July 20, 2025 • 6 mins
We kick off Innovation Week on The Country with Herd-i, and today we talk to the innovative Southland farmer behind Kiwi Econet - an edible bale wrap made from jute.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
New Zealand's Rural Revolution Innovation Week on the Country, where
herd Eye automatically assessing your herd's body condition objectively, consistently,
precisely what it's going to be a good week on
the country because it's an innovation week brought to you
by herd Eye. I've been waiting to chat to this
guy since Field Days. Our paths crossed, but we didn't
(00:22):
get time for a yarn. You might have seen him
on country calendar. You might have seen him rubbing shoulders
with Prince William at the Groundswell Farmer Conference or Field
Days in the UK. His name is Grant Lightfoot. He
is a oraor pookie, dear farmer and dairy grazer, and
he has invented a non polluting edible bail net made
(00:44):
from jute and Grant gee. I know that this was
a long time in the making, but you must be
wrapped with the progress you've made in the past few months.
Speaker 2 (00:53):
Well, it's just taken off. I can't believe it. Yep.
Speaker 1 (00:57):
Well, you literally can't get publicity better than you got
at ground Swell with photo hand in hand on that
hand in hand around Prince William. How did you real.
Speaker 2 (01:08):
Him in he was at a I had a store
with a whole other other innovation there. I had to bail.
Someone helped me out and we got a bail made
in the UK and I took it to the show.
And in the morning the grounds will show people come
up to me and says, well, we'll get a special guest.
No one else knows about it, but it's Prince William.
And the only reason why they told me about it
(01:29):
because he was going to think about coming to my store.
Because I was the only one from the other side
of the world that went to the show, so it
was pretty special. And they said, hey, be here at
twelve o'clock, so I said, oh, yeah, okay, And then
quarter to twelve I seen him walking into this tent,
so I missed him, so I thought me being cheeky,
I went around the back of the tent and took
(01:49):
a card and brochure with me and here he was
right in front of me, but he was talking to
someone else. So I got talking to this other guy,
which is one of his bounces. He had six security
guys with him, and I got talking to him and
I told him who I was. Grant White from here
wey echo Net all the way from New Zealand, and
he says, it's actually quite funny. We've all heard about you.
(02:10):
I thought, wow, what's a good start it. What's two
doors to this tent? And the tent must have holded
about a thousand people in it, And he'd done his speech,
but he went out. He was going to go out
the other door. So I rushed back round to my
store and stood there and Prince William come out with
six security guys around him and a thousand people following him.
(02:34):
So I thought, and he didn't come my way, he'd
done a forty five degree angle the other way. I'm
going to lose him. So me being me again, I thought, shit,
I've got to grab this brochure a card, and I
just belined it straight for him and stood right in
front of him and held my hand out and shook
his hand. And I looked in the corner of my eye,
my left eye, and these security guys must have been thinking,
(02:58):
how the hell did you do that? They were stunned,
But anyway got his attention and said, heylock. Just over there,
about fifty meters away is my store. I said, can
you chance you coming over to have a lot, and
he says, yeah, yeah, no worries. So we walked over
together and meanwhile the security guys will protecting me and
(03:18):
him now, So it was actually quite funny. Your room
was saying, yeah.
Speaker 1 (03:21):
Well, when he got to the store, what did he
say was he impressed by your product Kiwi y e conet.
Speaker 2 (03:27):
Very very impressed, Like now he wants to put it
through his farms. He's got over I've heard now since
doing this, he's got about one hundred thousand acres or
around England, I dare say, And he wants to use
my product on his farms.
Speaker 1 (03:42):
Absolutely, And it wasn't your only brush with celebrity, because
I think you door knocked your way to Jeremy Clarkson's
Didley Squat Farm as well.
Speaker 2 (03:51):
That was another story. So I went Didley Squat Farm
in the morning about court date. There was no one
around and all that Didley Squat farmers is just a
three bay shed with a coffee thing on the on
the other side, and that's all it was. And I'm going,
oh wow, so I there. So then I jumped in
(04:12):
my renter car down to the next driveway and knocked
on the door and got this lady out of bed
and she says, I said to her Jeremy Clarkson's Farmers.
And she says, oh, no, no, don't know. I'm sorry.
I felt well. I thought to myself, where you're lying.
So then I jumped back into my car again and
I thought, well, go up the next driveway. And I
(04:33):
went up the next driveway and ye, Jeremy Clarkson's farm
So a long story short, they are looking at putting
me on their next episode.
Speaker 1 (04:43):
Explaining to people who haven't heard of your product, most
of us have now. It's effectively an edible bale netting
or net that you wrap around the hay. It's fine
for hay, obviously, but it doesn't replace the outside plastic
wrapping around baylage or silage, which need to be airtight obviously.
Speaker 2 (05:02):
So I'm replacing the plastic net which is mine. Is
an eatible bail on it. You don't even have any
animal can eat it. You don't need have to take
it off the ball. You just chuck it straight out
in the paddock and they can eat it. You plastic net,
you cannot do anything with it, you can't recycle it.
I've replaced it with an eatable bail net Yeah.
Speaker 1 (05:21):
Okay, we're having a week one or two coverage difficulties.
See a grant because I know you're in the back
blocks there down on South just before I let you go.
This product is made out of jute and people have
seen all about it. Can it be manufactured here in
New Zealand or you're going to have to take this
off shore? My understanding is you're looking at setting up
(05:42):
a factory or a manufacturing base in India.
Speaker 2 (05:45):
Yes, so it's all made and grown in India. So
New Zealand wouldn't be able to keep up the market.
And they can't go. Group can't go jute because of
the temperature here in New Zealand. It needs a warm environment.
Speaker 1 (05:58):
The prototype of think you and your partner spent months
hand knitting basically fifty meters of this bail netting. That
must have been a labor of love. Did it test
your your love with your partner?
Speaker 2 (06:13):
My patience? I didn't have much patience in there. Yeah.
It started off right, done about a couple of feet
a night, and then I couldn't be bothered doing it
in the end because it just got I didn't have
the patience, so she she took over and finished it,
and yeah, we've ended up with this product now, which
is amazing. Everyone in the world is chasing it.
Speaker 1 (06:35):
Well. I think it's a wonderful story. Thank you very
much for kicking off Innovation Week grant Light. But here
on the country, it's brought to you by heard Eye.
Now all the best. We're going to keep tabs on
you mate. Good to see her Southlander leading the charge
around the globe.
Speaker 2 (06:50):
Thank you very much, Rema, thank you
New Zealand's Rural Revolution Innovation Week on the Country, where
herd Eye automatically assessing your herd's body condition objectively, consistently,
precisely what it's going to be a good week on
the country because it's an innovation week brought to you
by herd Eye. I've been waiting to chat to this
guy since Field Days. Our paths crossed, but we didn't
(00:22):
get time for a yarn. You might have seen him
on country calendar. You might have seen him rubbing shoulders
with Prince William at the Groundswell Farmer Conference or Field
Days in the UK. His name is Grant Lightfoot. He
is a oraor pookie, dear farmer and dairy grazer, and
he has invented a non polluting edible bail net made
(00:44):
from jute and Grant gee. I know that this was
a long time in the making, but you must be
wrapped with the progress you've made in the past few months.
Speaker 2 (00:53):
Well, it's just taken off. I can't believe it. Yep.
Speaker 1 (00:57):
Well, you literally can't get publicity better than you got
at ground Swell with photo hand in hand on that
hand in hand around Prince William. How did you real.
Speaker 2 (01:08):
Him in he was at a I had a store
with a whole other other innovation there. I had to bail.
Someone helped me out and we got a bail made
in the UK and I took it to the show.
And in the morning the grounds will show people come
up to me and says, well, we'll get a special guest.
No one else knows about it, but it's Prince William.
And the only reason why they told me about it
(01:29):
because he was going to think about coming to my store.
Because I was the only one from the other side
of the world that went to the show, so it
was pretty special. And they said, hey, be here at
twelve o'clock, so I said, oh, yeah, okay, And then
quarter to twelve I seen him walking into this tent,
so I missed him, so I thought me being cheeky,
I went around the back of the tent and took
(01:49):
a card and brochure with me and here he was
right in front of me, but he was talking to
someone else. So I got talking to this other guy,
which is one of his bounces. He had six security
guys with him, and I got talking to him and
I told him who I was. Grant White from here
wey echo Net all the way from New Zealand, and
he says, it's actually quite funny. We've all heard about you.
(02:10):
I thought, wow, what's a good start it. What's two
doors to this tent? And the tent must have holded
about a thousand people in it, And he'd done his speech,
but he went out. He was going to go out
the other door. So I rushed back round to my
store and stood there and Prince William come out with
six security guys around him and a thousand people following him.
(02:34):
So I thought, and he didn't come my way, he'd
done a forty five degree angle the other way. I'm
going to lose him. So me being me again, I thought, shit,
I've got to grab this brochure a card, and I
just belined it straight for him and stood right in
front of him and held my hand out and shook
his hand. And I looked in the corner of my eye,
my left eye, and these security guys must have been thinking,
(02:58):
how the hell did you do that? They were stunned,
But anyway got his attention and said, heylock. Just over there,
about fifty meters away is my store. I said, can
you chance you coming over to have a lot, and
he says, yeah, yeah, no worries. So we walked over
together and meanwhile the security guys will protecting me and
(03:18):
him now, So it was actually quite funny. Your room
was saying, yeah.
Speaker 1 (03:21):
Well, when he got to the store, what did he
say was he impressed by your product Kiwi y e conet.
Speaker 2 (03:27):
Very very impressed, Like now he wants to put it
through his farms. He's got over I've heard now since
doing this, he's got about one hundred thousand acres or
around England, I dare say, And he wants to use
my product on his farms.
Speaker 1 (03:42):
Absolutely, And it wasn't your only brush with celebrity, because
I think you door knocked your way to Jeremy Clarkson's
Didley Squat Farm as well.
Speaker 2 (03:51):
That was another story. So I went Didley Squat Farm
in the morning about court date. There was no one
around and all that Didley Squat farmers is just a
three bay shed with a coffee thing on the on
the other side, and that's all it was. And I'm going,
oh wow, so I there. So then I jumped in
(04:12):
my renter car down to the next driveway and knocked
on the door and got this lady out of bed
and she says, I said to her Jeremy Clarkson's Farmers.
And she says, oh, no, no, don't know. I'm sorry.
I felt well. I thought to myself, where you're lying.
So then I jumped back into my car again and
I thought, well, go up the next driveway. And I
(04:33):
went up the next driveway and ye, Jeremy Clarkson's farm
So a long story short, they are looking at putting
me on their next episode.
Speaker 1 (04:43):
Explaining to people who haven't heard of your product, most
of us have now. It's effectively an edible bale netting
or net that you wrap around the hay. It's fine
for hay, obviously, but it doesn't replace the outside plastic
wrapping around baylage or silage, which need to be airtight obviously.
Speaker 2 (05:02):
So I'm replacing the plastic net which is mine. Is
an eatible bail on it. You don't even have any
animal can eat it. You don't need have to take
it off the ball. You just chuck it straight out
in the paddock and they can eat it. You plastic net,
you cannot do anything with it, you can't recycle it.
I've replaced it with an eatable bail net Yeah.
Speaker 1 (05:21):
Okay, we're having a week one or two coverage difficulties.
See a grant because I know you're in the back
blocks there down on South just before I let you go.
This product is made out of jute and people have
seen all about it. Can it be manufactured here in
New Zealand or you're going to have to take this
off shore? My understanding is you're looking at setting up
(05:42):
a factory or a manufacturing base in India.
Speaker 2 (05:45):
Yes, so it's all made and grown in India. So
New Zealand wouldn't be able to keep up the market.
And they can't go. Group can't go jute because of
the temperature here in New Zealand. It needs a warm environment.
Speaker 1 (05:58):
The prototype of think you and your partner spent months
hand knitting basically fifty meters of this bail netting. That
must have been a labor of love. Did it test
your your love with your partner?
Speaker 2 (06:13):
My patience? I didn't have much patience in there. Yeah.
It started off right, done about a couple of feet
a night, and then I couldn't be bothered doing it
in the end because it just got I didn't have
the patience, so she she took over and finished it,
and yeah, we've ended up with this product now, which
is amazing. Everyone in the world is chasing it.
Speaker 1 (06:35):
Well. I think it's a wonderful story. Thank you very
much for kicking off Innovation Week grant Light. But here
on the country, it's brought to you by heard Eye.
Now all the best. We're going to keep tabs on
you mate. Good to see her Southlander leading the charge
around the globe.
Speaker 2 (06:50):
Thank you very much, Rema, thank you
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