April 6, 2026 • 6 mins
Waitomo sheep and beef farmer and the chief executive of Steelfort. Today we talk about great prices on farm, rising international freight prices and why he’s moving to a Halter system for his hill country beef cows.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Here's a farmer we keep tabs on on the country.
His name is John mcavinie, sheep and beef farmer from
white to Homo farming black gold. We'll talk about as
Weena carves shortly. John, you're also the chief executive of Steelford.
I want to ask about China. Where where you get
all your product from? What are you hearing on the
ground over there? Read this Middle East crisis slash war.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
Well, I was talking to somebody at the other day
some of their surprise the other day, and not that
I have a lot of contact with them, but I'll
tell you what, it's not big news in China. They
it's hardly making the news over there what's happening with
America and Iran. So you know, they just don't seem
to be worried about They just you know, typical Chinese.
They get on with things and make things happen. And
(00:46):
I don't think it's worrying them too much at all.
I mean it's big news for us and the rest
of the world because it's affecting us, you know, with
our cost of petroleum products. But you know, China, all
our stuff out of China, we had any difficulty and
you know, all the products that we get out there,
which is virtually everything about our rideons all come out
(01:10):
of China, so we're having no difficulty accessing that.
Speaker 1 (01:13):
So what about international freight rates? Surely they must be spiking.
Speaker 2 (01:17):
Yeah they are, They are going up, but they're not.
You wouldn't call They're not like they were in COVID.
You know, you know, I think we're probably might have
to check, but I would say we're probably up three
hundred and four hundred dollars a container, but we're monitoring
that quite closely. But a lot of our stuff sort
of you know, organized and said, you know, months ahead,
(01:39):
So we're saying you get a little bit of that now,
but it's not disastrous.
Speaker 1 (01:44):
Talk to me about the sheep and beef farm and
White Tomo John. I don't know whether you're caught up
with the news from Kate Ackland. Average farm profit is
foreclass to climb. This is for sheep and beef to
two hundred and eighty seven thousand per farm for the
twenty five twenty six financial year. Those are good numbers.
We've never had numbers like that before.
Speaker 2 (02:04):
Yeah, well, you know, I mean we haven't seen pricing
like this for livestock, I would say for twenty five years,
two years. You know, equivalents too, I'm talking about. But
we sold the rest of our last of our lambs,
which were about three thousand lams, and they went off
the property two weeks ago, and we averaged these are
(02:24):
everything that's gone, so there's quite a few smaller lines
on those. We averaged one hundred and fifty eight dollars
for those, and the lambs that have been going off earlier.
These are store lamps. I'm talking not fat lamps. They've
been up around one hundred and eighty dollars. So we've
got rid of all our lambs now and I haven't
done the averages, but I would say they'd be averaging
one hundred and sixty one hundred and seventy dollars, which
(02:47):
is you know, I mean, that's twice the price they
were worth two years ago, two and a half years ago.
Speaker 1 (02:53):
What about your Wienna? What about your Wina calves? Because
you got the angers, haven't you? That would be black gold.
Speaker 2 (02:58):
Only one, only one color, Jamie. And you know we're
selling those in Taupo on the I think it's the
twelfth of May and we will be selling something like
five hundred calves, you know, I mean, I've seen the
carves out there, and we've got some outstanding calves, and
I would say that the I'd like to think that
they'll average close to fifteen hundred bucks a car. So,
(03:21):
you know, that sort of money we haven't seen for
a long long time. But you know, you say that
it's great money, and it is good money. But I'll
tell you what you run a you run a sheep
and beef property these days, Jamie, and I'll tell you
what the costs are high, you know, not only for labor,
but you go and buy a new side beside, you're
up for forty grand now, and the cost of putting
gas in those vehicles and turning your paddic over for
(03:44):
a crop, that sort of thing. It's expensive. And so know,
we need that sort of money. And now I'm not
not ashamed at all of saying that. You know, we're
probably bigger than most, but you know, if the average
is two fifty eight, we're probably close to more than
double that. But so I'm very pleased to see that
we've got the money, and we will spend it. You know,
(04:06):
we'll spend it on things that need to be done
around the farm, like new gear and maintenance and that
sort of thing. So you know, I'm not ashamed to
say that either.
Speaker 1 (04:14):
Yeah, well, a lot of those numbers sheep and beef
farmers generating eight point five billion on farm and spending
sixteen million every day on goods and services. Just finally
you're heading the wholes away with your Hell Country beef operation.
That's an interesting move from you. You're a fairly smart
sort of operator. You wouldn't be spending this money unless
there was a quid in it.
Speaker 2 (04:34):
John Well, I must admit that. You know, I've been
sort of thinking about it for a while, and I
had a young guy who came in from Holter about
ten days ago, a young guy called Hamish Klausen. And
I'll tell you what. If he's typical of their employees,
I tell you what, he's a smart young fellow, that guy.
And he did a great job on us, I mean,
(04:55):
and not a cell job on us, because we were
pretty committed. But it's costing us probably We got seven
nearly eight hundred cows out there, and it'll cost us
probably thick end of eighty grand seventy five to eighty
thousand dollars to put this program in place. But I
see it that we will probably do with our go
away with a shepherd and the costs associated with that
(05:17):
and raising and all the other things that go with it,
you know, cleaning paddocks up, not having to put fencing up.
You know, there's so many costs associated with farming the
way that we are that this program will hold her
will negate and you know, I'm just so excited just
to see it. It's going to take place about June
(05:40):
July for us, and when I talk to you this
time next year, Jamie, I'll hopefully be able to be
more specific in terms of the advantages that it brings.
But it's a fantastic technology and I think the guy
Craig you started these are pretty bright sort of bloke
and they you know, they had that capital raise the
other day. I think they're raised over three hundred minutes
(06:02):
I was hereabout and so you've got to admire the
people in the program and how they've done this. I
think it's going to be great for farming, and they
haven't even scratched the surface globally of what this product
can do.
Speaker 1 (06:15):
Yeah, the great bloke's name is Craig Peggott and I'll
tell you what John after that endorsement, that testament or
testimonial should I say? It was almost like a reading
from the Testament. I think you might get it for nothing.
Thanks for your time, OK, Jami, nice to talk
Here's a farmer we keep tabs on on the country.
His name is John mcavinie, sheep and beef farmer from
white to Homo farming black gold. We'll talk about as
Weena carves shortly. John, you're also the chief executive of Steelford.
I want to ask about China. Where where you get
all your product from? What are you hearing on the
ground over there? Read this Middle East crisis slash war.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
Well, I was talking to somebody at the other day
some of their surprise the other day, and not that
I have a lot of contact with them, but I'll
tell you what, it's not big news in China. They
it's hardly making the news over there what's happening with
America and Iran. So you know, they just don't seem
to be worried about They just you know, typical Chinese.
They get on with things and make things happen. And
(00:46):
I don't think it's worrying them too much at all.
I mean it's big news for us and the rest
of the world because it's affecting us, you know, with
our cost of petroleum products. But you know, China, all
our stuff out of China, we had any difficulty and
you know, all the products that we get out there,
which is virtually everything about our rideons all come out
(01:10):
of China, so we're having no difficulty accessing that.
Speaker 1 (01:13):
So what about international freight rates? Surely they must be spiking.
Speaker 2 (01:17):
Yeah they are, They are going up, but they're not.
You wouldn't call They're not like they were in COVID.
You know, you know, I think we're probably might have
to check, but I would say we're probably up three
hundred and four hundred dollars a container, but we're monitoring
that quite closely. But a lot of our stuff sort
of you know, organized and said, you know, months ahead,
(01:39):
So we're saying you get a little bit of that now,
but it's not disastrous.
Speaker 1 (01:44):
Talk to me about the sheep and beef farm and
White Tomo John. I don't know whether you're caught up
with the news from Kate Ackland. Average farm profit is
foreclass to climb. This is for sheep and beef to
two hundred and eighty seven thousand per farm for the
twenty five twenty six financial year. Those are good numbers.
We've never had numbers like that before.
Speaker 2 (02:04):
Yeah, well, you know, I mean we haven't seen pricing
like this for livestock, I would say for twenty five years,
two years. You know, equivalents too, I'm talking about. But
we sold the rest of our last of our lambs,
which were about three thousand lams, and they went off
the property two weeks ago, and we averaged these are
(02:24):
everything that's gone, so there's quite a few smaller lines
on those. We averaged one hundred and fifty eight dollars
for those, and the lambs that have been going off earlier.
These are store lamps. I'm talking not fat lamps. They've
been up around one hundred and eighty dollars. So we've
got rid of all our lambs now and I haven't
done the averages, but I would say they'd be averaging
one hundred and sixty one hundred and seventy dollars, which
(02:47):
is you know, I mean, that's twice the price they
were worth two years ago, two and a half years ago.
Speaker 1 (02:53):
What about your Wienna? What about your Wina calves? Because
you got the angers, haven't you? That would be black gold.
Speaker 2 (02:58):
Only one, only one color, Jamie. And you know we're
selling those in Taupo on the I think it's the
twelfth of May and we will be selling something like
five hundred calves, you know, I mean, I've seen the
carves out there, and we've got some outstanding calves, and
I would say that the I'd like to think that
they'll average close to fifteen hundred bucks a car. So,
(03:21):
you know, that sort of money we haven't seen for
a long long time. But you know, you say that
it's great money, and it is good money. But I'll
tell you what you run a you run a sheep
and beef property these days, Jamie, and I'll tell you
what the costs are high, you know, not only for labor,
but you go and buy a new side beside, you're
up for forty grand now, and the cost of putting
gas in those vehicles and turning your paddic over for
(03:44):
a crop, that sort of thing. It's expensive. And so know,
we need that sort of money. And now I'm not
not ashamed at all of saying that. You know, we're
probably bigger than most, but you know, if the average
is two fifty eight, we're probably close to more than
double that. But so I'm very pleased to see that
we've got the money, and we will spend it. You know,
(04:06):
we'll spend it on things that need to be done
around the farm, like new gear and maintenance and that
sort of thing. So you know, I'm not ashamed to
say that either.
Speaker 1 (04:14):
Yeah, well, a lot of those numbers sheep and beef
farmers generating eight point five billion on farm and spending
sixteen million every day on goods and services. Just finally
you're heading the wholes away with your Hell Country beef operation.
That's an interesting move from you. You're a fairly smart
sort of operator. You wouldn't be spending this money unless
there was a quid in it.
Speaker 2 (04:34):
John Well, I must admit that. You know, I've been
sort of thinking about it for a while, and I
had a young guy who came in from Holter about
ten days ago, a young guy called Hamish Klausen. And
I'll tell you what. If he's typical of their employees,
I tell you what, he's a smart young fellow, that guy.
And he did a great job on us, I mean,
(04:55):
and not a cell job on us, because we were
pretty committed. But it's costing us probably We got seven
nearly eight hundred cows out there, and it'll cost us
probably thick end of eighty grand seventy five to eighty
thousand dollars to put this program in place. But I
see it that we will probably do with our go
away with a shepherd and the costs associated with that
(05:17):
and raising and all the other things that go with it,
you know, cleaning paddocks up, not having to put fencing up.
You know, there's so many costs associated with farming the
way that we are that this program will hold her
will negate and you know, I'm just so excited just
to see it. It's going to take place about June
(05:40):
July for us, and when I talk to you this
time next year, Jamie, I'll hopefully be able to be
more specific in terms of the advantages that it brings.
But it's a fantastic technology and I think the guy
Craig you started these are pretty bright sort of bloke
and they you know, they had that capital raise the
other day. I think they're raised over three hundred minutes
(06:02):
I was hereabout and so you've got to admire the
people in the program and how they've done this. I
think it's going to be great for farming, and they
haven't even scratched the surface globally of what this product
can do.
Speaker 1 (06:15):
Yeah, the great bloke's name is Craig Peggott and I'll
tell you what John after that endorsement, that testament or
testimonial should I say? It was almost like a reading
from the Testament. I think you might get it for nothing.
Thanks for your time, OK, Jami, nice to talk
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