Jamie Mackay: The Country host hints towards his ag person of the year for 2024

The Country's Jamie Mackay has been catching up with politicians and farming experts to discuss their picks for Ag Person of the Year.

There's been a diverse range of favourites - but who is Jamie's?

He revealed his favourites for 2024, ahead of his final show for the year.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Time to wrap the year in rural New Zealand with
Jamie mckaye, Host of the Country. Good evening, Jamie, good day, Ryan,
good to have you back on. Who is your will
start with the person of the Year, your ag Person
of the Year for twenty twenty four.

Speaker 2 (00:13):
Well, I'm keeping my powder dry till tomorrow my last
show of the year, Ryan, and I will name my man.
So I'm not giving you, I'm not letting you steal
the thunder there, but I'll tell you who I've been
asking all my regulars and the sins to the field
seems to be narrowed down for three miles hurral Onon
TIRA Chief Executive of the Year, Fonterra Company of the Year,

(00:34):
Todd McLay Trade and AG Minister. I've been everywhere man,
and he really has. He's got off his backside and
he has traveled the world in search of trade opportunities
and the other one and he's become a bit of
a regular over the past year or two. Is Wayne Langford,
the president of the Federated Farmers. So he's had his
restoring confidence tour with the PM. Federated Farmers had eleven

(00:56):
out of twelve of their policy priorities achieved. That's a
big tick in anyone's book. They're onto the banking inquiry.
They've even ranked the banks this year, Ravo banks the
best and being z it is the worst. Yeah.

Speaker 1 (01:09):
Interesting because you took a bit of a credibility hitting
the eyes of some farmers, didn't it, say? He's obviously
I'm doing some way to repair that. What about the
are you going to let us in on? You know
which sectors in particular you're going to rank and how
they've done for the year.

Speaker 2 (01:23):
You know this is no secret, Ryan, I've prepared this.
This is something I've prepared especially for you. So I've
given them. I've done the hosking. You see, I'm trying
to be more like Mike. I've marked the week, so
I've marked the year. So here you go out of
ten derry nine out of ten ten dollars. Here here
we come. Horticulture a seven with a week caveat that

(01:44):
Kiwi fruits probably an eight? Is that are we doing?
Is they to be there? Are you adding to the occasion?

Speaker 1 (01:49):
I think? And is adding some bells and whistles to
your account?

Speaker 2 (01:54):
Bigger off? It's really annoying me. Okay, so beef beef,
I'll give an eight. We've got record prices for beef,
especially in the US, the lamb and mutton. The ol
sheep meet's been a bit more problematical allbit. It's on
an upward plane, but it's been reasonably depressed. I'm only
giving it a four and a four or maybe a
four in a but forestry also only gets a four.

(02:15):
That we've had depressed log prices. We've obviously had the
bad slash publicity around cyclone Gabrielle. But the good news
for forestry is it is on the improve and it
can clip the ticket on carbon credits. One of the
exciting or not newcomers, but certainly it's doing very well
at the moment of seafood and aquaculture. I've given that

(02:36):
a good solid eight. Robust demand, tights, a global supply
helping their wall is the problem child really of the
primary sector rhyme across the board. I've given it the three,
and that's only because fine walls dragging it up. Strong wall,
which is most of our wall, strong crossbred wall gets
a one. Really, it might get a one and a half.
It still costs many farmers more to share their sheep

(02:58):
than they get for the wall. That is not a
sustainable proposition. So there you go. That's me marking the
year for farming.

Speaker 1 (03:06):
Brilliant and no sound effects required. For Jamie MacKaye, thank
you very much. Jamie hosted the Country Here on News
Talk Said beg.

Speaker 2 (03:14):
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