The Country Full Show: Thursday, December 4, 2025

Jamie Mackay talks to Miles Hurrell, Shane Jones, Barry Fox, and Chris Russell.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Catch all the latest from the land. It's the Country
Podcast with Jamie McGue thanks to Brent your specialist in
John dre Machinery.

Speaker 2 (00:13):
Ever falling in a little with a guy like me
in the first place, turned around saying that on the
worst thing, I guess sound.

Speaker 3 (00:21):
A probable.

Speaker 2 (00:23):
You miss never doing nothing wrong if I'm so awful
and by you stick brown this long in their fast
whiskey wife keeper.

Speaker 4 (00:35):
Good afternoon, New Zealand. Welcome to the Country. Cut off
with the Weber Country from Morgan Wallen. Good, doesn't he?
Oh but Chris headline this morning came from Fonterra. It
was the Q one Business Update, and of course you
might remember last week they came out and announced to
drop on the four cast smoke price. The hand was forced,

(00:56):
really because that was all going to happen today. But
we got Miles Hurrell, chief executive, waiting online and it's
a bit worrying, isn't it. Even since last week when
they got to nine fifty, we've seen another four percent
drop on the Global Dairy Trade auction. It's nine dollars
fifty safe. We'll ask on your behalf Myles Hurrell to

(01:18):
kick off the show really looking forward to yarning to
Shane Jones Martua Shane the Prince of the Provinces. Last
time we had a talk he coined the phrase a
demonic egg beater for poor old Chloe Chloe Swarbrock. I
wonder what he's got for her. Today we'll have a
look at the failed ets auctions, regional councils. I was

(01:40):
green banshes as Shane calls them, capping local body rates,
and whether we should be selling off state assets. I
know what the answer will be from the nationalistic New Zealand. First,
we're going to head to Tamuka, just north of Timaru,
where we'll find Barry Fox, bit of a North Otago
rugby legend, and Greg Miller big big say today for

(02:01):
the ic carf and rural scream scheme, and Chris Russell's
our assie correspondent Aviyan to him. The Rugby World Cup
draw is out as well, and it looks like we're
going to be facing the Aussies first up in Perth.
And of course I think later this afternoon we've got
the second Ashes test getting underway in Brisbane. Yes it

(02:23):
is Brisbane, isn't it. So we'll talk to Chris about
that and other stuff, and are they trying to make blowflies?
Blowflies sterile? Imagine Australia without blowflies. Just on the cricket,
because I know we've got a couple of texts and
already wanting to update the situation. New Zealand's chugging on
nicely sixty four without loss in their second innings. They

(02:46):
now lead the West Indies by one hundred and twenty
eight runs with ten wickets in hand. Tom Latham twenty eight.
Devin Conway, after a duck in the first innings, is
on thirty three. So New zeal there is in a
very very strong position here. I see the live wind
probability calculator has a drawer at two percent, the West

(03:08):
Indies at four percent, and New Zealand to win at
ninety four percent. Miles Hurrell to kick off the country
next to sip Way. We're back and forth. This morning,
Fonterra released its quarterly one or Q one business update.

(03:32):
It was a bit ho hum rarely, to be perfectly honest,
because Myles Hurrell, chief Executive, all the thunder of this
announcement was stolen last week when you announced the drop
and the forecast milk price to a midpoint of nine
point fifty or am I being a bit unkind?

Speaker 5 (03:48):
Good o, Jamie. Look, And I wouldn't say I'm kind,
but you're right. We did come out last week with
a forecast change on our milk price, and that was
a reflection of, you know that the outlook the sentiment
obviously turned quite significantly from we were started the season,
and we felt it was important to come out and
talk to our farmers as soon as we got sites
of that. But yeah, there are two parts of the business. Clearly,

(04:09):
we've gone after a strong milk price the best we
can in the global market, but at the same time
we then got to turn and earnings on top of that.
So what we're put out today so is that we've
got off to a pretty good start for the quarter.

Speaker 4 (04:20):
Well, since that announcement last week, we've had another negative
down four percent GDT auction. Is that nine fifty under threat?
And I know you won't answer this, but I'm going
to put words into your mouth. Yes it is.

Speaker 6 (04:33):
Well.

Speaker 5 (04:33):
Look, when we came out last week, which was a
week or so ahead of when we expected, we'd planned
today's announcement to talk about milk price as well. Because
the market had moved off a little bit. But when
it came out of that last pulse, we thought, no,
we've got to get ahead of it. The futures were
signing even further drop, which we saw play out last night.
So we baked in a further drop last night or

(04:55):
the night before last rather and so that's certainly in
our nine fifty, but we obviously got a watch it closely.
There's a lot of milk in the international market. You know,
what we're seen play out here in New Zealand on
the back of these high milk prices relatively good weather
conditions is exactly what we're seen pay out in the
northern Hemscy and some of those big producing regions with it,
France and Germany and the Netherlands, and of course in

(05:16):
North America. A lot more milk, a lot more cows,
and as a result you're seeing downward pressure on price.
So not ideal as we sit there from a farmer's perspective,
but you know, still nine to fifty when you look
back through history, still not too bad.

Speaker 4 (05:28):
Yeah, it's the old supply and demand story. Economics one
I one do you think that farmers might be less
tempted now to poke in supplements because obviously at ten bucks,
as I'd say with my layman's terms, poke it in
one end, it comes out the other. It's just a
mathematical equation. It pays to do it, it may not
pay to do it at nine dollars.

Speaker 6 (05:48):
Yeah.

Speaker 5 (05:49):
Well, well, of course you know, farmers will make their
own calls. But I guess that that also played into
our decision last week to come early on that announcement,
is that you know farmers will be making decisions every
day now as to what their feed pedents look like
for the for the first and second quarter next year.
And of course you win to grazing and starts to
be thought about shortly. So all of those things played
into let's get the information as soon as we've got
it out to farmers and they can make the right calls.

(06:11):
As I say, they'll all do their own analysis and
move forward. But there has been a bit more supplementary
feed put in the cows to date, so maybe that'll
turn around, as you say, and then as milk contracts
here in New Zealand and elsewhere in the world will
see that equilibrium come back into play.

Speaker 4 (06:26):
The big the big number was announced last week. As
we said, from these numbers released today, what are the
big ones, what are the relevant ones, what are the
exciting ones?

Speaker 5 (06:35):
Well, of course we've broken it into two here. We've
got so what we call continuing operations, which is sort
of the Fontier of the future if you if you
can call it that, and then what we call discontinued operations.
So that's the mainland business. So we've broken those two out.
The business of the go forward is pretty much in
line with last year, and the mainland business that's been
sold off, subject to all the regultary pieces that have

(06:56):
got to go through, of course, that was up slightly.
There's a bit of a tailwind on imagery revaluation in Australia,
so we shouldn't get too excitedb with that, but it
is pleasing to see that mainland business actually going forward
positively as we get to the final stages of that
sales process.

Speaker 4 (07:11):
When are the farmers going to get their two dollars
per share capital repayment? And they're hot little hands. Yeah.

Speaker 5 (07:19):
So you know, we've talked about some of the regulatory
approvals of needed. A big one of course this week
is that luckily got Io approval here in New Zealand.

Speaker 4 (07:27):
That's despite the Deputy Prime Minister, former Deputy Prime Minister,
former MP for Towering and Winston jumping up and down
about foreign ownership.

Speaker 5 (07:35):
Well he did make some comments, that's for sure, but
you know, the process has run its course and they've
been given the green light. We've got similar processes to
take place and some of other jurisdictions, and then you've
got the I guess the IT separation and the physical
office to take place. So all those things are well
in trained. So we're say in the first half twenty
twenty six is all it will be completed and then

(07:57):
cash cash pretty quickly thereafter each that final sort of
vote that needs to take place. But that's all just
a formality more or less.

Speaker 4 (08:05):
Yeah, turkeys don't vote for an early Christmas. The farmers
are going to vote this through unanimously, you would think,
or almost. So that vote is on the nineteenth of February.
As you said, it's a formality, and I know you're
talking first half of the calendar year. Are we April
or are we June?

Speaker 5 (08:21):
Yeah, we'll look him in. The pressures on for everyone
to get this moving. You know, the conversations I've had
with LA Police even quite recently, is he made the
sort of tongue in cheek comment that I spoilt his
summer in Europe by negotiating through through his summer holiday
period here to joke with men to well, I'll spoil
your summer, so let's let's keep moving on it. So
he wants the deal to go through. We want the

(08:41):
deal to go through. So we just put a stake
in the ground and said first half because there is
quite a lot of complexity to undertake, but we'll work
hard at that and see you see how that plays out.

Speaker 4 (08:52):
One other thing to come out of this Q one
business update was the amount of investment, the money you're
spending around the country on your sites.

Speaker 5 (09:01):
Yeah, and look we came out I think it was
at the year end results and said by if twenty
eight we're going to be back to the same level
of earnings with without the mainland business. And so that
that's you know, that's quite a bold statement for us
to make. But a lot of that comes back to
you know, growing, growing our businesses we've got today. So
you know, we've got to invest in new u h
T in advanced protein products and in this butterfactory, so

(09:24):
we've got to invest in those to be able to grow.
You can't just become static. So that's what that's investment's
all about. We're excited about that because they say the
stake in the ground for us is get back to
those same earning levels within three years of the investment.
So that's what we're going for and feeling feeling good
about that.

Speaker 4 (09:40):
Have you got a feeling that we're that that this
GDT auction thing. Hate to come back to the milk price,
but it's important. Where's the floor?

Speaker 5 (09:49):
Yeah, that's that's the interesting question, right is you know,
having spent a lot of my career in the markets,
you know, buyer buyers are an interesting, interesting bunch, and
of course they're all trying to pick pick the bottom.
The inventories and most of our buyers are globally are
actually relatively low, which is a good thing. And what
that suggests to me is that they're all sitting there
waiting for the market to bottom out. They'll all then

(10:10):
jump in and refill their supply chains. But you know,
who knows when that will be. But you can't, you
can't if you've got if you've got a strong brand
and one of your key markets that you know, the
worst thing a procurement manager needs to do is to
run new supply chain empty and not have product on
the shelf. So that's the trade off of the balance
that they'll be watching. But we need to do watch
it closely. There is a lot of milkers, i say,

(10:33):
floating around the Northern Hemisphere in particular, so we seed
to see that play its way through. We'll watch closely
and our first people to hear about will be our
farmers if we need to make any changes.

Speaker 4 (10:41):
Miles Harrel, Chief executive for Fonterra, thank you very much
for telling us all about that. Q one business update.
Always good to chat.

Speaker 5 (10:49):
Good thanks Jamie.

Speaker 4 (10:52):
Eighteen after twelve. Thank you Miles. You're interested in the cricket.
We're still going along nicely, sixty seven without loss, leading
by one hundred and thirty one runs. Yesterday we started
our countdown to Christmas promo and we're doing this this
week and next week. We've got some great prizes coming up.
We had that facpac DIY kit so you can go

(11:15):
out into the paddock, just be careful of any rams
that are out there. A Greg myrams, but you can
go out into the paddock or take samples and worm
test and then you can check if your drench is working.
We've got lots of entries from farmers where I'm hoping
they were farmers who entered. They're not much used for
anyone else. And the winner of our first Countdown to
Christmas prize goes to Alex Robertson in Stratford and Taranaki.

(11:39):
Well done, Alex, thank you very much for entering. We've
got a great prize from one of my favorite rural
companies where they are a nationwide company, PTS Logistics. We'll
tell you about that when Michelle wanders in here. But
up next, Yes, we need a drum roll for this one.
Where is my drum roll? Anyhow? We need one because
it's Shane Jones. Last time he was on the show

(12:00):
he called Chloe a demonic egg beater. Still trying to
get my head around that one. What has he got
for her? Up next, you listen and you'll find out why.

Speaker 2 (12:11):
Keep on pulling it up, headen. We need the record.

Speaker 1 (12:21):
I can't remember everything we said.

Speaker 4 (12:24):
We said it. Here is the Prince of the Province's Martua,
Shane Jones. Last time when he was on the country,
he coined the phrase a demonic egg better when he
was referring to Chloe Swarbrook. I got a text, interestingly
from one of your fellow Northland MPs, Grant McCallum, this
morning and he said he was in a select committee
or something like that battling Chloe over emissions. Are you

(12:47):
involved in that as well?

Speaker 7 (12:49):
No, this is scrutiny week. Fortunately I am to the
side of that rent seeking klingon the leader of the sorry,
the Green Party, but she acts in a very performative
way and it's quite an extraordinary performance. So I've got
a bit of adaha for the man to cocky the
man from the Kopa, But I dare say he'll be

(13:11):
able to sort of, He'll be able to navigate his
way around the jabbering that we're going to hear from
the Green Party.

Speaker 4 (13:19):
I call the emissions trading scheme and carbon credits the
Emperor's new clothes. And I was reading this morning Shane Jones,
a market that was surprised by the government ieu has
failed to buy a single carbon unit at the final
ETS auction of the year. Not a single bidder registered
for Wednesdays. Yesterday's auction, making twenty twenty five the second

(13:42):
calendar year in which all four quarterly ETS auctions have failed.
The first calendar year was twenty twenty three.

Speaker 7 (13:50):
Why are we persisting, Well, if the demand is down,
then that means the supply is high. I'm presuming there's
a lot of units available the market associated with the
forestry sector, and that the Crown and introducing additional units
is selling into arguably a market that's saturated with other

(14:13):
sources of units. But it hasn't been stated any clearer
than our finance minister, where the Finance Minister has said
that we'll be funding the hospitals in Fargada and Nelson
before we're handing doa over to the Congo related to etes.
It's common sense. We are not going to be guilt tripped.

(14:35):
We are not going to be sledgehammered into spending money
internationally when we need to find the solutions within ourselves.
We have hung fat with the forestry people in terms
of those who already have their money tied up in
the etes, but we have restricted their ability to plaster
pine trees over the rest of the White.

Speaker 4 (14:55):
Upper You've changed you Jo and you are the billion
trees man.

Speaker 7 (15:00):
It was I didn't fully appreciate that the Countless of
Austria was going to arrive with a checkbook rivaling the
New Zealand Reserve Bank figuratively speaking. And look like I've said,
our steam make you've got to be adaptable in politics.

Speaker 4 (15:14):
Now you've got about a flip flop show and you
do it rather well. Talking about the Queen of Austria
with the checkbook, Ikea have been running around the country
with their checkbook buying farms for carbon forestry. You went
queuing up at the opening this morning, were you?

Speaker 7 (15:29):
No? No, no, No. I struggle to put together the
most basic of furniture without having to sort of reprise
what knowledge I remember from nineteen seventy five doing woodwork,
trying to put their furniture together. Sadly, I've got two
lads who are builders and a wife who's got much
more tenicity than I have to jove together their sorts
of furniture. No, I was actually up walking. And we're

(15:50):
having a big party here in Parliament this evening for
New Zealand first. So I'm waiting for the smoke fish
to arrive.

Speaker 4 (15:57):
Now what do I have to to get on the
invite list for your Christmas party up in Nordland.

Speaker 7 (16:02):
Oh well, as they say, the checks and the mail,
I'm sure, I'm sure an invitation somewhere in the mail.

Speaker 4 (16:12):
Mates, you've got your wish. We're getting rid of regional councils.
You call them green banshees.

Speaker 7 (16:18):
Well, you have to admit that in areas such as Otago,
they really are an institutional form of ideological hysteria. They've
created a virtual taj Mahal down there as a monument
to their own dystopian fantasies that the world is frying,
that every bit of mining that I do down there

(16:39):
is going to irreversibly disfigure the landscape. And that's why
they have to go. They are major drag on productivity. Now,
some of the functions will remain. I mean, what's wrong
with us relying on catchment boards catchment groups. That's why
Chris Bishop's announcements give some scope to tease through. What's
the best form to deliver, Sir, is to maintain the environment,

(17:01):
but stop regulating the Jesus out of the farmers. You know,
I'm so happy that early in the life of our government.
I managed to get my colleagues to agree to guarantee
for every marine farmer who's already got a permit, their
permits are extended for twenty years. They have to go
home and argue with their accountant or explain to the
wife why you're going to go and find one hundred

(17:23):
and fifty thousand or one hundred thousand just to continue
doing what you've been doing for the last twenty years.

Speaker 6 (17:28):
Now.

Speaker 7 (17:28):
It's that type of Oh, I don't know. It's a
mixture of sort of an abstraction and some sort of
piety that somehow we have to regulate that the Jesus out
of existing rights and existing businesses inject first. Doesn't like that.

Speaker 4 (17:42):
What do you make of the proposal to limit or
cap local body rates two to four percent? I think
it's admirbald, I've got out of control. But is it realistic?

Speaker 7 (17:52):
Well, let's see proverbial curacy, isn't it. Some parts of
it are good that we bring restraint, and we challenge
our local government bureaucrats and local government leaders to be
very judicious as to how they dedicate taxpayers, sorry, ratepayers money.
But at the other level, costs are rising for them
because we in central government end up getting them, or

(18:15):
ask them or impose on them a whole lot more responsibilities.
And I hope and pray that as the new RIMA
wanders its way through the Selict Committee process, that we
reduce the number of consents that are needed in New Zealand.
We lift the threshold so that the councils only have

(18:36):
to focus on areas where there's genuine risk, as opposed
to the self righteous earnests Roman sandal wearing walk short characters,
liking the South Island and making the lives of your
cockies down their misery. They tell me every week that
this is their reality.

Speaker 4 (18:53):
Let's just finish on selling off state assets. You and
Winston don't want to sell off anything. You made that
quite clear around Fonterra divestment of its consumer brand's business.
But should Palmu, for instance, the country's biggest farm, be
sold or divested.

Speaker 7 (19:10):
Well, the leader has absolutely stated this is a matter
that has to be addressed in the election. We're very
keen to create a model akin to the Singaporean institution
of Temasek, where you cobble together a whole lot of
assets and some of them you have a restriction on
how much you can sell and get them run in

(19:33):
a very professional way, disconnected from the bureaucracy, disconnected from
the politicians, unless there's a strategic interest. But if anyone
thinks that New Zealand first is suddenly going to agree
to sell transpower and sell these crown interests in the
three Gentailors whilst they are in a villainous way gouging
the for Jesus out of industry and households, then they

(19:55):
are a grossly distorted understanding of the ideology of New
Zealand first.

Speaker 4 (20:00):
Just get me this quote right, she was last time
a demonic egg beata. What did you call her this time?
Rent seeking? Klingon?

Speaker 5 (20:07):
Was it?

Speaker 7 (20:08):
Well they are mate.

Speaker 5 (20:09):
Look, let's be honest, but.

Speaker 4 (20:11):
I don't get the rent seeking bit.

Speaker 7 (20:13):
Explain to me, Well, a rent seeker is someone that
wants to impose costs on you and I in order
to fund a fantasy that New Zealand has to virtually
bankrupt this industry to look good to the rest of
the world and to save the planet. No, we don't.
We have to be viable, we have to be fertile,
and we have to be economically robust. And then when

(20:33):
we generate a surplus and we keep the jobs in
New Zealand and stop our young people disappearing, then if
there's a seplus, we'll think about saving the planet first,
save the economy first, look after your own people and
boost security. Don't impose rent seeking ideologies on the rest
of us. And we're struggling to make a living as
it is.

Speaker 4 (20:53):
Wonderful rhetoric has always Shane Jones, love your time here
on the Country, SUD five talk you, Shane. Well there
you can add rent seeking kling on on to demonic
egg beat it Poor Chloe. Up next Michelle with Rural News.
We've got sports news for you. We'll update the cricket
and we'll tell you how you can win today's Countdown

(21:15):
to Christmas Prize courtesy of the wonderful team Scottie Myers
and all the crew at PTS Logistics. Before the end
of the hour, we're heading to Muka I hually car
from Rural Scheme. Lots of cards being sold there today
and Chris Russell's O Rosie correspondent see wander again, Martenniser

(21:37):
got you Welcome back to the Country A wicket I
think yes. New Zella now eighty four to one, Devin
Conway's gone for thirty seven and christ Church very shortly.
At today's Countdown to Christmas Prize, Michelle's loaded the music
today Morgan wolland love Morgan Wollen. He's one of the
top artists on Spotify. But I'm really surprised, Michelle that

(22:00):
the number one artist on Spotify is wrap up Bad Bunny.
He's not really on my Apple playlist.

Speaker 8 (22:06):
I'm very impressed that you a knew he was a.

Speaker 4 (22:08):
Rapper and called it now I had to look up
what he was. Is that his name bad Bunny? Bad Bunny.
He won't be getting played at the Booms Disco at
the Golf Club next Friday night.

Speaker 8 (22:17):
I can tell you that maybe not till later in
the night.

Speaker 4 (22:19):
Do you think no, no, that we know bad Bunny.
Put the house on it right. We'll do rural News
and then we'll give you a chance to one. Today's
pound Down to Christmas Prize from PTS Logistics.

Speaker 1 (22:31):
The country's world news with cold Cadets, New Zealand's leading
right on lawnlower brand. Visit steel Ford dot Co dot
Nz for your local stockist.

Speaker 8 (22:41):
And Sad News for the Horse of the Year. Show,
which is Howard and Hawk's Bay every year in March.
It's been canceled for twenty twenty six due to lack
of financial support. It's usually hold at the Hastings Showgrounds
every March and it's one of the largest equestrian events
in the Southern Hemisphere and brings and millions of dollars
to the Hawk's Bay. Economy Organized said The decision was
made by the Board Cheerholders, Hastings District Council and Equestrian

(23:04):
Sports New Zealand. It was established in nineteen fifty three.
It's been going for a very long time and has
considered the pinnacle of New Zealand equestrian calendar. So really
sad to see that go. Hopefully it comes back in
twenty twenty seven or twenty twenty eight.

Speaker 4 (23:18):
Yeah, a great event. I've been to it, believe it
or not. With Andy Thompson. It's some amazing Andy Thompson.
I don't think he opened as well on that occasion
either anyhow, Warm Bear and the horse float. There was
a lot of airtechs and all that sort of stuff
going on, but it was very good occasion, lovely, lovely
showgrounds there.

Speaker 1 (23:36):
His Sport Sports on the country with AFCO invested in
your foaming success.

Speaker 4 (23:43):
So eighty five for one in christ Church, New Zealand
Leeds by one hundred and forty nine, still well in
control of the first Test against the Windy's at Hagley Oval.
The Black Hair I don't need to read that story.
All Blacks coach Scott Robertson is in facing hosts Australia
and pool play and a potential quarter final against South

(24:04):
Africa at the twenty twenty seven Rugby World Cup. I
don't know if Razor, if I was you, I'd be
embracing facing South Africa and a quarter final. I think
I'd want to avoid it. Well, we'll talk more about
that one with our Ossie correspondent Chris Russell, because I
think whoever wins the pool that New Zealand and Australia,
and I think they it looks like they're scheduled Michelle

(24:25):
to play the opening game of the Rugby World Cup
in Perth, which will be wonderful but it'll be a
late night. But do we want to face South Africa
or England in a quarter.

Speaker 8 (24:38):
You want either of those right now?

Speaker 4 (24:40):
You're going to get one or t'other so I wonder
I might throw this at Chris with the All Blacks
or the Wallabies consider throwing a game. There you go,
that's sports and he's right. PTS Logistics they're offering today's
prize and it's a beauty in our countdown to Christmas.
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(25:03):
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(25:27):
The vouchers valid for eighteen months. You've got plenty of
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They support all sorts of things, including backing the Farmstrong
Golf tournament at Wairaki. They are a wonderful team. Can't
say that. Emphasize that enough to be into one text
win Wi in and your name to five nine will

(25:47):
announce the winner on tomorrow's show. Thanks to PTS Logistics
their service your Solution, and congratulations to Alex Robertson in
Stratford and Turanna who won the fat pack do it
yourself kit for worm testing. Up next, we're off to
Tamuka booming.

Speaker 3 (26:08):
The dreamin.

Speaker 1 (26:11):
I don't want to you thing no more.

Speaker 4 (26:14):
Now off to the Tamuka sale yards. You can hear it.
You can hear in the background the sound effects that
we've put in especially for you today. It is day
two of the big calf sail up there, and I
think the IHC calf and Rural scheme Barry Fox from
PGG Rights and are doing rather well out of us.

Speaker 6 (26:32):
Good afternoon, Yeah, Joy, it's been a busy couple of
days and we've just sort of started about half forty
minutes ago on the beef gross section of the sale.
But it's going good.

Speaker 4 (26:44):
Well, beef's gold at the moment. I think you did
the freezings as I said yesterday, and you'd expect the
beef calfs today to go for more. What's the early indication.

Speaker 6 (26:54):
Yeah, what sort of looks like we didn't obviously yesterday.
Being the freegans are predominantly balls. We're just finished the
spear section today and it looked the pricing is certainly
very good, but the quality of the calves is also good.
You know, I may mention of the donated calves yesterday.
I think we had about two hundred and twenty from
across the region, including a Maori ones we brought up

(27:14):
to Samika do being of e bit Dry and or Votago.
But you know, I think we've tur hundred and twenty.
Our calve average six hundred and sixty or six hundred
and seventy dollars. So yeah, the quality of the bigger
portion of fregons was very good from the farmers this year.

Speaker 4 (27:29):
Yeah, as old Craig Heckman, dairy man, I know he's
a great supporter of the actually carf and rural scheme,
as he sent some down from US Ashburton, Eldorado.

Speaker 6 (27:40):
Very much. Quite possible, we've, like I say, processed over
about three hundred of them individually. So I can't remember
everybody's names, but quite possibly you would have been there.

Speaker 4 (27:49):
Hey what sort of money are you getting for these carves?

Speaker 6 (27:53):
Oh? Look just today on the top here the calves there,
it's a mixture of venus obviously the cheralats lictually about
five minutes ago, we're at seven hundred and twenty dollars
for the first end of the icy. There were one
hundred and fifteen kilo average and ten. But look at
the prices with nine hundred and forty is the top

(28:13):
price for some charts, but they're obviously not the I
see that. Yeah, that's the top price so far they
and I think some of their balls later and with
the heavier weights will achieve that.

Speaker 4 (28:24):
So pretty good for that's amazing money. So just well
put me right in the listeners. So these are carves
obviously spring early springborn carves.

Speaker 6 (28:34):
Yeah, I looked those runs particularly we're off cow, but
they were springborne as well. But yeah, they are the
majority here would be milk out of it. Yeah, there's
a handful were escentially, but you know the weight that
some of these have been and they have been yeah,
in the July mid July at the very earliest thing
in the south iron here and so the rearing has

(28:55):
been been done very well on most of them.

Speaker 4 (28:57):
See that. I actually is so thankful for all the
support the farmers give to them. It's going to be
a bit of a windfall for this wonderful charity. You
guys at PGG Rights, and I do give you a
pat on the back and your boss, Peter Newbolt, because
your stock agents are doing a hell of a lot
of work for the love of it here and for
a very good cause.

Speaker 6 (29:15):
Yeah, and we appreciate the fact obviously the farmers hearing
the cars that yes, there's a bit of time involved
with processing. Like every animals as they come in, it's
got their own paperwork and do the change of legislation
three months ago. Some of the paperwork was on old
AfD so they all needed to be rung again and
asked for a new one to be sent in. But

(29:37):
you know, and the background of it is the money
going to the IC And we had a group of
them here yesterday which was fantastic. So they got to
sit and watch the cars being sold and yeah, so
when you see we're gening up and helping out that
it makes it worth while.

Speaker 4 (29:51):
Well, Barry, I know you've got to jump in your
car and head to another venue. So you've got my
phone number. Now, just give me a text and let's
see that's great sound effects in the background.

Speaker 1 (30:01):
Let me know.

Speaker 4 (30:02):
Let me know the top price for those beef calfs today.
The good and of course you are north Otago Rugby Royalty.
I looked you up. I storked you, Barry eighty four
games for the old goals. You're very good team north
Otago in the late nineties, early two thousands. I don't
know whether you've caught up on this, but the Rugby
World Cup pool draw has come out. We're in the

(30:23):
same pool as Australia. Probably play them in the opener.
But whoever wins that Paul has to face most probably
South Africa and a quarter. Would you chuck a game?
Is that in your DNA to miss the South Africans?

Speaker 6 (30:36):
Look, I wouldn't say that live on a possibly.

Speaker 4 (30:38):
But you'd say yes, that might be Ray's's greatest coaching
strategy top.

Speaker 6 (30:45):
Scenario going through to meet them in a corner of it.

Speaker 4 (30:48):
No, well, imagine if you're playing Australia in the opening
game in perthin they're wanting to chuck it, You're wanting
to chuck it. I could end into a disaster.

Speaker 6 (30:57):
Well yeah, it could be like watching a senior B game.

Speaker 4 (30:59):
I mean, good on your Barry Fox to you and
all the team at PGG Rights and you guys do
a wonderful job. Well done. Than there we go, and
the IHC carf and Rural scheme is very, very thankful
for all the effort put in by the farmers and
PGG Rights and the other major sponsors. I want to
give him a plug because I'm involved in this as well.

(31:21):
All Tech have come on big time and of course
all Flex do the tags as well, So thank you
to all you guys. Up next, it's our Ossie correspondent.
We might talk about a rugby and cricket and blowflies.
Don't know what's on the agenda. Chris Russell up next,
he's our Ossie correspondent. His name is Chris Russell. He

(31:43):
is based out of Sydney. Probably wishes he was in
Brisbane today. Second Ashes test gets underway five o'clock. I
think in Z time it's the pink Ball Test. But
Chris just we might come back to that because we've
got lots of farming stuff to talk about as well.
But hot off the hot if the press is the
drawer for the Rugby World Cup. Lo and behold, Australia

(32:03):
and New Zealand are in the same pool. I think
we play each other in the opening match. But more
importantly or dangerously, whoever wins that paul will probably have
to face South Africa. If not South Africa then England.
Do you think the All Blacks or the Aussies might
try and throw a game.

Speaker 3 (32:21):
I never let it be, said, Jamie, you know, I
mean it'll be. It'll be interesting to see the tactics
we come up. We get a new coach in January February,
or Red's coach, but a little bit unknown in this role.
But it is an intriguing idea because it's the first time,
of course that the Wallabies and the All Blacks have
faced each other in the pool game at the beginning,

(32:41):
where a couple of other minnos really in paul A.
And as you say, whoever wins that Pool's going to
be up against South Africa first up, well that's not
a good start to any sort of a campaign. So
the tactics will have a lot to do with this series,
I suggest, Jamie.

Speaker 4 (32:56):
Okay, we might come back Chris Russell to the cricket
later today, but I want to talk about a rural
program and this one, I guess is loosely based on
what you do in Australia. You've got the Country Hour,
We've got the Country Your show celebrates eighty years. We
celebrated thirty last year.

Speaker 3 (33:16):
Yes, I was intrigued with this and yes I remember
first joining you in nineteen ninety four in that correspondence.
Of course, the Country Hour here, which, unlike your program,
doesn't go to the capital cities. Unfortunately it's only a
bush program. But it was started on the third of
December nineteen forty five, not long after the end of
World War II, and a guy called Dick Snedden, who

(33:40):
was a hunter valley cattle auctioneer, launched that national program
and you know his immortal worse to start it was
hello everyone, this is Dick Snedden of the Country Hour,
with a program for the farm families of Australia. And
it's been recognized ever since, and the Guinness World Book
of Record actually recognized Australia's longest running radio program.

Speaker 7 (34:03):
So we come a long way.

Speaker 3 (34:04):
In agriculture one hundred billion this year. In ninety forty five,
we were still learning, but a lot of traditions there
and I'll look forward to hearing the day. Maybe I
won't see it, but when you guys reach eighty years
of broadcasting with the country.

Speaker 4 (34:20):
Jaming and I don't think neither you or I will
be around there. But you never know, Chris, You never know.
Look something else that is an AUSSI traditions blowflies. But
you're trying to breed sterile blowflies. But wouldn't that mess
with the food chain?

Speaker 3 (34:34):
Well, I don't think it's a food chain we care
about messing with. And down in Kangaroo Island they've been
very successful at getting rid of a number of feral
animals down there, pigs, cats, all sorts of things, and
they're now working on the blowfly. Now. Of course, blowflies
Lucilla caprina is the main cause of fly strike here

(34:54):
in Australia, which is a massive problem. They've been experimenting
with a about it. They put about I think eight
million dollars in developing an experimental plant to breed sterile blowflies.
Fascinating plant, all biosecurity, You go through airlocks to get in.
Once you get in there, they actually take all of
the maggots and when they pupet, they radiate them millions

(35:19):
at a time. Then they go with aircraft and I've
been dropping him in strips over sections of Kangaroo Island
and the lusillicaprina only mates once. The female only mates once,
so if the first mile she finds a sterile well,
that's her done and there's no more progeny from those flies.
So they're aiming next year to actually do the entire

(35:40):
island so that every female will first come across a
sterile mile rather than a non sterile mile, and in
that way they're having to eliminate blowflies from the island
by the next year, which is a very ambitious task.
But in the trial areas this year, I was listening
to some farmer's sheep farmers saying they have seen no
fly strike year on their farms, which is an amazing achievement,

(36:03):
and it would be wonderful to see if we could
get rid of blowfires. I think we give up on
the food changes to make sure we got rid of
them and didn't have to fight the fly strike issue
in country Australia.

Speaker 4 (36:14):
Jamie Way, you wouldn't need the corks on your hats. Chris, here,
there'll be lots of testosterone flowing at the Gabba this afternoon,
paintball test I hope because I love the ashes. I
hope the damn thing goes longer than two days.

Speaker 3 (36:28):
Well, I agree, and I agree with you. This basball thing's,
you know, is ridiculous, but that's what the British do,
and I don't think they're going to change that. I
think my own view is they've just got to be
a little bit more careful about where they do it.
They just seem to operate on this slash and go
type philosophy for every game rather than looking at the conditions,

(36:49):
the pitch and so on and deciding when it's appropriate
when it isn't. But anyway, we'll see what happens. Mitchell
start may I overtake what in Akram is the finest
left hand quick ever. He holds four hundred and fourteen
wickets over one hundred and eight Tests. I think we're
one hundred and three Tests whereas was him, where's Mitchell

(37:11):
Stark is up to four hundred and eleven wickets, So
if he just gets three wickets, he'll become the greatest
left left hand quick ever seen in the world. And
he's certainly got a lot of cricket left in him,
Mitchell Stark, So I'm really looking forward to the game.
I don't think the poms are. They don't like pinkball cricket,
they don't like the gamma. They haven't won this since

(37:32):
nineteen eighty six, so it's going to be a very
interesting game and they can't wait for it to get cracking.
I think at five o'clock your time, Jamie.

Speaker 4 (37:39):
Okay, Chris Russell. We'll look forward to that, and we'll
look forward to yearning to you again, same time, same place,
next week.

Speaker 3 (37:45):
Sounds good.

Speaker 4 (37:50):
We wrapping the country. Turn your mic on. You'szelling one
hundred for one in christ Church. Mackay is sitting in
again tomorrow. I'm off tin Macago to play golf on
the Southern Swing and catch you back on Monday. No,
he was a last man a kidd.

Speaker 1 (38:10):
Catch all the latest from the land. It's the Country
Podcast with Jamie McKay. Thanks to Brent, You're specialist in
John Deere construction equipment.