The Country 13/02/26: Simon Beamish talks to Jamie Mackay

We catch up with a Hawke’s Bay sheep and beef farmer who comments on a great season, and what his son, athletics world champion, Geordie, is up to.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
We're heading off site. We're at the Southern Field days
at the bottom of the country up to Hawkes Bay,
Simon Beamish, Simon, before we talk about your son Jordie
and the Halberg's coming up. I think on Monday evening,
are you guys going to get a bit wet this weekend?

Speaker 2 (00:17):
Yes, looks like we're in line for more rain, hopefully
not too much. We were pretty appreciative a couple of
weeks back where most places got maybe one hundred, one
hundred and fifty mills and that was pretty nice. But no,
we always hold our breath on the East coast.

Speaker 1 (00:35):
Well, my old mate Steve, when Harris said you were
almost were you were desperate before Christmas and the season
has turned around, and I know that some people are
further up the east coast of the North Island didn't
want what you got, but it's been a season savior
savior for you guys. You're a sheep and beef farmer.
Have you ever known better time? Simon?

Speaker 2 (00:57):
No, I think not in mine roomy. I'm not sure
whether it would be in my father's memory either. Probably
back in the in the wool boom Korean wartimes maybe,
but no, everything's aligned, and we've got grass. I don't

(01:19):
think the North Island would have had this much grass
cover east west north south ever before. It's pretty amazing.

Speaker 1 (01:27):
That is amazing now. And do you reckon with all
that grass, you can grow a lamb out to fifteen
hundred dollars, like Mark Warrenoff. I don't know what Mark's
smoking at Hawk's Bay, but are you smoking the same stuff?

Speaker 2 (01:40):
No? From the whole I stand on up under the ranges.
I don't quite see fifteen hundred dollars in front of us,
but we're very happy to take north of two hundred,
in fact, two hundred and fifty dollars last week. So
we think that's good. And there is a nervousness around

(02:02):
the price. I mean, we're thinking to ourselves, too good
to be true, and that usually is too good to
be true. But we're very grateful for being in this space.

Speaker 1 (02:17):
Well, those numbers yesterday from the Meat Industry Association sheep meat,
which is largely made up of lamb. Obviously there's a
bit of mutton thrown in there, up thirty one percent
in value to four point seven billion dollars. That's absolutely fantastic.
You've also had success Simon, if you don't mind me
saying so, not only in the Balanced Farm Environment Awards,

(02:38):
but also on the breeding steaks. You are the farmer,
the farmer, you're a farmer and the father of Jordi Beamish.
Now what is Jordy going to be running and in
the Commonwealth Games?

Speaker 2 (02:51):
Well, first up he will be focused on the steeple
chase and I believe that's either day one or day
two of the track and field events, and then three
days later which makes it all possible, are the heats
for They're not running a fifteen hundred this year, they're
running choosing to run a mile in Glasgow, So that's

(03:13):
possible to take on both those events and it would
be a very competitive Kiwi field, wouldn't it.

Speaker 1 (03:20):
Now? Can we have more than two entrants in the race,
because we've obviously got two other blokes who are pretty
keen to run that mile in Glasgow as well, Sam
Tanner and young Sam Ruth the new sensation. Are we
allowed to have three runners in the mile if they
all qualify?

Speaker 2 (03:38):
Oh well I should have done my home. We've got that.
I can't actually say. I imagine if you were Scottish,
the ards would be definitely yes, but three kiwis, I'm
not sure whether that's going to be allowed or not.
I'll look that up after this.

Speaker 1 (03:52):
Okay, Simon, you did send me an email the other
day because you wanted to get a shameless plug in
because the Hallbergs are coming up on Monday evening.

Speaker 2 (04:01):
Yep, Monday night.

Speaker 1 (04:03):
Yeah, Monday night. I'm always looking forward to the Halbergs.
But there is the favorite sporting moment or best sporting
moment of twenty twenty five, and I'm with you when
Jordy won and a Michelle's nodding ahead because she's a runner.
When Jordy won that steeplechase at the World Athletics Championships
three thousand meters steeplechase, that was it was a great

(04:23):
moment because in some ways it was unexpected. He beat
a bloke who hadn't been beaten for years.

Speaker 2 (04:29):
That's right. And is that the moment or was the
moment a couple of days before when he took a
tumble over the fourth or fifth the last barrier and
so nearly got his face implanted on forever. Anyway, the
combination was ended up with a gold medal, and I

(04:51):
guess that's what we'll remember. So it was a great
sporting moment and we were thrilled to be there and
participating in it.

Speaker 1 (05:00):
No doubt you'll be heading to Glasgow to watch them
there as well. Hey Simon Beamish, I hope you get
some rain but not too much. And Hawks Bay