The Country 08/05/25: Pete Barnes talks to Jamie Mackay

We have our monthly catch-up with the team from PGG Wrightson Livestock. Today we’re off to Marlborough.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Monthly here on the country we catch up with the
team from PGG Rights and Livestock have a look at
the state of the market. Today we head to Sonny
Old Blenham, at least I assume it is. There we
catch Marlborough Livestock Manager Pete Barnes and Pete, you had
your final calf sale for the season yesterday in Marlborough
and I'll tell you what you need pockets of gold

(00:21):
to buy calves this year big bucks.

Speaker 2 (00:24):
Noon, Jamie. You've certainly been a strong finish to our
calf selling season down here. Expectations versus results often outlaid,
but today or yesterday, certainly the results the expectations. It
was successful.

Speaker 1 (00:41):
Okay. Is there going to be a margin and it?
Of course we don't know how much beef is going
to be worth next year. The forecasts are pretty promising,
but at these big dollars, you think they're still a
margin there for the finishers.

Speaker 2 (00:54):
Is the million dollar question. If you look at some
of the faces of the guys buying yesterday, they see
a little bit of pay and there for sure, so
I certainly hope so, because we're at the other end
of that too, of course, and we've got to try
and manage all these purchases out of these kettle.

Speaker 1 (01:11):
At the other end, the calf's house finish and you're
straight into the bull selling season, and i'd imagine some
of those big black fellows, the anguses I'm talking about,
will be going for huge money.

Speaker 2 (01:24):
Yeah, there'll be some expectation and some stud breeders around.
They'll be looking on pretty carefully of what these results
of the calf sales have been in the rising beef shehed. Also,
they'll be looking for the pound of flesh out of
it too, I'm sure, and I hope they get it.
They put a lot of hard work.

Speaker 1 (01:45):
In something else that's or not unique to your area.
But of course Marlboro as the wine capital of the country,
you've got the lamb grazing in the vineyards. As soon
as the grapes are off, you're seeing the lambs, and
once again that's good. But sourcing store lambs at this
time of the year is very expensive. Or do they
just take some grazing in for nothing? How does it work?

Speaker 2 (02:09):
Look? Yeah, it takes a bit of managing, there's no
doubt about it. The grapes come off mid April, the
lambs will start to pour in. We've sort of back
logged a few lambs, had them on hand, knowing that
they're going to come into the vineyards. We've kept a
few back. We held a sale top of the South

(02:30):
lamb sale in mid April, and knowing that we had
buying power there and it was successful. We buy a
number of lambs and believe it or not, from North
Island and as far up as the king Country, they've
been coming down to us here. So we spread the
net and we prepare for it and we find them ultimately,
but we've had to pay for them. It's no doubt

(02:51):
about that.

Speaker 1 (02:51):
We haven't got a very good line. And I'm going
to have to leave you, but I can't help yourself
in your neck of the woods. You're always I enjoyed
it much better when the Crusaders were no last year.
This is coming from a Highlander supporter. And we look
like we could get the wooden spoon. You guys look
like you're back to your evil old ways. I winning
Super Rugby.

Speaker 2 (03:12):
Yeah, it was certainly on the ride. And this week's
head the Head with the Chiefs will be something to
to get a bit excited. A B and I think
we'll see soon we see a battle there and hopefully
the Crusaders are on the right side of it.

Speaker 1 (03:25):
Home advantage. You would almost favor the Crusaders. It is
going to be perhaps the best game of Super rugby
thus far this year. Looking forward to it. Hey, Pete
Barnes out of Marlborough. Good luck with the ball selling
season coming up.

Speaker 2 (03:37):
Thank you.