January 20, 2026 • 8 mins
James Edgar looks at what the year ahead holds at his Moa Flat farm.
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Speaker 1 (00:04):
Pigging out of the business, putting them in. What do
you have to do it? James Egger farms at Mala
Flatt and joins us this afternoon on the Muster. James,
good afternoon and welcome to twenty twenty six.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
Oh how's it going, Andy? Yeah it was. I think
that's the It's been the worst bit of intro music
I've had all year.
Speaker 1 (00:27):
Actually, Oh yeah, funny that hang on, hang.
Speaker 2 (00:30):
On, oink. I've been on the show.
Speaker 1 (00:34):
Really, don Henley, give yourself enough a cap of friend.
Speaker 2 (00:39):
I don't think I'm a fane. Actually I've actually led
me out with Ecla or something like that. That was
margin on one other day. But yeah, no, I don't
know if I was into that one.
Speaker 1 (00:48):
Anyhow. We're just doing gresson. We're talking farming here, mate.
Hell's everything being.
Speaker 2 (00:52):
No, it's been really good, Andy, it's good. Good Christmas
break and we'd it's been good. Still possibly a little
bit dry, but yeah, we're fingers crossed. We keep playing ball.
But we've got Clover back like we haven't seen and
we was sort of talking eight or nine years off
off the radio there before. Since the route weave all
like it's just back and that's making a significant difference.
(01:15):
The lambs and the stock are just doing well. So no,
that's great. We've just had the helicopter boys there today
are just finished loading them up. So we put last
of the urea on the fodder beat and kale. We
used to do urea on the swedes, but we've dropped
it three or four years ago and we haven't noticed
(01:35):
any yield negativity, you know, dropping there my understanding with swedes.
We've drilling with one hundred and fifty on the spout
of the ap it's planning there and then apparently swedes
like pea. But I certainly definitely do a urea on
the kale and also on the fodder beats. No, there's
(01:56):
no shortage of jobs still at this time of the
year to be a farmer. But yeah, nice when the
process are good and the weather is good and the
grass is you know, you've got grass and yeah, no,
it's quite enjoyable actually, So.
Speaker 1 (02:08):
You're getting lambs away at pretty reasonable waits.
Speaker 2 (02:12):
Yeah, we're just sort of starting. We finished at waning Lot.
We took something out to January. We averaged it Whanning.
We would have averaged about eighteen seven eighty eight, so
that was good and possibly I think last year we're
about thirty three percent of the lambs away waning this
ye'll be a down. It's probably when you seven twenty
(02:34):
eight percent there, but they're waning, wait to higher. So
we went a bit heavier. So and then we've been
leaving everything. Had a first draft of some lambs last
week and there was sort of twenty one case you'll
hopefully stay there, but yes, here we go. It's interesting.
I had a couple of guys asked me round the place.
(02:55):
If you remember, about the tenth of December, we drenched
and vaccinated some lame, some single lambs in a riverside
and put them back with mum and we reckoned our
average forty one k's at the time. So we put
them back out and then we bring them back in.
It was just under three weeks later and we worked
out they were doing you know, we're still doing five
(03:15):
hundred grams a day, so that was quite propably, we
got ninety six percent of the mob, but I can't
remember what it was. Twenty point out was something like that.
It was heavy, so that was certainly interesting. Bit of
an eye opener. The top lamb in one hundred and
five days. It was sixty two tilos. So that just
shows you how fast they can grow if we get
(03:36):
this farming right.
Speaker 1 (03:38):
Absolutely. As far as wind though, it's been in this
year around a lot of parts of the province, especially
over the past couple of weeks. How are you looking there,
I'll imagine because you're up pretty high, it would be
a bit of a concern.
Speaker 2 (03:50):
You had a lot of winds the other day there
was one. It was there about ten days ago. It
was I was a teen. We had another big wind event. Anyway,
we lost quite a few more trees, so there was
that was exciting. But anyway, that's life. And you know,
I just turned the helicopter pilot before he said, that's
the last job today. I've been winded off everywhere. So
(04:11):
the Yeah, I'm sure it's frustrating everyone in puting the contractors,
the spraying contractors. A bet they're going flat out when
the when the weather the windows are there, because yeah,
it's just been one of those seasons, isn't it. But yeah,
did you off? As long as it keeps raining, I'll
be happy.
Speaker 1 (04:27):
I suppose you say you had another window then I
think was that on that Friday a couple of weeks
ago by chance.
Speaker 2 (04:33):
Yeah, it must have been. Look, i've been we've had
other stuff on and been fishing in a few different things,
so I put it out of my brain. But yeah,
that was there was a couple of weeks ago, and
yeah we lost more trees and well over fences and yeah,
and I thought, oh Jesus, just the year that keeps giving.
It was just about PTSD. I reckon because I think
we've had what do we have. I've had a week
of quite calm weather before that, and then yeah, come
(04:55):
back again. I said, Oh, but anyway, it's part of
being with nature, isn't it.
Speaker 1 (05:01):
Well, you've got firewood, you know, life gives the lemons
make lemonade.
Speaker 2 (05:05):
Yeah. Absolutely, No, I've not been your file, but I
don't think we're getting through that anytime soon. We're still waiting.
We've got oh some down at Riverside. We'll have to
get the forestry contractors in, so that might be a
significant wait, but we'll take the opportunity. There's been twenty
percent of a hedgerow blowover. Great big old microcarp is
at probably one hundred years old, so we're just it's
(05:28):
not for us to do. You know, it's too big
a job for somebodyho doesn't know what they're doing. So
we'll wait, wait till the professionals getting here, and we'll
just take the rest of the line out and maybe
use the opportunity with the big year to clean up
some other big trees that around the place and try
and mitigate the risk of it happening again, because you know,
there's certainly no doubt there will be other big wind events.
And yeah, those big old trees, they just get to
(05:50):
the get to the end of their life spand don't
they and they start sort of cracking and falling, and
you're just waiting, waiting for something else to happen.
Speaker 1 (05:58):
James, we spoke to you, I had twelve to fifteen
months ago, and you were going to wear a T
shirt around saying ten dollars per kg for LAMB. Well
we've surpassed that. Are you going to have a T
shirt saying twelve dollars per kg for LAMB? Now?
Speaker 2 (06:12):
Yeah, it's good. It's certainly going to be interesting. No,
I don't This is the level. This is exciting, you know,
and I think it's good for everyone who process in
the countries. You know, we've got shed and beef industry
employs a lot of people as well, so and there's
a lot of people in the rural towns like you know.
I just think it's really important to have a strong
sheep and beef sector because you need to sell a
(06:32):
variety of products overseas because as we know, the commodities
go up and down, so you know, you need a
good variety. I don't think it's good for anyone when
one sector is just so far down like what we
were eighteen months ago. And yes, certainly amazing the turnaround
in eighteen months. I was talking at the Alive Stag
Sail and I was talking to a few other deer
(06:54):
farmers there and the course of alpht price is absolutely terrible.
And I said, the great irony I said about eighteen
months ago on the sheep industry, we were going to
put a big sticker on it and call it a failure.
But eighteen months later we're now at redwood prices. So
it just goes to show, you know, if you can
get the supply right and supply the right amount to
the right markets, you know, the prices are definitely there
(07:17):
and it's really exciting. So you know what I hope
to see is, you know, two or three years, as
we keep going through this commodity cycle, that's that's what
would be would be really beneficial.
Speaker 1 (07:28):
We might even see that a wall perhaps, who knows,
I may have seen silver linings of that sticktor lately.
Speaker 2 (07:34):
Yeah, no, we have. I'm apparently another good star again.
I must say I'm a serious wall skeptic. I was
as soon as they had a shedding sheet that was
any good and that could perform, I was definitely going
that way. It's just a lot of our labor, and
you know, it's hard on, hard on the guys and
and everyone. Lot of hard work and wall. But yeah, maybe, look,
(07:55):
I might have to eat my hat. I did not
see that coming back. But I'm hearing some of the
lembs will be about four over four dollars clean now,
So you were starting to hit in the right direction.
You know, I'd probably I'd probably put my T shirt
on with teen dollars of kilo, would say that's probably
the market that needs to be to be honest.
Speaker 1 (08:14):
So you're going to cross out lamb and put wool instead.
Speaker 2 (08:17):
Well, I might then bok ye, I'll have to leave both.
Speaker 1 (08:21):
Hey, good on you, James will leave it there. Good news,
I've managed to find another song from Don Hindley. You
might appreciate this when you're grabby bagger. Hell's that? Is
that better?
Speaker 2 (08:34):
Oh?
Speaker 1 (08:35):
I marginally the boys of Summer. You've got no culture.
You've got to go. Go on you, James yell, James
igor being a boys at us. Next time, mister Iger
Eric Roi is that next? You're listening to the Master
Pigging out of the business, putting them in. What do
you have to do it? James Egger farms at Mala
Flatt and joins us this afternoon on the Muster. James,
good afternoon and welcome to twenty twenty six.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
Oh how's it going, Andy? Yeah it was. I think
that's the It's been the worst bit of intro music
I've had all year.
Speaker 1 (00:27):
Actually, Oh yeah, funny that hang on, hang.
Speaker 2 (00:30):
On, oink. I've been on the show.
Speaker 1 (00:34):
Really, don Henley, give yourself enough a cap of friend.
Speaker 2 (00:39):
I don't think I'm a fane. Actually I've actually led
me out with Ecla or something like that. That was
margin on one other day. But yeah, no, I don't
know if I was into that one.
Speaker 1 (00:48):
Anyhow. We're just doing gresson. We're talking farming here, mate.
Hell's everything being.
Speaker 2 (00:52):
No, it's been really good, Andy, it's good. Good Christmas
break and we'd it's been good. Still possibly a little
bit dry, but yeah, we're fingers crossed. We keep playing ball.
But we've got Clover back like we haven't seen and
we was sort of talking eight or nine years off
off the radio there before. Since the route weave all
like it's just back and that's making a significant difference.
(01:15):
The lambs and the stock are just doing well. So no,
that's great. We've just had the helicopter boys there today
are just finished loading them up. So we put last
of the urea on the fodder beat and kale. We
used to do urea on the swedes, but we've dropped
it three or four years ago and we haven't noticed
(01:35):
any yield negativity, you know, dropping there my understanding with swedes.
We've drilling with one hundred and fifty on the spout
of the ap it's planning there and then apparently swedes
like pea. But I certainly definitely do a urea on
the kale and also on the fodder beats. No, there's
(01:56):
no shortage of jobs still at this time of the
year to be a farmer. But yeah, nice when the
process are good and the weather is good and the
grass is you know, you've got grass and yeah, no,
it's quite enjoyable actually, So.
Speaker 1 (02:08):
You're getting lambs away at pretty reasonable waits.
Speaker 2 (02:12):
Yeah, we're just sort of starting. We finished at waning Lot.
We took something out to January. We averaged it Whanning.
We would have averaged about eighteen seven eighty eight, so
that was good and possibly I think last year we're
about thirty three percent of the lambs away waning this
ye'll be a down. It's probably when you seven twenty
(02:34):
eight percent there, but they're waning, wait to higher. So
we went a bit heavier. So and then we've been
leaving everything. Had a first draft of some lambs last
week and there was sort of twenty one case you'll
hopefully stay there, but yes, here we go. It's interesting.
I had a couple of guys asked me round the place.
(02:55):
If you remember, about the tenth of December, we drenched
and vaccinated some lame, some single lambs in a riverside
and put them back with mum and we reckoned our
average forty one k's at the time. So we put
them back out and then we bring them back in.
It was just under three weeks later and we worked
out they were doing you know, we're still doing five
(03:15):
hundred grams a day, so that was quite propably, we
got ninety six percent of the mob, but I can't
remember what it was. Twenty point out was something like that.
It was heavy, so that was certainly interesting. Bit of
an eye opener. The top lamb in one hundred and
five days. It was sixty two tilos. So that just
shows you how fast they can grow if we get
(03:36):
this farming right.
Speaker 1 (03:38):
Absolutely. As far as wind though, it's been in this
year around a lot of parts of the province, especially
over the past couple of weeks. How are you looking there,
I'll imagine because you're up pretty high, it would be
a bit of a concern.
Speaker 2 (03:50):
You had a lot of winds the other day there
was one. It was there about ten days ago. It
was I was a teen. We had another big wind event. Anyway,
we lost quite a few more trees, so there was
that was exciting. But anyway, that's life. And you know,
I just turned the helicopter pilot before he said, that's
the last job today. I've been winded off everywhere. So
(04:11):
the Yeah, I'm sure it's frustrating everyone in puting the contractors,
the spraying contractors. A bet they're going flat out when
the when the weather the windows are there, because yeah,
it's just been one of those seasons, isn't it. But yeah,
did you off? As long as it keeps raining, I'll
be happy.
Speaker 1 (04:27):
I suppose you say you had another window then I
think was that on that Friday a couple of weeks
ago by chance.
Speaker 2 (04:33):
Yeah, it must have been. Look, i've been we've had
other stuff on and been fishing in a few different things,
so I put it out of my brain. But yeah,
that was there was a couple of weeks ago, and
yeah we lost more trees and well over fences and yeah,
and I thought, oh Jesus, just the year that keeps giving.
It was just about PTSD. I reckon because I think
we've had what do we have. I've had a week
of quite calm weather before that, and then yeah, come
(04:55):
back again. I said, Oh, but anyway, it's part of
being with nature, isn't it.
Speaker 1 (05:01):
Well, you've got firewood, you know, life gives the lemons
make lemonade.
Speaker 2 (05:05):
Yeah. Absolutely, No, I've not been your file, but I
don't think we're getting through that anytime soon. We're still waiting.
We've got oh some down at Riverside. We'll have to
get the forestry contractors in, so that might be a
significant wait, but we'll take the opportunity. There's been twenty
percent of a hedgerow blowover. Great big old microcarp is
at probably one hundred years old, so we're just it's
(05:28):
not for us to do. You know, it's too big
a job for somebodyho doesn't know what they're doing. So
we'll wait, wait till the professionals getting here, and we'll
just take the rest of the line out and maybe
use the opportunity with the big year to clean up
some other big trees that around the place and try
and mitigate the risk of it happening again, because you know,
there's certainly no doubt there will be other big wind events.
And yeah, those big old trees, they just get to
(05:50):
the get to the end of their life spand don't
they and they start sort of cracking and falling, and
you're just waiting, waiting for something else to happen.
Speaker 1 (05:58):
James, we spoke to you, I had twelve to fifteen
months ago, and you were going to wear a T
shirt around saying ten dollars per kg for LAMB. Well
we've surpassed that. Are you going to have a T
shirt saying twelve dollars per kg for LAMB? Now?
Speaker 2 (06:12):
Yeah, it's good. It's certainly going to be interesting. No,
I don't This is the level. This is exciting, you know,
and I think it's good for everyone who process in
the countries. You know, we've got shed and beef industry
employs a lot of people as well, so and there's
a lot of people in the rural towns like you know.
I just think it's really important to have a strong
sheep and beef sector because you need to sell a
(06:32):
variety of products overseas because as we know, the commodities
go up and down, so you know, you need a
good variety. I don't think it's good for anyone when
one sector is just so far down like what we
were eighteen months ago. And yes, certainly amazing the turnaround
in eighteen months. I was talking at the Alive Stag
Sail and I was talking to a few other deer
(06:54):
farmers there and the course of alpht price is absolutely terrible.
And I said, the great irony I said about eighteen
months ago on the sheep industry, we were going to
put a big sticker on it and call it a failure.
But eighteen months later we're now at redwood prices. So
it just goes to show, you know, if you can
get the supply right and supply the right amount to
the right markets, you know, the prices are definitely there
(07:17):
and it's really exciting. So you know what I hope
to see is, you know, two or three years, as
we keep going through this commodity cycle, that's that's what
would be would be really beneficial.
Speaker 1 (07:28):
We might even see that a wall perhaps, who knows,
I may have seen silver linings of that sticktor lately.
Speaker 2 (07:34):
Yeah, no, we have. I'm apparently another good star again.
I must say I'm a serious wall skeptic. I was
as soon as they had a shedding sheet that was
any good and that could perform, I was definitely going
that way. It's just a lot of our labor, and
you know, it's hard on, hard on the guys and
and everyone. Lot of hard work and wall. But yeah, maybe, look,
(07:55):
I might have to eat my hat. I did not
see that coming back. But I'm hearing some of the
lembs will be about four over four dollars clean now,
So you were starting to hit in the right direction.
You know, I'd probably I'd probably put my T shirt
on with teen dollars of kilo, would say that's probably
the market that needs to be to be honest.
Speaker 1 (08:14):
So you're going to cross out lamb and put wool instead.
Speaker 2 (08:17):
Well, I might then bok ye, I'll have to leave both.
Speaker 1 (08:21):
Hey, good on you, James will leave it there. Good news,
I've managed to find another song from Don Hindley. You
might appreciate this when you're grabby bagger. Hell's that? Is
that better?
Speaker 2 (08:34):
Oh?
Speaker 1 (08:35):
I marginally the boys of Summer. You've got no culture.
You've got to go. Go on you, James yell, James
igor being a boys at us. Next time, mister Iger
Eric Roi is that next? You're listening to the Master
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