Feed for Thought

In our latest episode, joining Matt and Wade are Waikato based, John Numan, farm owner and Brian Basi, herd-owning sharemilker. Together, they explain how they develop and maintain a strong owner share-milker relationship and share some of the farm systems and business fundamentals that support their businesses to achieve the goals of both parties.

The choppers are out, and we're approaching the pointy end of the 2023/24 maize season. Wade and Matt caught up with Craig Maxwell, the Central North Island Regional Manager, to chat about the discussions the Pioneer team are having with growers and contractors leading up to harvest. 

With harvest underway around the country, the boys welcome Shaun Body, Pioneer's Portfolio Manager, back onto the podcast.  The team discuss the science and value proposition of inoculant and how to get more from your maize silage by minimising the drop in quality throughout the harvest, ensiling, and feeding out process. 

In Ian's final episode on the show, the team challenge him with the question of what the future of the industry looks like. Ian covers topics around future farm systems, government regulations, and what farming may look like in the future.

In this episode, Hamish Gow and the team expand on the points made in part 1 and delve into the topic of global value chains and trade. This episode provides insights and take-home points around the transition from a rules-based trade to values-based trade and where we are heading within New Zealand farming.

In this episode, the boys catch up with Hamish Gow and talk about the future of NZ Farming systems. Hamish is the Sir Graeme Harrison Professorial Chair in Global Value Chains and Trade at Lincoln University. They touch on how New Zealand agriculture has changed over time and what the future may look like. 

Tune in to this episode, where the team discuss the maize planting window.  They cover the key points around hybrid maturity options, yield potential of shorter maturity hybrids, other crop options to fit different farm systems and the impact of getting pasture back in on time at the other end of the maize season.

In this episode, Professor Fred Below expands on the points made in part 1. Fred nails down the things farmers can do to close the yield gap and take advantage of the yield potential of todays hybrids.

Earlier this year, Ian Williams welcomed Professor Fred Below from the University of Illinois and Dr. Rowland Tsimba, Pioneer's National Research & Agronomy Manager, to discuss the best crop management practices growers can implement to gain higher yields and how maize genetic potential has developed over time. 

Tune back in next week for part two.

A common question the team are hearing coming into spring is "where can I trim my costs without compromising production for the season?". In this episode, the team welcome Regional Manager, Dave McDonald onto the podcast to unpack line by line the maize growing costs.

In this episode, Wade and Matt catch up with two contractors from across the ditch, Daniel Rethus from Rethus Contracting and Hayden Bowden from Bowdens Contracting in Eastern Australia, to chat about crops they plant and harvest, potential yields and an insight into how strip tillage benefits their customers.

With the recent drop in forecast payout from Fonterra, the boys caught up to discuss some key considerations to help navigate the season ahead. 

In this episode, Ian and Wade welcome Pioneer's National Grain Account Manager, Hamish Johnstone, onto the podcast to cover all things maize grain. The team cover the international and local grain markets, the opportunities of maize grain and how it can fit into a dairy system.