The Country 14/11/25: Kate Acland talks to Jamie Mackay

We catch up with the chairwoman of Beef + Lamb NZ, who is selling wool blankets at the show. She talks about what's next for the sheep and beef sector.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Beautiful day here in Christchurch born and Bird Cantabrian. Oh no,
you're not actually are you? You married at Cantabrian Katie quote.

Speaker 2 (00:07):
Yes, I'm a new Cantabrian.

Speaker 1 (00:08):
You're well, a new Cantabrian but with a very established
farming family, the Ackling family. You don't mind me saying.
So you're looking very summary befitting this occasion because it's
just a beautiful day. You wouldn't have worn that yesterday.

Speaker 2 (00:22):
Isn't it amazing? And what a change from yesterday? I
mean yesterday it was horrendous weather, but there was a
lot of happy farmers out there. I think parts of
North Canterbury got thirty or forty mils last night, which
was very much needed.

Speaker 1 (00:32):
So you're down the road awey bit in mid Canterbury.
How are you guys faring?

Speaker 2 (00:35):
Oh we're pretty good. We're hanging in there. We got
ten mills that was probably enough for us.

Speaker 1 (00:39):
Yeah, Okay, what's coming across your desk at Beef and
landb New Zealand. What are you guys up to and
what have you? What official capacity do you have here
at the show?

Speaker 2 (00:48):
Look, I'm not actually here in an official capacity. I've
actually got a stand here selling world blankets, but it's
a great opportunity to talk to farmers and look, people
are really positive at the minute. And so you know
what we're thinking about at beef and lamb is what's
next for the chief and beef sector. How do we
drive that next step of profitability and productivity.

Speaker 1 (01:06):
I was talking to Dan Bolton, who's the chief executive
of Silver Firm Farms, at the Prime Minister's breakfast this
morning and he was just saying, and he's been in
market for the last five or six weeks around the
world and he was saying just how positive things are looking,
and especially for beef. This seems, Kate Acklin to be
no end for good beef prices or am I being

(01:28):
too optimistic? Now?

Speaker 2 (01:29):
Look, the signals are all there that we've got you
at least two or three years of really good positive
demand out there. You know, everything's coming together around global
supply and just seems to be an insatiable demand for
red meat protein.

Speaker 1 (01:43):
What about lamb? Is it going to last out as
long as as beef?

Speaker 2 (01:49):
Look at this point, all the signals for lamb are
really positive too. And you know I was talking to
Dan as well there's positive things coming out of China,
are EU and UK are really strong markets. Again and
again everybody, we're not the only people that are seeing
the decline in cheap numbers, so that's holding up that demand.
But obviously there's always unknown things and that could happen

(02:09):
global volatility. But at this point, look, it's really great.
So we just need to focus on getting the most
out of our farms.

Speaker 1 (02:16):
Let me get a shame because you're always kind enough
to come on our show every time we bring you up.
I want to get a shameless plug in for what
you're selling here at the show. What is that?

Speaker 2 (02:24):
Well, for about ten years now, we've been making wool
blankets out of our Lamb's wall, and so I've got
the children. They're working on commission and they are not
doing very well at the minute, but I think they're
having a lot of fun.

Speaker 1 (02:35):
So what sort of micron is your lambs wall that
you're making into the blankets.

Speaker 2 (02:38):
Oh, look, it's pretty strong, so these that's a traditional
wall blanket, not sort of a marino. You know, we're
a good strong romney carpet wall.

Speaker 1 (02:46):
It's just like the misted Jersey's mum used to make
me wear. When I was a kid, they were itchy
next to your skin.

Speaker 2 (02:52):
Oh but they look great.

Speaker 1 (02:53):
They look great and they'd last forever. Admittedly. Hey, and
if you want a job done, ask a busy person.
You're a busy person. You're not only a flat out
up farming with your husband David and mid Canterbury, your
chair of Beef and Lamb New Zealand. You've got a
side gig here at the show. You're also training for
what there isn't an Iron Man?

Speaker 2 (03:10):
Yes I did. I did sign up to do the
Iron Man and very lucky that Ansco has sponsored me
as part of the Farmer team.

Speaker 1 (03:17):
So good, shameless plug Kate. Should you be picking favorites
in your job?

Speaker 2 (03:22):
No, look I shouldn't, but they'll be very good to me.
And look, it's a really cool initiative that they do.
And I've got a team of a dozen farmers who
are getting fish and going on this journey. And look,
it's not gonna be slot, not gonna be fast, It's
gonna be a good day out, I think.

Speaker 1 (03:36):
So which Iron Man are you doing? You're doing Telpa. Yeah,
so when does it happen again?

Speaker 2 (03:40):
Remind me it's in March.

Speaker 1 (03:41):
So I've got all some of the train.

Speaker 2 (03:43):
We're running out of days to get fit, but working
on it.

Speaker 1 (03:46):
Yeah. See one of the limiting factors because you and
I were talking about marathon runners. Believe it or not.
I used to be one as a few years ago now,
But for I always i'd love to have a go
at something I would have like an iron Man or
a triathlon. But I wasn't a good swimmer. Are you
a good swimmer?

Speaker 2 (04:02):
So swimming I can do. I was an ex squad
squad swimmer when I was young, so swimming's easy. It's
the biking. I don't even own a bike yet, so
that's a bit of a worry.

Speaker 1 (04:11):
Yeah, but if your legs are strong enough for running,
I reckon the bike's the easiest discippline.

Speaker 2 (04:15):
Oh well, I hope you're right.

Speaker 1 (04:17):
I hope I'm right. Where you can swim, which is
one better than me? Kate Eckland, thank you very much.
What's the name of your blankets?

Speaker 2 (04:23):
Mount Summer station Mountain.

Speaker 1 (04:25):
Summer station wall blankets help the Ackland children out. It's
probably their pocket money for when they go to boarding
school or whatever? Is it?

Speaker 2 (04:33):
Basically?

Speaker 1 (04:33):
Yeah, okay, how we are going to take a break