July 20, 2026 • 6 mins
Today we find our Republican-voting US farming correspondent sitting on his tractor after cutting some bountiful Kentucky Bluegrass. We ask if he’s embarrassed by his President’s latest antics at the Football World Cup?
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
He is sitting in his trector after taking a break
from topping pastures paddocks fields, whatever they call them in America.
His name is Todd Clark. He's a US farming correspondent
based out of Lexington, Kentucky, bluegrass country. And that grass
is growing so much after the recent rains, Todd, you've
had to chop it down. A good afternoon, New Zealand time.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
Good afternoon, Jamie. That's exactly right. It's raining. It's raining
just enough that we're growing grass like it's springtime. And
then combine that with the high beef prices, and I'm
probably understocked on top of that, and so I could
use you some more animals, but don't want to borrow
(00:43):
any more money to go buy them. But the worst
thing this time of year in Kentucky, the majority of
the US has been experienced as temperatures, and so the
last few days it's been about forty degrees celsius during
the day, and so cattle this summer night, it's six
(01:05):
point thirty in the evening in Kentucky right now, they're
just now coming out of the shade, out of the
trees to come out and graze. It's just been that
hot with high humidity to go with it.
Speaker 1 (01:18):
We've been watching your climate with interest over the past
five weeks. Of course, you've had the Football World Cup
on the final, Yes that I had met Life Stadium
there in New Jersey, magnificent stadium. It was a true
American event. Wasn't a great game of football, but your
president managed to wedge himself into the action at the
end there he wouldn't get off the stage. I know
(01:40):
you're a Republican Vota Todd, and I don't want to
offend you, but are you embarrassed by your president?
Speaker 2 (01:46):
Yes, I missed that. I did watch the game, but
I turned it off at the end of the game.
I was pulling for Argentina. It's the truth to be known,
but so I didn't. Luckily I didn't get the wit.
That's what he did. But he that's pretty consistent for him.
That's not unusual. And at this point we've got a
(02:07):
little more than two more years of him, and at
the most we hope and hopefully we can move on
to something better. But it's I was in DC last
week lobbying for something for the Farm Credit Association that
I'm a member of, and in lots of discussion with
(02:27):
senators and congress people in Washington last week about just
how to manage this president. And so they're all at
withsin trying to figure out how to proceed forwards, and
scared to death to do the wrong thing because he'll
call them out if they do.
Speaker 1 (02:49):
We know that the Middle East war is not popular
in America. I think two thirds of Americans or more
are against it. How was the latest escalation, for instance,
affecting fuel prices, because they've gone back up here in New.
Speaker 2 (03:03):
Zealand, they have gone back up. I just noticed today
they're thirty forty cents a gallon US gallon more than
they were previously. But because of the production in the US.
And then you combine that with each state has its
own tax that it applies to fuel. Our state, Kentucky,
(03:26):
has eliminated that tax during this time frame, part of
its political reasons. Our governor's twin was running for president
in two years and so certainly trying to get points
with the voters. But a combination of no state tax
and US production has caused our fuel prices are higher
(03:49):
than they were prior to the war, but not as
bad as the rest of the world now.
Speaker 1 (03:55):
I Note and Rabobank have come out recently with a
global Dairy Report and they're talking, amongst other things, about
how much production dairy production is ramping up in the
US at the moment. But it's not necessarily all about milk.
Speaker 2 (04:08):
You're telling me no, based on talking to some friends
that are in that industry, especially some up in the
Minnesota North Dakota area. In that area, there's units that
are ten thousand cows and that will be a single unit,
(04:29):
but the group may own six or seven units, and
currently their focus is on trying to at least break
even with the milk and then make their money on
the calf. And so with the beef prices like they are,
that's pretty good income, especially in a confinement situation like
(04:53):
they have up there.
Speaker 1 (04:54):
You were talking about high beef prices, how expensive it
was to get replacements or buy replacement Mundson other than
chopping the grass down, sitting in your tractor on a
and trying to cool off on a hot Kentucky evening,
What are you going to get to eat the grass?
Speaker 2 (05:10):
Oh, I'm already thinking about thinking ahead for winter and
stockpolling grass and that sort of thing. But we've also
put up enough feed for the winter. As it is,
we are retaining heifer's and trying to grow our beef herd,
but as you all would know that that takes a
while to get that to happen. So, but we could
(05:33):
use probably twice as many cows as we have. We
sell to Whole Foods, a local US local grocery, and
a group of seven of us supply forty stores in
the Northeast, and we're about a thousand animals short currently,
and so we just can't keep up with demand.
Speaker 1 (05:54):
Interesting times. Todd Clark, US farm and correspondent, Thanks for
taking time out of your busy deity onto the country.
Will let you carry on topping and you can listen
to the country online on iHeartRadio. Really appreciate your time.
Speaker 2 (06:07):
We'll do. Thanks. Ben
He is sitting in his trector after taking a break
from topping pastures paddocks fields, whatever they call them in America.
His name is Todd Clark. He's a US farming correspondent
based out of Lexington, Kentucky, bluegrass country. And that grass
is growing so much after the recent rains, Todd, you've
had to chop it down. A good afternoon, New Zealand time.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
Good afternoon, Jamie. That's exactly right. It's raining. It's raining
just enough that we're growing grass like it's springtime. And
then combine that with the high beef prices, and I'm
probably understocked on top of that, and so I could
use you some more animals, but don't want to borrow
(00:43):
any more money to go buy them. But the worst
thing this time of year in Kentucky, the majority of
the US has been experienced as temperatures, and so the
last few days it's been about forty degrees celsius during
the day, and so cattle this summer night, it's six
(01:05):
point thirty in the evening in Kentucky right now, they're
just now coming out of the shade, out of the
trees to come out and graze. It's just been that
hot with high humidity to go with it.
Speaker 1 (01:18):
We've been watching your climate with interest over the past
five weeks. Of course, you've had the Football World Cup
on the final, Yes that I had met Life Stadium
there in New Jersey, magnificent stadium. It was a true
American event. Wasn't a great game of football, but your
president managed to wedge himself into the action at the
end there he wouldn't get off the stage. I know
(01:40):
you're a Republican Vota Todd, and I don't want to
offend you, but are you embarrassed by your president?
Speaker 2 (01:46):
Yes, I missed that. I did watch the game, but
I turned it off at the end of the game.
I was pulling for Argentina. It's the truth to be known,
but so I didn't. Luckily I didn't get the wit.
That's what he did. But he that's pretty consistent for him.
That's not unusual. And at this point we've got a
(02:07):
little more than two more years of him, and at
the most we hope and hopefully we can move on
to something better. But it's I was in DC last
week lobbying for something for the Farm Credit Association that
I'm a member of, and in lots of discussion with
(02:27):
senators and congress people in Washington last week about just
how to manage this president. And so they're all at
withsin trying to figure out how to proceed forwards, and
scared to death to do the wrong thing because he'll
call them out if they do.
Speaker 1 (02:49):
We know that the Middle East war is not popular
in America. I think two thirds of Americans or more
are against it. How was the latest escalation, for instance,
affecting fuel prices, because they've gone back up here in New.
Speaker 2 (03:03):
Zealand, they have gone back up. I just noticed today
they're thirty forty cents a gallon US gallon more than
they were previously. But because of the production in the US.
And then you combine that with each state has its
own tax that it applies to fuel. Our state, Kentucky,
(03:26):
has eliminated that tax during this time frame, part of
its political reasons. Our governor's twin was running for president
in two years and so certainly trying to get points
with the voters. But a combination of no state tax
and US production has caused our fuel prices are higher
(03:49):
than they were prior to the war, but not as
bad as the rest of the world now.
Speaker 1 (03:55):
I Note and Rabobank have come out recently with a
global Dairy Report and they're talking, amongst other things, about
how much production dairy production is ramping up in the
US at the moment. But it's not necessarily all about milk.
Speaker 2 (04:08):
You're telling me no, based on talking to some friends
that are in that industry, especially some up in the
Minnesota North Dakota area. In that area, there's units that
are ten thousand cows and that will be a single unit,
(04:29):
but the group may own six or seven units, and
currently their focus is on trying to at least break
even with the milk and then make their money on
the calf. And so with the beef prices like they are,
that's pretty good income, especially in a confinement situation like
(04:53):
they have up there.
Speaker 1 (04:54):
You were talking about high beef prices, how expensive it
was to get replacements or buy replacement Mundson other than
chopping the grass down, sitting in your tractor on a
and trying to cool off on a hot Kentucky evening,
What are you going to get to eat the grass?
Speaker 2 (05:10):
Oh, I'm already thinking about thinking ahead for winter and
stockpolling grass and that sort of thing. But we've also
put up enough feed for the winter. As it is,
we are retaining heifer's and trying to grow our beef herd,
but as you all would know that that takes a
while to get that to happen. So, but we could
(05:33):
use probably twice as many cows as we have. We
sell to Whole Foods, a local US local grocery, and
a group of seven of us supply forty stores in
the Northeast, and we're about a thousand animals short currently,
and so we just can't keep up with demand.
Speaker 1 (05:54):
Interesting times. Todd Clark, US farm and correspondent, Thanks for
taking time out of your busy deity onto the country.
Will let you carry on topping and you can listen
to the country online on iHeartRadio. Really appreciate your time.
Speaker 2 (06:07):
We'll do. Thanks. Ben
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