Jamie Mackay: The Country host on the Auckland-based wool company involved in the Artemis II mission

Auckland-based company Lanaco had its EcoStatic air filters on board the Artemis II mission, NASA's first crewed lunar flyby in 50 years.

The filters were also on board an unmanned flight in 2022.

They can be used during a fire on board, which presents unique challenges in a weightless environment, because there’s not only smoke and other toxic particles, but water droplets floating around as well.

The Country's Jamie Mackay explained further.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Jamie McKay, host of the Countries with us Alo Jamie Good.
I hear that speaking of money, what's the prediction for
the GDT.

Speaker 2 (00:07):
Well, this is the I was going to say the penultimate,
that's not the right word. It's the third last GDT
auction of the dairy year, remembering that the dairy year
finishes on May thirty one, So we've got one tonight
and then a couple in May, and that's it. Look
it's milk powders or milk products. Commodities are holding up

(00:28):
remarkably well. The prediction for tonight's auction is for the
powders whole milk powder and skim milk powder to be
up a couple of a percent, the fats to be
down a similar amount. Overall increase because remember the waiting
of the basket of goods is in favor of the powders,
especially whole milk powders, is for the whole index to
be up one to two percent. And I haven't looked

(00:51):
at the futures today, Heather, but yesterday they were trading
for the current season at about nine dollars eighty, remembering
that Fonterra is at nine at the moment, and more
perhaps of more interest for next season. You can go
and buy a trade if you want. At nine dollars forty,
that's a pretty solid number I would have thought, with
everything going on in the world at the moment. Now,

(01:12):
the problem for the dairy farmers is not the income
side of the ledger. It's the cost column, the fuel,
the furt, the freight. And it's all very well having
a good income, and I think dairy farmers will again
next year. It's just how much it's going to cost
them to get that milk.

Speaker 1 (01:30):
Now, Can you explain to me what the New Zealand
wool was doing up there in space?

Speaker 2 (01:35):
Well? And he read about this one today, although I
did actually know, because I knew that NASA was using
wool air filters from a country, a company called Larnaco,
and they had them on board on Artemis two. Of course,
the first crude lunar fly by in fifty years a
fire in weightlessness, and I learnt this today as well.

(01:58):
Here that can create some new net challenges because there's
not only smoke and other toxic particles floating about, but
there's also water droplets floating around as well, So it's
pretty hard to put out a fire in space. That's
where some of these filters come in, and they can
use them to stop fires on things like laptops or
phone batteries. Were that to happen, Astronauts in these situations

(02:24):
would put on safety hoods that have breathing canisters, and
the ones that contain the Lanaco filters can last a
whole lot longer than the ones with the sort of
plastic filters. They can mouth and get all sorts of
gunk and them they're only good for about ten minutes,
while the war ones are good for up to one
hour long. So that's a great story for New Zealand Wall,

(02:47):
and they're also investigating filtering moondust for when the astronauts
actually do land on the Moon. I think that's twenty
twenty eight. And so if an astronaut is astronaut is
walking on the loon surface and wants to re enter
the accommodation and get all the pesky moondust off them,
then that's where these applications from the New Zealand Wall

(03:10):
can be used as well. So yep, we played our part.
What is it One small step for Man, one giant
leap for New Zealand.

Speaker 1 (03:16):
Wall Oh, yep, you're such a dad sometimes that know,
you really are. You're really lame, but that's what we
love about you. Hey, I know we've had a bit
of problem with the fertilizer and the prices are going up,
but have we still got supply that's holding up.

Speaker 2 (03:32):
Actually, just before you get me for dad jokes, hither
that was a line I stole directly from our n Z.
So it's Red Radio's responsibility.

Speaker 1 (03:39):
Not mine.

Speaker 2 (03:40):
Yeah, okay, what was the question again? Sorry, I'm just
you put me off my game?

Speaker 1 (03:44):
Then, all right, is our furtial nothing important? Just is
our fertilizer supply?

Speaker 2 (03:48):
Okay, Yeah, it's a bit like the fuel really. From
my take, the supply is okay. At this stage, we've
got enough for the autumn. Obviously over the winter we
don't put the stuff on, but we do need. Probably
the biggest season for application is the springtime. So that'll
be the big question that the fertilizer, this is ultimately

(04:09):
for the world, could be even a bigger problem than
the fuel because we talk about twenty percent of the
fuel going through the Hamuz state straight well. Iran, Qatar,
Saudi Arabia supplied thirty six percent of global exports of
yurea last year, and that all would have gone through
a certain waterway. So that's a real problem. And the

(04:30):
International Monetary Fund is saying food security could be threatened
with disruptions to fertilizer markets ahead of the planting season
and to a substantial food price inflation and shortage. The
good news is balance and Ravens down, our two biggest
fertilizer co ops are saying we've got enough for the autumn,
and they're discouraging farmers from stockpiling the fertilizer because the

(04:55):
quality the product quality can decline if it's stored for
a long time. So steady as she goes. Just watch
that fertilizer prise ever.

Speaker 1 (05:03):
Yeah, I will do. Thank you very much, Jamie, appreciate it.
Jamie mckaie, hosts of the Country, Here The how Many
on

Speaker 2 (05:07):
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