The Country 12/03/26: Jamie Cunninghame talks to Jamie Mackay

Today, we find PGG Wrightson’s North Island-based National Dairy Specialist at a beef sale in the South Island.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Monthly here on the country we have a look at
the rural livestock market with the team from PGG Rights
and Jamie Cunningham is the national dairy Specialist. He's based
out of Fielding, one of my favorite farming towns in
this country, but he's not there today. He's in another
great town, Lawrence Venue for the Century Farm and Station Awards.

(00:20):
And for a dairy specialist, You've gone to a beef sale, Jamie,
how does that work you?

Speaker 2 (00:25):
Good afternoon, Jamie. Yeah, No, I'm down here today for
Simone Telvis Goose Sail with a couple of clients to
have a bit of a look and then doing some
dairy stuff. I'm down here so working, working a few
things into into into the trip, which is which is good.

Speaker 1 (00:42):
Yeah, let's start with the beef market. It is running
hot at the moment.

Speaker 2 (00:46):
Yeah, very strong right across the country. Really, it's it's
pretty exciting to see the prices we've achieved sort of
from the spring and then right through to the summer.
But for it to be, you know, to be continuing
for as long as it has is Yeah, it's something
we haven't seen for well for a long time if ever,
and just you know, we're starting out run Wiena sails

(01:09):
in the North Island and and they've started off with
a real real flying staff and another reasonable soiling fielding today,
a first fielding fear today and and all lower all accounts.
You aren't talking very promising there for the for the
one wins.

Speaker 1 (01:25):
And there is a real crossover between the beef and
the dairy industries because we are seeing more and more
beef genetics being used over dairy cows so that we
solve the bobby calf issue.

Speaker 2 (01:39):
Yeah, that dairy beef spaces is becoming you know, it
is just growing from strength to strength really and you
know we've seen it this year. A lot more calves
read and they've all found homes and there'll be another
sort of I guess a shift of calves that will
get get shifted off and sold to new farms through
the autumn bar and we have quite a few that

(02:01):
come up into the North Island out of parts of
the South Island. And yeah, without being we'd be ready
struggling for numbers. So the beef industry very much is
very reliant on that dairy beef and it's great to
see those numbers are growing and on on a pretty
positive beef market too.

Speaker 1 (02:18):
The cow cockies must be pretty happy at the moment.
They've got a rising payout. Hopefully it's a rising payout
as long as Trump's war doesn't go on for too long.
And obviously if you're a Fonterra farmer shareholder, you're about
to get quite a big check.

Speaker 2 (02:33):
Yeah. That positively out there in that dairy space is
really exciting and everyone's everyone's you know it. They've jumped
on and on it to the ride. There's been quite
a few farm sales which has been pleasing and yeah,
everything everything's looking good. That Fonterra money that's about to
come into the system. You know, people will use it

(02:55):
in different ways. Some people will be buying new property,
some people will be doing so I guess you'd say
development work. Others will be trying to reduce some debt.
But it's a great place to be for sure. At
the moment, it's really exciting and the pay it's looking
promising moving forward to and then to the next season.

Speaker 1 (03:14):
Jamie Cunningham there national dairy specialist for PGG Rights and
based out of fielding that he's in the beautiful town
of Lawrence, today. Really looking forward to those Century and
Station Farm Awards coming up in May as we celebrate
farming families with the farm has been in the family
name for one hundred years or more. Enjoy your day
in Lawrence, Jamie, Thanks very much, Jamie,