May 7, 2025 • 9 mins
Has the president of Federated Farmers sold his soul for a new Hilux? What are the main concerns from the provincial AGMs? What are the Feds working on at the moment? Is he looking forward to drying off? Will he fix his milk price?
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Let's kick it off with Wayne Yolo. You only live once, Plank.
But what's all this I'm hearing about you picking up
a brand new Toyota high Lux this afternoon, Wayne.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
Halfnoon, Jamie. Yeah, I'm literally standing at Bowater Toyota just
picking up the new twenty twenty five Highlucks. Pretty pretty excited.
It's an impressive looking beast and that it needs to
be to replace Black Beauty, which I've been driving around
in for the last three years as well.
Speaker 1 (00:25):
So have you sold your soul to Toyota?
Speaker 2 (00:28):
Well, I feel like it. Fron Stones and glass out.
Speaker 1 (00:33):
Yeah, well, well, I mean I drive around in one
of those Toyota High Lucks as I used to own
a couple back in the eighties. Yollow, that's how far
I go back with Toyota high Lucks. But it's the
hybrid one. They've got a bit of get up and go.
Speaker 2 (00:46):
Oh they do. Yeah yeah. And I'm humbled by the
support that that Bowwater Toyota, particularly here and Nelson give
me you know, they've got them behind the work I
was doing bost of the meat and charity with the
Yellow Farmer and mental health and the ultimately feeds and
feeds and everything else as well. So they support me
with a vehicle to get around in, which is which
is pretty awesome considering the number of cas you can
(01:08):
imagine I put on an a year as well.
Speaker 1 (01:10):
Yeah, we'll just be careful not to leave it outside
the pub on a Friday night. Park it up.
Speaker 2 (01:14):
Okay, that's right. I've actually I've actually chucked a tent
on the top of it. So this one that's got
a new tent on the top, which which oscar boy
wat have put on and which is pretty awesome. So
I can take missus missus Yollow with me whenever she's.
Speaker 1 (01:27):
Living the dream. She can sleep on top of a
tent on top of the Highlucks. That's right, Yeah, all right,
mind you the amount of traveling you did. Just imagine
the money you could save Federated Farmers levy payers if
you slept in the tent on the Highlucks everywhere you went.
Speaker 2 (01:42):
That's right. Just just remember we're not levy pads. You
remember farmers passed because they want to remember that. All right.
Speaker 1 (01:49):
Now, well let's continue on with that. I think you've
had You've done the rounds of the provincial agms. What
are the hot topics, What are the positives, what are
the negatives.
Speaker 2 (01:57):
Yeah, I've certainly started. I've been down in South on
ben to them and Nelson today and up to Hawks
Pay to Murray. So hot topics you can imagine down
in the South, and there was a week before duck shooting,
so it's a fishing game and ducks were hot there.
But also you know pine trees, farm conversions into pine
trees and peat which which really those who probably come
(02:18):
together as well, so you know, deer and what we're
going to do to control trol these issues as well,
got up got up to Marlboro and again they were
talking challenges, particularly with wilding pines and what's going on
in that space, and a bit of bipartisan support probably
needed from government to work out how we deal with
some of these issues. And ultimately, you know, so it's
not a political football each election.
Speaker 1 (02:40):
Maybe we need to let the wild and pines go
and they can sequest us some carbon and we can
leave the good productive pastoral and arable land for producing food.
Is that a silly idea?
Speaker 2 (02:52):
I don't know that's there are any of the situation
at times, but unfortunately some of these wilding pines are
covering up some pretty good quality of land as well.
So that's how we get a hold of them before
they get away and totally totally immerse that country. So
it's an easy one to forget about for some because
you know, if you're not there, I was not looking
in the face every day, it's easy to forget about.
(03:13):
But we I'm hearing more and more pressure from farmers
that how we need to get onto this one because
it's getting out of control.
Speaker 1 (03:19):
I reckon, we're facing an ecological and environmental crisis with
this pine tree situation. And I'm all for production forestry
before you attack me on the text line. But you know,
and I know the governments tried to close the loopholes
last December. They haven't effectively closed them until the legislation
is through, and even then there possible loopholes to get
(03:42):
in there. But we just need to stop productive land
going to pine trees. You know, you can plant twenty
five percent of your land Class one to six and
pine trees if you want to. That's your choice on
your farm. And there's plenty of places on farms the
length and breadth of the country where we can plant
pine trees. It's the blanket planting. That is the real.
Speaker 2 (04:02):
Worry one hundred percent, and that's that's where we're sitting
as well. And as you said, come in and need to
get this through the house, get it through Parliament and
get it signed off so that we can we can
stop any of this getting around the rules and and
and dodging anything that's happening. At the moment, we know
that we've got some farms still going in and that's
(04:23):
real frustration for us because they're clearly getting around what
was what was announce December fourth on the on the
farmer confidence to it.
Speaker 1 (04:30):
Hey, Wayne, I note that the government was pretty quick
and they've rushed it through the house, the legislation on
pay equity to save a couple of billion dollars and
to save save Nicholas budget which is coming up later
this month. Why couldn't they do the same thing with
the carbon farming.
Speaker 2 (04:46):
That's our thoughts. Exactly right. We're hearing a lot of talks,
so time to get on and get it done because
every day that goes past, it seems that there's more
and more farms going in and these are just farms
will never get we'll never get back.
Speaker 1 (04:58):
So what else are you hearing at these vincial a gms.
Speaker 2 (05:04):
A lot of concern around where the where the emission
targets are going to end up and what we're doing
in that space and secretly what the what the coalition
government's views on it are. So you know, again a
lot of talk around you know, we're here for farmers
and we want to be working for farmers. We'll kind
of announce now it's time to put your money with
emails as as such and and say right, what are
the targets going to be and how are we going
(05:25):
to ensure that that farmers can keep farming the way
that we need to to support the country and to
support the government to do what they want to do.
Speaker 1 (05:32):
Do you reckon? Farmers are railing against this. I mean,
if the feedback on yesterday's show from Wayne McNee from
Agri zero in Z's anything to go by, they are
getting a.
Speaker 2 (05:43):
Bit fairal Yeah, we're certainly getting some pretty heated emails
comes through to me and others and feeds as well.
We're worth fully understanding. We were sitting We've got the
Meathane review, we've got the targets reviewed, and it's it's
a pretty clear number, fourteen percent of the world does nothing,
twenty four percent if the world does a whole lot
(06:04):
and the world meets its targets. Right, they've also said
that we're on target hit twenty percent by how sorry,
ten percent by twenty thirty. That's pretty simple mass for
me now, four percent for the next twenty years after that,
Jamie will hurt that they shouldn't need to be worrying
about and they shouldn't certainly be putting farmers under any
more undu stress than they need to be. You know,
(06:25):
we've got it under control, and just let us get
on and get farming and provide for the country like
they want us to do. Well.
Speaker 1 (06:32):
Attritionan's doing the job for us alone. Look at the
falls and livestock numbers, and the nineteen eighties we had
twenty two sheep per person in this country were now
down to four and a half. The dairy cattle have
dropped nearly one million. Beef cattle's the only one that's
that's treading water or staying the same. So the number
(06:52):
of ruminants we've got emitting methane is far less than
we had ten twenty or thirty years ago.
Speaker 2 (07:00):
Right, And that's right, and so, and we're going to
look at the reasons why and the reasons why that's happening,
and obviously how we've achieved, how targets up until now,
and ultimately what effect that's having on global emissions or
on the planet warming as such. Right, and and that's
why we're trying to get across. Hey, we understand what
you know. You may want these targets and you may
want to get it done, but hey, what are we
(07:21):
actually going to achieve with this and what's the end
result going to be? Because because we're here to represent
our farmers and where we're going, and that's what we
want to do.
Speaker 1 (07:28):
Have you dried off yet on the Nelson farm?
Speaker 2 (07:31):
Not quite? I dried off forty yesterday and we we
carry on right to the end of the month. Our
factory closes on the thirty first, and we'll send a
bit on in the last day as well while it
looks of it. So it's been a good autumn so far.
Speaker 1 (07:42):
Yeah, Well, keep on milking with the ten dollars plus payout.
What about this one? Because up after you up next
on the Country, I'm going to chat to Hayden Dylan,
who's Findex head of agribusiness, and he's urging farmers to
use hedging strategies to protect their income, i e. Fixed
your milk price. Are you going to do any of that?
Speaker 2 (08:01):
It was the first time I've had a look in
a long time this morning. Actually they won. So I
normally stay away from it because as soon as you
start hedging, you worry whether you've gained or lost, and
worried about it. I tend to wake up in the morning.
I'd like to wake up in the morning and not
worry about that. So yeah, time start thinking about it. Though,
with the numbers getting to where they are, it's with
people that run slightly risky your businesses. It's an option
(08:22):
there to provide a bit of security. So yeah, it's
getting to that point where it's worth looking at. But
who knows where this market's going to go to? An
interesting place at the moment.
Speaker 1 (08:30):
What colors the new highlights.
Speaker 2 (08:32):
I've got a white one which hopefully won't show as
much dust as what the black one did because the
center to clean that thing I got to do to
you again, So so yeah, it's going to be interesting.
But looking forward to getting getting monks that I'll send
a photo through as you can put up on his own.
Speaker 1 (08:45):
Yeah, you do that. And there could be an erection
tonight of the tent I'm talking about there why? And
it could be date night with Missus Yolo and the
new Highlights and teams. She is living the dream.
Speaker 2 (08:57):
He loves the good direction, I can tell you that much.
Speaker 1 (09:00):
Look, this conversation's going down. Hell, good luck getting the
tent up. I should leave it at that. This is
getting bad, all right, there we go. Wayne Langford, President
of Federated Farmer, is always very entertaining
Let's kick it off with Wayne Yolo. You only live once, Plank.
But what's all this I'm hearing about you picking up
a brand new Toyota high Lux this afternoon, Wayne.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
Halfnoon, Jamie. Yeah, I'm literally standing at Bowater Toyota just
picking up the new twenty twenty five Highlucks. Pretty pretty excited.
It's an impressive looking beast and that it needs to
be to replace Black Beauty, which I've been driving around
in for the last three years as well.
Speaker 1 (00:25):
So have you sold your soul to Toyota?
Speaker 2 (00:28):
Well, I feel like it. Fron Stones and glass out.
Speaker 1 (00:33):
Yeah, well, well, I mean I drive around in one
of those Toyota High Lucks as I used to own
a couple back in the eighties. Yollow, that's how far
I go back with Toyota high Lucks. But it's the
hybrid one. They've got a bit of get up and go.
Speaker 2 (00:46):
Oh they do. Yeah yeah. And I'm humbled by the
support that that Bowwater Toyota, particularly here and Nelson give
me you know, they've got them behind the work I
was doing bost of the meat and charity with the
Yellow Farmer and mental health and the ultimately feeds and
feeds and everything else as well. So they support me
with a vehicle to get around in, which is which
is pretty awesome considering the number of cas you can
(01:08):
imagine I put on an a year as well.
Speaker 1 (01:10):
Yeah, we'll just be careful not to leave it outside
the pub on a Friday night. Park it up.
Speaker 2 (01:14):
Okay, that's right. I've actually I've actually chucked a tent
on the top of it. So this one that's got
a new tent on the top, which which oscar boy
wat have put on and which is pretty awesome. So
I can take missus missus Yollow with me whenever she's.
Speaker 1 (01:27):
Living the dream. She can sleep on top of a
tent on top of the Highlucks. That's right, Yeah, all right,
mind you the amount of traveling you did. Just imagine
the money you could save Federated Farmers levy payers if
you slept in the tent on the Highlucks everywhere you went.
Speaker 2 (01:42):
That's right. Just just remember we're not levy pads. You
remember farmers passed because they want to remember that. All right.
Speaker 1 (01:49):
Now, well let's continue on with that. I think you've
had You've done the rounds of the provincial agms. What
are the hot topics, What are the positives, what are
the negatives.
Speaker 2 (01:57):
Yeah, I've certainly started. I've been down in South on
ben to them and Nelson today and up to Hawks
Pay to Murray. So hot topics you can imagine down
in the South, and there was a week before duck shooting,
so it's a fishing game and ducks were hot there.
But also you know pine trees, farm conversions into pine
trees and peat which which really those who probably come
(02:18):
together as well, so you know, deer and what we're
going to do to control trol these issues as well,
got up got up to Marlboro and again they were
talking challenges, particularly with wilding pines and what's going on
in that space, and a bit of bipartisan support probably
needed from government to work out how we deal with
some of these issues. And ultimately, you know, so it's
not a political football each election.
Speaker 1 (02:40):
Maybe we need to let the wild and pines go
and they can sequest us some carbon and we can
leave the good productive pastoral and arable land for producing food.
Is that a silly idea?
Speaker 2 (02:52):
I don't know that's there are any of the situation
at times, but unfortunately some of these wilding pines are
covering up some pretty good quality of land as well.
So that's how we get a hold of them before
they get away and totally totally immerse that country. So
it's an easy one to forget about for some because
you know, if you're not there, I was not looking
in the face every day, it's easy to forget about.
(03:13):
But we I'm hearing more and more pressure from farmers
that how we need to get onto this one because
it's getting out of control.
Speaker 1 (03:19):
I reckon, we're facing an ecological and environmental crisis with
this pine tree situation. And I'm all for production forestry
before you attack me on the text line. But you know,
and I know the governments tried to close the loopholes
last December. They haven't effectively closed them until the legislation
is through, and even then there possible loopholes to get
(03:42):
in there. But we just need to stop productive land
going to pine trees. You know, you can plant twenty
five percent of your land Class one to six and
pine trees if you want to. That's your choice on
your farm. And there's plenty of places on farms the
length and breadth of the country where we can plant
pine trees. It's the blanket planting. That is the real.
Speaker 2 (04:02):
Worry one hundred percent, and that's that's where we're sitting
as well. And as you said, come in and need to
get this through the house, get it through Parliament and
get it signed off so that we can we can
stop any of this getting around the rules and and
and dodging anything that's happening. At the moment, we know
that we've got some farms still going in and that's
(04:23):
real frustration for us because they're clearly getting around what
was what was announce December fourth on the on the
farmer confidence to it.
Speaker 1 (04:30):
Hey, Wayne, I note that the government was pretty quick
and they've rushed it through the house, the legislation on
pay equity to save a couple of billion dollars and
to save save Nicholas budget which is coming up later
this month. Why couldn't they do the same thing with
the carbon farming.
Speaker 2 (04:46):
That's our thoughts. Exactly right. We're hearing a lot of talks,
so time to get on and get it done because
every day that goes past, it seems that there's more
and more farms going in and these are just farms
will never get we'll never get back.
Speaker 1 (04:58):
So what else are you hearing at these vincial a gms.
Speaker 2 (05:04):
A lot of concern around where the where the emission
targets are going to end up and what we're doing
in that space and secretly what the what the coalition
government's views on it are. So you know, again a
lot of talk around you know, we're here for farmers
and we want to be working for farmers. We'll kind
of announce now it's time to put your money with
emails as as such and and say right, what are
the targets going to be and how are we going
(05:25):
to ensure that that farmers can keep farming the way
that we need to to support the country and to
support the government to do what they want to do.
Speaker 1 (05:32):
Do you reckon? Farmers are railing against this. I mean,
if the feedback on yesterday's show from Wayne McNee from
Agri zero in Z's anything to go by, they are
getting a.
Speaker 2 (05:43):
Bit fairal Yeah, we're certainly getting some pretty heated emails
comes through to me and others and feeds as well.
We're worth fully understanding. We were sitting We've got the
Meathane review, we've got the targets reviewed, and it's it's
a pretty clear number, fourteen percent of the world does nothing,
twenty four percent if the world does a whole lot
(06:04):
and the world meets its targets. Right, they've also said
that we're on target hit twenty percent by how sorry,
ten percent by twenty thirty. That's pretty simple mass for
me now, four percent for the next twenty years after that,
Jamie will hurt that they shouldn't need to be worrying
about and they shouldn't certainly be putting farmers under any
more undu stress than they need to be. You know,
(06:25):
we've got it under control, and just let us get
on and get farming and provide for the country like
they want us to do. Well.
Speaker 1 (06:32):
Attritionan's doing the job for us alone. Look at the
falls and livestock numbers, and the nineteen eighties we had
twenty two sheep per person in this country were now
down to four and a half. The dairy cattle have
dropped nearly one million. Beef cattle's the only one that's
that's treading water or staying the same. So the number
(06:52):
of ruminants we've got emitting methane is far less than
we had ten twenty or thirty years ago.
Speaker 2 (07:00):
Right, And that's right, and so, and we're going to
look at the reasons why and the reasons why that's happening,
and obviously how we've achieved, how targets up until now,
and ultimately what effect that's having on global emissions or
on the planet warming as such. Right, and and that's
why we're trying to get across. Hey, we understand what
you know. You may want these targets and you may
want to get it done, but hey, what are we
(07:21):
actually going to achieve with this and what's the end
result going to be? Because because we're here to represent
our farmers and where we're going, and that's what we
want to do.
Speaker 1 (07:28):
Have you dried off yet on the Nelson farm?
Speaker 2 (07:31):
Not quite? I dried off forty yesterday and we we
carry on right to the end of the month. Our
factory closes on the thirty first, and we'll send a
bit on in the last day as well while it
looks of it. So it's been a good autumn so far.
Speaker 1 (07:42):
Yeah, Well, keep on milking with the ten dollars plus payout.
What about this one? Because up after you up next
on the Country, I'm going to chat to Hayden Dylan,
who's Findex head of agribusiness, and he's urging farmers to
use hedging strategies to protect their income, i e. Fixed
your milk price. Are you going to do any of that?
Speaker 2 (08:01):
It was the first time I've had a look in
a long time this morning. Actually they won. So I
normally stay away from it because as soon as you
start hedging, you worry whether you've gained or lost, and
worried about it. I tend to wake up in the morning.
I'd like to wake up in the morning and not
worry about that. So yeah, time start thinking about it. Though,
with the numbers getting to where they are, it's with
people that run slightly risky your businesses. It's an option
(08:22):
there to provide a bit of security. So yeah, it's
getting to that point where it's worth looking at. But
who knows where this market's going to go to? An
interesting place at the moment.
Speaker 1 (08:30):
What colors the new highlights.
Speaker 2 (08:32):
I've got a white one which hopefully won't show as
much dust as what the black one did because the
center to clean that thing I got to do to
you again, So so yeah, it's going to be interesting.
But looking forward to getting getting monks that I'll send
a photo through as you can put up on his own.
Speaker 1 (08:45):
Yeah, you do that. And there could be an erection
tonight of the tent I'm talking about there why? And
it could be date night with Missus Yolo and the
new Highlights and teams. She is living the dream.
Speaker 2 (08:57):
He loves the good direction, I can tell you that much.
Speaker 1 (09:00):
Look, this conversation's going down. Hell, good luck getting the
tent up. I should leave it at that. This is
getting bad, all right, there we go. Wayne Langford, President
of Federated Farmer, is always very entertaining
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