The Country 17/06/25: Todd Clark talks to Jamie Mackay

Our Kentucky-based US farming correspondent talks riots, Trump, a wet and slow spring, and making money out of “idiot bales” for the thoroughbred horse racing industry.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
He's a Kentucky based US Farming correspondent. His name is
Todd Clark. We last caught up Todd and May. A
lot of water has gone under the bridge since then.
They're rioting in the streets in America at the moment.
A lot of anti Trump stuff going on. But where
you're based, it's true blue Republican country. Is anyone? Is

(00:20):
anyone protesting against Trump?

Speaker 2 (00:22):
There? Sure? Good afternoon, Jimmy. There's Saturday there was a
No King's protest all across the country and a couple
of thousand people were in downtown Lexington protesting. And and
I was hauling hauling cattle to the to the works
this morning and past more protesters on one of the

(00:44):
roads as I drove out. But I wouldn't say that
it's all of America. It's a it's a small percentage in.
But that's the good thing about America. You can make
your your voice heard. And but at the end of
the day, we'll just carry on.

Speaker 1 (00:59):
Well, can you thank you always?

Speaker 2 (01:00):
Sir?

Speaker 1 (01:00):
Doesney didn't he bring the National Garden and Los Angeles anyhow?
It's the East and West coast that don't like them.
We'll move on from Trump I want to talk about farming.
Of course, we're just heading into winter here northern Hemisphere.
You're heading into your summer. How's it treating you? How
was spring?

Speaker 2 (01:18):
Oh, the spring has been tough and summer is starting
out the same way. It's it's just relentless rain. And
we were cool through the spring. And when I say we,
it's not just Kentucky, it's the majority of the states
east of the Mississippi, all the way across to the
to the eastern seaboard, so a pretty good, pretty good

(01:39):
swath of area. But today was probably the hottest day
that we've had so far, and it was thirty degrees celsius,
but the humidity was probably sixty sixty five percent, And
so it's just hot and humid, and thunderstorms are on
their way this evening. Were probably an hour away from

(02:00):
from a rain predictions for the week is probably two
to three inches in Lexington. So far this year we've
had thirty six inches of rain. A normal year is
forty six inches of rain, So we're ten inches away
from a normal year in June.

Speaker 1 (02:17):
Yeah, only halfway through the year. Look, I know you've
got your farming fingers and a lot of pies. But
what of the things that you do do or you
did when I was visiting your farm. You made the
way idiot bales, the way square bills for all the
rich thoroughbred horse breeders in Lexington, Kentucky, the thoroughbred capital

(02:38):
of the world. If you want, are you still doing that?
It's the good money in.

Speaker 2 (02:41):
That we still do that. And there is good money
in that. I figured out a long time ago. If
it's if it's hard and no one wants to do it,
there tends to be some money in it. And so
the idiot bials certainly certainly make money. But this year
has been so wet that we've not made any of
those yet, and we're still making bailage for cattle that

(03:03):
should have been made three four weeks ago. Just a
few days ago, we were making bailage and having to
push trailers out of the field just because it rained
an inch while we were while we were bailing, there
was standing water in the field. So, but the eternal optimist,
all farmers are always thinking that it'll get better, and

(03:25):
and so that's what we're thinking right now, is that
we just hope that the faucet doesn't completely turn off.

Speaker 1 (03:30):
You mentioned cattle, Are you still getting record prices for
your cattle and the US, because we're certainly getting record
beef prices here in New Zealand for their grinding beef
that we're sending over to you guys to put in
your hamburgers.

Speaker 2 (03:46):
Yes, it's still still record prices. They're I don't want
to say they're softening, but but it's not. It's not
improving each week. We're starting to slow down and just maintain.
But what we would call a cold cow, cold bulls,
things like that, herd sires, that sort of thing that

(04:07):
you're just trying to get rid of. Those are now
hitting record highs. And so a herd bull that maybe
you bought four seasons ago, you're getting as much for
him at the yards as you would have paid for
him to put into your herd four years ago. So
it's crazy times in the beef industry.

Speaker 1 (04:30):
Well long mate continue for New Zealand farmers. Eventually you
must rebuild your beef herd.

Speaker 2 (04:35):
Yeah, we're trying to expand, but we're always trying to expand,
so that's nothing new. But so far it's not happening,
But predictions are we're probably twelve months away.

Speaker 1 (04:47):
Hey, Todd Clark, I'm out of time. Thanks for yours.
I've got a good idea for you and your hay
Baler and Lexington, Kentucky. Head east, young man and go
to Pennsylvania. There's a piece of land called the Oakmont
Country Club with I've just had the US Golf Open.
There's plenty of stuff ready to be made into hal
silence there. It's called the Rough.

Speaker 2 (05:07):
That's what I've heard.

Speaker 1 (05:08):
Than Jay brutal lovely to catch up. We'll talk again
next month. Good luck getting some dry summer weather.

Speaker 2 (05:14):
Appreciate it. Thank you,