The Country 27/03/25: Katie Milne talks to Jamie Mackay

We catch up with a West Coast cow cocky and a former Federated Farmers President on day two of the South Island Field Days at Kirwee. Why are West Coast farm sales ticking over nicely?

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
But let's get straight into it. We're heading to Kerweat,
just west of christ Church, day two of the South
Island Field Days A. Katie Milne, former president of Federated Farmers,
West Coast, kow Kocky weather in track conditions. Good afternoon, Katie.

Speaker 2 (00:15):
Aternoon Jamie Weather in track conditions. Fabulous autumn day here,
light breeze, sun is still shining, dry as a chip
under foot, but green, so what could be better? And
everybody it looks like, from Southland, West Coast and Canterbury
is here. It's building up in numbers, and of course
being day two, plenty of farmers here. It's not the

(00:36):
towny's day yet, but the smell of the food cooking
being lunchtime is absolutely phenomenal.

Speaker 1 (00:42):
Well, the bloke who what did he succeeded you didn't
he as president of Federated Farmers, Andrew Hoggard's going to
be on the show today. I'll bet you he'll be
licking his lips. He's never stepped away from a decent
feed in his life.

Speaker 2 (00:56):
I've seen him meet in the middle letters lately. Fording
is he Wellington? That job Wellington's a bit tough on you,
but I know he still enjoys protein the most, so yeah,
he'll be into it.

Speaker 1 (01:06):
Yeah, Okay, we're going to chat to Andrew a week
bit later in the hour. So what are you there for?
What are you looking for?

Speaker 2 (01:13):
Are you?

Speaker 1 (01:13):
Are you in the market to buy anything for your
dairy farm on the West Coast.

Speaker 2 (01:18):
I'm actually here just to have a look and feel
the pulse of the nation as in the rural rural
side of things. I've been coming to these for years, obviously,
and it's just a great place to see what the
ViBe's like and how we're all feeling, and I must
say it's pretty good. I haven't actually come to deliberately
buy anything, although I've got a little little bag that's
half full already, as you do. But no really also

(01:41):
interested to see. There's a bit of a push to
show them the people around the country what the West
Coast farming looks like looks like as well, and they
are putting the farms up that are available on the
coast at the moment. While dairy's looking good and the
outlook for rural New Zealand is great, it's a good
time to promote coast because we always get forgotten about

(02:01):
as one of those little gym corners of farming New
Zealand that people should put on their radar. If we're
thinking about branching out and moving up from sheer milking
or contract milking and want a bit of.

Speaker 1 (02:12):
Land, well, Katie, I'm told if you really want to
make some serious money dairy farming, you need to buy
a dairy farm on the West coast because the yields
are much better there. Henry Ackland sitting in the studio
mightn't like that because Fonterra Well it does Fonterra have
anywhere on the coast, No, you don't. It's Westland milk.
So I know tankers do go over the Alps. But

(02:32):
a good place to get a good return on your investment.

Speaker 2 (02:36):
Yeah, and that's the key.

Speaker 1 (02:37):
You know.

Speaker 2 (02:37):
The price of land and other parts of the country
is way more expensive on the coast, and there is
a bit of a discount because of where it is
and because you've got the guaranteed good rainfall and all
those things. Let's go with that. But it's actually not
far from lights of christ Eats, etc. So it is
a great place. And my accountant always used to say,
and I think Tony Alexander would say, and people like that, Alexander,

(03:00):
they say, if you want a good return on your investment,
Northland and the West Coast are still great places to
buy and always have them because you can actually make
money out of the farm as you as you go.
I mean, there was a glitch in the middle there
for a while for dairy, but it is a fabulous
place to farm. So that's a plug for the coast
for me today.

Speaker 1 (03:19):
I know that Fonterra is doing their road shows. That's
why Henry Ackland is in the studio. Myles Hurrell I
think is in Chicago tonight. Henry yep, he's a in
Picago tonight and he's getting a pretty good reception from
the Fonterra punters. We heard from Open Country Dairy a
wee bit earlier in the week. They're going strongly well

(03:40):
well as well. What about Westland.

Speaker 2 (03:42):
Milk oh I look, it's growing really really well. They
did a lot of the investment that was already in
the capital plan for the future that you know, quite frankly,
we couldn't afford to do as just a farm our
own co op how fast we wanted to go. They've
done all that so it's got lots of new kits
as in the factory, and everyone is really buoyant. They're

(04:02):
sticking to all the agreements they made and extending a
lot of those. There's and how our guaranteed payout will
look in the future. Ten cents above farm gate milk
price for Fonterra, so what's not to like. And it's
a great employer and all those things as well for
the coast. But it is when gold price is where
it is, you've got gold and milk running through the

(04:23):
veins of the coast and long mate, last, it's very
important for us over here on the coast, well here today,
but it's just the dual and end all for farming
actually for the coast is still live and Dairyes, okay, have.

Speaker 1 (04:35):
You spotted any celebrities at the South Island field days,
because as Chris Hopkins, a celebrity in your mind is
coming up next on the show.

Speaker 2 (04:43):
Well it's not the biggest celebrity in my mind of course,
but yeah, no, I haven't run into him yet. And
I'm going to go and track down mister Hogarden and
haven't we chat to him too? But first of all,
I'm going to go and have a piece of beautiful
lamb actually, but it's just driving me crazy, cooking right
beside me. A.

Speaker 1 (05:00):
Oh, don't hold mister Hoggart up when he's meant to
be speaking to me. Hopefully i'll get him before he
starts eating some of that lettuce, Cody melon. Thanks for
your time, all good Jamie, have a good day.