CSB - Gordon McPhail - General Manager of Farming at LeaderBrand

Thanks to a record hot, and dry spring on the East Cape, LeaderBrand sweet corn will be hitting supermarkets early this year.  

  

The first corn fields were planted in early August and expected to mature the week of Christmas but this year the first LeaderBrand cobs will be in store at the end of the week, two weeks earlier than scheduled.     

  

Gordon McPhail, General Manager of Farming says that sweet corn thrives on hot weather and Mother Nature has delivered in abundance this year. In fact, this is the first time in several years that LeaderBrand will be planting and harvesting corn in the same week.  

“This spring, the weather is breaking records on the East Cape which has been perfect for our corn and melon crops. The high temperature and long days are perfect to create creamy corn packed full of sweetness.  

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Sport, the latest from the land and just great rock.

Speaker 2 (00:04):
It's the Country Sport Breakfast with Brian Kelly on Gold Sport,
your home of live commentary. Well, it's time to talk
beautiful sweet corn now, which is one of New Zealand's
favorite vegetables that seems to always push strawberries off the
number one spot when it hits the stores. And the
good news is that out of the East Cape, the

(00:25):
Gisbane region and out of Leeder Brand sweet corners about
to hit the supermarkets. Joining us this morning, Gordon McPhie,
general manager of farming at Leeder Brand. Morning, Gordon, good morning,
how are we very well? Thank you? Mother Nature's being
kind to you guys in Gisbon this year.

Speaker 1 (00:41):
It has, it has and I'm like it's about time.
But no, we're off to an absolute cracking start this year. Yeah.

Speaker 2 (00:47):
I mean you've taken a hammering over the past few years.
Have you recovered from those those awful storms? Yeah?

Speaker 1 (00:54):
Look, I think on the surface we have you know,
it's probably taken twelve wants to get to get our
land and our crops is a reflection of that back
in good shape. But now if you look around now,
by and large the place has recovered. Obviously, you've still
got some of those scars here which are trying to
deal with, but now everything's looking up and mentally every

(01:17):
run's in the right space as well, especially after a
bit of weather like this.

Speaker 2 (01:21):
Yeah, you've had some very hot, dry weather and that
suited the sweet corn crop in particular, hasn't it. Yeah?

Speaker 1 (01:27):
Yeah, yeah, Well, look, we've had an excellent start to
the spring. We had an early start and since then
it hasn't really looked back, you know, And I think
even even today we're up for over thirty degrees and
we have been most of the week as well. So
sweet corn loves that kind of weather, heats of sunshine,
heats and warmth. So things are looking good.

Speaker 2 (01:48):
So people are hanging up for sweet corn. And I
believe it'll be in the stores. What a couple of
weeks earlier than normal? Yeah?

Speaker 1 (01:54):
Yeah, it always comes in and drops and rams at
this time year, but from a consistent seeing from a
volume perspective, you we're probably a couple of weeks early.
We'll be into it on Monday next week, so we'll
see it in stall pretty soon after that. But yeah,
certainly that early spring and the hot temperatures since of
efcertainly help bring it forward.

Speaker 2 (02:15):
You know. So as soon as you pick the sweet corn,
how quick does it does it sort of end up
in the in the supermarkets? I mean, what's the process?

Speaker 1 (02:24):
Yeah, look, i'd like to think that that you're going
to see it. You know, you're going to see it.
We've got it on a truck the next day, the
next morning, so we're picking it. We're getting in a
chiller straight away, you know, with a couple of hours
of harvest and bringing it down to temperature, and then
we're putting it on a truck the next day. So
within twenty four forty eight hours, you're largely seeing it

(02:46):
in the store. And that's how you got to do it.
You've got to you've got to eat it fresh. You've
got to keep it moving, you know, otherwise you're only
losing flavor.

Speaker 2 (02:55):
Oh nothing beats sweet corn on the barbecue, just slightly
grilled them with a little bit of butter and salt
on top. It's just beautiful, isn't it. Yeah.

Speaker 1 (03:03):
Yeah, that's actually my favorite way as well. I he
people just like the traditional way of balling it up
in a bit of salt. But hey, I'm I'm a
barbecue fan. Again, just just a pinch of salt on
there and you get that that bit of that Christy
favor is excellent.

Speaker 2 (03:18):
What's the secret then, to buying the perfect piece of
the perfect cob of sweet corn? What should people look for?

Speaker 1 (03:26):
Oh? I think look, typically you're looking for something that
looked like good color, like you want some good fresh
green color on the husk and that sort of you
know that in takes a bit of freshness, and and
then I think you're looking for, you know, a nice plump,
sort of round cob. You know that shows that it's
been sort of filled out and mature, and it's always

(03:46):
hard to try and feel the maturity, but trying to
get something that feels full on the tap end as well.
Not all cobs are, but certainly trying to fill that
tupp end and make sure that's full. But yeah, and
looking for nice dark sort of castles that shows that
it's been hanging out near to to full maturity as well.

Speaker 2 (04:07):
Fantastic sounds real tasty and as far as the rest
of the crops have consumed, what else is coming online
at the moment.

Speaker 1 (04:13):
Yeah, I think in likewise, like with corn, you know,
everything is everything has benefited from a nice hot, dry
springs start to summer. But is it the moment? Salads
are our big ones, you know, so we're really pushing
salads a big part of our business. And again a
real summer staple, not that we don't need it a

(04:35):
year around, but a real summer staple and salad. So
that's one that's really thriving at the moment. But I
suppose in behind sweet corn and just after Christmas in
years as watermelons, you know, as I speak, I'm literally
standing in a watermelon crop that's oh, i'd say almost
the same as corn, you know, coming forward a week
or two. So that's fucking promising as well.

Speaker 2 (04:56):
Fantastic Well, Mother nature is certainly playing playing her role
in the weather on the East Cape a good and
east cape. Nice to catch up mate. You're doing a
great job at Leader Brand.

Speaker 1 (05:06):
Thanks guys, appreciate it.

Speaker 2 (05:08):
Failed general manager at a Leader Brand. And the sweet
corn it's hungry thinking about it. With a nice piece
of steak. It'll be in your local supermarket probably this week.
Great