 (02:07):
I want farmers in New Zealand. I'm very passionate about that.
We had Professor David Polson from often Staid Research speaking
to us in Dundee about one year ago, and in
relation to New Zealand, I asked them a direct question,
what sequestrates is the most carbon one hectory of pine
(02:27):
trees or one hectorare of productive grass. And this is
a world expert there is no difference. So I feel
that farmers in New Zealand grass will be sequestrated. There's
only one single way we can remove carbon from the
atmosphere and it's called photosynthesis. So grass is fantastic and
(02:48):
grass not only reducing the carbon. We produce food from grass.
So it's really important that New Zealand farmers are valued
of what they're doing. And trees, you cannot eat trees.
Speaker 1 (03:01):
My friend talk to me about soil sequestor and carbon.
Speaker 2 (03:06):
Right, Well, what happens is there's only one mechanism in
the world that is for the cynthus as well know
no by plants breathe, we absorb carbon dioxide, and that
that carbon dioxide is produced into the grass that that
she'd eat, and also goes into the roots and into
the soil building up humanus and organic matter. And over
(03:27):
time organic matter starts to build up and are not
zero point one percent increase in so organic matter will
secreate an extra nine tons per hectare of carbon dioxide.
So farming is the solution, not the problem. We have
the solution to climate change, and.
Speaker 1 (03:47):
That solution is more farming. Does it therefore follow Golden
Renny from Scotland that we need more ruminants praising those pastures.
Speaker 2 (03:56):
Yes, absolutely, and you know the world, every single country
in New Zealand, this part of the agreement is using
the wrong matrix for measuring methane. Meetings are short lived
twelve year gas. It's not really a true greenhouse gas.
And we have to get politicians to realize that grass
is the most fantastic crop. Ruminants eat grass and ruminants
(04:19):
produce food. So in Britain, yes, we're only sixty percent
self sufficient, and the British government doesn't seem to have
food production in its DNA. But we all have to eat.
It's going to be a population of nine billion people
and it's really important that we understand the value of
grass and other crops in the role for sequestrating carbon.
Speaker 1 (04:41):
So you yourself, you're an agronomist, you're an outgrower, you're
a journalist, obviously a farmer. You've been a n a
field scholar thirty years ago. You've been coming here to
New Zealand, Gordon Renny for fifty years. What brought you
over here?
Speaker 2 (04:56):
It's a long story. But as a younger man, and
I'd heard so many wonderful stories about New Zealanders. And
when I was a young kid doing geography, the mister
Newton toook pictures of all that, you know, all the
red stuff, the British stuff, and one day we have
a day, he said, the Canterbury Plains. It's one of
(05:18):
the greatest plain, the greatest places in the world for
growing food. And I just decided New Zealander's great people,
lots of Scottish connections, Canterby planes had been coming here
ever since. I didn't know anybody fifty years ago, and
I was given kindness, hospitality and often a wee draft.
(05:40):
What's not to like?
Speaker 1 (05:41):
Okay, the Canterary plans great cereal or crop growing area,
no doubt about it. But when it comes to growing
your favorite crop oats, I'm going to go into bed
for my home province of Southland. That's what I had
a Kromoto mill down there, the Sergeant Dan Kromota mill
and gore because Southland grows the best oats in the world.
Speaker 2 (06:03):
I totally agree it. Actually it hurts me to say
I'm being Scottish. So it's a national crop. But so
and the tago. The needen is a Gellick name for
Edinburgh as you know, and the Guardone family who are
great friends of mine. I go down there every year.
I speak to the producers group. No one throws better
(06:26):
oats than that area. It's a fantastic area, natural rainfall,
super people. Probably I have to correct myself. Sofa is
the best area in New Zealand.
Speaker 1 (06:39):
There we go. I'll take that. Hey, Gordon, Rennie, lovely
to catch up. Thank you for listening to the show,
thanks for texting and yesterday and I haven't got time
to go through a wonderful story. But you were the
inspiration for Jeremy Clarkson's Clarkson's Farm due to a young
guy who worked for you who ended up working for
top Gear and was a bit of an inspiration Forson's Farm,
(07:00):
another story for another day. It's been great catching up.
You enjoy the rest of your stay in God's own
New Zealand.
Speaker 2 (07:08):
Thank you very much, my friends,
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