The Country 14/07/26: Chloe Butcher-Herries talks to Jamie Mackay

This dynamic young Hawke’s Bay sheep-and-beef farmer is just back from the massive LambEx conference in Adelaide, where she was a keynote speaker.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Love chatting to young, energetic, dynamic people on the country
because a lot of people would say that's the antithesis
of the host. I'm only joking there. There's a wee
bit of life left in me yet, but this young
lady is definitely all of the former. Her name is
Chloe Butcher. Her is She was the finalist in the
Zander McDonald Awards this year. In twenty twenty two, she

(00:20):
was the Ahufenuwa Young Farmer of the Year. Hey, Chloe,
great to catch up with you again. Do you realize
that you and I were both in Adelaide last week?
You were big noting it at the Lammex conference and
I was looking after grandkids. You might have got the better.

Speaker 2 (00:36):
Deal afternoon, Jamie. Hey, look, I did not know that,
and good I knew you should have snuck your way
into the LAMEX conference. Tell you what these ozzies know
how to put it on and may die a fantastic
event and on it was to represent our country and
speak on a panelist there.

Speaker 1 (00:52):
Well, talk to me about the lamme X conference, because
I did have a look at it online. They were
charging fifteen hundred bucks. I guess I could have played
the old New Zealand card, but I know it's a
huge event. We have nothing like it here in New
Zealand for the sheep industry, do we, because you had
like fifteen hundred attendees.

Speaker 2 (01:11):
Yeah. Like I said, the Aussies know how to put
it on. And I got an email from there not
long after the xanimate Donald the wards and this will spam.
You know, these guys want this key with girl to
speak on. I'd say New Zealand's behalf really and be
up on stage. So it took me a bit to respond,
but I finally did and it wasn't it was indeed it.
They were pretty serious about wanting me to speak and

(01:32):
how good. I felt very privileged and hopefully I did
New Zealand prout, But it was I was up on
a panel with two other Australian bloats and we're just
talking about our systems on farm and a few changes
we've made for us. It was diving into technology with
the hulge callers and diversifying a bit with cash copping,

(01:53):
sheep bests, man finishing and breeding. So yeah, good good
stories to tell and I think we all did pretty
well at doing So.

Speaker 1 (02:00):
You talked about all these innovative things you're doing on
your farm. You're running, managing, running a sheep and beef
farm up in Central Hawk's Bay there, So you know,
what are the take home messages that you gave to
these people about what you were doing.

Speaker 2 (02:15):
I think it goes to culture and the people. You've
got a good culture, you'll be able to drive your
people look after them and they look after you. And
the best thing about that, Jamiel wasn't the only one
that talked about having a good culture and the people.
The Ausies definitely spoke about that, which is a good sign,
good thing to see here. And also embracing the changes
of technology and not running away from them. I think

(02:37):
we all know it's there, it's coming, and it's great,
so picking that collar up and getting onto it and
doing that. And also it was about telling our stories
and for us as New Zealander is, we've got a
great story to tell. And I'm not being biased or anything,
but a far better one. In the Australians, they're finishing
one hundred and twenty thousand lambs on seed lots. We're

(02:57):
finishing beautiful, well fed the right way animals and our
green pastures out on the land and if we can
get more people to tell those stories Jamie as a
consumer that are seen on social media, everyone's on it
with a like social media not you're a scroller, you
do it. And if you're in the States or anywhere
in the world, can you see a New Zealand lambrette.

(03:19):
This is the Aussie lambret. But you've seen that video
that you've scrolled across about how they were said, well
towards the Australians, you're going to pick that meat over
anything else, even if it's two two dollars more. It's
a good story to tell and we've got to remember
that that we have a good one to tell.

Speaker 1 (03:33):
Talk to me about how the whole to collars fit
into your farming operation.

Speaker 2 (03:38):
We've got two nas and hicktors at the back of
Danny Vierk and to be honest, the fences went well
looked back for the last twenty years. So it was
either this farm was going to go to pine trees, Jamie,
or it was this young girl is going to come
in and say nope, that's got Holt callers on and
the good old owners they stood by that too. And
now we have running our beef cows up. Yeah, through

(04:00):
Holter that they are our senses. I'm not gonna lie.
They are literally our senses. We're not using it intensively
like a finishing property. It's just literally keeping these kettle
in boundaries and it's phenomenal. For example, I finished my
I wean my kettle. My wien is. This is probably
gonna sound a bit silly, but two months later then

(04:21):
what I've ever done before, and reason being, the mums
were absolutely fine and good note, but these carbs were
just pumping on mum off mum because they could get
through that virtual fence and just eat wealth. And yeah,
so that to me was a game changer. And yeah,
just virtual fencing off good of waterways too, which was
quite well.

Speaker 1 (04:41):
Ultimately, do you think Holter might have more applications for
the beef industry and I know that's where they're looking
to expand worldwide than the dairy industry.

Speaker 2 (04:50):
I think so, to be honest, you know, you go
out in Texas where I've got thousands of acres, heck,
thears is one pad it. These guys are just going
to be able to just put up virtual fences and
finishty kettle are hell a lot better and safer and
up in the east coast, Jamie, we all know that
they keep getting hit time and time again. Senses are
coming down, animals are getting lost, animals are getting hurt.

(05:12):
All that jazz. You put a collar on those animals,
You know exactly where they are, and you can get
them to high ground. You can keep them off the
danger zones. And better yet, you don't have to keep
refensing these properties that have just keeps sucking the dry.

Speaker 1 (05:25):
Now you and I, as I said early, we're both
in Adelaide. Last week we avoided the worst of the
weather house. Your farms survived because the east coast of
both islands took a bit of the pummeling.

Speaker 2 (05:36):
Yes, so we're quite lucky. We're in Central Walks Bay
here and I'll tell you what. It was dry and
then it got wet, and yeah, we're doing quite well.
I think we're quite fortunate here in this little basemin
here it is where we're I'm seeing puddles. Weren't send
them for a long time, but it's probably a good thing.
We haven't had rain like what we should be having
in the last three years since Gabrielle, so we're actually

(05:59):
looking okay, and I fear to say that because I
feel for your people in the wild Upper and all that.
But we're quite lucky here. Yes, we've been looked after.

Speaker 1 (06:07):
Chloe Butcher harries dynamic young New Zealand farmer. I can
call you that, can't I? Chloe? I think so. He
sounded pretty sound, pretty impressive to me. Anyhow, Hey, great
to catch up. You keep up the good work.

Speaker 2 (06:19):
Good on, Thank you, Jamie's having me on