September 10, 2025 • 4 mins
We head to Piopio for this month’s PGG Wrightson Livestock update, where the good news is that red meat prices are strong.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Monthly. Here on the Country, we catch up with the
team from PGG writes in to look at the state
of the rural livestock markets. Today, we're heading to tek Owedi.
Although he lives down the road in a town called Popo,
which is obviously in the news at the moment. He's
the regional livestock manager for King Country Talpo Regions. Kevin
(00:21):
Morty Mortensen, and I understand your hometown is flooded with
media and cops. What a tough time for your little town.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
Yeah, it certainly has been, Jamie. It's all of a sudden.
We certainly hit the world map for all the wrong reasons.
But let's just hope, you know, what happens happened, and
everything is behind us now and we can just look
forward and carry on as a normal life.
Speaker 1 (00:45):
So what are the locals saying about this? There are
some ghastly rumors circulating. Whether they're true or not, I
do not know, but I mean, this thing could not
get any uglier.
Speaker 2 (00:57):
You're right and look at and I won't speculate and
say too much on that. That all they Jamie, Like
I say, it's not for me to say, you know,
we've what's happened. It's the only association we had with it,
really is the store as to what happened there. And yeah,
we'll just leave it to the past to be as
to what's happened with that and where they're going to
go with it in the future.
Speaker 1 (01:15):
Okay, On a brighter note, you've been a stock agent
for four decades. Have you ever known livestock the market
for red meat animals, obviously sheep and beef to be
better than that is at the moment.
Speaker 2 (01:28):
No, No, I've never never seen it so strong. And
you know, we only have to go back eighteen months
or so ago and look at where it was to
how quick to where it is, and yeah, soon we've
seen it. We've seen a big upturn in it, you know,
and may it continue. It's sort of you know, all
of a sudden, ten dollars and what have you on
mutton and nine dollars and all that on beef, And
(01:49):
like I say, I hope it can can stay where
it is for the next two to three years anyway,
because it's certainly positive and all of these farmers for
many years have have had it tough. It's about time
they saw some positives through and some good times ahead.
Speaker 1 (02:04):
I think you might have misspoke there. You said ten
dollars for mutton. I think you meant ten dollars for lamb.
Speaker 2 (02:08):
Lamb, sorry Lamb. That's right.
Speaker 1 (02:10):
Well, mutton's worth a bit as well. You know, of
all the red meat categories, and I think beef's the strongest.
Speaker 2 (02:18):
Yeah, no it is. And like I said, but it
all comes back to probably numbers too. Has probably got
a bit of it there. You know, were struggling to
fill space at the works or any killable stock around.
They're just not there. There's been more calves and all
that red this year trying to make up the slack,
and so it's just a lot of it is a
numbers game, and you know where can we get the
(02:41):
numbers back up to where they need to be.
Speaker 1 (02:43):
Well, I know there's a lot of beef calves being read.
Even in the dairy system. There the problem that we're
hearing so that we're running out of milk powder.
Speaker 2 (02:53):
Yeah, no, that is a concern. There's been a lot
of calves purchased with not a lot of homework and
is making certain that secured milk powder. It's a real
sort it's not just for some PGG items. It's all retailers.
It's a real genuine concern with the shortage that is
out there. But it just goes to show, you know
that everybody's prepared and thinking the job is looking pretty
good and prepared to wear a few calves to make
(03:16):
up the slack.
Speaker 1 (03:17):
Now you're based in a popo, I'm based in Duneda
and I flew from christ Church down to Dunedin this morning.
Be fair to say the Southern Alps have had a
bit of a dusting. September is always a challenging month.
September wouldn't be September if it wasn't. But it's been
cold for a lot of the country and I understand
in the King Country region or your region you're pretty
sure to feed.
Speaker 2 (03:38):
Yeah, no, very short as we speak, Jamie. Like I said,
there were snowing down on the Desert Road there last night,
so things are pretty cold. We've had probably forty plus
foss for the winter and we're still still struggling from
the drought and the big dry we had back in
the autumn. We haven't got the standing hay on the hills.
It's just we do need some warm rain and we
need some growth. We need it pretty quick to be fair.
Speaker 1 (04:01):
Yes, bleak times in po Po at the moment, and
we've talked about those. But on a brighton note, I reckon,
you've got one of the best little golf courses in
the country. You run lots of good tournaments there. How
are you hitting it?
Speaker 2 (04:14):
Well? Actually, that's one positive, I suppose Jamie. With the
frost and everything, it's actually firmed the ground up. So
I'm probably getting another thirty or forty meters distance on
the drives, and.
Speaker 1 (04:24):
So you're getting about two hundred and eighty meters now.
Speaker 2 (04:26):
I'm probably getting it about one sixty. You know, my game
one sixty in all in the wrong direction too. So yeah,
well we'll wait till the grass grows and then what
slow things down a little bit for me.
Speaker 1 (04:37):
Well, you enjoy your weekend coming up on the Popo
Golf Club, and good luck to your wonderful little town
and the king country there to recover and get on
with life.
Speaker 2 (04:47):
Thanks Jamie, appreciate that, mate. Thanks having me on the show.
Monthly. Here on the Country, we catch up with the
team from PGG writes in to look at the state
of the rural livestock markets. Today, we're heading to tek Owedi.
Although he lives down the road in a town called Popo,
which is obviously in the news at the moment. He's
the regional livestock manager for King Country Talpo Regions. Kevin
(00:21):
Morty Mortensen, and I understand your hometown is flooded with
media and cops. What a tough time for your little town.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
Yeah, it certainly has been, Jamie. It's all of a sudden.
We certainly hit the world map for all the wrong reasons.
But let's just hope, you know, what happens happened, and
everything is behind us now and we can just look
forward and carry on as a normal life.
Speaker 1 (00:45):
So what are the locals saying about this? There are
some ghastly rumors circulating. Whether they're true or not, I
do not know, but I mean, this thing could not
get any uglier.
Speaker 2 (00:57):
You're right and look at and I won't speculate and
say too much on that. That all they Jamie, Like
I say, it's not for me to say, you know,
we've what's happened. It's the only association we had with it,
really is the store as to what happened there. And yeah,
we'll just leave it to the past to be as
to what's happened with that and where they're going to
go with it in the future.
Speaker 1 (01:15):
Okay, On a brighter note, you've been a stock agent
for four decades. Have you ever known livestock the market
for red meat animals, obviously sheep and beef to be
better than that is at the moment.
Speaker 2 (01:28):
No, No, I've never never seen it so strong. And
you know, we only have to go back eighteen months
or so ago and look at where it was to
how quick to where it is, and yeah, soon we've
seen it. We've seen a big upturn in it, you know,
and may it continue. It's sort of you know, all
of a sudden, ten dollars and what have you on
mutton and nine dollars and all that on beef, And
(01:49):
like I say, I hope it can can stay where
it is for the next two to three years anyway,
because it's certainly positive and all of these farmers for
many years have have had it tough. It's about time
they saw some positives through and some good times ahead.
Speaker 1 (02:04):
I think you might have misspoke there. You said ten
dollars for mutton. I think you meant ten dollars for lamb.
Speaker 2 (02:08):
Lamb, sorry Lamb. That's right.
Speaker 1 (02:10):
Well, mutton's worth a bit as well. You know, of
all the red meat categories, and I think beef's the strongest.
Speaker 2 (02:18):
Yeah, no it is. And like I said, but it
all comes back to probably numbers too. Has probably got
a bit of it there. You know, were struggling to
fill space at the works or any killable stock around.
They're just not there. There's been more calves and all
that red this year trying to make up the slack,
and so it's just a lot of it is a
numbers game, and you know where can we get the
(02:41):
numbers back up to where they need to be.
Speaker 1 (02:43):
Well, I know there's a lot of beef calves being read.
Even in the dairy system. There the problem that we're
hearing so that we're running out of milk powder.
Speaker 2 (02:53):
Yeah, no, that is a concern. There's been a lot
of calves purchased with not a lot of homework and
is making certain that secured milk powder. It's a real
sort it's not just for some PGG items. It's all retailers.
It's a real genuine concern with the shortage that is
out there. But it just goes to show, you know
that everybody's prepared and thinking the job is looking pretty
good and prepared to wear a few calves to make
(03:16):
up the slack.
Speaker 1 (03:17):
Now you're based in a popo, I'm based in Duneda
and I flew from christ Church down to Dunedin this morning.
Be fair to say the Southern Alps have had a
bit of a dusting. September is always a challenging month.
September wouldn't be September if it wasn't. But it's been
cold for a lot of the country and I understand
in the King Country region or your region you're pretty
sure to feed.
Speaker 2 (03:38):
Yeah, no, very short as we speak, Jamie. Like I said,
there were snowing down on the Desert Road there last night,
so things are pretty cold. We've had probably forty plus
foss for the winter and we're still still struggling from
the drought and the big dry we had back in
the autumn. We haven't got the standing hay on the hills.
It's just we do need some warm rain and we
need some growth. We need it pretty quick to be fair.
Speaker 1 (04:01):
Yes, bleak times in po Po at the moment, and
we've talked about those. But on a brighton note, I reckon,
you've got one of the best little golf courses in
the country. You run lots of good tournaments there. How
are you hitting it?
Speaker 2 (04:14):
Well? Actually, that's one positive, I suppose Jamie. With the
frost and everything, it's actually firmed the ground up. So
I'm probably getting another thirty or forty meters distance on
the drives, and.
Speaker 1 (04:24):
So you're getting about two hundred and eighty meters now.
Speaker 2 (04:26):
I'm probably getting it about one sixty. You know, my game
one sixty in all in the wrong direction too. So yeah,
well we'll wait till the grass grows and then what
slow things down a little bit for me.
Speaker 1 (04:37):
Well, you enjoy your weekend coming up on the Popo
Golf Club, and good luck to your wonderful little town
and the king country there to recover and get on
with life.
Speaker 2 (04:47):
Thanks Jamie, appreciate that, mate. Thanks having me on the show.
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