The Country 09/06/25: Dr Jacqueline Rowarth talks to Jamie Mackay

One of our leading primary sector academics looks forward to the big Rural Support Trust debate at Fieldays and the networking opportunities Mystery Creek affords all and sundry. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Here's someone who I always look forward to catching up
with in person at field Days, doctor Jaquelin Rowe with
one of our leading primary sector academics and Jacqueline, I'm
not quite sure what I'm doing on the Wednesday night
of field Days. Wednesday evening, I'm double parked. I've got
the option of a Findecks dinner or going along to

(00:20):
the sold out Rural Support Trust evening and debate which
you're cheering and m seeing. What do you reckon?

Speaker 2 (00:27):
Oh gosh, Well, it's so wonderful to be as famous
as you, Jamie. And well done on your Outstanding Contribution
to Radio award because it has been and you've plugged
the rules sector really supported it all those years with
good talking, good writing. Very well done and in terms
of the debate, there will certainly be talking. I'm hoping

(00:49):
it's going to be good and I'm just doing that part,
just the debate part with Row doing the whole of
the event and toss a coin whether you should be
at the debate. It'll be fun. The Fintech dinner. I'm
sure you'll learn a lot. You might even learn something
at the debate. It's for there are all support Trust
and there are some amazing things that are being auctioned

(01:11):
live and there's quite a lot on the silent auction
as well. We all know that they're a great organization.

Speaker 1 (01:17):
Well that's a great fundraiser. Sold out. I'm hearing five
hundred and fifty people packed out. Now, what is the
moot for the debate?

Speaker 2 (01:25):
The grass is greener in the South Island. So we
have a North Island team led by Julia Jones, supported
by Sue's Redmain run A Bay politicians from the Manuitu
Rangeticki area and Jenna Smith who has had some profile
recently because of various reports like Hanne Nuffield. Then the

(01:46):
South Island James Meager is the lead. He is the
new MP for the South Island, with Katie Milne whom
we remember well from Federated Farmers and George Dodson who
won the Young of the Year last year. So it's
going to be gloves off, but you know, during the day,
boots on. And actually the forecast is not as great

(02:10):
as it could be for field days, so you might
keep your gloves on there as well. But this particular
event will be heated at least the debate side.

Speaker 1 (02:19):
Yeah, Okay, let's have a look at field days. You're right,
the forecast isn't that flesh. Maybe bring your gun boots
Wednesday and Friday. But it's as I said to Richard Landrus,
the new chief executive, it's to be honest, it's really
only the car parks that you need the gun boots
for these days. Check one.

Speaker 2 (02:37):
Yes, that is absolutely true. And the warmth of everybody
at the field days, the enthusiasm for the talking, a
bit of kicking of tires and general discussion about the outlook,
which is looking pretty good at the moment. That is
the hot That is the major thing we go for,
the innovations to technologies that might be useful on farm.

(02:57):
But it's the whole spirit, the warmth of the spirit
of field days that is well, it's addictive. We've discussed before.
I've been. My first one was nineteen seventy six and
I arrived in the country only five months before the
field Days were on. But it was quite an experience
for me.

Speaker 1 (03:15):
Geez, nineteen seventy six, check were on that aging even well, No,
I was. I was in the sixth form at Saint
Peter's College and Gore and I was rugby mad I
was in the first fifteen and one of my real
heroes was a young guy by the name of Stu
Wilson who was just starting to make it in the
All Blacks, and poor old Stew's passed away. What a

(03:36):
brilliant rugby player he was. You do a brilliant column
for us on our website The Country dot co dot
nz and this week you write the Land of the
long white cloud, Kiwi, sheep, gum boots and field days.
New Zealand has them all The clouds when they become
fog are a disruptive nuisance. The Kiwi flightless like aeroplanes,

(03:59):
and fog are increasing thanks to conservation efforts. Won't read
the whole column out, but you bang on about the
fog at Hamilton. That's why these days. See I'm an
experienced campaigner, Jacqueline. We always fly in and out of
Auckland for that very reason.

Speaker 2 (04:15):
Right well, very sensible. But this year maybe the fog
won't come because actually we've got some fun, we've got
some rain, and what we hope is for lots of
people to be there and not get stuck in the
car parks, which is a sort of nightmare there are
plenty of students around to pull you out if it
did happen, but the embarrassment, So let's keep our feet

(04:37):
dry and our eyes looking at all the exciting things
that are there for us to delight in.

Speaker 1 (04:44):
I reckon it's going to be a really positive field
days because, as we know, farmers have been through some
challenging years and the COVID years. This year we've got
very good commodity prices, we've got falling interest rates and
the government sweetened it awe. But with the budget announcement
of the investment tax boost and I reckon there's a
lot of pent up expenditure that needs to be done

(05:05):
on big ticket items tractors, trucks, utes, four wheelers, and
I reckon they're going to go gangbusters at field days.

Speaker 2 (05:13):
Well, good R and D. People forget about the maintenance
and the repairs and the replacements that needs to go
on on farm and they just say, well, if farmers
are spending up large and we must be paying them
too much. That is not the case. As you say,
there's been very little purchased for quite a while.

Speaker 1 (05:30):
Let's just finish on field days. For me, the main
thing about field days is not buying tractors. My days
of buying tractors have passed Jacqueline for me. For me,
it's networking. I get to see people that I talk
to on a weekly basis, face to face, sometimes only
once or twice a year. And field Days is the
best place to network. Whether you're in media, a farmer

(05:54):
or a scientist.

Speaker 2 (05:55):
Oh and ural professionals. It's everybody. And that's where the
great fomentation, the ideas percolate, and then we can think
about how we're going to make them with with scientists,
how to make them come true or work out whether
it's right for lots of different farmers or just suits
that particular farmer. And I'm involved in the Innovation awards again,

(06:17):
so that takes Wednesday. When we're looking at all the
different entrance and the range of things that are being
developed is just so exciting. We think back to the
flutter valve that shows which way the water is flowing
or indeed if it slowed down, and that was back
at the beginning of these Innovation awards and now it's

(06:37):
just something you can get. It's part of farming now.
The ballcocks with their wobbly edge, wobbly ns so that
like ows, just don't break them in the way that
they used to. And this year, well go along and
have a look everybody. The innovation tent is bursting with
new ideas and you.

Speaker 1 (06:57):
Can easily lose three or four hours on there. Tastic.
I'll see you at Field Gals. Thanks the Atorney.

Speaker 2 (07:02):
Looking forward to it.

Speaker 1 (07:03):
Thanks