December 4, 2025 • 7 mins
Today’s farmer panel comprised the 2024 Young Farmer of the Year and the 2019 Young Farmer of the Year. They talk about the milk price and what inspires them to get out and achieve in the ag sector.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
The farmer panel with the Isazuzu Dmax the Kiwi you'te
built tough with truck DNA. This is the county brought
to you by Brent on your Friday. Harvis McKay in
for Jamie mckaye for another day. Good to have your
company right across the country and we're going to heat
a couple of different parts of the country right now.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
Came you from Palmerston North on Tuesday.
Speaker 1 (00:22):
The weather certainly picked it up for that out of
Aalkland today James Robertson twenty nineteen FMG Young Farmer of
the Year these days, chief of staff at Fontira joined us.
Speaker 2 (00:32):
Get a James, how are you?
Speaker 3 (00:33):
Oh?
Speaker 4 (00:34):
I'm very good. Thanks so munge yourself.
Speaker 1 (00:35):
Yep, yeah, you can't complain. What part of the country
are you coming to us from today, James.
Speaker 4 (00:40):
I'll have to admit I'm in Auckland today, but thanks
are going well. The sun's shining now.
Speaker 1 (00:44):
The sun is shining up here in the big smoke
and George Dodson twenty twenty four f MG Young Farmer
of the Year. It must sound good being referred to
as that George. Where about to you today?
Speaker 3 (00:56):
He Amus, good to be on the show as always. Hey,
I'm down in Canterbury, near Darfield and Central Canterbury. There
dairy farming.
Speaker 1 (01:03):
Yeah, beautiful, I don't want Once or twice I've talked
to another young farmer of the year and I was
a little bit geographically challenged between counties and whitecat and
got a bit of trouble with them. But a bit
like somebody's saying to me, app but he's in the Taranaki.
I get pretty upset when that happens. Okay, gentlemen, let's
have a look at what's happening with the dairy prices, James.
Let's you know, what are we sort of we're holding up,
(01:26):
but it's not without you know, one or two little
clouds on the horizon.
Speaker 4 (01:31):
Yeah, holding up. I'd say I am Michels sing when
we came out as Fonterra a couple of weeks ago,
changing our forecast of the season down to a midpoint
of nine fifty and arrange from nine to ten. But
I think everyone's just a lot more things like globally,
markets like the US and Europe, which are big producers.
In the last month have sort of been increasing supply
year on year by round about that three or four
(01:53):
percent mark. So the milk slowing, and it's slowing here
in New Zealand two and I think that's starting to
weigh on the market a wee bit.
Speaker 2 (01:59):
And George, not at what we can do about that?
Is there really?
Speaker 1 (02:01):
I mean, once they start opting back into the milk
production in the US and Europe, She's it's always going
to be a slightly tougher game.
Speaker 3 (02:10):
Yeah, that's right, Hamish, But you know, being very farmers,
we know that it's cyclical and we've got to prepare.
So we've got to take the games that we can
get in those high payouts and squirre all some money away,
pay down some of that debt, and hopefully prepare to
ride out the rough patches if they come or when
they come, because we know they will.
Speaker 2 (02:25):
Yeah, George, I heard that.
Speaker 1 (02:27):
I'm not sure how correct this is, but some people
will now production costs and interest costs, and you know,
the whole shebang is up around eight fifty. I mean,
there'd be plenty there'd be a hell of a lot
lower than that, So they would have a good amount
of money over the last year or two to start
parking some of that debt wouldn't they. I mean, we'd
hope that was the case.
Speaker 3 (02:45):
Yeah, one hundred percent. And then we've got to think
of that dividend that will be coming up from Fonterra
as well, so that'll hopefully, hopefully help a lot of
farmers pay down a good chunk of debt as well.
So they should be in a really good position heading
forward if we do turn to a lower payout in
the next year or two.
Speaker 2 (03:00):
Yeah, James, what are you hearing about that?
Speaker 1 (03:02):
The decent old lump sum that's coming to farmers in
the new year and what they plan to do with that.
Speaker 4 (03:08):
I think the first Christian that always comes through Hamous
is winds are arriving. And I don't know if that's the
think manager or the farmers asking, but that's Christian number one.
And yeah, the other one is where's the money going
to go? I think there's a wide range, whether it's
paying off the bit of expansion and maybe a few
betches or all of their houses and Monica who knows.
Speaker 1 (03:26):
Yeah, yeah, Well, look at the end of the day,
it's up to the individual, isn't it. But I think
George's point about, you know a little bit aside for
a rainy day isn't going to be too bad a
thing to do. Also, James, we're looking at Peter McBride
from Tierra Chairman one Chairman of the Year at the
Deloite Top two hundred Awards last night. That's a nice recognition, oh.
Speaker 4 (03:48):
Fan, fantastic recognition. I was lucky enough to be on
there with the team supporting Peter and I don't think
there's a better bloke that could have come oay with
Chairman of the Year, although I think the highlight was
probably him walking up received the award and we had
Annie McFarlane there, you'd know it's one of our directors
finishing up this year who was gifted with a y
Kido cow bell and being a staunch Canterbury man, he
(04:09):
was made to ring it as Peter walked to the stage.
So I think there was probably the highlight of the evening.
Speaker 1 (04:14):
Creveingy on, Oh, sensational, sensational, that is absolutely brilliant, right
are you guys? Are young leaders in the ag sector?
From you, George, what drives you? What's your motivation? And
this is not only the people looking to get to
the ag sector of the dairy sector, across any sector
what are your kind of key factors in that front
getting yourself out of bed and driven every day.
Speaker 3 (04:38):
The main ones my family and providing a good future
for my future family and my family at the moment
and stuff like that. So definitely family and people close
to me, providing a good future and good foothold in
the world for them, and then for the industry as well,
like it's given me, dairy farming especially, but the wider
egg sector as well has given me so much. So
driven to give back to that and help more young
(04:58):
people come into farmingrobably the main one, I suppose, And
if we can get more good, song intelligent young people
into farming, then we're going to be in a much
better place heading forward.
Speaker 2 (05:08):
James, what are your drivers?
Speaker 4 (05:11):
I'd have to echo much of what George has said
and really related back to the people, right. We have
some fantastic people and operators right across the sector who
are always willing to give you time if you work
hard and you're willing to learn. So for me, I
think that's what motivates me. And just seeing the impact
of what we can drive here in New Zealand through
the primary sectors, the reach right out into rural communities,
(05:31):
but also back in the cities which are feeling a
bit of a pain at the moment from the economy.
So I think you're sort of wider impact that you
can have in the primary sector is something that really
drives me.
Speaker 1 (05:41):
It doesn't need to be a dem and us between
rural and urb and I often think that the rural
urban divide isn't as big as the rural rule sometimes.
So yeah, good good, good, good cause there George, young
people today and I heard the earlier on Carrie Woodham
Show on ZB talking about people into their fitness and
more into their family and their drivers today. You don't
(06:03):
way less getting on the terps and do you reckon?
Younger people are I'm noticing it, you know from you know,
I've just hit sixty. But if I think back to
my twenties, I think there are people who are light
years ahead of the motivation and drive that I had then.
And I think it's a cultural I think it's a switch.
I think it's the green lighters on if.
Speaker 3 (06:19):
You like, Yeah, I think you're being on the money there, Hamish.
I'm probably seeing it, like you say, from some older
farmers and stuff like that, telling us stories of maybe
some of the things they got up to and back
in the day and saying how we're all but more
soft or not soft I suppose, but we don't we
don't get out and drink and we're a bit more
focused on our goals and stuff. So I'm not sure
if it's whether it's a change in culture or whether
(06:41):
it's just who we are I suppose now, but it's
a certainly a good thing to see, isn't it.
Speaker 1 (06:46):
Yeah, it is James that you know the Frontierra crew
must be some amazing young people across the board that
you deal with on a daily basis.
Speaker 4 (06:54):
Oh, the team is brilliant and like you say, they're
all doing interesting things outside of work as well, so
it's not what they do day to day, but you've
got colleagues running ultra marathons on the weekends and all
sorts of so they're going that's some pretty inspiring stuff.
Speaker 1 (07:07):
Yeah, fantastic gentlemen. Thank you very much for being on
the Farmer's Panel today. That is James Robertson twenty nineteen
FMG Young Farmer of the Year, Chief of Staff at
Fonterra Darfield, Derry Farmer and twenty twenty
Speaker 2 (07:19):
Four Young Farmer of the Year George Dodson,
The farmer panel with the Isazuzu Dmax the Kiwi you'te
built tough with truck DNA. This is the county brought
to you by Brent on your Friday. Harvis McKay in
for Jamie mckaye for another day. Good to have your
company right across the country and we're going to heat
a couple of different parts of the country right now.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
Came you from Palmerston North on Tuesday.
Speaker 1 (00:22):
The weather certainly picked it up for that out of
Aalkland today James Robertson twenty nineteen FMG Young Farmer of
the Year these days, chief of staff at Fontira joined us.
Speaker 2 (00:32):
Get a James, how are you?
Speaker 3 (00:33):
Oh?
Speaker 4 (00:34):
I'm very good. Thanks so munge yourself.
Speaker 1 (00:35):
Yep, yeah, you can't complain. What part of the country
are you coming to us from today, James.
Speaker 4 (00:40):
I'll have to admit I'm in Auckland today, but thanks
are going well. The sun's shining now.
Speaker 1 (00:44):
The sun is shining up here in the big smoke
and George Dodson twenty twenty four f MG Young Farmer
of the Year. It must sound good being referred to
as that George. Where about to you today?
Speaker 3 (00:56):
He Amus, good to be on the show as always. Hey,
I'm down in Canterbury, near Darfield and Central Canterbury. There
dairy farming.
Speaker 1 (01:03):
Yeah, beautiful, I don't want Once or twice I've talked
to another young farmer of the year and I was
a little bit geographically challenged between counties and whitecat and
got a bit of trouble with them. But a bit
like somebody's saying to me, app but he's in the Taranaki.
I get pretty upset when that happens. Okay, gentlemen, let's
have a look at what's happening with the dairy prices, James.
Let's you know, what are we sort of we're holding up,
(01:26):
but it's not without you know, one or two little
clouds on the horizon.
Speaker 4 (01:31):
Yeah, holding up. I'd say I am Michels sing when
we came out as Fonterra a couple of weeks ago,
changing our forecast of the season down to a midpoint
of nine fifty and arrange from nine to ten. But
I think everyone's just a lot more things like globally,
markets like the US and Europe, which are big producers.
In the last month have sort of been increasing supply
year on year by round about that three or four
(01:53):
percent mark. So the milk slowing, and it's slowing here
in New Zealand two and I think that's starting to
weigh on the market a wee bit.
Speaker 2 (01:59):
And George, not at what we can do about that?
Is there really?
Speaker 1 (02:01):
I mean, once they start opting back into the milk
production in the US and Europe, She's it's always going
to be a slightly tougher game.
Speaker 3 (02:10):
Yeah, that's right, Hamish, But you know, being very farmers,
we know that it's cyclical and we've got to prepare.
So we've got to take the games that we can
get in those high payouts and squirre all some money away,
pay down some of that debt, and hopefully prepare to
ride out the rough patches if they come or when
they come, because we know they will.
Speaker 2 (02:25):
Yeah, George, I heard that.
Speaker 1 (02:27):
I'm not sure how correct this is, but some people
will now production costs and interest costs, and you know,
the whole shebang is up around eight fifty. I mean,
there'd be plenty there'd be a hell of a lot
lower than that, So they would have a good amount
of money over the last year or two to start
parking some of that debt wouldn't they. I mean, we'd
hope that was the case.
Speaker 3 (02:45):
Yeah, one hundred percent. And then we've got to think
of that dividend that will be coming up from Fonterra
as well, so that'll hopefully, hopefully help a lot of
farmers pay down a good chunk of debt as well.
So they should be in a really good position heading
forward if we do turn to a lower payout in
the next year or two.
Speaker 2 (03:00):
Yeah, James, what are you hearing about that?
Speaker 1 (03:02):
The decent old lump sum that's coming to farmers in
the new year and what they plan to do with that.
Speaker 4 (03:08):
I think the first Christian that always comes through Hamous
is winds are arriving. And I don't know if that's the
think manager or the farmers asking, but that's Christian number one.
And yeah, the other one is where's the money going
to go? I think there's a wide range, whether it's
paying off the bit of expansion and maybe a few
betches or all of their houses and Monica who knows.
Speaker 1 (03:26):
Yeah, yeah, Well, look at the end of the day,
it's up to the individual, isn't it. But I think
George's point about, you know a little bit aside for
a rainy day isn't going to be too bad a
thing to do. Also, James, we're looking at Peter McBride
from Tierra Chairman one Chairman of the Year at the
Deloite Top two hundred Awards last night. That's a nice recognition, oh.
Speaker 4 (03:48):
Fan, fantastic recognition. I was lucky enough to be on
there with the team supporting Peter and I don't think
there's a better bloke that could have come oay with
Chairman of the Year, although I think the highlight was
probably him walking up received the award and we had
Annie McFarlane there, you'd know it's one of our directors
finishing up this year who was gifted with a y
Kido cow bell and being a staunch Canterbury man, he
(04:09):
was made to ring it as Peter walked to the stage.
So I think there was probably the highlight of the evening.
Speaker 1 (04:14):
Creveingy on, Oh, sensational, sensational, that is absolutely brilliant, right
are you guys? Are young leaders in the ag sector?
From you, George, what drives you? What's your motivation? And
this is not only the people looking to get to
the ag sector of the dairy sector, across any sector
what are your kind of key factors in that front
getting yourself out of bed and driven every day.
Speaker 3 (04:38):
The main ones my family and providing a good future
for my future family and my family at the moment
and stuff like that. So definitely family and people close
to me, providing a good future and good foothold in
the world for them, and then for the industry as well,
like it's given me, dairy farming especially, but the wider
egg sector as well has given me so much. So
driven to give back to that and help more young
(04:58):
people come into farmingrobably the main one, I suppose, And
if we can get more good, song intelligent young people
into farming, then we're going to be in a much
better place heading forward.
Speaker 2 (05:08):
James, what are your drivers?
Speaker 4 (05:11):
I'd have to echo much of what George has said
and really related back to the people, right. We have
some fantastic people and operators right across the sector who
are always willing to give you time if you work
hard and you're willing to learn. So for me, I
think that's what motivates me. And just seeing the impact
of what we can drive here in New Zealand through
the primary sectors, the reach right out into rural communities,
(05:31):
but also back in the cities which are feeling a
bit of a pain at the moment from the economy.
So I think you're sort of wider impact that you
can have in the primary sector is something that really
drives me.
Speaker 1 (05:41):
It doesn't need to be a dem and us between
rural and urb and I often think that the rural
urban divide isn't as big as the rural rule sometimes.
So yeah, good good, good, good cause there George, young
people today and I heard the earlier on Carrie Woodham
Show on ZB talking about people into their fitness and
more into their family and their drivers today. You don't
(06:03):
way less getting on the terps and do you reckon?
Younger people are I'm noticing it, you know from you know,
I've just hit sixty. But if I think back to
my twenties, I think there are people who are light
years ahead of the motivation and drive that I had then.
And I think it's a cultural I think it's a switch.
I think it's the green lighters on if.
Speaker 3 (06:19):
You like, Yeah, I think you're being on the money there, Hamish.
I'm probably seeing it, like you say, from some older
farmers and stuff like that, telling us stories of maybe
some of the things they got up to and back
in the day and saying how we're all but more
soft or not soft I suppose, but we don't we
don't get out and drink and we're a bit more
focused on our goals and stuff. So I'm not sure
if it's whether it's a change in culture or whether
(06:41):
it's just who we are I suppose now, but it's
a certainly a good thing to see, isn't it.
Speaker 1 (06:46):
Yeah, it is James that you know the Frontierra crew
must be some amazing young people across the board that
you deal with on a daily basis.
Speaker 4 (06:54):
Oh, the team is brilliant and like you say, they're
all doing interesting things outside of work as well, so
it's not what they do day to day, but you've
got colleagues running ultra marathons on the weekends and all
sorts of so they're going that's some pretty inspiring stuff.
Speaker 1 (07:07):
Yeah, fantastic gentlemen. Thank you very much for being on
the Farmer's Panel today. That is James Robertson twenty nineteen
FMG Young Farmer of the Year, Chief of Staff at
Fonterra Darfield, Derry Farmer and twenty twenty
Speaker 2 (07:19):
Four Young Farmer of the Year George Dodson,
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