December 19, 2025 • 46 mins
Andy Muir talks to Ben Dooley, Matt Ward, Peter Gardyne, Kylie Fisken and Jared Stockman.
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Speaker 1 (00:07):
A very good morning and welcome into the best of
the Muster, a collaboration of interviews that took our attention
during a busy week here at Hakannui HQ. The last
for twenty twenty five. My name's Andy Muer. Thanks for
your company. We're kicking off the yell A by catching
up with Ben Dooley Sheep Beef and YouTube Farmer, talking
about his YouTube channel as well Deep South Sheep and
(00:28):
Beef and just telling people about the farming story in
the South Island of New Zealand. It just tells us
what it's like to be doing these videos and just
trying to yeah, tell the story of the food. Producer
Matt Ward is at Morton Mains on the handpiece this
week and telling us he's quite happy to do it
as opposed to being on a tractor and as well
(00:51):
just how the weaning and the situations looking down where
he's based Peter Gardine Farms at Napdale, an extensive operation
that he's involved with his peat and he's getting good
money for his lambs and heavy lambs of that too,
and he tells us why, in his opinion, you need
to go heavier where you can when it comes to Lambwaites,
(01:12):
Kylie Fiskin of Malt McLain plus more Base Tearing Gould
wraps up twenty twenty five within the counting lens on Yes,
we've had a correction in the Fonterra Payer, but Kylie's saying, look,
don't just come the farm. Everything's still in a good space.
And finally, Jared Stockman of Dairy and Z just looking
back at the year from a dairying perspective proper and
(01:36):
locking into twenty twenty six and what he hopes happened,
what he's hoping is going to happen for the industry,
basically a continuation of twenty twenty five. In the great
work that's going on the music today, I've deviated away
from unique to his break my Stride. This is thank God,
It's Christmas Boke Queen and we're going to start the
Yowler very shortly with Ben Dooley. You're listening to the
(01:57):
best of the Muster. You s Sea, Welcome back to
(02:19):
the Muster. John Mellencamp is the music. He's had a
lot of changes to his name over the years. John Cougar,
John Mellencamp, John Cougar Mellencamp. But regardless, a lot of
timeless tunes. As we catch up with Ben Dooley farming
down at Wyndham Sheep Beef and YouTube farmer, get a
Dolls and how's it going? The countdown to Christmas is on?
How's it going on? Your place?
Speaker 2 (02:39):
It is on. We're going pretty well at the moment. Actually,
we went the maternals last week, got them more drenching it.
Paddicks didn't have a draft out of them. I got
the terminals in on Crocky. What that was it? I
can't even remember. Now. Friday, I think we've got them,
got the usual crutched up. She had to draft the
lambs off. It was a challenge. We've got the crutched
up and then they've got Shawn use today and Modern Saturday.
(03:01):
They got crushed actually and year the rest of the years,
giving Sean today and Drinks school. The terminal lambs on
Mum below were drafted off. And yeah, we're actually sitting
pretty up to date, about seven days earlier than would
normally be. So yeah, bring on some good weather in
the next seven days so I can drag a bit
bloody boat out of the shed.
Speaker 1 (03:20):
I've seen the social social channels around croutching the years.
It's a hell of a setup. Hell, what numbers are
we talking to get stuff done?
Speaker 3 (03:27):
Oh?
Speaker 2 (03:27):
That was phenomenal. Normally it would take me three to
four days, bearing in mind that obviously there's other stuff
on farm that has to be done, so you're not
doing four days. They started at ten to seven, they
stopped for smokeout nine, which started up again about nine
thirty five, and they finished at teen twenty five. So
(03:48):
I made that bang on three airs and that it's
seventeen hundred and ninety one.
Speaker 1 (03:54):
Yeah, you're kidding me.
Speaker 2 (03:56):
Yeah, the boss man had said they'll be done by
afternoon smoke. I should have teached them and said, men,
you guys are lazier having after and smoke out at
ten thirty. But no, that was a bit of an
eye out to that. I expected it to be a
full day, not three hours. So yeah, we got most
of a productive day after that too. It was quite good.
Speaker 1 (04:13):
So does this change your thinking towards hand piecework?
Speaker 2 (04:17):
No. Look, my thinking has always been that when we
can comfortably afford to get the crutches in, we'll get
the crutches in. And I just say heppens that this year,
you know, things are looking pretty reasonable. We've already had
a reasonable track of money come in. We were comfortable
enough to do it, so we thought, no, I just
I don't want to be absolutely wrecked on Christmas Day again.
Normally we finished yearing on the twenty third and twenty
(04:38):
four sort of a catch up day. I've never had
any time to go and do any Christmas shopping or
anything like that. Not that I want to do that,
but you know, there comes with time when you have to.
And yeah, it's always been an issue around managing to
afford it. And of course this is only a fifty
of farming on our own, so yeah, the previous four
years haven't been that conducive to adding extra cost of
(04:58):
the system. But all in all, as much as it
eds extra cost, I would say it also adds extra
profit because a few are the things that it's allowing
us to do, get a bit more work done elsewhere.
And also we're moving the terminal weaning to the fourth
of January. Everything's just fitted in real nice. So as
long as those lambs keep growing on mum and too
too many haven't been weaned by being drafted off ten
knights in a row. Yeah, that should be quite quite
(05:21):
a profitable venture actually, so always the way we've wanted
to do it, just haven't had the ability to.
Speaker 1 (05:27):
So the lambs looking clean.
Speaker 2 (05:30):
Yeah, lambs has stayed pretty clean. Oh the earlies that
we waned and was at the end of the him
are then not, but that's because they got weaned. They
had a couple of days and then they got fired
on the first grazing young grass, so you can imagine
what they're done to the baking of them. But they
look to be doing well. But now most most of
the lambs, they're moms in the in the main line
terminals are all. They're staying reasonably clean. But the crutches
will come. And I think we're booking into the sixth
(05:51):
of January and give them all a good tide out
to a full crutch on them once again, probably less
than a full day to do three thousand and Yeah,
pay the bill and be done with it, and then
we're looking to go on holiday not long after that
for teen days. So yeah, good to get her all done.
Speaker 1 (06:07):
You're sounding like you're pretty much out with the play.
Is there ever such a thing for a farmer though?
Speaker 2 (06:11):
Well, there's always more to do. There's always gorse to spray,
there's always fences to fix, There's always that stuff. But
sometimes the boat takes priority there too, so we'll see
how it goes. But now on the main jobs, we're
certainly pre on top of things at the moment. It's
been a bit of a marathon since start in November,
but it's just that way every year. It's yeah, we're
(06:32):
working on trying to make it a little bit better
and more user friendly, I g should say, But ultimately
that work has to happen, doesn't it. So you just
got to get it done and then you can focus
on whatever else you want to do once all that
work is that time critical stuff is done and out
of the way.
Speaker 1 (06:48):
We look back at the twelve months in Negli culture,
especially in the shape and beef sector, does you'll be
pretty positive if you gave it a mark out of teen.
Speaker 2 (06:56):
Yeah, I can't give it a teen. I can probably
give it a seven and a half, purely because of
September and October. At the all in all, we had
good recovering prices last year. If we looked from Christmas
to Christmas, you know, at September last year, we were
dreading what the lamb price was going to be, and
it actually held up pretty well, and by the end
of the season it had come through pretty good. We
(07:18):
grew grass all summer, which was nice. Stock were pretty healthy,
crops did well. We got through winter reasonably happily. Yeah,
like I say, September October weren't that nice. But then
what a comeback November made, so we might even be
able to scratch in eight there, eight out of teen
I think for the season that's been Yeah, the challenges,
but when you look at it from the season beforehand,
(07:40):
we yeah, we're just very thankful it was what it was.
Speaker 1 (07:44):
So you're doing anything over your YouTube channel Sheep Deep
South Sheaven Beef over the summer holidays.
Speaker 2 (07:50):
Yeah, No, there's been quite a few videos go out
there recently. What we had pot sharing, topping, crops going in, plowing,
trying to think we're else I'll put up there will
be a sharing one go up soon. No, there's heats
stuff going out there all of a sudden. We've got
heaps of stuff that we're doing in time to film.
So yeah, it's about this time of year it starts
(08:10):
getting really amped up and then it'll do that through
it all about May, and then I've got to come
up with a planful winter to try and keep getting content.
But we'll see how we go. There no no plean
to going out there. So if you're curious to go
along and.
Speaker 1 (08:21):
Have a luck, you are what we call the farming influencer,
aren't you.
Speaker 2 (08:25):
I don't use that being influenced by things I do.
You probably need to take it pretty serious. Look in
the mirror.
Speaker 1 (08:32):
Hey, good on, your girls will let you carry on You,
Sarah and the family, have a great break and we'll
do it all again next year. I've really appreciated your
time here on the Master in twenty twenty five.
Speaker 2 (08:43):
No, thanks very much, Andy, I appreciate the opening you've
given me here and yet mirror Christmas to you and everyone.
Happy New Years to all the listeners as well. And heah,
let's see. Let's see the next one be a good one.
Speaker 3 (08:57):
Laugh out loud with a proud because if on the
land can be a laughing matter.
Speaker 1 (09:02):
Brought to us by sheer Well Data working to help
the livestock farmer. I used to be in a band
called the Radiators, but we were just a warm up act.
Matt Ward farms down at Morton Mainz and joins us
once again this afternoon on the Mustard while he's on
their hand piece of all things. Good afternoon, Matt, Good afternoon, Andy.
Speaker 2 (09:22):
How are you?
Speaker 1 (09:23):
Yeah? Pretty good? You sound like the You are the
opposite of Ben Dooire talking about these numbers yesterday, what
seventeen hundred dag before lunchtime. But you're there just doing
the honest toil today.
Speaker 2 (09:34):
Yeah, yeah, no, we are.
Speaker 3 (09:35):
We're just chipping away doing themselves this year. I sort
of thought about getting the crutch and trailer and Andy,
but Jesus, it nearly takes them longer to get here
and get up the driveway and get set up than
it does for them to actually do the sheet. So
are we just chipping away? Chipping away?
Speaker 2 (09:49):
It's good.
Speaker 3 (09:50):
I think it's a good, good way to get a
good look at all the us. And they're actually not
bed digging. She has a bit of shit on them,
but they're not bad, not bad, Guarden.
Speaker 1 (09:59):
Really, is there a leagued eggs or just pretty much
around the crutch?
Speaker 3 (10:03):
Nah, just around the cratch, just around the cratch. I
sort of leave all the leagues and you just give
them a good good run cratch, just tided them up
and then I'll get them dipped first second week of January,
they all go through and then get shorn and the
start of March. So you normally they stay pretty clean
as long as you give them a good crutch. Now
they stay pretty clean right up to shearing. Won't really
(10:24):
need to touch them a game touch wood.
Speaker 1 (10:26):
Well, you made the observation just before that you'd rather
be on a hand piece than an attractor.
Speaker 3 (10:32):
Yeah, recent I I go crazy sitting there playing circles
and a tractor. Yeah, it's not my it's not my
cup of tea at all, and then I end up
breaking stuff and I'd rather stand there on a hand
piece for the day you need day of the week.
Speaker 1 (10:47):
Have you always felt like that when it comes to
their hand piece?
Speaker 3 (10:50):
Yeah, I've always enjoyed it.
Speaker 2 (10:51):
I do enjoy it.
Speaker 3 (10:52):
Yeah, there was a bit of me one day that
sort of thought I could go out and do a
bit of shearing and mack around. But that's probably a
bit as far as that thought got.
Speaker 1 (11:02):
So you haven't been enjoy it. You haven't been timed
to sheer own hoggots or anything silly like that.
Speaker 3 (11:07):
No, Na, No, I'll do I do a few like
I like, we used to share all their rams up
at Me and Aspiring and do like stragglers and stuff.
So got pretty handy on the well, god, I wouldn't
say I'm handy on the empties, but I sort of
know how to get the feathers off one way or another.
Speaker 1 (11:22):
I show the rams at home once here, and my
advice to the young fellow working for me was make
sure I don't get killed.
Speaker 3 (11:28):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, well that's good. Wad to do them
through lockdown when I was up at Aspiring, And then
actually last year I was up at Waning for Aspiring
and Reynal thought it would be a good joke after
a good day on the hill to bring the rams in,
and we chipped aways here in the Emma afternoon as well.
So yeah, no, it's good. I don't yeah, I don't
mind it. Don't mind it at all.
Speaker 1 (11:47):
Yes, So if you've got the set up to do it, well,
it makes a lot of sense as well. And seez
I've lost count of how many years i've dad like
we had a we had a hect in at one stage,
but a lot of the time I'd just be doing
them up the race as well, and you just got
to be careful about if there's one running back at Jen,
have your wits about you. But these new hand pieces,
you know, battery charge just as a breeze.
Speaker 3 (12:09):
Yeah, Yeahderson, I've got a good I've got a good
race wall here. So they climb up. They're sort of
standing at hip pipes, so there's no bending over all day.
And I got a young fellow from down the road.
He's keeping them all up to me. So now we're
chipping well, chipping through probably about one hundred in air,
so we're making pretty good going.
Speaker 2 (12:27):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (12:28):
I've only got twelve thirteen hundred jews to do, so
we'll find it, tidy them up tomorrow morning and then
we're all done. On to the next job.
Speaker 1 (12:36):
Yeah. So what does the next job before the fat
man comes down the chimney?
Speaker 2 (12:39):
Umm?
Speaker 3 (12:41):
Yeah, I'm pretty well.
Speaker 4 (12:42):
What was it?
Speaker 2 (12:42):
To be fair?
Speaker 3 (12:43):
Hopefully get my swedes drilled this afternoon and then year.
To be fair, I don't really have weaned up the
start of last week, got on my ewes condition scored
and got a like more about Yeah, you get these
swedes and probably go back defensing, carry on pitch and
hole up and uh year Macay is quite nice, quite nice,
(13:04):
normally pretty well organized. It last week before Christmas is
normally pretty cruisy for me.
Speaker 1 (13:09):
So as far as lambs do the works or getting
lambs off man, that we will.
Speaker 3 (13:14):
Yeah, yeah, I went all right on a well to
well shake farm. I don't think you're even really.
Speaker 1 (13:19):
No, you're not, no, But it's all about context, right, Yeah.
Speaker 3 (13:23):
Yeah, we killed twenty five percent of their lambs off
mammot eighteen point seven kilos, So happy enough with it.
Everage waning weight was up four kilos on last year,
so I saw it. I think that sort of reflects
on how much growth we've had in that lasts sort
of six weeks. Lambs are really kicked on, kicked on
really well. And even these Jews, like there's only ten
(13:44):
percent of my mob in the lightmob, so everything's everything
set up pretty well.
Speaker 1 (13:50):
Really, eighteen point seven off man, that's a pretty good number.
Speaker 3 (13:55):
Yeah, yeah, I was happy. I I did think about
dipping into them a web harder, and like I try
gets My goal is to get as many off mum
as I can, But I don't really see the schedule. Well,
they're not going to pull the pants out of the schedule,
I don't think so. And the rest of the lambs,
there's a good pat of lambs there between like thirty
six and thirty eight kilos, So we have a draft
(14:17):
in mid January and get them gone.
Speaker 2 (14:20):
Got quite a bit. I've got about fourteen.
Speaker 3 (14:22):
Fifteen Nick, there's a red clover in this year as well,
So sort of want to keep a few lambs about me,
to chuckle Matt, So, I sort of aim for about
a twenty twenty one kilo lambs for the rest of
the season. So yes, sort of need a few lambs
about me to kick them on a bit.
Speaker 1 (14:36):
So you're doing split sharing there. Do you have an
issue with fly strikers such?
Speaker 3 (14:41):
Ah, not too bad to be fair, anything that any
of you that does get fly, I'll put a black
tag in her ear. She goes straight into my terminal mob.
But sometimes get a wee bit of that green fly
a wee bit later on to be a bit of
an issue. But nah, yeah, touched. Well, I don't really
like talking about it in case it chinks myself. But
(15:02):
normally the lambs they stay pretty tidy and.
Speaker 1 (15:05):
The rest and you say that your black tag anything
that gets fly, are you talking greenfly up the back
or just DAGs meggets around the DAGs are both both.
Speaker 3 (15:14):
I sort of think anything well there should be well
don't Yeah, I thought I sort of the opinion that
anything that gets touched up by fly just goes straight
to the terminal mob. I don't really give it too
much thought. Really, there's a reason why, like ninety eight
percent of the rest of the mob hasn't been touched
up by them. So yeah, and then god, if they
(15:36):
get it again, it's not less, she's less. They're not
breeding from her.
Speaker 1 (15:40):
So she's a one year U. She has one more lamb.
She's off to the works more or less.
Speaker 2 (15:44):
Ah.
Speaker 3 (15:45):
Yeah, I my terminal mob is probably fifty or sixty
percent of my flock is a terminal mob. I just
keep them, keep them in. But then if they come
through the shed at lambing time or there's any other issues,
if they go to get a second black tag, then
that second black pigs down the driveway.
Speaker 1 (16:02):
So your fake cavers down there. They're looking pretty good
or things considered.
Speaker 3 (16:06):
Yeah, well, I think we're sitting not too bad. Actually,
good share of rain last night, and I think everything's
reacted pretty well. There's a lot of seed head around
like just adding to thinking what I need to get
the top of guard. I've just mobbed on my kettle
up and slowly getting around, tiding a few pastures up.
But everything's got a good base to it. So yeah,
I think we're sitting pretty well. I've got a few
(16:27):
petics of Baylor shut up now and yeah, so I
think we're sitting not too bad. I sort of think
if it's yeah, not much of a complaint about at
the moment.
Speaker 1 (16:36):
Geez, you sund like you're ready for a holiday because
you can't.
Speaker 3 (16:40):
Yeah, oh, there's the plan.
Speaker 1 (16:41):
There's the plan.
Speaker 3 (16:43):
I normally have the house to myself between Christmas and
New Year Andy, so that sort of consists of a
bit of golf, watching the ashes, chicking, a few mobs,
and it's pretty much me. It's my holiday all the week.
It's quite quite cruisy really.
Speaker 1 (16:55):
More of a staycation.
Speaker 3 (16:57):
Yeah, yeah, receipt so it's now try and get away
later on in January when everyone else that's going back
to school and work and stuff. But yeah, no, we're
pretty tidy really.
Speaker 1 (17:08):
Just before we wrap up, Matt, I talked to you
a couple of months ago, and you were a real
cynical about New Zealand Will, given the number of you
he's breeding. News Over in China, we've seen a lift
couple of lifts regarding Will. Are you starting to see
a bit of a bit of a change in that
from your perspective?
Speaker 3 (17:23):
Yeah, it's interesting now because I sort of got that
viewpoint from someone else's opinion and I sort of run
with it. But now to see the lift and the
wall prices, like Jesus satisfine. Isn't it like to see
people well breaking, even if not getting a wee bit
of money extra on top of the sharing as the
(17:44):
way it should be. And hopefully it holds. I'm hoping
it's not a just a blip on the radar and
then we'll go back to normal again. It'll be nice
if it does hold, if not a wee bit more
and we start getting good prices for wealth. I don't
think we're ever gonna go back to the way it
used to be, but it would be quite tidy if
we're getting decent wall checks and changes people's opinions on
(18:05):
actually wanting to see sheep again for the animal health,
not just doing it because they have to. Yeah, it
would be quite tidy. I reckon.
Speaker 1 (18:13):
Hey, good on you, Matt. Thanks for your time on
the Muster today and throughout the year. You enjoy your
staycation and we'll catch up again in January. Always appreciated
your time. Have a good break, Yeah.
Speaker 3 (18:23):
Thank you, and you two until you listen as well.
Have a good Christmas the new year, and hopefully everyone
can have a bit of a bit of downtime and
catch up on themselves.
Speaker 1 (18:47):
Jimmy Barnes is the artist. The song is driving wheels
pretty much what's happening and all the farms around Otago
and South London, around the country for that matter, as
you get on the wine down or the wind up
to Chris disappearing, how you look at it. So we
catch up with Peter Gardline farming and Netdil has been
all go this morning and into the afternoon. Pete Howse sings.
Speaker 5 (19:07):
Yeah, good good, you got a really good song there.
It's one of those fift shout, pump you up songs.
And the truck is just pulled out of the sheepyards
up here at Pyramid and the transport must be busy
because one of the big cheese is on the truck
and he's it's a bit sweatier I think in the
truck than it is in the office.
Speaker 1 (19:24):
One of the big cheese is in the truck. You know,
guns into the gunnel.
Speaker 5 (19:27):
Right, Oh yeah, No, the transports at winning time, they
do a pretty awesome job. And we used to cut
our own lambs. And I know how nutty it is
and how hard it is to organize everything. And yeah,
all those truck drives and all those other people, they
play a super important part to our industry.
Speaker 1 (19:43):
Yeah, big shout out as well everybody on the road
in the trucks, but the Stockyes, everybody organizing the trucks,
the dispatches and the likes. It's a hell of a
job in the middle of December.
Speaker 2 (19:53):
Yep.
Speaker 1 (19:54):
I don't know.
Speaker 2 (19:55):
We used to.
Speaker 5 (19:55):
I used to have a bitch to have stock feed
side of things as well. And yeah, as you get
to these with holidays and stuff, it can make a
lot of these scheduling pretty tricky. And yeah, there's a
lot of those unseen people that we sometimes should get
about when we're farming.
Speaker 1 (20:09):
Yeah, twenty four hours in the day, that's a great point.
So you've been weaning. How's it been. Are you quite
happy with your numbers? Yeah?
Speaker 5 (20:16):
We're pretty happy. We've got about thirteen fifty away and
that's all over forty kgs, so we're sort of hanging
up around that twenty and a half, well, just over
that roughly. Yeah, I'm a big believer in big lambs.
I really wanted to go bigger this year, but we
are just struggling for moisture at Napdale, so we've we've
(20:37):
kept the weights down and weave it. Yeah, but we
had a couple of antibiotic ones and they went twenty
twos and a half And yeah, I quite like the
look of that sheet actually, and that's sort of in
the future. I want to keep pushing, pushing heavy er.
Speaker 1 (20:50):
Ah seez you'll be looking at two hundred and twenty
our bucks straight off the cuff even more, wouldn't you.
Speaker 5 (20:56):
Yeah, we're doing about that at the moment. But when
you looked at that other sheet, it was one hundred
and forty four or something like that, and that was
even with the antibodic deductions. Yeah, so we'll we'll click
on up to twenty threes probably again this season like
we did last season in February. And I think the
answer to less sheep is actually just grow your lambs bigger.
(21:17):
To put another two kilograms of carcass weight on, that's
ten percent more production and it doesn't take ten percent
more feed when you look at your whole sheep enterprise,
and I think it's easier to, yeah, just pack more
weight on animals. It's like my father says, you can
only kill them once and not all of that saying's great,
but that time that I think is pretty good.
Speaker 1 (21:37):
You've always been a big believer in heavy lambs though,
going away regardless.
Speaker 5 (21:42):
Definitely, Yeah, And like where we are at the moment,
we're on pretty dry health country. They're at Pyramid. It's
only a small block, but we take them home and
we finish them. And I was surprised to have the
lambs who got away here off the hill. By the
aim here is really just to have nice, healthy lambs
that are easy to take home and finish, rather than
lots of lambs at the winning time. But yeah, I
(22:06):
just see the feed efficiency. We're doing a weave it
with Simon's nip emicus bio on pharmacs modeling. You know
what air sheets per kilogram of draymat every turns are
in chef and beef, and we're really trying to push
the boundaries on that because I want to be in business,
and I want to stay in business, and I want
to thrive in business. And we can only do that
(22:28):
if we keep pushing the boundaries. You know, we're not
doing what we're doing thirty years ago, and that's exciting.
Speaker 1 (22:35):
So how often are you changing your goals? You're talking
about twenty two k lambs going to the works, and
if you're achieving that, now, what are you thinking on
a note like six twelve months down the line? How
does your brain operate in that capacity?
Speaker 5 (22:49):
How my brain operates? It's a loaded, loaded question, and
you could ask anybody and you've get some pretty interesting
answers on suggest.
Speaker 1 (22:56):
Well, I'm going straight to the horse's mouth around on it.
Speaker 5 (22:59):
Yeah, No, it's a very fair question. I personally don't
have a lot of goals around weight. It's all about
maximizing the financials. And why I say that is because
we're on a low rainfall area at home and we've
just got to roll with what we've got. So if
we've got feed, we utilize it. If we don't, we
pulled the pin.
Speaker 2 (23:17):
So we have just.
Speaker 5 (23:17):
Sold some new lambs that we were going to sell anyway,
We've pulled that sale forward a month because we are
types of feed. We only had twenty eight meals in
November and twenty eight meals so far this month, so
I'm sort of hanging out for a bit more moisture.
Speaker 3 (23:31):
But where we want to go to.
Speaker 5 (23:32):
I look at the schedule and I look at how
heavy can we go before we get deducted, and as
the goalpost of rays, we just keep going up. When
I know you had a week yarn about eating quality
with old made up at mile Flat. James, Yeah, James Egger,
and eating quality has got a lot to do with
(23:55):
how well and animals finished, and long story short, the
bigger it is, the fatter and privor it is the
way good eating quality. I think we should be illegal
to kill lambs under eighteen kg's or under seventeen kgs.
And I actually think they need to go down to
a flat land arm and get finished properly. And that's
not trying to be offensive or anything like that. It's
(24:17):
just those lean, hard lambs are not a good eating experience,
and we want to push the limits on im from
the top end. But I think it's more important to
reduce the bad eating experiences of you know, lamb, and
the same ghast of beef too. But with beef, if
it's not that great, they're just minced it up and
it doesn't really matter. Yeah, because if we want to
(24:40):
if we want to be serious about a quality product,
it's actually not to be a quality product.
Speaker 1 (24:45):
But at seventeen k lamb at the same time, so
as catered for by the market, yeah it is.
Speaker 5 (24:53):
And there's a difference between a really prime seventeen and
a hard seventeen.
Speaker 3 (25:00):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (25:00):
And yeah, like I would eat a fat prime lamb
any day of the week over like a pea lamb
over a y lamb any day of the week. And
when you look into the genetic side of things, there's
not a perfect correlation, but there is a pretty steady
correlation between fat on the outside to fat on the
inside in regards to and tramuscular fat. And yeah, how
(25:22):
we've bred, probably in the last twenty years, there has
been a penalization in the terminal Sawer indexes against like
fat and that has harmed us a wee bit, which
is a wee bit unfortunate.
Speaker 1 (25:36):
So when you look into the next twelve months of
the farming landscape, what do you see what I see?
Speaker 5 (25:43):
I'm really hoping to see a whole lot of rain,
you know what I see? I think the sheep and
beef thing looks pretty tidy. I still am nervous to
say that it's going to last. Some of the other
correspondents do, and they probably have a bit more informed
than I am, But to me, it's justs and that's
what the runs on the board.
Speaker 2 (26:01):
While it's there.
Speaker 5 (26:03):
I think there's going to be a continuation of people
pushing the boundaries and challenging what's happened in the past.
And I only say that because that's what's happened for
the last one hundred and fifty years of agriculture in
New Zealand. And if we want to stay relevant, then
we're a world away from most of our markets.
Speaker 2 (26:21):
That's what we've got to do.
Speaker 5 (26:24):
I love the idea of things like Halter and all
this technology, and you know, people will say these good
things about it, bad things about it, but it's all
the evolution of what we do, and it's it's cool
and farming's always done it in the past. No one
No one's still plowing with a horse, are they?
Speaker 1 (26:44):
Unless you're doing Vendors plowing perhaps.
Speaker 5 (26:46):
No unless ye, well sorry, no one's commercially varment with
a horse. And I just see that evolution and I
think that, like you know, holters, I see AI as
being a real big asset to farming. And why I
say that is like the jobs that are getting taken
away by AI are not really our jobs. There are
(27:10):
all the jobs you hate. I don't see accountancy and
those sort of industries really getting a huge growth in
the future because I was just going to dominate that. Yeah,
I mean we wrote an article with GDP not that
long ago, and yeah, well you can put your words
into a bit of paper and be dyslexicr me put
(27:30):
it into that and tidy it up and work alongside it.
And it's amazing what that will do. And yeah, it's
it's pretty exciting. I mean, you can build apps. Even
as a farmer, you can do lots of things, and
I think it's just unlocks a whole lot of stuff
that you know, we haven't seen. Yeah, and I think
(27:52):
like one of them we're talking about the other day
is right now, you're bit tight for Tucker put in
all the all the schedule projections and then decide what's
the least profitable class of stock for the next eight
weeks and ditch that class of stock.
Speaker 1 (28:06):
Yeah, hey, get on your pete. We'll let you carry on.
It's pretty busy in your neck of the woods at
the moment, But thanks for your time on the muster
and throughout the year. Enjoy the Christmas season and we'll
catch up in the new year.
Speaker 5 (28:18):
Yeah, no worries. I wish you've run out there a
great Christmas and hope you run out there gets a
bit of a break because they all just drive it.
Speaker 3 (28:26):
This big ruckstus driving fifteen girls going there and the drugs.
Speaker 4 (28:34):
Gun shame.
Speaker 1 (28:36):
This is the muster on Hakanui as I'm joined by
Kylie Fisken of Malick McLain plus more based here and
gorg you he hi, there you go on. Yeah, we're good.
Speaker 6 (28:48):
Weak to go, We're good, are we? Santa's coming.
Speaker 1 (28:51):
Santa's not far right. I got told off by Chanel
Percy used today. She texted in saying, do not called
Santa the fat man coming down the chimney. That's fat shaming.
Speaker 6 (28:59):
No, I'm gidding told off for saying ho ho ho
to people.
Speaker 1 (29:05):
Just go instead.
Speaker 6 (29:07):
Yeah, it doesn't have the same effect does.
Speaker 1 (29:09):
It really getting towards the end of the year.
Speaker 6 (29:11):
House have been well, we survived twenty twenty five, did
we We're still here, yeah, a few days ago. Things
are busy, but in town's busy, which is great.
Speaker 1 (29:23):
Isn't it always? Is it this time of year though?
And that's what you'd expect for the middle of December though.
Speaker 6 (29:27):
Yeah, So twenty fourth of December is when everybody comes
in and does their Christmas shopping last minute, doesn't it.
Speaker 1 (29:32):
It's when all the males go to the warehouse at
about five point fifty pm on a twenty fourth of December.
Speaker 6 (29:37):
Aren't they open till midnight that night?
Speaker 1 (29:39):
No, they're not on Christmas Eve. I think it's in
the lead up to Christmas their hours changed, kmat might.
Speaker 6 (29:43):
Be, But anyway, I honestly think that you possibly should
advertise that for those that aren't making it till the
twenty fourth, I'd hate for them to be here.
Speaker 1 (29:51):
Bagger it. That's their Probably they're not organized. Let them
suffer anyway.
Speaker 6 (29:54):
Look, you mean to be helpful and d oh, yeah.
Speaker 1 (29:56):
But I'm just being better effect about the situation as well.
It is twenty twenty five and a lot of changes,
especially in the red meat sector was seeing a lot
of positivity going around there. They've seen the alliance change
over dawn Meats being involved the GDT though another drop overnight.
But you're saying, don't panic, kept dem minoring.
Speaker 6 (30:14):
Don't panic, kept de minoring. Absolutely, So when I'm saying
we survived twenty twenty five, we had some help, if
you know what I mean, in terms of our commodity prices. Finally,
a decrease in interest rates, our on flum on farm
that's really hard to say on farm inflation stability, some
(30:37):
cadiats around that though for fuel and of course those
things that we cannot control, rates and insurance. Recently, what
we're seeing is those who have wanted to leave the
industry have had an opportunity to do so. With willing
buyers and willing sellers, meaning everyone gets what they want.
(31:00):
It's been a pretty much a hyber of activity over
especially over the last six weeks or so.
Speaker 1 (31:04):
There's been a lot of farms on the market recently.
Speaker 6 (31:07):
Has actually been quite a few transactions as well. Yeah,
so that's what I mean. If we've got willing buy
as willing sellers, gives us confidence in our industry doesn't it.
Speaker 1 (31:17):
So it's say in general though, that farming is heading
into a pretty positive space for the next twelve months. Yeah.
Speaker 6 (31:22):
So something else that happened in twenty twenty five we
had the government bring an investment boost. So investment boost
has kick started conversations around productive asset investment on farm,
so that's got to be a sign of confidence this year.
We've also done some major tax planning with their community.
(31:43):
With such an increase in profitability from twenty four to
twenty five, we've taken a position often to delay the
filing of somebody's tax return. There doesn't know you owe
them money until we tell them you owe them money.
And so therefore we're paying a twenty six provisional tax
based on twenty twenty four, deferring that cash flow through
it or winter, so that we can I guess get
(32:05):
our best estimate of what our final tax position for
twenty twenty six will be. On that note, the numbers
have run through, especially since we've had a dairy price reduction,
don't look too dissimilar.
Speaker 1 (32:24):
But you'd say a correction over reduction.
Speaker 6 (32:28):
Yeah, cream's gone a yeah, yeah, it's just cream. It's
the boat fund is probably where the flashboat fund has
gone out. I think we can still have a boat,
we just probably can't have the trim.
Speaker 1 (32:40):
And you talked a couple of months ago about this
money from Fonterra's selling their brands for farmers to go
out there and just spend it because it owes you nothing.
Do you still say that it's the thing to do
or be a bit more prudent.
Speaker 6 (32:53):
So I didn't exactly say go out and spend it.
I guess I said you have an opportunity to do
something with it that is meaningful. And I guess the
conversation that we're going to be having in twenty twenty
six is what is it that is meaningful.
Speaker 1 (33:08):
You talk about on farm inflation has been a big
one for a lot of people. I think the arable sector, though,
is the one They're the ones who are saying, look,
our price needs to increase, not that it's dropped, but
we're just not keeping up with inflation. That's the one
sector that's looking at.
Speaker 6 (33:21):
That is the one sector that its margin is definitely
being squeezed and we're seeing that. But it's a precious commodity, right, Yeah,
you think about what our arable sector and how it
feeds the rest of our agricultural economy if they fail,
what happens there?
Speaker 1 (33:37):
Well, it's just any sector though in a nutshell, is
it not? Yeah?
Speaker 6 (33:41):
So, how many dairy conversions are going on in Canterbury
from arable to dairy.
Speaker 1 (33:45):
Lots because it's easy to get consents or it was
up until this change it's come through. So how would
you sum up red meat then? Looking forward?
Speaker 6 (33:54):
Yeah, so twenty twenty five was a recovery of red meat.
Twenty twenty six is looking like we're actually going to
make some money and make some decisions around stabilizing our
balance sheet and even starting to move forward. It's not
going to be like this forever. So in the last
(34:14):
for thirty years that I've been doing this job, nearly
there has been cycles, and it's where are we in
our cycle? And where is our best place to put
our money to survive the next cycle.
Speaker 1 (34:29):
Consistency with pricing across the board would be what you'd
be after. That'll be the key messaging of stability. Stability, Oh, stability.
Speaker 6 (34:37):
I've always wanted stability because accountants don't have too many
tracks left in them anymore to be able to create stability.
We do have some. We've got our income equalization scheme,
which isn't as popular as it used to be, our
deferring a fertilizer. But we've got to be prepared. We've
got to know what the market is saying to do that,
(34:58):
and of course our adjustments through our livestock schemes, which
our ability to do that is hampered as well.
Speaker 1 (35:04):
Now, what about wool? What do you see for wool?
We're seeing sheets excitement.
Speaker 6 (35:10):
Yeah, excitement about time. Eh. I'm a cut of the
eighties sheep farmer's daughter of the eighties. I remember plugging
dead sheep because wool was worth it. Yeah, but yeah,
it's got a long way to go in terms of
providing actual value. But at least it's not a cost anymore.
Speaker 1 (35:27):
But you're paying and probably getting a twenty four pair
left over. Now, once you've done the main clip, that's
the key mess.
Speaker 6 (35:32):
You can shout the sharers.
Speaker 1 (35:33):
You can shout the sharers and you might need that
after a year like this, What the hell else would
you sum up the next last twelve months? Just what
would you say to that? Kylie? Nice new phone by
the way, too.
Speaker 6 (35:44):
Yeah, thanks, I hate it this technology stuff and that's
probably the summer of the twenty twenty five. We've embraced
technology on farm a lot more than we had before.
The number of new technologies that we're seeing on farm
is a sign that we didn't see ten years ago.
So is that helping us boost our productivity? What I
(36:07):
do know is that we need to be grateful of
where we live. Through our networks, we're talking to other
others further north, and it brings us back to reality
that we really are a hard working bunch who just
get on with what we've been handed. And I guess
I look back to the twenty third of October and say, Wow,
(36:32):
what a community we have to rally around and get
through something I've never seen in my lifetime in terms
of the destruction of the wind. And I guess we're
still cleaning up. We still can't put a price on
it in terms of the dollar figure for air cleanup,
and I don't know if we ever will get a
(36:55):
final tally of what it's cost our farming community.
Speaker 1 (36:58):
Yeah, that's a good anything else on your brand new
phone there to remember.
Speaker 6 (37:05):
Over the summer, we just want to say to our
clients and friends, Merry Christmas. Please have some time off
to enjoy summer, because we'll have one a we didn't
know that at five thirty last night, but we will
have summer. Eat too much, spend time with friends and family,
(37:30):
and toast to the fact that we survived twenty twenty five.
Let's look forward to twenty twenty six and make plans
to achieve those goals that affect both their businesses and
their families in a positive light while we've got an opportunity.
Speaker 1 (37:46):
Good on you, Kylie, you enjoy the break.
Speaker 6 (37:48):
Merry Christmas.
Speaker 1 (37:49):
Jared's document of diary and Zike catches up once again. Jared,
good afternoon, Hew Saints hal Andy.
Speaker 4 (37:57):
Things are great.
Speaker 1 (37:58):
Yeah, look well this talk about this straight off for
bet another reduction in the gd T, your possibility of correction,
the milk prices and the likes. How would you sum
it up? Though? Like the year when you look at
it from the milk price as we've gone to the
new year as well as opposed for twenty twenty six.
Speaker 4 (38:16):
Look, I think it's like the year has been very positive,
you know. Yet we've got a reduction in the you know,
potentially the milk price, but we've got strong milk production. Great,
so I think that'll probably counterrect it somewhat. But hey,
look if we if we finish out the year and
(38:36):
we had a long way to go, so production high
right around the world, but I still think there's some
gaps in the market for you know, we're not seeing
the build ups of stocks, so you know, I'm kind
of pretty confident it'll be nine dollars plus and most
farmers should be should be making some good, good profits
(38:57):
with that might take heat out of the property market,
might take the heat out of the price of cares.
So yeah, production, production's up. Price might be a little
bit subdued. But Orphans Orphan has been equal. I think
went for a really good season.
Speaker 1 (39:14):
Would you say the production is up across the board.
Speaker 4 (39:17):
Yeah, I think so. I know southends very strong. Southend's,
my understanding, is really really leading the country at the moment.
Probably that team sent up on on On last year,
So things are going really well on Southernd.
Speaker 1 (39:34):
The situation around Michael Plasma Bovus as well. Jared, that's
a good news story for the year.
Speaker 4 (39:41):
One hundred per I mean, that's just been a collective
effort and look we're on the home stretch. I mean,
that's been a big, a big win in the bio
security space again, collective efforts with the MPI, Osbury, DRINGB
sectors and you know again I think, you know, fingers
crossed from the home, the homes reach and there will
be a really good one to put to bed. But
(40:03):
I think importantly what it has done is has just
highlighted the need for us to be really cautious around
the bio security space and be prepared because you know,
again we don't know what's in front of us. But
you know, I think that's been a good taste for
things like you know, God forbid foot and mass disease
(40:26):
and things like that.
Speaker 1 (40:27):
Yeah, there's an interesting point you bring up there, Jared,
regarding biosecurity. How do you prepare for it on pharmacutch
or can you.
Speaker 4 (40:36):
Look? I think I think you can to a certain degree.
I think you've got to be really conscious of your
innate requirements. I think you've got to just have in
the back of your mind if I'm having a lot
of people on farm, where are those people being? Are
they just basic things like in the boots, clean they
you know, things like that. Are we taking hygiene seriously?
(40:58):
Do we know where their stocks coming from or going
to or what's coming on farm. I think that's an
important thing just to you know, that's the stuff that
we can practically do on farm to try and manage
some of that stuff.
Speaker 1 (41:11):
So it's all about keeping your book where up to
speed as such, and all the auditing processing that we
see there is actually a rest now behind it.
Speaker 4 (41:20):
Yeah, I think so. Look, I mean, look, we do
need to. I mean traceability is important from so important
from a bio security point of view, because you know,
if something does get out, you need to try and
get back to the root cause. So I think there's
an element of the book where you just know lock
farmers running multi million dollar businesses, so you just need
(41:40):
to get there right. But there's some good practical stuff
that you can just have in the Becky mind with
people and stop coming on farm and just just make
sure you've clicked all the boxes and got everything right.
Speaker 1 (41:54):
Jared putting your dairy and Z head on. How would
you rate the past twelve months we've had.
Speaker 4 (42:00):
Look, I think it's been really positive. Look, we've had
some we've had some challenges with increasing coth cost containments
a big thing, But I think we've seen some really
good you know, from aderien Z perspective, we've seen some
really good milestones that we've achieved. We've got positive results
securing in research around methane emissions. We know that you know,
(42:26):
home ground feed is delivering more profit per heat there.
We know that genetic gain the top twenty five percent
in each year they're are going to deliver on average
fifty extra kilos of milk solids. So yeah, I think
some of the science and research that we're developing as
paying dividends. And I just want to call out actually
(42:48):
a policy team because they do an immense amount of
work behind the scenes in terms of advocating for our
farmers and using the science and research that we do
gives you a high degree of credibility to our policy submissions.
So what that's really important is that you know, politicians
(43:13):
are not just having to listen to emotion. They really
have to look at the credible science and research that's
put in front of them, you know, to make positive
change for farmers. And you know, so I think we're
on the wrong track, the right track there. I think
the other thing that I've been really proud of is
just how well our team work during the windstorm in October,
(43:35):
you know, just behind the scenes, engaging with farmers and stakeholders.
That's been a really proud moment for me for the
Southern teams year.
Speaker 1 (43:43):
So as far as twenty twenty six, you're expecting things
to continue as us, Yeah.
Speaker 4 (43:50):
I think. Look, I think that's a real hard thing.
You don't know what's around the corner. But I think,
you know, I think we've got some really good We've
got some really good research and science that's happening at
the moment. We've we've got you know, the team are
really fired up and want to put on some good
events and increase attendancy here so that farmers can asually
(44:14):
get more value for the levy. I think then the
pen report that we did with them Mobile was really positive,
showing that that, you know, farmers, farmers are getting good
value for the levy. I think the thing that kind
of concerns me a wee better is I'm not too
sure whether we've got air preparedness and business continuity kind
(44:35):
of plans all sort of yet. So we're going to
do some more work in that space next year, and
you know, because we just want farmers to be better
tomorrow than what they were today or yesterday and stuff.
So yeah, but all in all, on yeah, really looking
forward to twenty twenty six. And god, I'm just you know,
I just hope that their farmers get a bit of
(44:56):
a breather over the Christmas period, even if it's an
afternoon off. We know how hard they work a year
and day in and day out. So yeah, just excited
for our farmers to have a just a fear the
continuation of the season and you know, out into the future.
I think it's really possible.
Speaker 1 (45:21):
Jared Stockman of derrian zid there wrapping up the best
of the Muster and that is us done and dusted
for twoenty twenty five. Where has the year going, Well,
it doesn't matter because it's almost Christmas. Right. My name's
Andy Mueller. You've been listening to the Best of the Muster.
Thank you very much for being part of the show
over the past twelve months. I do appreciate all the
(45:44):
feedback we get here on the program. Make sure you
get a break over the Christmas season. We'll be back
on January the twelfth, begger and better than ever before
for twenty twenty six. Merry Christmas. Speedible fulco and rye.
Speaker 6 (46:08):
That's fa.
Speaker 1 (46:11):
The snow. We'll make this Christmas.
Speaker 4 (46:19):
Rid my frame?
Speaker 3 (46:25):
Who milsha?
Speaker 1 (46:30):
This spression none because it's Christmas. Yes, it's Christmas. Than God,
it's Christmas.
A very good morning and welcome into the best of
the Muster, a collaboration of interviews that took our attention
during a busy week here at Hakannui HQ. The last
for twenty twenty five. My name's Andy Muer. Thanks for
your company. We're kicking off the yell A by catching
up with Ben Dooley Sheep Beef and YouTube Farmer, talking
about his YouTube channel as well Deep South Sheep and
(00:28):
Beef and just telling people about the farming story in
the South Island of New Zealand. It just tells us
what it's like to be doing these videos and just
trying to yeah, tell the story of the food. Producer
Matt Ward is at Morton Mains on the handpiece this
week and telling us he's quite happy to do it
as opposed to being on a tractor and as well
(00:51):
just how the weaning and the situations looking down where
he's based Peter Gardine Farms at Napdale, an extensive operation
that he's involved with his peat and he's getting good
money for his lambs and heavy lambs of that too,
and he tells us why, in his opinion, you need
to go heavier where you can when it comes to Lambwaites,
(01:12):
Kylie Fiskin of Malt McLain plus more Base Tearing Gould
wraps up twenty twenty five within the counting lens on Yes,
we've had a correction in the Fonterra Payer, but Kylie's saying, look,
don't just come the farm. Everything's still in a good space.
And finally, Jared Stockman of Dairy and Z just looking
back at the year from a dairying perspective proper and
(01:36):
locking into twenty twenty six and what he hopes happened,
what he's hoping is going to happen for the industry,
basically a continuation of twenty twenty five. In the great
work that's going on the music today, I've deviated away
from unique to his break my Stride. This is thank God,
It's Christmas Boke Queen and we're going to start the
Yowler very shortly with Ben Dooley. You're listening to the
(01:57):
best of the Muster. You s Sea, Welcome back to
(02:19):
the Muster. John Mellencamp is the music. He's had a
lot of changes to his name over the years. John Cougar,
John Mellencamp, John Cougar Mellencamp. But regardless, a lot of
timeless tunes. As we catch up with Ben Dooley farming
down at Wyndham Sheep Beef and YouTube farmer, get a
Dolls and how's it going? The countdown to Christmas is on?
How's it going on? Your place?
Speaker 2 (02:39):
It is on. We're going pretty well at the moment. Actually,
we went the maternals last week, got them more drenching it.
Paddicks didn't have a draft out of them. I got
the terminals in on Crocky. What that was it? I
can't even remember. Now. Friday, I think we've got them,
got the usual crutched up. She had to draft the
lambs off. It was a challenge. We've got the crutched
up and then they've got Shawn use today and Modern Saturday.
(03:01):
They got crushed actually and year the rest of the years,
giving Sean today and Drinks school. The terminal lambs on
Mum below were drafted off. And yeah, we're actually sitting
pretty up to date, about seven days earlier than would
normally be. So yeah, bring on some good weather in
the next seven days so I can drag a bit
bloody boat out of the shed.
Speaker 1 (03:20):
I've seen the social social channels around croutching the years.
It's a hell of a setup. Hell, what numbers are
we talking to get stuff done?
Speaker 3 (03:27):
Oh?
Speaker 2 (03:27):
That was phenomenal. Normally it would take me three to
four days, bearing in mind that obviously there's other stuff
on farm that has to be done, so you're not
doing four days. They started at ten to seven, they
stopped for smokeout nine, which started up again about nine
thirty five, and they finished at teen twenty five. So
(03:48):
I made that bang on three airs and that it's
seventeen hundred and ninety one.
Speaker 1 (03:54):
Yeah, you're kidding me.
Speaker 2 (03:56):
Yeah, the boss man had said they'll be done by
afternoon smoke. I should have teached them and said, men,
you guys are lazier having after and smoke out at
ten thirty. But no, that was a bit of an
eye out to that. I expected it to be a
full day, not three hours. So yeah, we got most
of a productive day after that too. It was quite good.
Speaker 1 (04:13):
So does this change your thinking towards hand piecework?
Speaker 2 (04:17):
No. Look, my thinking has always been that when we
can comfortably afford to get the crutches in, we'll get
the crutches in. And I just say heppens that this year,
you know, things are looking pretty reasonable. We've already had
a reasonable track of money come in. We were comfortable
enough to do it, so we thought, no, I just
I don't want to be absolutely wrecked on Christmas Day again.
Normally we finished yearing on the twenty third and twenty
(04:38):
four sort of a catch up day. I've never had
any time to go and do any Christmas shopping or
anything like that. Not that I want to do that,
but you know, there comes with time when you have to.
And yeah, it's always been an issue around managing to
afford it. And of course this is only a fifty
of farming on our own, so yeah, the previous four
years haven't been that conducive to adding extra cost of
(04:58):
the system. But all in all, as much as it
eds extra cost, I would say it also adds extra
profit because a few are the things that it's allowing
us to do, get a bit more work done elsewhere.
And also we're moving the terminal weaning to the fourth
of January. Everything's just fitted in real nice. So as
long as those lambs keep growing on mum and too
too many haven't been weaned by being drafted off ten
knights in a row. Yeah, that should be quite quite
(05:21):
a profitable venture actually, so always the way we've wanted
to do it, just haven't had the ability to.
Speaker 1 (05:27):
So the lambs looking clean.
Speaker 2 (05:30):
Yeah, lambs has stayed pretty clean. Oh the earlies that
we waned and was at the end of the him
are then not, but that's because they got weaned. They
had a couple of days and then they got fired
on the first grazing young grass, so you can imagine
what they're done to the baking of them. But they
look to be doing well. But now most most of
the lambs, they're moms in the in the main line
terminals are all. They're staying reasonably clean. But the crutches
will come. And I think we're booking into the sixth
(05:51):
of January and give them all a good tide out
to a full crutch on them once again, probably less
than a full day to do three thousand and Yeah,
pay the bill and be done with it, and then
we're looking to go on holiday not long after that
for teen days. So yeah, good to get her all done.
Speaker 1 (06:07):
You're sounding like you're pretty much out with the play.
Is there ever such a thing for a farmer though?
Speaker 2 (06:11):
Well, there's always more to do. There's always gorse to spray,
there's always fences to fix, There's always that stuff. But
sometimes the boat takes priority there too, so we'll see
how it goes. But now on the main jobs, we're
certainly pre on top of things at the moment. It's
been a bit of a marathon since start in November,
but it's just that way every year. It's yeah, we're
(06:32):
working on trying to make it a little bit better
and more user friendly, I g should say, But ultimately
that work has to happen, doesn't it. So you just
got to get it done and then you can focus
on whatever else you want to do once all that
work is that time critical stuff is done and out
of the way.
Speaker 1 (06:48):
We look back at the twelve months in Negli culture,
especially in the shape and beef sector, does you'll be
pretty positive if you gave it a mark out of teen.
Speaker 2 (06:56):
Yeah, I can't give it a teen. I can probably
give it a seven and a half, purely because of
September and October. At the all in all, we had
good recovering prices last year. If we looked from Christmas
to Christmas, you know, at September last year, we were
dreading what the lamb price was going to be, and
it actually held up pretty well, and by the end
of the season it had come through pretty good. We
(07:18):
grew grass all summer, which was nice. Stock were pretty healthy,
crops did well. We got through winter reasonably happily. Yeah,
like I say, September October weren't that nice. But then
what a comeback November made, so we might even be
able to scratch in eight there, eight out of teen
I think for the season that's been Yeah, the challenges,
but when you look at it from the season beforehand,
(07:40):
we yeah, we're just very thankful it was what it was.
Speaker 1 (07:44):
So you're doing anything over your YouTube channel Sheep Deep
South Sheaven Beef over the summer holidays.
Speaker 2 (07:50):
Yeah, No, there's been quite a few videos go out
there recently. What we had pot sharing, topping, crops going in, plowing,
trying to think we're else I'll put up there will
be a sharing one go up soon. No, there's heats
stuff going out there all of a sudden. We've got
heaps of stuff that we're doing in time to film.
So yeah, it's about this time of year it starts
(08:10):
getting really amped up and then it'll do that through
it all about May, and then I've got to come
up with a planful winter to try and keep getting content.
But we'll see how we go. There no no plean
to going out there. So if you're curious to go
along and.
Speaker 1 (08:21):
Have a luck, you are what we call the farming influencer,
aren't you.
Speaker 2 (08:25):
I don't use that being influenced by things I do.
You probably need to take it pretty serious. Look in
the mirror.
Speaker 1 (08:32):
Hey, good on, your girls will let you carry on You,
Sarah and the family, have a great break and we'll
do it all again next year. I've really appreciated your
time here on the Master in twenty twenty five.
Speaker 2 (08:43):
No, thanks very much, Andy, I appreciate the opening you've
given me here and yet mirror Christmas to you and everyone.
Happy New Years to all the listeners as well. And heah,
let's see. Let's see the next one be a good one.
Speaker 3 (08:57):
Laugh out loud with a proud because if on the
land can be a laughing matter.
Speaker 1 (09:02):
Brought to us by sheer Well Data working to help
the livestock farmer. I used to be in a band
called the Radiators, but we were just a warm up act.
Matt Ward farms down at Morton Mainz and joins us
once again this afternoon on the Mustard while he's on
their hand piece of all things. Good afternoon, Matt, Good afternoon, Andy.
Speaker 2 (09:22):
How are you?
Speaker 1 (09:23):
Yeah? Pretty good? You sound like the You are the
opposite of Ben Dooire talking about these numbers yesterday, what
seventeen hundred dag before lunchtime. But you're there just doing
the honest toil today.
Speaker 2 (09:34):
Yeah, yeah, no, we are.
Speaker 3 (09:35):
We're just chipping away doing themselves this year. I sort
of thought about getting the crutch and trailer and Andy,
but Jesus, it nearly takes them longer to get here
and get up the driveway and get set up than
it does for them to actually do the sheet. So
are we just chipping away? Chipping away?
Speaker 2 (09:49):
It's good.
Speaker 3 (09:50):
I think it's a good, good way to get a
good look at all the us. And they're actually not
bed digging. She has a bit of shit on them,
but they're not bad, not bad, Guarden.
Speaker 1 (09:59):
Really, is there a leagued eggs or just pretty much
around the crutch?
Speaker 3 (10:03):
Nah, just around the cratch, just around the cratch. I
sort of leave all the leagues and you just give
them a good good run cratch, just tided them up
and then I'll get them dipped first second week of January,
they all go through and then get shorn and the
start of March. So you normally they stay pretty clean
as long as you give them a good crutch. Now
they stay pretty clean right up to shearing. Won't really
(10:24):
need to touch them a game touch wood.
Speaker 1 (10:26):
Well, you made the observation just before that you'd rather
be on a hand piece than an attractor.
Speaker 3 (10:32):
Yeah, recent I I go crazy sitting there playing circles
and a tractor. Yeah, it's not my it's not my
cup of tea at all, and then I end up
breaking stuff and I'd rather stand there on a hand
piece for the day you need day of the week.
Speaker 1 (10:47):
Have you always felt like that when it comes to
their hand piece?
Speaker 3 (10:50):
Yeah, I've always enjoyed it.
Speaker 2 (10:51):
I do enjoy it.
Speaker 3 (10:52):
Yeah, there was a bit of me one day that
sort of thought I could go out and do a
bit of shearing and mack around. But that's probably a
bit as far as that thought got.
Speaker 1 (11:02):
So you haven't been enjoy it. You haven't been timed
to sheer own hoggots or anything silly like that.
Speaker 3 (11:07):
No, Na, No, I'll do I do a few like
I like, we used to share all their rams up
at Me and Aspiring and do like stragglers and stuff.
So got pretty handy on the well, god, I wouldn't
say I'm handy on the empties, but I sort of
know how to get the feathers off one way or another.
Speaker 1 (11:22):
I show the rams at home once here, and my
advice to the young fellow working for me was make
sure I don't get killed.
Speaker 3 (11:28):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, well that's good. Wad to do them
through lockdown when I was up at Aspiring, And then
actually last year I was up at Waning for Aspiring
and Reynal thought it would be a good joke after
a good day on the hill to bring the rams in,
and we chipped aways here in the Emma afternoon as well.
So yeah, no, it's good. I don't yeah, I don't
mind it. Don't mind it at all.
Speaker 1 (11:47):
Yes, So if you've got the set up to do it, well,
it makes a lot of sense as well. And seez
I've lost count of how many years i've dad like
we had a we had a hect in at one stage,
but a lot of the time I'd just be doing
them up the race as well, and you just got
to be careful about if there's one running back at Jen,
have your wits about you. But these new hand pieces,
you know, battery charge just as a breeze.
Speaker 3 (12:09):
Yeah, Yeahderson, I've got a good I've got a good
race wall here. So they climb up. They're sort of
standing at hip pipes, so there's no bending over all day.
And I got a young fellow from down the road.
He's keeping them all up to me. So now we're
chipping well, chipping through probably about one hundred in air,
so we're making pretty good going.
Speaker 2 (12:27):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (12:28):
I've only got twelve thirteen hundred jews to do, so
we'll find it, tidy them up tomorrow morning and then
we're all done. On to the next job.
Speaker 1 (12:36):
Yeah. So what does the next job before the fat
man comes down the chimney?
Speaker 2 (12:39):
Umm?
Speaker 3 (12:41):
Yeah, I'm pretty well.
Speaker 4 (12:42):
What was it?
Speaker 2 (12:42):
To be fair?
Speaker 3 (12:43):
Hopefully get my swedes drilled this afternoon and then year.
To be fair, I don't really have weaned up the
start of last week, got on my ewes condition scored
and got a like more about Yeah, you get these
swedes and probably go back defensing, carry on pitch and
hole up and uh year Macay is quite nice, quite nice,
(13:04):
normally pretty well organized. It last week before Christmas is
normally pretty cruisy for me.
Speaker 1 (13:09):
So as far as lambs do the works or getting
lambs off man, that we will.
Speaker 3 (13:14):
Yeah, yeah, I went all right on a well to
well shake farm. I don't think you're even really.
Speaker 1 (13:19):
No, you're not, no, But it's all about context, right, Yeah.
Speaker 3 (13:23):
Yeah, we killed twenty five percent of their lambs off
mammot eighteen point seven kilos, So happy enough with it.
Everage waning weight was up four kilos on last year,
so I saw it. I think that sort of reflects
on how much growth we've had in that lasts sort
of six weeks. Lambs are really kicked on, kicked on
really well. And even these Jews, like there's only ten
(13:44):
percent of my mob in the lightmob, so everything's everything
set up pretty well.
Speaker 1 (13:50):
Really, eighteen point seven off man, that's a pretty good number.
Speaker 3 (13:55):
Yeah, yeah, I was happy. I I did think about
dipping into them a web harder, and like I try
gets My goal is to get as many off mum
as I can, But I don't really see the schedule. Well,
they're not going to pull the pants out of the schedule,
I don't think so. And the rest of the lambs,
there's a good pat of lambs there between like thirty
six and thirty eight kilos, So we have a draft
(14:17):
in mid January and get them gone.
Speaker 2 (14:20):
Got quite a bit. I've got about fourteen.
Speaker 3 (14:22):
Fifteen Nick, there's a red clover in this year as well,
So sort of want to keep a few lambs about me,
to chuckle Matt, So, I sort of aim for about
a twenty twenty one kilo lambs for the rest of
the season. So yes, sort of need a few lambs
about me to kick them on a bit.
Speaker 1 (14:36):
So you're doing split sharing there. Do you have an
issue with fly strikers such?
Speaker 3 (14:41):
Ah, not too bad to be fair, anything that any
of you that does get fly, I'll put a black
tag in her ear. She goes straight into my terminal mob.
But sometimes get a wee bit of that green fly
a wee bit later on to be a bit of
an issue. But nah, yeah, touched. Well, I don't really
like talking about it in case it chinks myself. But
(15:02):
normally the lambs they stay pretty tidy and.
Speaker 1 (15:05):
The rest and you say that your black tag anything
that gets fly, are you talking greenfly up the back
or just DAGs meggets around the DAGs are both both.
Speaker 3 (15:14):
I sort of think anything well there should be well
don't Yeah, I thought I sort of the opinion that
anything that gets touched up by fly just goes straight
to the terminal mob. I don't really give it too
much thought. Really, there's a reason why, like ninety eight
percent of the rest of the mob hasn't been touched
up by them. So yeah, and then god, if they
(15:36):
get it again, it's not less, she's less. They're not
breeding from her.
Speaker 1 (15:40):
So she's a one year U. She has one more lamb.
She's off to the works more or less.
Speaker 2 (15:44):
Ah.
Speaker 3 (15:45):
Yeah, I my terminal mob is probably fifty or sixty
percent of my flock is a terminal mob. I just
keep them, keep them in. But then if they come
through the shed at lambing time or there's any other issues,
if they go to get a second black tag, then
that second black pigs down the driveway.
Speaker 1 (16:02):
So your fake cavers down there. They're looking pretty good
or things considered.
Speaker 3 (16:06):
Yeah, well, I think we're sitting not too bad. Actually,
good share of rain last night, and I think everything's
reacted pretty well. There's a lot of seed head around
like just adding to thinking what I need to get
the top of guard. I've just mobbed on my kettle
up and slowly getting around, tiding a few pastures up.
But everything's got a good base to it. So yeah,
I think we're sitting pretty well. I've got a few
(16:27):
petics of Baylor shut up now and yeah, so I
think we're sitting not too bad. I sort of think
if it's yeah, not much of a complaint about at
the moment.
Speaker 1 (16:36):
Geez, you sund like you're ready for a holiday because
you can't.
Speaker 3 (16:40):
Yeah, oh, there's the plan.
Speaker 1 (16:41):
There's the plan.
Speaker 3 (16:43):
I normally have the house to myself between Christmas and
New Year Andy, so that sort of consists of a
bit of golf, watching the ashes, chicking, a few mobs,
and it's pretty much me. It's my holiday all the week.
It's quite quite cruisy really.
Speaker 1 (16:55):
More of a staycation.
Speaker 3 (16:57):
Yeah, yeah, receipt so it's now try and get away
later on in January when everyone else that's going back
to school and work and stuff. But yeah, no, we're
pretty tidy really.
Speaker 1 (17:08):
Just before we wrap up, Matt, I talked to you
a couple of months ago, and you were a real
cynical about New Zealand Will, given the number of you
he's breeding. News Over in China, we've seen a lift
couple of lifts regarding Will. Are you starting to see
a bit of a bit of a change in that
from your perspective?
Speaker 3 (17:23):
Yeah, it's interesting now because I sort of got that
viewpoint from someone else's opinion and I sort of run
with it. But now to see the lift and the
wall prices, like Jesus satisfine. Isn't it like to see
people well breaking, even if not getting a wee bit
of money extra on top of the sharing as the
(17:44):
way it should be. And hopefully it holds. I'm hoping
it's not a just a blip on the radar and
then we'll go back to normal again. It'll be nice
if it does hold, if not a wee bit more
and we start getting good prices for wealth. I don't
think we're ever gonna go back to the way it
used to be, but it would be quite tidy if
we're getting decent wall checks and changes people's opinions on
(18:05):
actually wanting to see sheep again for the animal health,
not just doing it because they have to. Yeah, it
would be quite tidy. I reckon.
Speaker 1 (18:13):
Hey, good on you, Matt. Thanks for your time on
the Muster today and throughout the year. You enjoy your
staycation and we'll catch up again in January. Always appreciated
your time. Have a good break, Yeah.
Speaker 3 (18:23):
Thank you, and you two until you listen as well.
Have a good Christmas the new year, and hopefully everyone
can have a bit of a bit of downtime and
catch up on themselves.
Speaker 1 (18:47):
Jimmy Barnes is the artist. The song is driving wheels
pretty much what's happening and all the farms around Otago
and South London, around the country for that matter, as
you get on the wine down or the wind up
to Chris disappearing, how you look at it. So we
catch up with Peter Gardline farming and Netdil has been
all go this morning and into the afternoon. Pete Howse sings.
Speaker 5 (19:07):
Yeah, good good, you got a really good song there.
It's one of those fift shout, pump you up songs.
And the truck is just pulled out of the sheepyards
up here at Pyramid and the transport must be busy
because one of the big cheese is on the truck
and he's it's a bit sweatier I think in the
truck than it is in the office.
Speaker 1 (19:24):
One of the big cheese is in the truck. You know,
guns into the gunnel.
Speaker 5 (19:27):
Right, Oh yeah, No, the transports at winning time, they
do a pretty awesome job. And we used to cut
our own lambs. And I know how nutty it is
and how hard it is to organize everything. And yeah,
all those truck drives and all those other people, they
play a super important part to our industry.
Speaker 1 (19:43):
Yeah, big shout out as well everybody on the road
in the trucks, but the Stockyes, everybody organizing the trucks,
the dispatches and the likes. It's a hell of a
job in the middle of December.
Speaker 2 (19:53):
Yep.
Speaker 1 (19:54):
I don't know.
Speaker 2 (19:55):
We used to.
Speaker 5 (19:55):
I used to have a bitch to have stock feed
side of things as well. And yeah, as you get
to these with holidays and stuff, it can make a
lot of these scheduling pretty tricky. And yeah, there's a
lot of those unseen people that we sometimes should get
about when we're farming.
Speaker 1 (20:09):
Yeah, twenty four hours in the day, that's a great point.
So you've been weaning. How's it been. Are you quite
happy with your numbers? Yeah?
Speaker 5 (20:16):
We're pretty happy. We've got about thirteen fifty away and
that's all over forty kgs, so we're sort of hanging
up around that twenty and a half, well, just over
that roughly. Yeah, I'm a big believer in big lambs.
I really wanted to go bigger this year, but we
are just struggling for moisture at Napdale, so we've we've
(20:37):
kept the weights down and weave it. Yeah, but we
had a couple of antibiotic ones and they went twenty
twos and a half And yeah, I quite like the
look of that sheet actually, and that's sort of in
the future. I want to keep pushing, pushing heavy er.
Speaker 1 (20:50):
Ah seez you'll be looking at two hundred and twenty
our bucks straight off the cuff even more, wouldn't you.
Speaker 5 (20:56):
Yeah, we're doing about that at the moment. But when
you looked at that other sheet, it was one hundred
and forty four or something like that, and that was
even with the antibodic deductions. Yeah, so we'll we'll click
on up to twenty threes probably again this season like
we did last season in February. And I think the
answer to less sheep is actually just grow your lambs bigger.
(21:17):
To put another two kilograms of carcass weight on, that's
ten percent more production and it doesn't take ten percent
more feed when you look at your whole sheep enterprise,
and I think it's easier to, yeah, just pack more
weight on animals. It's like my father says, you can
only kill them once and not all of that saying's great,
but that time that I think is pretty good.
Speaker 1 (21:37):
You've always been a big believer in heavy lambs though,
going away regardless.
Speaker 5 (21:42):
Definitely, Yeah, And like where we are at the moment,
we're on pretty dry health country. They're at Pyramid. It's
only a small block, but we take them home and
we finish them. And I was surprised to have the
lambs who got away here off the hill. By the
aim here is really just to have nice, healthy lambs
that are easy to take home and finish, rather than
lots of lambs at the winning time. But yeah, I
(22:06):
just see the feed efficiency. We're doing a weave it
with Simon's nip emicus bio on pharmacs modeling. You know
what air sheets per kilogram of draymat every turns are
in chef and beef, and we're really trying to push
the boundaries on that because I want to be in business,
and I want to stay in business, and I want
to thrive in business. And we can only do that
(22:28):
if we keep pushing the boundaries. You know, we're not
doing what we're doing thirty years ago, and that's exciting.
Speaker 1 (22:35):
So how often are you changing your goals? You're talking
about twenty two k lambs going to the works, and
if you're achieving that, now, what are you thinking on
a note like six twelve months down the line? How
does your brain operate in that capacity?
Speaker 5 (22:49):
How my brain operates? It's a loaded, loaded question, and
you could ask anybody and you've get some pretty interesting
answers on suggest.
Speaker 1 (22:56):
Well, I'm going straight to the horse's mouth around on it.
Speaker 5 (22:59):
Yeah, No, it's a very fair question. I personally don't
have a lot of goals around weight. It's all about
maximizing the financials. And why I say that is because
we're on a low rainfall area at home and we've
just got to roll with what we've got. So if
we've got feed, we utilize it. If we don't, we
pulled the pin.
Speaker 2 (23:17):
So we have just.
Speaker 5 (23:17):
Sold some new lambs that we were going to sell anyway,
We've pulled that sale forward a month because we are
types of feed. We only had twenty eight meals in
November and twenty eight meals so far this month, so
I'm sort of hanging out for a bit more moisture.
Speaker 3 (23:31):
But where we want to go to.
Speaker 5 (23:32):
I look at the schedule and I look at how
heavy can we go before we get deducted, and as
the goalpost of rays, we just keep going up. When
I know you had a week yarn about eating quality
with old made up at mile Flat. James, Yeah, James Egger,
and eating quality has got a lot to do with
(23:55):
how well and animals finished, and long story short, the
bigger it is, the fatter and privor it is the
way good eating quality. I think we should be illegal
to kill lambs under eighteen kg's or under seventeen kgs.
And I actually think they need to go down to
a flat land arm and get finished properly. And that's
not trying to be offensive or anything like that. It's
(24:17):
just those lean, hard lambs are not a good eating experience,
and we want to push the limits on im from
the top end. But I think it's more important to
reduce the bad eating experiences of you know, lamb, and
the same ghast of beef too. But with beef, if
it's not that great, they're just minced it up and
it doesn't really matter. Yeah, because if we want to
(24:40):
if we want to be serious about a quality product,
it's actually not to be a quality product.
Speaker 1 (24:45):
But at seventeen k lamb at the same time, so
as catered for by the market, yeah it is.
Speaker 5 (24:53):
And there's a difference between a really prime seventeen and
a hard seventeen.
Speaker 3 (25:00):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (25:00):
And yeah, like I would eat a fat prime lamb
any day of the week over like a pea lamb
over a y lamb any day of the week. And
when you look into the genetic side of things, there's
not a perfect correlation, but there is a pretty steady
correlation between fat on the outside to fat on the
inside in regards to and tramuscular fat. And yeah, how
(25:22):
we've bred, probably in the last twenty years, there has
been a penalization in the terminal Sawer indexes against like
fat and that has harmed us a wee bit, which
is a wee bit unfortunate.
Speaker 1 (25:36):
So when you look into the next twelve months of
the farming landscape, what do you see what I see?
Speaker 5 (25:43):
I'm really hoping to see a whole lot of rain,
you know what I see? I think the sheep and
beef thing looks pretty tidy. I still am nervous to
say that it's going to last. Some of the other
correspondents do, and they probably have a bit more informed
than I am, But to me, it's justs and that's
what the runs on the board.
Speaker 2 (26:01):
While it's there.
Speaker 5 (26:03):
I think there's going to be a continuation of people
pushing the boundaries and challenging what's happened in the past.
And I only say that because that's what's happened for
the last one hundred and fifty years of agriculture in
New Zealand. And if we want to stay relevant, then
we're a world away from most of our markets.
Speaker 2 (26:21):
That's what we've got to do.
Speaker 5 (26:24):
I love the idea of things like Halter and all
this technology, and you know, people will say these good
things about it, bad things about it, but it's all
the evolution of what we do, and it's it's cool
and farming's always done it in the past. No one
No one's still plowing with a horse, are they?
Speaker 1 (26:44):
Unless you're doing Vendors plowing perhaps.
Speaker 5 (26:46):
No unless ye, well sorry, no one's commercially varment with
a horse. And I just see that evolution and I
think that, like you know, holters, I see AI as
being a real big asset to farming. And why I
say that is like the jobs that are getting taken
away by AI are not really our jobs. There are
(27:10):
all the jobs you hate. I don't see accountancy and
those sort of industries really getting a huge growth in
the future because I was just going to dominate that. Yeah,
I mean we wrote an article with GDP not that
long ago, and yeah, well you can put your words
into a bit of paper and be dyslexicr me put
(27:30):
it into that and tidy it up and work alongside it.
And it's amazing what that will do. And yeah, it's
it's pretty exciting. I mean, you can build apps. Even
as a farmer, you can do lots of things, and
I think it's just unlocks a whole lot of stuff
that you know, we haven't seen. Yeah, and I think
(27:52):
like one of them we're talking about the other day
is right now, you're bit tight for Tucker put in
all the all the schedule projections and then decide what's
the least profitable class of stock for the next eight
weeks and ditch that class of stock.
Speaker 1 (28:06):
Yeah, hey, get on your pete. We'll let you carry on.
It's pretty busy in your neck of the woods at
the moment, But thanks for your time on the muster
and throughout the year. Enjoy the Christmas season and we'll
catch up in the new year.
Speaker 5 (28:18):
Yeah, no worries. I wish you've run out there a
great Christmas and hope you run out there gets a
bit of a break because they all just drive it.
Speaker 3 (28:26):
This big ruckstus driving fifteen girls going there and the drugs.
Speaker 4 (28:34):
Gun shame.
Speaker 1 (28:36):
This is the muster on Hakanui as I'm joined by
Kylie Fisken of Malick McLain plus more based here and
gorg you he hi, there you go on. Yeah, we're good.
Speaker 6 (28:48):
Weak to go, We're good, are we? Santa's coming.
Speaker 1 (28:51):
Santa's not far right. I got told off by Chanel
Percy used today. She texted in saying, do not called
Santa the fat man coming down the chimney. That's fat shaming.
Speaker 6 (28:59):
No, I'm gidding told off for saying ho ho ho
to people.
Speaker 1 (29:05):
Just go instead.
Speaker 6 (29:07):
Yeah, it doesn't have the same effect does.
Speaker 1 (29:09):
It really getting towards the end of the year.
Speaker 6 (29:11):
House have been well, we survived twenty twenty five, did
we We're still here, yeah, a few days ago. Things
are busy, but in town's busy, which is great.
Speaker 1 (29:23):
Isn't it always? Is it this time of year though?
And that's what you'd expect for the middle of December though.
Speaker 6 (29:27):
Yeah, So twenty fourth of December is when everybody comes
in and does their Christmas shopping last minute, doesn't it.
Speaker 1 (29:32):
It's when all the males go to the warehouse at
about five point fifty pm on a twenty fourth of December.
Speaker 6 (29:37):
Aren't they open till midnight that night?
Speaker 1 (29:39):
No, they're not on Christmas Eve. I think it's in
the lead up to Christmas their hours changed, kmat might.
Speaker 6 (29:43):
Be, But anyway, I honestly think that you possibly should
advertise that for those that aren't making it till the
twenty fourth, I'd hate for them to be here.
Speaker 1 (29:51):
Bagger it. That's their Probably they're not organized. Let them
suffer anyway.
Speaker 6 (29:54):
Look, you mean to be helpful and d oh, yeah.
Speaker 1 (29:56):
But I'm just being better effect about the situation as well.
It is twenty twenty five and a lot of changes,
especially in the red meat sector was seeing a lot
of positivity going around there. They've seen the alliance change
over dawn Meats being involved the GDT though another drop overnight.
But you're saying, don't panic, kept dem minoring.
Speaker 6 (30:14):
Don't panic, kept de minoring. Absolutely, So when I'm saying
we survived twenty twenty five, we had some help, if
you know what I mean, in terms of our commodity prices. Finally,
a decrease in interest rates, our on flum on farm
that's really hard to say on farm inflation stability, some
(30:37):
cadiats around that though for fuel and of course those
things that we cannot control, rates and insurance. Recently, what
we're seeing is those who have wanted to leave the
industry have had an opportunity to do so. With willing
buyers and willing sellers, meaning everyone gets what they want.
(31:00):
It's been a pretty much a hyber of activity over
especially over the last six weeks or so.
Speaker 1 (31:04):
There's been a lot of farms on the market recently.
Speaker 6 (31:07):
Has actually been quite a few transactions as well. Yeah,
so that's what I mean. If we've got willing buy
as willing sellers, gives us confidence in our industry doesn't it.
Speaker 1 (31:17):
So it's say in general though, that farming is heading
into a pretty positive space for the next twelve months. Yeah.
Speaker 6 (31:22):
So something else that happened in twenty twenty five we
had the government bring an investment boost. So investment boost
has kick started conversations around productive asset investment on farm,
so that's got to be a sign of confidence this year.
We've also done some major tax planning with their community.
(31:43):
With such an increase in profitability from twenty four to
twenty five, we've taken a position often to delay the
filing of somebody's tax return. There doesn't know you owe
them money until we tell them you owe them money.
And so therefore we're paying a twenty six provisional tax
based on twenty twenty four, deferring that cash flow through
it or winter, so that we can I guess get
(32:05):
our best estimate of what our final tax position for
twenty twenty six will be. On that note, the numbers
have run through, especially since we've had a dairy price reduction,
don't look too dissimilar.
Speaker 1 (32:24):
But you'd say a correction over reduction.
Speaker 6 (32:28):
Yeah, cream's gone a yeah, yeah, it's just cream. It's
the boat fund is probably where the flashboat fund has
gone out. I think we can still have a boat,
we just probably can't have the trim.
Speaker 1 (32:40):
And you talked a couple of months ago about this
money from Fonterra's selling their brands for farmers to go
out there and just spend it because it owes you nothing.
Do you still say that it's the thing to do
or be a bit more prudent.
Speaker 6 (32:53):
So I didn't exactly say go out and spend it.
I guess I said you have an opportunity to do
something with it that is meaningful. And I guess the
conversation that we're going to be having in twenty twenty
six is what is it that is meaningful.
Speaker 1 (33:08):
You talk about on farm inflation has been a big
one for a lot of people. I think the arable sector, though,
is the one They're the ones who are saying, look,
our price needs to increase, not that it's dropped, but
we're just not keeping up with inflation. That's the one
sector that's looking at.
Speaker 6 (33:21):
That is the one sector that its margin is definitely
being squeezed and we're seeing that. But it's a precious commodity, right, Yeah,
you think about what our arable sector and how it
feeds the rest of our agricultural economy if they fail,
what happens there?
Speaker 1 (33:37):
Well, it's just any sector though in a nutshell, is
it not? Yeah?
Speaker 6 (33:41):
So, how many dairy conversions are going on in Canterbury
from arable to dairy.
Speaker 1 (33:45):
Lots because it's easy to get consents or it was
up until this change it's come through. So how would
you sum up red meat then? Looking forward?
Speaker 6 (33:54):
Yeah, so twenty twenty five was a recovery of red meat.
Twenty twenty six is looking like we're actually going to
make some money and make some decisions around stabilizing our
balance sheet and even starting to move forward. It's not
going to be like this forever. So in the last
(34:14):
for thirty years that I've been doing this job, nearly
there has been cycles, and it's where are we in
our cycle? And where is our best place to put
our money to survive the next cycle.
Speaker 1 (34:29):
Consistency with pricing across the board would be what you'd
be after. That'll be the key messaging of stability. Stability, Oh, stability.
Speaker 6 (34:37):
I've always wanted stability because accountants don't have too many
tracks left in them anymore to be able to create stability.
We do have some. We've got our income equalization scheme,
which isn't as popular as it used to be, our
deferring a fertilizer. But we've got to be prepared. We've
got to know what the market is saying to do that,
(34:58):
and of course our adjustments through our livestock schemes, which
our ability to do that is hampered as well.
Speaker 1 (35:04):
Now, what about wool? What do you see for wool?
We're seeing sheets excitement.
Speaker 6 (35:10):
Yeah, excitement about time. Eh. I'm a cut of the
eighties sheep farmer's daughter of the eighties. I remember plugging
dead sheep because wool was worth it. Yeah, but yeah,
it's got a long way to go in terms of
providing actual value. But at least it's not a cost anymore.
Speaker 1 (35:27):
But you're paying and probably getting a twenty four pair
left over. Now, once you've done the main clip, that's
the key mess.
Speaker 6 (35:32):
You can shout the sharers.
Speaker 1 (35:33):
You can shout the sharers and you might need that
after a year like this, What the hell else would
you sum up the next last twelve months? Just what
would you say to that? Kylie? Nice new phone by
the way, too.
Speaker 6 (35:44):
Yeah, thanks, I hate it this technology stuff and that's
probably the summer of the twenty twenty five. We've embraced
technology on farm a lot more than we had before.
The number of new technologies that we're seeing on farm
is a sign that we didn't see ten years ago.
So is that helping us boost our productivity? What I
(36:07):
do know is that we need to be grateful of
where we live. Through our networks, we're talking to other
others further north, and it brings us back to reality
that we really are a hard working bunch who just
get on with what we've been handed. And I guess
I look back to the twenty third of October and say, Wow,
(36:32):
what a community we have to rally around and get
through something I've never seen in my lifetime in terms
of the destruction of the wind. And I guess we're
still cleaning up. We still can't put a price on
it in terms of the dollar figure for air cleanup,
and I don't know if we ever will get a
(36:55):
final tally of what it's cost our farming community.
Speaker 1 (36:58):
Yeah, that's a good anything else on your brand new
phone there to remember.
Speaker 6 (37:05):
Over the summer, we just want to say to our
clients and friends, Merry Christmas. Please have some time off
to enjoy summer, because we'll have one a we didn't
know that at five thirty last night, but we will
have summer. Eat too much, spend time with friends and family,
(37:30):
and toast to the fact that we survived twenty twenty five.
Let's look forward to twenty twenty six and make plans
to achieve those goals that affect both their businesses and
their families in a positive light while we've got an opportunity.
Speaker 1 (37:46):
Good on you, Kylie, you enjoy the break.
Speaker 6 (37:48):
Merry Christmas.
Speaker 1 (37:49):
Jared's document of diary and Zike catches up once again. Jared,
good afternoon, Hew Saints hal Andy.
Speaker 4 (37:57):
Things are great.
Speaker 1 (37:58):
Yeah, look well this talk about this straight off for
bet another reduction in the gd T, your possibility of correction,
the milk prices and the likes. How would you sum
it up? Though? Like the year when you look at
it from the milk price as we've gone to the
new year as well as opposed for twenty twenty six.
Speaker 4 (38:16):
Look, I think it's like the year has been very positive,
you know. Yet we've got a reduction in the you know,
potentially the milk price, but we've got strong milk production. Great,
so I think that'll probably counterrect it somewhat. But hey,
look if we if we finish out the year and
(38:36):
we had a long way to go, so production high
right around the world, but I still think there's some
gaps in the market for you know, we're not seeing
the build ups of stocks, so you know, I'm kind
of pretty confident it'll be nine dollars plus and most
farmers should be should be making some good, good profits
(38:57):
with that might take heat out of the property market,
might take the heat out of the price of cares.
So yeah, production, production's up. Price might be a little
bit subdued. But Orphans Orphan has been equal. I think
went for a really good season.
Speaker 1 (39:14):
Would you say the production is up across the board.
Speaker 4 (39:17):
Yeah, I think so. I know southends very strong. Southend's,
my understanding, is really really leading the country at the moment.
Probably that team sent up on on On last year,
So things are going really well on Southernd.
Speaker 1 (39:34):
The situation around Michael Plasma Bovus as well. Jared, that's
a good news story for the year.
Speaker 4 (39:41):
One hundred per I mean, that's just been a collective
effort and look we're on the home stretch. I mean,
that's been a big, a big win in the bio
security space again, collective efforts with the MPI, Osbury, DRINGB
sectors and you know again I think, you know, fingers
crossed from the home, the homes reach and there will
be a really good one to put to bed. But
(40:03):
I think importantly what it has done is has just
highlighted the need for us to be really cautious around
the bio security space and be prepared because you know,
again we don't know what's in front of us. But
you know, I think that's been a good taste for
things like you know, God forbid foot and mass disease
(40:26):
and things like that.
Speaker 1 (40:27):
Yeah, there's an interesting point you bring up there, Jared,
regarding biosecurity. How do you prepare for it on pharmacutch
or can you.
Speaker 4 (40:36):
Look? I think I think you can to a certain degree.
I think you've got to be really conscious of your
innate requirements. I think you've got to just have in
the back of your mind if I'm having a lot
of people on farm, where are those people being? Are
they just basic things like in the boots, clean they
you know, things like that. Are we taking hygiene seriously?
(40:58):
Do we know where their stocks coming from or going
to or what's coming on farm. I think that's an
important thing just to you know, that's the stuff that
we can practically do on farm to try and manage
some of that stuff.
Speaker 1 (41:11):
So it's all about keeping your book where up to
speed as such, and all the auditing processing that we
see there is actually a rest now behind it.
Speaker 4 (41:20):
Yeah, I think so. Look, I mean, look, we do
need to. I mean traceability is important from so important
from a bio security point of view, because you know,
if something does get out, you need to try and
get back to the root cause. So I think there's
an element of the book where you just know lock
farmers running multi million dollar businesses, so you just need
(41:40):
to get there right. But there's some good practical stuff
that you can just have in the Becky mind with
people and stop coming on farm and just just make
sure you've clicked all the boxes and got everything right.
Speaker 1 (41:54):
Jared putting your dairy and Z head on. How would
you rate the past twelve months we've had.
Speaker 4 (42:00):
Look, I think it's been really positive. Look, we've had
some we've had some challenges with increasing coth cost containments
a big thing, But I think we've seen some really
good you know, from aderien Z perspective, we've seen some
really good milestones that we've achieved. We've got positive results
securing in research around methane emissions. We know that you know,
(42:26):
home ground feed is delivering more profit per heat there.
We know that genetic gain the top twenty five percent
in each year they're are going to deliver on average
fifty extra kilos of milk solids. So yeah, I think
some of the science and research that we're developing as
paying dividends. And I just want to call out actually
(42:48):
a policy team because they do an immense amount of
work behind the scenes in terms of advocating for our
farmers and using the science and research that we do
gives you a high degree of credibility to our policy submissions.
So what that's really important is that you know, politicians
(43:13):
are not just having to listen to emotion. They really
have to look at the credible science and research that's
put in front of them, you know, to make positive
change for farmers. And you know, so I think we're
on the wrong track, the right track there. I think
the other thing that I've been really proud of is
just how well our team work during the windstorm in October,
(43:35):
you know, just behind the scenes, engaging with farmers and stakeholders.
That's been a really proud moment for me for the
Southern teams year.
Speaker 1 (43:43):
So as far as twenty twenty six, you're expecting things
to continue as us, Yeah.
Speaker 4 (43:50):
I think. Look, I think that's a real hard thing.
You don't know what's around the corner. But I think,
you know, I think we've got some really good We've
got some really good research and science that's happening at
the moment. We've we've got you know, the team are
really fired up and want to put on some good
events and increase attendancy here so that farmers can asually
(44:14):
get more value for the levy. I think then the
pen report that we did with them Mobile was really positive,
showing that that, you know, farmers, farmers are getting good
value for the levy. I think the thing that kind
of concerns me a wee better is I'm not too
sure whether we've got air preparedness and business continuity kind
(44:35):
of plans all sort of yet. So we're going to
do some more work in that space next year, and
you know, because we just want farmers to be better
tomorrow than what they were today or yesterday and stuff.
So yeah, but all in all, on yeah, really looking
forward to twenty twenty six. And god, I'm just you know,
I just hope that their farmers get a bit of
(44:56):
a breather over the Christmas period, even if it's an
afternoon off. We know how hard they work a year
and day in and day out. So yeah, just excited
for our farmers to have a just a fear the
continuation of the season and you know, out into the future.
I think it's really possible.
Speaker 1 (45:21):
Jared Stockman of derrian zid there wrapping up the best
of the Muster and that is us done and dusted
for twoenty twenty five. Where has the year going, Well,
it doesn't matter because it's almost Christmas. Right. My name's
Andy Mueller. You've been listening to the Best of the Muster.
Thank you very much for being part of the show
over the past twelve months. I do appreciate all the
(45:44):
feedback we get here on the program. Make sure you
get a break over the Christmas season. We'll be back
on January the twelfth, begger and better than ever before
for twenty twenty six. Merry Christmas. Speedible fulco and rye.
Speaker 6 (46:08):
That's fa.
Speaker 1 (46:11):
The snow. We'll make this Christmas.
Speaker 4 (46:19):
Rid my frame?
Speaker 3 (46:25):
Who milsha?
Speaker 1 (46:30):
This spression none because it's Christmas. Yes, it's Christmas. Than God,
it's Christmas.
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