November 30, 2025 • 9 mins
Andy Dennis would like a week of hot weather so the tractor work could be completed.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:06):
Takes a sergeant Dan Stock foods. It is time for
the Southern farm around up. We're away to Menapori, the
self appointed gold coast of a South Island, and we're
catching up there with Eddie Dennis Kaki.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
Good afternoon and welcome once again there.
Speaker 3 (00:19):
We don't. Yeah, I might retract that statement I make
because it certainly hasn't been the gold Coast of New
Zealand for a long time there. Actually it's turning into
the puddle coast of just about to bewhere.
Speaker 2 (00:31):
I think, yeah, well, you've got those sandy beaches.
Speaker 1 (00:34):
There's surely in a few weeks time it'll be blue
sky and people some bathing.
Speaker 3 (00:38):
Well, yeah, we've had a better run of weather. We're
sort of getting some fine days in a row, but
we're probably still getting thirty or forty meals a week,
which you just sort of get everything lined up ready
to go, and if you don't squeeze all that treat
to work in twenty four hours and gets uf drilled,
you get another sort of fifty meals a each day
and you have to go back and start again. So
we are getting somewhere, but there's a battle. It's a
(00:59):
real battle.
Speaker 1 (01:00):
It's interesting you say that, because parts of South and
are starting to brown off in the likes, but it's
a polar opposite there in the basin.
Speaker 3 (01:06):
Yes, well, it's all this just that weather flow. When
we're getting rain, I think everywhere else is getting the
wind pushed in front of it. So yeah, no, as
long as it keeps raining, we can get some stuff
on the ground, they'll be great. But yeah, we're going
to need sort of a few reasons the rains through
the summer just to try and get these crops to
(01:27):
catch up if we ever get them in the ground,
because if we go dry straight away, it's not going
to be pretty.
Speaker 2 (01:34):
So how much of the trick to work would you
say you've got done?
Speaker 3 (01:38):
Oh, we've sort of got everything lined up. Really, go,
we just need a week of good, good weather just
to get it all sort of ticked off. I've sort
of got I went hard on Saturday and got pretty
much most of the young grass and then rolled, so
that's a bit of a relief. And then yeah, hopefully
it's rained all yesterday today. We can just sort of
(01:58):
get some trails by the end of the week or
the week after. And I've sort of sprayed out all
the swede ground. It's all direct drilled, so they're sitting
there where to go. So yeah, once once eventhing lines up,
it's the same old story. It all happen. But you know,
the first of Decembers it's getting on there.
Speaker 2 (02:17):
Yeah, so how much wonder crop do you put in Andy?
Speaker 3 (02:22):
About thirty five hectories of swedes and then yeah, thirty
five pigti of kales the second second crop, second year,
and then he as usually be out there to coming
out of the young grass. There's sort of another ten
HETEs red clover. But yeah, it's all still underwater at
the moment. So but yeah, that's sort of me in
a nutshell. Yeah, well, I think, yeah, the fishing competition
(02:45):
again the weekend we've been postponed from Labor weekend. I
think plenty of people made it up, and I think
a lot of people got a bit of a shock
at how high the lakes stall are and the rivers
and everywhere. And they've probably dropped sort of a meter
and a half two meters since it was really bad.
So there's still a lot of water coming out of
the hills the ground. The ground so full of water.
(03:06):
It only takes another teen to fifteen mills and everything.
It's lying all over the place, all in puddles and
holes every again. So yeah, we're certainly we're certainly full.
Speaker 2 (03:17):
Yeah, So how are the stock doing in the weak conditions?
Speaker 3 (03:20):
They seem they seem pretty good. Yeah, like the Hinds,
they are all set stock obviously falling. They've really kicked
a gear in the last sort of week. So it'd
be nice to have a little bit more grass around there.
But as long as everything calves, okay, it sort of
doesn't create a lot of work later on to tidy
up stuff. So yeah, that'd be the only concern at
(03:42):
the moment. News look okay, and lambs look okay. So
I think we're taking away right, Yeah, as far as
sort of stock wise goes, Yeah.
Speaker 2 (03:51):
You'll be coming up to waning shortly, i'd imagine, yeah.
Speaker 3 (03:55):
The middle of the month, and then I've pushed the
Romney's right back up until Christmas. We won't do it
draft out of them. We're sort of back quite a
lot of lambs, so I'm just going to wean them
and put them back out and go through and get
replacements out of everything before I start killing lambs.
Speaker 1 (04:11):
Yeah, and of course velveting is in full swing at
the moment, but unfortunately, unfortunately the price isn't.
Speaker 3 (04:18):
Yeah, so it's all sort of come a bit oble
to nowhere, which is a bit crazy because dinzer z
to sort of prepare farmers for this, and we've had
no comment from them, which is very disappointing. But we've
effectively have had a price drop this year. We don't
know it yet. The prices aren't even out and where
the valvey season's effectively finished, there's just young stags to go.
(04:40):
But we've had a price drop and we've also had
another non traditional grading come in, so there's two non
traditional grades there, so a lot of what used to
be a well super a has moved over into a
non traditional grade. And yeah, we don't even know what
the price is, but you get a bit of a
shock when you're going through they're grading your velvet and
(05:01):
you're looking at a third and the third and the third.
Now I can can can can considering you know, I
used to have a lot of essay and as it's
China wanting it back sort of more cemensionally round and
smaller and lighter. Yeah, so they can do more with it,
but it certainly it's a bit of a kick in
the guts getting an expected price drop. Like I said,
(05:24):
we don't know that yet, but everyone's saying it will be,
as well as a different grading system. So yeah, Velvet's
velvet's really been spun on its bummer weave it.
Speaker 1 (05:34):
Yeah, I knowed you said duns have pretty much been
null and void lately.
Speaker 2 (05:38):
As far as commentary, what would.
Speaker 3 (05:40):
That be, I have no idea, Like, surely throughout the
last twelve months I would have been having these talks
and stuff. But yeah, I mean it all comes from
buyers and changing the way they do it. So yeah,
we just need some answers probably, But luckily there's been
(06:02):
there's been money talked, and it's that low that people
were in shock, and luckily people are just holding onto
their velvet and just saying, well, you're not getting anything
until we get a decent, firm amount. Because if people
started putting it onto the market or dropping on the market,
suddenly that becomes the price, which that's it's miles off
where where that where it should be from what I've heard.
Speaker 2 (06:23):
So realistically, how long can you hang on to velvet?
Speaker 3 (06:26):
Well, it don't depend too much freezer space you've got. Yeah, like,
if you've got plenty of phrases freeze space, you can
fit it all in and just store it. But that
creates a problem for next season as well, doesn't it.
But yeah, who knows? Who knows? China is very good
at doing business a whole lot bitter than ugh. So yeah,
we just need demandswers, probably before Christmas, which would be good.
(06:49):
But I've already heard of a lot of guys selling
velveing steaks or cutting the heads off velving stacks already.
So yeah, the problem is going to get solved one
way or another. We're going to go smaller or they
will be less velvet cut in New Zealand. So yeah,
that's that's sort of there it goes, isn't it.
Speaker 1 (07:09):
And the big thing is to remember only Korea, our
South Korea that is in China to New Zealand velvet.
Speaker 3 (07:15):
Is that correct effectively? Yep? And probably eighty percent of
it goes through China, is processed there and then on
sold of Korea. So yeah, that's they sort of control
it a weebit, which is a bit of a shame,
but I mean, I mean New Zealand's as always done
what New Zealand's done well and breed breed better. Staggs
cutting more velvet over the last sort of ten fifteen years,
(07:39):
and we probably are cutting a lot more velvet than
we used to have, definitely are, and we've also got
bigger and thicker, and that's probably not what the market
ever wanted, but it's just goes to show how well
New Zealand farmers can sort of breed bread bread, breed
so well and go forward so fast.
Speaker 1 (07:57):
Yeah, now you're a strong advocate for the industry care here.
Has this got you changing your opinion or you still
think you've got to keep the faith.
Speaker 3 (08:06):
Velveing st Eggs are a very good fit on this farm.
Like in the spring we've grown a lot of grass.
In the summer we can go dry, so that Velveing
Staggs he's hit his cut in the spring and get
regrowth taken on and over in the summer and then
through that sort of dry period every March he's on
nothing and that suits really well. But there's a price
(08:26):
that that Staggs sort of got to still return you
And they're just a small part of my business. Not
they're not, they're not. They're not everything. There's only one
hundred and twenty stags on the farm, so they certainly
had their fit. But yeah, we'll be we'll have to
be rethinking here. It looks at the price is what
I've heard, which that's hope not Yeah, hey.
Speaker 1 (08:47):
Good on your cake. We've always appreciated your time on
the must of Us afternoon. You enjoy the festive season,
and here's hoping the sun comes out and you get
a week of.
Speaker 2 (08:55):
That blue sky you're after. We always appreciate your time.
Speaker 3 (08:58):
Yeah, I thanks very much, I said. Yeah, if we
just the next sort of three weeks of pleasant and
we get a bit of sun, you know, the basin
will be back on Deacon. Hopefully everyone can enjoy Merry
Christmas and start the new year in a positive spin. Really,
which the way the way prices are looking for for
all their red meat. Yeah, it'd be nice to have
(09:21):
a really good season. So yeah, Merry Christmas anyone everyone,
And yeah that same to you, Andy, You enjoy your
best of season.
Speaker 2 (09:30):
Andy, Dennis and Minapori.
Speaker 1 (09:32):
Of course, thanks so Sageond and Stock for this is
the muster next away to Windom, catching it of Ben
Dooley
Takes a sergeant Dan Stock foods. It is time for
the Southern farm around up. We're away to Menapori, the
self appointed gold coast of a South Island, and we're
catching up there with Eddie Dennis Kaki.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
Good afternoon and welcome once again there.
Speaker 3 (00:19):
We don't. Yeah, I might retract that statement I make
because it certainly hasn't been the gold Coast of New
Zealand for a long time there. Actually it's turning into
the puddle coast of just about to bewhere.
Speaker 2 (00:31):
I think, yeah, well, you've got those sandy beaches.
Speaker 1 (00:34):
There's surely in a few weeks time it'll be blue
sky and people some bathing.
Speaker 3 (00:38):
Well, yeah, we've had a better run of weather. We're
sort of getting some fine days in a row, but
we're probably still getting thirty or forty meals a week,
which you just sort of get everything lined up ready
to go, and if you don't squeeze all that treat
to work in twenty four hours and gets uf drilled,
you get another sort of fifty meals a each day
and you have to go back and start again. So
we are getting somewhere, but there's a battle. It's a
(00:59):
real battle.
Speaker 1 (01:00):
It's interesting you say that, because parts of South and
are starting to brown off in the likes, but it's
a polar opposite there in the basin.
Speaker 3 (01:06):
Yes, well, it's all this just that weather flow. When
we're getting rain, I think everywhere else is getting the
wind pushed in front of it. So yeah, no, as
long as it keeps raining, we can get some stuff
on the ground, they'll be great. But yeah, we're going
to need sort of a few reasons the rains through
the summer just to try and get these crops to
(01:27):
catch up if we ever get them in the ground,
because if we go dry straight away, it's not going
to be pretty.
Speaker 2 (01:34):
So how much of the trick to work would you
say you've got done?
Speaker 3 (01:38):
Oh, we've sort of got everything lined up. Really, go,
we just need a week of good, good weather just
to get it all sort of ticked off. I've sort
of got I went hard on Saturday and got pretty
much most of the young grass and then rolled, so
that's a bit of a relief. And then yeah, hopefully
it's rained all yesterday today. We can just sort of
(01:58):
get some trails by the end of the week or
the week after. And I've sort of sprayed out all
the swede ground. It's all direct drilled, so they're sitting
there where to go. So yeah, once once eventhing lines up,
it's the same old story. It all happen. But you know,
the first of Decembers it's getting on there.
Speaker 2 (02:17):
Yeah, so how much wonder crop do you put in Andy?
Speaker 3 (02:22):
About thirty five hectories of swedes and then yeah, thirty
five pigti of kales the second second crop, second year,
and then he as usually be out there to coming
out of the young grass. There's sort of another ten
HETEs red clover. But yeah, it's all still underwater at
the moment. So but yeah, that's sort of me in
a nutshell. Yeah, well, I think, yeah, the fishing competition
(02:45):
again the weekend we've been postponed from Labor weekend. I
think plenty of people made it up, and I think
a lot of people got a bit of a shock
at how high the lakes stall are and the rivers
and everywhere. And they've probably dropped sort of a meter
and a half two meters since it was really bad.
So there's still a lot of water coming out of
the hills the ground. The ground so full of water.
(03:06):
It only takes another teen to fifteen mills and everything.
It's lying all over the place, all in puddles and
holes every again. So yeah, we're certainly we're certainly full.
Speaker 2 (03:17):
Yeah, So how are the stock doing in the weak conditions?
Speaker 3 (03:20):
They seem they seem pretty good. Yeah, like the Hinds,
they are all set stock obviously falling. They've really kicked
a gear in the last sort of week. So it'd
be nice to have a little bit more grass around there.
But as long as everything calves, okay, it sort of
doesn't create a lot of work later on to tidy
up stuff. So yeah, that'd be the only concern at
(03:42):
the moment. News look okay, and lambs look okay. So
I think we're taking away right, Yeah, as far as
sort of stock wise goes, Yeah.
Speaker 2 (03:51):
You'll be coming up to waning shortly, i'd imagine, yeah.
Speaker 3 (03:55):
The middle of the month, and then I've pushed the
Romney's right back up until Christmas. We won't do it
draft out of them. We're sort of back quite a
lot of lambs, so I'm just going to wean them
and put them back out and go through and get
replacements out of everything before I start killing lambs.
Speaker 1 (04:11):
Yeah, and of course velveting is in full swing at
the moment, but unfortunately, unfortunately the price isn't.
Speaker 3 (04:18):
Yeah, so it's all sort of come a bit oble
to nowhere, which is a bit crazy because dinzer z
to sort of prepare farmers for this, and we've had
no comment from them, which is very disappointing. But we've
effectively have had a price drop this year. We don't
know it yet. The prices aren't even out and where
the valvey season's effectively finished, there's just young stags to go.
(04:40):
But we've had a price drop and we've also had
another non traditional grading come in, so there's two non
traditional grades there, so a lot of what used to
be a well super a has moved over into a
non traditional grade. And yeah, we don't even know what
the price is, but you get a bit of a
shock when you're going through they're grading your velvet and
(05:01):
you're looking at a third and the third and the third.
Now I can can can can considering you know, I
used to have a lot of essay and as it's
China wanting it back sort of more cemensionally round and
smaller and lighter. Yeah, so they can do more with it,
but it certainly it's a bit of a kick in
the guts getting an expected price drop. Like I said,
(05:24):
we don't know that yet, but everyone's saying it will be,
as well as a different grading system. So yeah, Velvet's
velvet's really been spun on its bummer weave it.
Speaker 1 (05:34):
Yeah, I knowed you said duns have pretty much been
null and void lately.
Speaker 2 (05:38):
As far as commentary, what would.
Speaker 3 (05:40):
That be, I have no idea, Like, surely throughout the
last twelve months I would have been having these talks
and stuff. But yeah, I mean it all comes from
buyers and changing the way they do it. So yeah,
we just need some answers probably, But luckily there's been
(06:02):
there's been money talked, and it's that low that people
were in shock, and luckily people are just holding onto
their velvet and just saying, well, you're not getting anything
until we get a decent, firm amount. Because if people
started putting it onto the market or dropping on the market,
suddenly that becomes the price, which that's it's miles off
where where that where it should be from what I've heard.
Speaker 2 (06:23):
So realistically, how long can you hang on to velvet?
Speaker 3 (06:26):
Well, it don't depend too much freezer space you've got. Yeah, like,
if you've got plenty of phrases freeze space, you can
fit it all in and just store it. But that
creates a problem for next season as well, doesn't it.
But yeah, who knows? Who knows? China is very good
at doing business a whole lot bitter than ugh. So yeah,
we just need demandswers, probably before Christmas, which would be good.
(06:49):
But I've already heard of a lot of guys selling
velveing steaks or cutting the heads off velving stacks already.
So yeah, the problem is going to get solved one
way or another. We're going to go smaller or they
will be less velvet cut in New Zealand. So yeah,
that's that's sort of there it goes, isn't it.
Speaker 1 (07:09):
And the big thing is to remember only Korea, our
South Korea that is in China to New Zealand velvet.
Speaker 3 (07:15):
Is that correct effectively? Yep? And probably eighty percent of
it goes through China, is processed there and then on
sold of Korea. So yeah, that's they sort of control
it a weebit, which is a bit of a shame,
but I mean, I mean New Zealand's as always done
what New Zealand's done well and breed breed better. Staggs
cutting more velvet over the last sort of ten fifteen years,
(07:39):
and we probably are cutting a lot more velvet than
we used to have, definitely are, and we've also got
bigger and thicker, and that's probably not what the market
ever wanted, but it's just goes to show how well
New Zealand farmers can sort of breed bread bread, breed
so well and go forward so fast.
Speaker 1 (07:57):
Yeah, now you're a strong advocate for the industry care here.
Has this got you changing your opinion or you still
think you've got to keep the faith.
Speaker 3 (08:06):
Velveing st Eggs are a very good fit on this farm.
Like in the spring we've grown a lot of grass.
In the summer we can go dry, so that Velveing
Staggs he's hit his cut in the spring and get
regrowth taken on and over in the summer and then
through that sort of dry period every March he's on
nothing and that suits really well. But there's a price
(08:26):
that that Staggs sort of got to still return you
And they're just a small part of my business. Not
they're not, they're not. They're not everything. There's only one
hundred and twenty stags on the farm, so they certainly
had their fit. But yeah, we'll be we'll have to
be rethinking here. It looks at the price is what
I've heard, which that's hope not Yeah, hey.
Speaker 1 (08:47):
Good on your cake. We've always appreciated your time on
the must of Us afternoon. You enjoy the festive season,
and here's hoping the sun comes out and you get
a week of.
Speaker 2 (08:55):
That blue sky you're after. We always appreciate your time.
Speaker 3 (08:58):
Yeah, I thanks very much, I said. Yeah, if we
just the next sort of three weeks of pleasant and
we get a bit of sun, you know, the basin
will be back on Deacon. Hopefully everyone can enjoy Merry
Christmas and start the new year in a positive spin. Really,
which the way the way prices are looking for for
all their red meat. Yeah, it'd be nice to have
(09:21):
a really good season. So yeah, Merry Christmas anyone everyone,
And yeah that same to you, Andy, You enjoy your
best of season.
Speaker 2 (09:30):
Andy, Dennis and Minapori.
Speaker 1 (09:32):
Of course, thanks so Sageond and Stock for this is
the muster next away to Windom, catching it of Ben
Dooley
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