December 17, 2025 • 5 mins
A Waitomo sheep and beef farmer and the chief executive of Steelfort, who’s in the business of both growing grass and cutting it.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Here is another great supporter of the country. We're going
to get his wrap of the Farming Year twenty twenty five.
His name is John mcavinnie. He's a Whiteomo, sheep and
beef farmer. When he's not doing that, he's the chief
executive of Steelford. John for the North Island, the Upper
North Island. Great rain overnight. That's great for the cockies.
It's also great for a bloke like you who sells lawnmowers.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
Yeah. Well, when you when you're either eating grass or
cunning grass at we were both ends of that. So
you know, I'm very pleased. We've got sort of good
rain here in the last forty eight hours. And I
was at the farm last week and we've got a
lot attucker out there and it looks fantastic and we've
just shorn over eight thousand lambs and they're on the
beautiful Tata, So you know, it should be really good
(00:46):
for the you know, we should be good right through
to all the end of Christmas now, and those rains,
I don't know, mats they head out there, probably fifty
sixty mil And I was talking to the Son of
All the last night at Mada Manna and they've had
sort of fifty mills on there so as well for
a very good you know, grass growing period from now
the Christmas.
Speaker 1 (01:05):
Happy days if you're a sheep and beef farmer.
Speaker 2 (01:07):
At the moment, John, yes, yeah, look, you know we're
sort of thinking we haven't sold any lambs yet, and Chris,
we've got all this tacker on at the moment, so
we think we might just hang on to them in draft,
which we don't normally do. But you know, when the
sed was up at eleven backs, you know, it makes
(01:29):
you think, doesn't it. You know, we probably better if
we've got the feed, let's feed them and take advantage
of that schedule.
Speaker 1 (01:35):
One of the big stories, and it's terribly sad and
tragic story in twenty twenty five was Tom Phillips. And
last year, I think it was October of twenty twenty four,
he was spotted with us kids walking around your farm.
In fact, I think were your grandsons that spotted them.
Speaker 2 (01:51):
Yeah, well it was last October or thereabouts, And yeah,
they were up there and my grandson Andre took those
photos and he you know, they're only sort of twenty
meters away from them, and they talk to the kids
and didn't say a hell of a lot. They just
sort of kept walking. But yeah, and it's a tragic
(02:12):
and you don't like anything like that to happen, but
you know, I think it's a pretty good outcome actually,
And you know, I really feel for those kiddies that
have been sort of segregated for four years out there
and they can't be good for them. And you know,
I don't know how they're going to assimilate into the
into the New Zealand society again, so I'm not sure,
(02:37):
but you've got to feel for them. And yeah, it's
just it's passed now and it's yesterday's news, so you know,
we move on, I suppose.
Speaker 1 (02:46):
On a happier note. John mcavny, White, Timo Sheep and
Beef Farmer, Chief Executive of Steel for we've got one
of your cub cadet right on Moers to give away
in January when we come back the LX five four seven.
I've done the video, I've driven the thing around. It's
worth six four hundred bucks. And as we said at
the beginning of this yarn, when it rains and the
grass grows, it's a good time to sell lawnmowers. How
(03:09):
has the industry been this year.
Speaker 2 (03:12):
As far as feelful it's concerned. Our fiscal year ends
at the end of December, and we look like we're
going to be about twenty percent up on last year.
So you know, that's a pretty good result as far
as I'm concerned. They talk about green shoots, well, we're
certainly getting a few of them at the moment. It's
been a good spring. We've had new products, as I said.
You know, I've mentioned previously with this new vector product
(03:34):
that we've got, and we've got these robotic mowers and
we've sold close to one thousands of those nationwide. I
never thought they'd sort of do as well as they do,
but they've a lot of people are buying those now.
So yeah, we're very very comfortable where we are, and
you know, with the recent rain, as I say, we'll
be good right through to Christmas now.
Speaker 1 (03:53):
So watch out for that promo coming to a radio
show near you. In fact, this one in January, the
Alex five four seven cub cadit right on to give
away worth six four hundred dollars. Finally, and I've got
to be quick on this one, John mcavany, because I'm
running out of time. I always run myself short on
the last week of the year. Who is your agg
person of the Year?
Speaker 2 (04:13):
Well, I'm probably a bit different from what yours, Jamie.
There's a lot of people out there that you know
in the Frontiers and the Zespreys and the silver Foond
farms and alliances and all the CEO gets all the accolade.
But you know, in my opinion, it's there are people
like Jane Smith, who you know, she is fantastic, that girl.
(04:35):
She does a great job promoting the agricultural industry. So
I'm between her and I think Chris Bishop is the
other one that I really enjoyed. Look as Arima, I
watched him, not that I do it a lot, but
I watched him on TV the other day on the
you know where they do the Parliament on TV, and
you know, he puts up with a lot of crap
(04:55):
on there, and you know when he's answering these questions
and he was sort of just shaking his head and
not knowing quite how to answer some of the questions
that come from the Greens Party in particular. So I'm
either Jane Smith or christ Bishop, one of the two.
I'm very happy. I put a male and a female
in the athoiot.
Speaker 1 (05:13):
Good on. Yep, there we go, John, make of any
merry Christmas to you and Gav and all the Steal
four team, and we'll, as I say, give away the
ride on Mohwa in January.
Speaker 2 (05:21):
Have a good break reciprocate exactly those thoughts Jamie thinks
not always good to talk and have a good Christmas break.
Note
Here is another great supporter of the country. We're going
to get his wrap of the Farming Year twenty twenty five.
His name is John mcavinnie. He's a Whiteomo, sheep and
beef farmer. When he's not doing that, he's the chief
executive of Steelford. John for the North Island, the Upper
North Island. Great rain overnight. That's great for the cockies.
It's also great for a bloke like you who sells lawnmowers.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
Yeah. Well, when you when you're either eating grass or
cunning grass at we were both ends of that. So
you know, I'm very pleased. We've got sort of good
rain here in the last forty eight hours. And I
was at the farm last week and we've got a
lot attucker out there and it looks fantastic and we've
just shorn over eight thousand lambs and they're on the
beautiful Tata, So you know, it should be really good
(00:46):
for the you know, we should be good right through
to all the end of Christmas now, and those rains,
I don't know, mats they head out there, probably fifty
sixty mil And I was talking to the Son of
All the last night at Mada Manna and they've had
sort of fifty mills on there so as well for
a very good you know, grass growing period from now
the Christmas.
Speaker 1 (01:05):
Happy days if you're a sheep and beef farmer.
Speaker 2 (01:07):
At the moment, John, yes, yeah, look, you know we're
sort of thinking we haven't sold any lambs yet, and Chris,
we've got all this tacker on at the moment, so
we think we might just hang on to them in draft,
which we don't normally do. But you know, when the
sed was up at eleven backs, you know, it makes
(01:29):
you think, doesn't it. You know, we probably better if
we've got the feed, let's feed them and take advantage
of that schedule.
Speaker 1 (01:35):
One of the big stories, and it's terribly sad and
tragic story in twenty twenty five was Tom Phillips. And
last year, I think it was October of twenty twenty four,
he was spotted with us kids walking around your farm.
In fact, I think were your grandsons that spotted them.
Speaker 2 (01:51):
Yeah, well it was last October or thereabouts, And yeah,
they were up there and my grandson Andre took those
photos and he you know, they're only sort of twenty
meters away from them, and they talk to the kids
and didn't say a hell of a lot. They just
sort of kept walking. But yeah, and it's a tragic
(02:12):
and you don't like anything like that to happen, but
you know, I think it's a pretty good outcome actually,
And you know, I really feel for those kiddies that
have been sort of segregated for four years out there
and they can't be good for them. And you know,
I don't know how they're going to assimilate into the
into the New Zealand society again, so I'm not sure,
(02:37):
but you've got to feel for them. And yeah, it's
just it's passed now and it's yesterday's news, so you know,
we move on, I suppose.
Speaker 1 (02:46):
On a happier note. John mcavny, White, Timo Sheep and
Beef Farmer, Chief Executive of Steel for we've got one
of your cub cadet right on Moers to give away
in January when we come back the LX five four seven.
I've done the video, I've driven the thing around. It's
worth six four hundred bucks. And as we said at
the beginning of this yarn, when it rains and the
grass grows, it's a good time to sell lawnmowers. How
(03:09):
has the industry been this year.
Speaker 2 (03:12):
As far as feelful it's concerned. Our fiscal year ends
at the end of December, and we look like we're
going to be about twenty percent up on last year.
So you know, that's a pretty good result as far
as I'm concerned. They talk about green shoots, well, we're
certainly getting a few of them at the moment. It's
been a good spring. We've had new products, as I said.
You know, I've mentioned previously with this new vector product
(03:34):
that we've got, and we've got these robotic mowers and
we've sold close to one thousands of those nationwide. I
never thought they'd sort of do as well as they do,
but they've a lot of people are buying those now.
So yeah, we're very very comfortable where we are, and
you know, with the recent rain, as I say, we'll
be good right through to Christmas now.
Speaker 1 (03:53):
So watch out for that promo coming to a radio
show near you. In fact, this one in January, the
Alex five four seven cub cadit right on to give
away worth six four hundred dollars. Finally, and I've got
to be quick on this one, John mcavany, because I'm
running out of time. I always run myself short on
the last week of the year. Who is your agg
person of the Year?
Speaker 2 (04:13):
Well, I'm probably a bit different from what yours, Jamie.
There's a lot of people out there that you know
in the Frontiers and the Zespreys and the silver Foond
farms and alliances and all the CEO gets all the accolade.
But you know, in my opinion, it's there are people
like Jane Smith, who you know, she is fantastic, that girl.
(04:35):
She does a great job promoting the agricultural industry. So
I'm between her and I think Chris Bishop is the
other one that I really enjoyed. Look as Arima, I
watched him, not that I do it a lot, but
I watched him on TV the other day on the
you know where they do the Parliament on TV, and
you know, he puts up with a lot of crap
(04:55):
on there, and you know when he's answering these questions
and he was sort of just shaking his head and
not knowing quite how to answer some of the questions
that come from the Greens Party in particular. So I'm
either Jane Smith or christ Bishop, one of the two.
I'm very happy. I put a male and a female
in the athoiot.
Speaker 1 (05:13):
Good on. Yep, there we go, John, make of any
merry Christmas to you and Gav and all the Steal
four team, and we'll, as I say, give away the
ride on Mohwa in January.
Speaker 2 (05:21):
Have a good break reciprocate exactly those thoughts Jamie thinks
not always good to talk and have a good Christmas break.
Note
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