The Country 13/11/24: Rick Ladd talks to Jamie Mackay

Brandt's Gisborne-based director of sales for agriculture joins us to talk about green tractors, and how we went from a mechanic to running the joint.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Caught up with our next guest last week at the
big launch at Emerson's here and Dunedin of The Farmer's
Poor Bear and the Heartland Chips Farmers Cut Potato Chips.
We'll give you a chance to win some today on
the Country. Now, great bloke, but even a better name.
And we were having a bit of a joke, not
at your expense, Rick Lad, but a name like Rick Ladd,

(00:23):
you sort of sound like a seventies porn star or
maybe one of those eighties America soap opera Days of
Our Lives sort of. Guys, I love.

Speaker 2 (00:32):
Your name, Jamie. Yes, that's obviously growing up, Richard Ladd
is my social name and was in trouble. But yeah,
obviously most people around here and obia's Rickley's day, so yeah,
appreciate it. Their phone blew up the other day. We
know we're going to bee him with John Dayre and
I figured something had been mentioned on the show and yeah.

Speaker 1 (00:53):
Well the reason you were at the launch and the
reason we're chatting today is you are the director of
sales for agriculture for a naming sponsor here on the Country,
and we really appreciate the relationship. And I joke about
you being an American soap opera star or a seventies
porn star, but you had spent some time in Canada.
You got an interesting background, started out as a mechanic.

(01:15):
Now you're running the show.

Speaker 2 (01:18):
Yeah, yeah, I guess I did. I start off as
a young, young, free school boy and got an opportunity
to lunch local John Dy dealership here to ye start
my apprenticeship and went right to that and done some
advanced training with John Dare in Australia at the University
out of Brisbane, and that opened up the door for

(01:39):
an opportunity in Canada to be there and yeah, work
on some big air combines, et cetera, which was pretty exciting.
So done some sabbaticals backwards and forwards into harvests. Came
back for our springtime. But you would dear catch me
the winter in Canada, mate, it was too cold for this.

Speaker 1 (01:55):
Kiwi Boy brand is owned by a Canadian family who
we've only got into the franchise in recent years, but
they're already the biggest John dealers in the world. They
don't they don't let the grass grow under their feet.

Speaker 2 (02:10):
No, no, hey will be first of it. We've had
sin serious growth of lately, even here in New Zealand. Mate,
So yeah, they are pretty pretty humble beginning to be fair,
you know, a big, big, privately owned business, but still
family run and it's it's been exciting for us. You know,
they are actively reinvesting back into the business and yeah,

(02:31):
they're doing a great job. And it's it's very humble people, mate,
very approachable people for the I guess the profile of
the family now.

Speaker 1 (02:36):
I always say that track the sales are very much
a barometer of the health of the rural economy. And
there's no sugar coating that's been tough for the past
few years, especially since COVID, But we are like I
see light at the end of the tunnel and it's
not a train coming the other way. We've got improving
commodity prices, we've got lowering interest rates, and I think

(02:58):
if the weather plays ball, and I'm to ask you
about Gisbone where you're based on a tick, But if
the weather plays ball, farmers are going to have a
better season and it naturally follows on that farm supply
companies like yours will as well.

Speaker 2 (03:12):
Yeah, hey, right, sugarcoat Jamie. Like it's been a pretty
tough couple of years, and hey, we're not the only
ones in their battle, even in our industry. But you
like farmers when they're not doing too great, we're not
doing too good either, so hey, for us, it's I
guess you know there is light at the end of tunnel.
Were absorption kicks in and is a business like ours.
We're the aftermarket team really try to step up and

(03:35):
parts and service to make the money so we don't
lose good people. And it's been like saying, not the
sugarcoat it made. It's been a tough year, but yeah,
hey we're excited about what's the hip for sure and
long may it continue.

Speaker 1 (03:47):
Yeah, hey, just to finish on, I alluded to the
fact that you're from Gisbone. You came all the way
down to don Eden for our launch. Really appreciated. I
know you're a big fan of the Farmer's Poor from Emerson's.
How are you faring in Gisbon and on the East
coast because I'm looking at the knee with drought index
map and hawks Bay's on a bit in a spot
to bother at the moment. We know that, but you're

(04:07):
getting a bit dry as well.

Speaker 2 (04:09):
Yeah, I'm Doting Hawks Bay to Mara Jamie. So yeah,
they're always thood thrust care of the bank, the Hawks,
Southern Hawks, baby thirst to get dry. So but yeah, Hey,
we've had a great start the season thus far, and
Ninja rain wouldn't go astray. We've got some planting programs
around here that are seventy days ahead of what they
were last year, so that's great. So yeah, mate, it

(04:32):
is getting dry. It's come around quickly. We haven't had
We haven't said this for a long time, but yes,
and rain will be good.

Speaker 1 (04:39):
Okay. Rick glad Out of Gisbon, director of sales for
Agriculture for brand O naming sponsors here on the country.
Great to see you in Duned And I'm going to
be in christ Church on Friday broadcasting for Cup and
Show Week and i owe the Poverty Bay A and
p show in appearance. So that's what I'm going to
do this time next year, make my way to Gisbon
for the best AM show in the country. I'll get

(05:01):
in trouble for saying that. Look forward to being hosted
by the brand team

Speaker 2 (05:05):
Looking forward to jam I appreciate your time