June 2, 2026 • 10 mins
Disaster McMaster has a chat from California where he is on holiday for a few weeks.
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Speaker 1 (00:09):
Grant disaster. McMaster joins us once again. Thanks him ativid
RB Rural. However, he's gone international once again. We catch
him from California, of all places, get a disaster. Good
to catch up once again.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
Yeah, good afternoon, Ay, good afternoon everybody. Yeah, we're in
California in a place called Ohai, not the Ohai in
western South And as we talked about, I think it
was last week before I left, so you came over
here for a wedding which was in a place called Ventura,
a couple of hours out of La. Got into La
on on Thursday, sort of afternoon and got a shuttle
(00:45):
from from La up to Ventura, where the wedding has
been and been. Yeah, it's been all go since then.
A few a bit of a New Zealand contingent at
the wedding, which has been great. And yeah, we've enjoyed
a lot of hospital So at the moment, as I say,
we've we've shipped from Uri just half an hour road
(01:05):
to Ohai, and today we went and had a look
at We drove the California coast to Santa Barbara, which
was a pretty cool place up there. And I suppose
we tomorrow we're heading down to Malibou to have a
look at Malibu and then on Thursday we catched the
(01:26):
catch the train to San Francisco up the California coast.
We'll be there for three or four days before we
will report.
Speaker 3 (01:33):
Next week from being in Oregon.
Speaker 2 (01:35):
But I guess we'll be able to talk a bit
of farming while I'm here. And because that's what arby rurals,
that's why they pay you and I the big money.
Speaker 3 (01:43):
So at least big money.
Speaker 4 (01:45):
It's not me.
Speaker 2 (01:47):
Well, I was actually thinking of you at the time,
but in Smithy still doesn't come back with that travel pack.
Speaker 3 (01:52):
For me either, so we must work on that. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (01:55):
So Santa Barbara, that's the biggest producer of agriculture in
the United States. And you can tell by when you're
driving along beautiful soils and very dry and needs water.
We don't we don't see the big irrigators, but they
must have a lot of kay line and what have you.
Speaker 3 (02:10):
So just you know, as I said, strawberries is the
biggest export.
Speaker 2 (02:16):
From the from the Santa Barbara counties is seven hundred
and twenty eight million dollars of strawberries, say export one
hundred and ten million dollars in coulieflyir one hundred and
four million, broccoli nursery seedlings, ninety eight million, wine grapes,
ninety four million, avocados eighty million, LESSUS seventy eight million,
(02:37):
salary sixty one million in BlackBerry's forty six million, and
most of those strawberries go to Canada, Mexico or most
of that produce, but especially strawberries, and most strawberries go
to Canada by lad by, Mexico, Kuwait, Saudi Sudi and Japan.
So that's I didn't see New Zealand anywhere on the
(02:57):
information I got, So, yeah, it's a big producing area,
but it's it's a very arid hill around the place
around California. You can see where those when those wildfires
get going, they don't stop. And it was Ohio where
we are now, when those big fires went through.
Speaker 3 (03:18):
Six or seven years ago.
Speaker 2 (03:19):
The whole the towns and there's about seven thousand people
in the town, but it's sort of in a basin,
and the whole basin burnt the whole three undred and
sixty degrees and there were a few things lost, but
you know the majority of the city was all right.
So it's for a mountainous area that's just looks very
much like the Mediterranean to be fair. You know that
(03:40):
brackening crap.
Speaker 3 (03:42):
And or briar. It's not bright, but all those bushes.
Speaker 2 (03:47):
But on the valley floors it's you know, it's really
really fertile. But you can see when they get the
rain it absolutely paused because there's massive boulders. And for
the people who have been up to the Milford and
looked at the mighty Hollyford River stopped down there at
Gunner's camp, you can see, you know, there's a lot
of boulders in that river.
Speaker 3 (04:03):
Well, at the moment, the river beds here are.
Speaker 2 (04:05):
Dry and there's boulders as big as trucks and probably
bigger that just you know, tumbled down every year. So
when it rains, it rains, but then it's hot for
a long time, and that's why they produce so much,
I guess.
Speaker 4 (04:18):
So you won't be saying much in the way of livestock.
Speaker 2 (04:20):
There, Well, I know we haven't. Actually I saw about
thirty calves the other day. So another one of the
reasons we're here is some young guy that.
Speaker 3 (04:31):
We went to his wedding.
Speaker 2 (04:32):
His family farm were at close burning and they are
American well and you said then citizens, but also Americans,
and the kids were the parents even went to There's
a high school over here called Thatcher and it's it
was actually started in the eighteen sixties by a family
from the from the East coast up in the cold areas.
(04:52):
They bought land down here and because it was a
better climate and they started a school. And that's still
That's Hall is still going and it's it's quite a
it's a pretty popular school and you know, difficult to
get into, but it's it has it has a big
(05:15):
outdoor camping are curriculum and things like that, so that
the school has one hundred and thirty horses, two hundred
and sixty students and it's a high school. So basically
what in my all I know is like sort of
Form three to the seventh form and the first year
those students get there that they get taught to ride
(05:37):
a horse and part of that part of their curriculum
is like Jim Krner's and jumping and lots of lots
of Jim Carnah work and they all become.
Speaker 3 (05:45):
Pretty proficient at riding horses.
Speaker 2 (05:46):
So the privilege of getting up there the other day
and getting a hay burner and a few of us
went for a bit of a ride up round the
trails and yeah, pretty spectacular horse. You know, you get
a bit of height and look down and but it's
been a Negro culture.
Speaker 3 (06:00):
Was not an agriculture college, but it's.
Speaker 2 (06:02):
A it's a school that's a lot of you know,
clever people have gone to, including me having a look around.
But yeah, that was fascinating just to see and and
that school was set up from to basically, and I
think we probably need a few of them to get
kids that came from pretty good backgrounds and may have
been a bit spoiled and what didn't want to work,
(06:23):
So they introduced the horse, and you know that first year,
every day they've got a horse to look after and work.
So yeah, it's it's quite one of the old values,
but it's sort of something I can relate to and
agree with.
Speaker 1 (06:38):
Disaster, How would you describe the mood of the people
you've seen in the political sense.
Speaker 2 (06:43):
Well, in California, i'd be you wouldn't have to, you know,
if you were you know, there's a couple of things
I was always taught you shouldn't discuss religion or politics.
Speaker 3 (06:53):
But you know in California they're very.
Speaker 2 (06:56):
They're all democratics, Democrats, so I should say, so you
know there's what's happening.
Speaker 3 (07:04):
Around the world.
Speaker 2 (07:05):
They're not in their country, they're not that happy with
I know, whening we went to there'd be one hundreds
something people that apparently there was. There was one Republican
there and very nice person too. But yes, at the
moment you wouldn't you know. Day to day you wouldn't
know there was what the United States were up to.
Speaker 3 (07:22):
It's just like being in Gore or Queenstown.
Speaker 2 (07:25):
You know, people aren't just going about their about their
way so different if in little groups and start talking,
you know that's yeah, there's a fear of everybody's sort
of they're all as I said, this area is all
Democrats anyway and.
Speaker 3 (07:39):
Renowned for it. But the day to day you wouldn't
know that.
Speaker 2 (07:42):
You know, people a friend if you if you need
some directions, only too happy to help and all very polite,
you know, yes sir and old but yes ma'am, yes
sir and very very very very down.
Speaker 3 (07:53):
To earth people.
Speaker 4 (07:54):
So how do you get on driving over there?
Speaker 1 (07:55):
I believe you've got to you've hired a vehicle. I
mean it's a bit different a driving Aroundanstown. In fact,
the comparison's there. It's like barn munroad trying to get
to the body of themself flats, not knowing what side
of the road to be on.
Speaker 2 (08:06):
Well, I know how it felt, because it takes a
bit of getting your head around, to be quite truthful.
Speaker 3 (08:13):
And yes, so we think we didn't.
Speaker 2 (08:18):
We didn't have to drive out of our a we've
got to shuttle and the next day we went and
got it, got dropped off to get a rental car.
And that's a bit of a baptism a fire really,
because you know, Ventura is not far out of out
of LA so there's a lot of traffic around and
those freeways they go pretty quick. So pick the car
up and you know you get on the wrong side
(08:38):
for the start. We think every time you go to
put the seat bet on, you put your arm out,
there's no belt there, uh, and you turn the indicators on,
the wipers go. But apart from that, thank goodness, we've
got those GPS's and they tell you what to do.
But you know it's great when you you know the
old thing they say keep the keep the yellow line
(09:00):
to your to your side and the passenger side towards
the footpath, and that that's all very well when you're
going along the motorway or you know, going along the
street where it's two way or whatever.
Speaker 3 (09:11):
But you've got to really have you what's.
Speaker 2 (09:13):
About you When you get to an intersection and you
say turning left, Well, you've got to remember not to
just shoot down the left hand side.
Speaker 3 (09:22):
You've got to go right over and turn right.
Speaker 2 (09:24):
So you're constantly thinking about that, and yeah.
Speaker 3 (09:28):
It's it's getting easier. I think probably looking back on it,
would I want to drive out of La No?
Speaker 2 (09:36):
But could I I think after being a week, well,
you know it's a few days driving here, what's the
GPS and to knowing how it works, you probably could.
Speaker 3 (09:43):
So easy to talk yourself out of it.
Speaker 2 (09:46):
But yeah, certainly it's not like driving through Queenstown or anywhere.
And it's got one hand on the wheel and the other, well,
the other on the window, and you know it relaxes
the old ten to two with me here on the
wheel and as a book moving ahead, and.
Speaker 3 (10:01):
Don't even lot the radio on in case i's something.
Speaker 4 (10:03):
Hey, good on your grant.
Speaker 1 (10:04):
Will you carry on spreading the word of ab rural
throughout the Californian state.
Speaker 4 (10:08):
We'll catch up with you next week. Great to care,
Great to catch up as always.
Speaker 2 (10:12):
Yeah, we're talking from being in Oregon and that's the
timber country up there, so I might have a change
your story for us. Laugh out loud with agg proud
because life on the land can be a laughing matter.
Speaker 4 (10:26):
Brought to us by sheer Well.
Speaker 2 (10:27):
Data working to help the livestock farmer.
Speaker 1 (10:30):
What do you call a beehive that doesn't have an exit? Unbelievable?
Good to catch up a disaster while he's on tour
over in the States. They we'll leave it there for
the afternoon of gorgeous day outside LOLd.
Speaker 4 (10:45):
May this continue. My name's Andy MUIRR.
Speaker 1 (10:47):
Of course, the muster is brought to you by Peter's Genetics.
Pop us up shortly, see you tomorrow.
Grant disaster. McMaster joins us once again. Thanks him ativid
RB Rural. However, he's gone international once again. We catch
him from California, of all places, get a disaster. Good
to catch up once again.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
Yeah, good afternoon, Ay, good afternoon everybody. Yeah, we're in
California in a place called Ohai, not the Ohai in
western South And as we talked about, I think it
was last week before I left, so you came over
here for a wedding which was in a place called Ventura,
a couple of hours out of La. Got into La
on on Thursday, sort of afternoon and got a shuttle
(00:45):
from from La up to Ventura, where the wedding has
been and been. Yeah, it's been all go since then.
A few a bit of a New Zealand contingent at
the wedding, which has been great. And yeah, we've enjoyed
a lot of hospital So at the moment, as I say,
we've we've shipped from Uri just half an hour road
(01:05):
to Ohai, and today we went and had a look
at We drove the California coast to Santa Barbara, which
was a pretty cool place up there. And I suppose
we tomorrow we're heading down to Malibou to have a
look at Malibu and then on Thursday we catched the
(01:26):
catch the train to San Francisco up the California coast.
We'll be there for three or four days before we
will report.
Speaker 3 (01:33):
Next week from being in Oregon.
Speaker 2 (01:35):
But I guess we'll be able to talk a bit
of farming while I'm here. And because that's what arby rurals,
that's why they pay you and I the big money.
Speaker 3 (01:43):
So at least big money.
Speaker 4 (01:45):
It's not me.
Speaker 2 (01:47):
Well, I was actually thinking of you at the time,
but in Smithy still doesn't come back with that travel pack.
Speaker 3 (01:52):
For me either, so we must work on that. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (01:55):
So Santa Barbara, that's the biggest producer of agriculture in
the United States. And you can tell by when you're
driving along beautiful soils and very dry and needs water.
We don't we don't see the big irrigators, but they
must have a lot of kay line and what have you.
Speaker 3 (02:10):
So just you know, as I said, strawberries is the
biggest export.
Speaker 2 (02:16):
From the from the Santa Barbara counties is seven hundred
and twenty eight million dollars of strawberries, say export one
hundred and ten million dollars in coulieflyir one hundred and
four million, broccoli nursery seedlings, ninety eight million, wine grapes,
ninety four million, avocados eighty million, LESSUS seventy eight million,
(02:37):
salary sixty one million in BlackBerry's forty six million, and
most of those strawberries go to Canada, Mexico or most
of that produce, but especially strawberries, and most strawberries go
to Canada by lad by, Mexico, Kuwait, Saudi Sudi and Japan.
So that's I didn't see New Zealand anywhere on the
(02:57):
information I got, So, yeah, it's a big producing area,
but it's it's a very arid hill around the place
around California. You can see where those when those wildfires
get going, they don't stop. And it was Ohio where
we are now, when those big fires went through.
Speaker 3 (03:18):
Six or seven years ago.
Speaker 2 (03:19):
The whole the towns and there's about seven thousand people
in the town, but it's sort of in a basin,
and the whole basin burnt the whole three undred and
sixty degrees and there were a few things lost, but
you know the majority of the city was all right.
So it's for a mountainous area that's just looks very
much like the Mediterranean to be fair. You know that
(03:40):
brackening crap.
Speaker 3 (03:42):
And or briar. It's not bright, but all those bushes.
Speaker 2 (03:47):
But on the valley floors it's you know, it's really
really fertile. But you can see when they get the
rain it absolutely paused because there's massive boulders. And for
the people who have been up to the Milford and
looked at the mighty Hollyford River stopped down there at
Gunner's camp, you can see, you know, there's a lot
of boulders in that river.
Speaker 3 (04:03):
Well, at the moment, the river beds here are.
Speaker 2 (04:05):
Dry and there's boulders as big as trucks and probably
bigger that just you know, tumbled down every year. So
when it rains, it rains, but then it's hot for
a long time, and that's why they produce so much,
I guess.
Speaker 4 (04:18):
So you won't be saying much in the way of livestock.
Speaker 2 (04:20):
There, Well, I know we haven't. Actually I saw about
thirty calves the other day. So another one of the
reasons we're here is some young guy that.
Speaker 3 (04:31):
We went to his wedding.
Speaker 2 (04:32):
His family farm were at close burning and they are
American well and you said then citizens, but also Americans,
and the kids were the parents even went to There's
a high school over here called Thatcher and it's it
was actually started in the eighteen sixties by a family
from the from the East coast up in the cold areas.
(04:52):
They bought land down here and because it was a
better climate and they started a school. And that's still
That's Hall is still going and it's it's quite a
it's a pretty popular school and you know, difficult to
get into, but it's it has it has a big
(05:15):
outdoor camping are curriculum and things like that, so that
the school has one hundred and thirty horses, two hundred
and sixty students and it's a high school. So basically
what in my all I know is like sort of
Form three to the seventh form and the first year
those students get there that they get taught to ride
(05:37):
a horse and part of that part of their curriculum
is like Jim Krner's and jumping and lots of lots
of Jim Carnah work and they all become.
Speaker 3 (05:45):
Pretty proficient at riding horses.
Speaker 2 (05:46):
So the privilege of getting up there the other day
and getting a hay burner and a few of us
went for a bit of a ride up round the
trails and yeah, pretty spectacular horse. You know, you get
a bit of height and look down and but it's
been a Negro culture.
Speaker 3 (06:00):
Was not an agriculture college, but it's.
Speaker 2 (06:02):
A it's a school that's a lot of you know,
clever people have gone to, including me having a look around.
But yeah, that was fascinating just to see and and
that school was set up from to basically, and I
think we probably need a few of them to get
kids that came from pretty good backgrounds and may have
been a bit spoiled and what didn't want to work,
(06:23):
So they introduced the horse, and you know that first year,
every day they've got a horse to look after and work.
So yeah, it's it's quite one of the old values,
but it's sort of something I can relate to and
agree with.
Speaker 1 (06:38):
Disaster, How would you describe the mood of the people
you've seen in the political sense.
Speaker 2 (06:43):
Well, in California, i'd be you wouldn't have to, you know,
if you were you know, there's a couple of things
I was always taught you shouldn't discuss religion or politics.
Speaker 3 (06:53):
But you know in California they're very.
Speaker 2 (06:56):
They're all democratics, Democrats, so I should say, so you
know there's what's happening.
Speaker 3 (07:04):
Around the world.
Speaker 2 (07:05):
They're not in their country, they're not that happy with
I know, whening we went to there'd be one hundreds
something people that apparently there was. There was one Republican
there and very nice person too. But yes, at the
moment you wouldn't you know. Day to day you wouldn't
know there was what the United States were up to.
Speaker 3 (07:22):
It's just like being in Gore or Queenstown.
Speaker 2 (07:25):
You know, people aren't just going about their about their
way so different if in little groups and start talking,
you know that's yeah, there's a fear of everybody's sort
of they're all as I said, this area is all
Democrats anyway and.
Speaker 3 (07:39):
Renowned for it. But the day to day you wouldn't
know that.
Speaker 2 (07:42):
You know, people a friend if you if you need
some directions, only too happy to help and all very polite,
you know, yes sir and old but yes ma'am, yes
sir and very very very very down.
Speaker 3 (07:53):
To earth people.
Speaker 4 (07:54):
So how do you get on driving over there?
Speaker 1 (07:55):
I believe you've got to you've hired a vehicle. I
mean it's a bit different a driving Aroundanstown. In fact,
the comparison's there. It's like barn munroad trying to get
to the body of themself flats, not knowing what side
of the road to be on.
Speaker 2 (08:06):
Well, I know how it felt, because it takes a
bit of getting your head around, to be quite truthful.
Speaker 3 (08:13):
And yes, so we think we didn't.
Speaker 2 (08:18):
We didn't have to drive out of our a we've
got to shuttle and the next day we went and
got it, got dropped off to get a rental car.
And that's a bit of a baptism a fire really,
because you know, Ventura is not far out of out
of LA so there's a lot of traffic around and
those freeways they go pretty quick. So pick the car
up and you know you get on the wrong side
(08:38):
for the start. We think every time you go to
put the seat bet on, you put your arm out,
there's no belt there, uh, and you turn the indicators on,
the wipers go. But apart from that, thank goodness, we've
got those GPS's and they tell you what to do.
But you know it's great when you you know the
old thing they say keep the keep the yellow line
(09:00):
to your to your side and the passenger side towards
the footpath, and that that's all very well when you're
going along the motorway or you know, going along the
street where it's two way or whatever.
Speaker 3 (09:11):
But you've got to really have you what's.
Speaker 2 (09:13):
About you When you get to an intersection and you
say turning left, Well, you've got to remember not to
just shoot down the left hand side.
Speaker 3 (09:22):
You've got to go right over and turn right.
Speaker 2 (09:24):
So you're constantly thinking about that, and yeah.
Speaker 3 (09:28):
It's it's getting easier. I think probably looking back on it,
would I want to drive out of La No?
Speaker 2 (09:36):
But could I I think after being a week, well,
you know it's a few days driving here, what's the
GPS and to knowing how it works, you probably could.
Speaker 3 (09:43):
So easy to talk yourself out of it.
Speaker 2 (09:46):
But yeah, certainly it's not like driving through Queenstown or anywhere.
And it's got one hand on the wheel and the other, well,
the other on the window, and you know it relaxes
the old ten to two with me here on the
wheel and as a book moving ahead, and.
Speaker 3 (10:01):
Don't even lot the radio on in case i's something.
Speaker 4 (10:03):
Hey, good on your grant.
Speaker 1 (10:04):
Will you carry on spreading the word of ab rural
throughout the Californian state.
Speaker 4 (10:08):
We'll catch up with you next week. Great to care,
Great to catch up as always.
Speaker 2 (10:12):
Yeah, we're talking from being in Oregon and that's the
timber country up there, so I might have a change
your story for us. Laugh out loud with agg proud
because life on the land can be a laughing matter.
Speaker 4 (10:26):
Brought to us by sheer Well.
Speaker 2 (10:27):
Data working to help the livestock farmer.
Speaker 1 (10:30):
What do you call a beehive that doesn't have an exit? Unbelievable?
Good to catch up a disaster while he's on tour
over in the States. They we'll leave it there for
the afternoon of gorgeous day outside LOLd.
Speaker 4 (10:45):
May this continue. My name's Andy MUIRR.
Speaker 1 (10:47):
Of course, the muster is brought to you by Peter's Genetics.
Pop us up shortly, see you tomorrow.
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