April 13, 2026 • 5 mins
Our US farming correspondent talks about an early spring drought, rising beef prices, and what on earth Trump is up to.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Here's a US farming correspondent based out of Lexington, Kentucky,
and Todd Clark. At this time of the year, as
you head into the flush of spring, that bluegrass, that
wonderful Kentucky bluegrass must be waving in the wind. Good afternoon,
New Zealand time.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
Good afternoon, Jamie. It's as I said here in my
truck talking to you, looking looking out over a group
of cattle at the uh the grass is waving in
the wind. But the concern is already in spring, that
that we're in drought. And so we've got green grass
(00:39):
in a fair amount of it, but it's not raining,
and it hasn't been raining for well several weeks now.
And it's not just us in Kentucky. It's Arkansas and
Tennessee and Alabama and Mississippi and so on and so
so there's a lot of concern across the US, not
only about fertilizer and fuel prices, but also whether or
(01:01):
not it's going.
Speaker 1 (01:01):
To rain very early in the season to be this dry.
What effect is that happen, for instance, on beef cattle prices,
Because I know you guys are trying to rebuild your herd,
but a drought's not going to help you.
Speaker 2 (01:14):
Yeah, drought's not going to help us at all. But
the Yeah, our beef prices, I'm almost embarrassed to say,
but they continue to increase ever so slightly week by week,
and so it's a good time to own beef cattle.
But long term, the US heard currently it's not rebuilding
in droughts certainly won't help that either.
Speaker 1 (01:37):
Why is it not rebuilding putting drought to one side,
because I would have thought in terms of land use,
if you're a pastoral farmer, you would move. You know,
you don't want all your eggs in one basket, but
you would certainly try and pivot. And I hate that
word towards a bit of beef production because the prospects
for beef we're certainly hearing here in New Zealand for
the next two to three years are very strong.
Speaker 2 (02:00):
We're hearing the same thing. One of the issues is
just culturally that the younger generation is not interested in
what we would refer to as cal calf, and so
if you don't have anyone interested in cal calf, it's
hard to the next sectors up the food chain to
(02:20):
supply the cattle. And so until we get people that
are interested in cal calf, we're going to have a problem.
One thing that may help long term, may not help me,
but help the beef industry in the US is low
commodity prices, low grain and that sort of thing. And
so some of the fences in the corn belt may
(02:42):
go back in. And at this point, like we hear
weekly on your show, maybe you don't need fences. Maybe
it's just callers, but some of the people are going
to have to transition into something else because they're not
making money on corn and soybeans at the moment.
Speaker 1 (02:57):
Talking about callers, do you know anyone on the US
who's using the system? And I know you had a
good look at it down at my old home farm
in Riverstyle.
Speaker 2 (03:05):
I did have a good look at it, and I'm interested,
but haven't haven't made the taken the plunge yet. But yes,
I know someone up in South Dakota that's using using
halters or he's actually using a competitor's brand, but he
but a big operation. I think he's supplying about five
thousand breeding bulls in the US and so he has
(03:28):
quite quite the operation. And yeah, they were early adopters
for collars yeah.
Speaker 1 (03:34):
I think these collared systems, virtual fencing systems will revolutionize.
I'm struggling on that word. I'm a bit like Trump
pastoral farming. I can't talk to you without talking about
your glorious president. What a wonderful press conference he had today,
not always getting into Iran, nothing new there, stuck into
the pope depicting himself as Jesus, what is he smoking?
Speaker 2 (03:58):
Todd, I have to admit that you. You sent me
a picture of that earlier today, and I was convinced
that it was Ai, and I was really disappointed when
I researched it and figured out that it wasn't Ai.
Most Americans don't pay attention to him, but with some
of the stuff that goes on, maybe we should pay
closer attention. It's it's appalling some of the some of
(04:20):
the stuff, and I think he actually does some good things,
but all of this other foolishness detracts from that. And
but at this point, eighty years old or however old
he is, we're not going to changing. And so we
got what we've got. Just this weekend, I was talking
with some friends and we were debating whether or not
(04:41):
there would be much change in US politics after this term,
and I think it just comes down to when he
decides to get out or when he when he's mentally
capable of still continuing to contribute. But it I'm concerned
that whoever's next, that he's still going to be a
(05:01):
wet blanket over their presidency at this point.
Speaker 1 (05:05):
Todd Clark, good luck, you need it. Thanks to you, Tom.
We'll catch you again next month and I hope you
get some rain.
Speaker 2 (05:11):
Appreciate it. Thanks Jamie,
Here's a US farming correspondent based out of Lexington, Kentucky,
and Todd Clark. At this time of the year, as
you head into the flush of spring, that bluegrass, that
wonderful Kentucky bluegrass must be waving in the wind. Good afternoon,
New Zealand time.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
Good afternoon, Jamie. It's as I said here in my
truck talking to you, looking looking out over a group
of cattle at the uh the grass is waving in
the wind. But the concern is already in spring, that
that we're in drought. And so we've got green grass
(00:39):
in a fair amount of it, but it's not raining,
and it hasn't been raining for well several weeks now.
And it's not just us in Kentucky. It's Arkansas and
Tennessee and Alabama and Mississippi and so on and so
so there's a lot of concern across the US, not
only about fertilizer and fuel prices, but also whether or
(01:01):
not it's going.
Speaker 1 (01:01):
To rain very early in the season to be this dry.
What effect is that happen, for instance, on beef cattle prices,
Because I know you guys are trying to rebuild your herd,
but a drought's not going to help you.
Speaker 2 (01:14):
Yeah, drought's not going to help us at all. But
the Yeah, our beef prices, I'm almost embarrassed to say,
but they continue to increase ever so slightly week by week,
and so it's a good time to own beef cattle.
But long term, the US heard currently it's not rebuilding
in droughts certainly won't help that either.
Speaker 1 (01:37):
Why is it not rebuilding putting drought to one side,
because I would have thought in terms of land use,
if you're a pastoral farmer, you would move. You know,
you don't want all your eggs in one basket, but
you would certainly try and pivot. And I hate that
word towards a bit of beef production because the prospects
for beef we're certainly hearing here in New Zealand for
the next two to three years are very strong.
Speaker 2 (02:00):
We're hearing the same thing. One of the issues is
just culturally that the younger generation is not interested in
what we would refer to as cal calf, and so
if you don't have anyone interested in cal calf, it's
hard to the next sectors up the food chain to
(02:20):
supply the cattle. And so until we get people that
are interested in cal calf, we're going to have a problem.
One thing that may help long term, may not help me,
but help the beef industry in the US is low
commodity prices, low grain and that sort of thing. And
so some of the fences in the corn belt may
(02:42):
go back in. And at this point, like we hear
weekly on your show, maybe you don't need fences. Maybe
it's just callers, but some of the people are going
to have to transition into something else because they're not
making money on corn and soybeans at the moment.
Speaker 1 (02:57):
Talking about callers, do you know anyone on the US
who's using the system? And I know you had a
good look at it down at my old home farm
in Riverstyle.
Speaker 2 (03:05):
I did have a good look at it, and I'm interested,
but haven't haven't made the taken the plunge yet. But yes,
I know someone up in South Dakota that's using using
halters or he's actually using a competitor's brand, but he
but a big operation. I think he's supplying about five
thousand breeding bulls in the US and so he has
(03:28):
quite quite the operation. And yeah, they were early adopters
for collars yeah.
Speaker 1 (03:34):
I think these collared systems, virtual fencing systems will revolutionize.
I'm struggling on that word. I'm a bit like Trump
pastoral farming. I can't talk to you without talking about
your glorious president. What a wonderful press conference he had today,
not always getting into Iran, nothing new there, stuck into
the pope depicting himself as Jesus, what is he smoking?
Speaker 2 (03:58):
Todd, I have to admit that you. You sent me
a picture of that earlier today, and I was convinced
that it was Ai, and I was really disappointed when
I researched it and figured out that it wasn't Ai.
Most Americans don't pay attention to him, but with some
of the stuff that goes on, maybe we should pay
closer attention. It's it's appalling some of the some of
(04:20):
the stuff, and I think he actually does some good things,
but all of this other foolishness detracts from that. And
but at this point, eighty years old or however old
he is, we're not going to changing. And so we
got what we've got. Just this weekend, I was talking
with some friends and we were debating whether or not
(04:41):
there would be much change in US politics after this term,
and I think it just comes down to when he
decides to get out or when he when he's mentally
capable of still continuing to contribute. But it I'm concerned
that whoever's next, that he's still going to be a
(05:01):
wet blanket over their presidency at this point.
Speaker 1 (05:05):
Todd Clark, good luck, you need it. Thanks to you, Tom.
We'll catch you again next month and I hope you
get some rain.
Speaker 2 (05:11):
Appreciate it. Thanks Jamie,
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