August 22, 2025 • 46 mins
Andy Muir talks to Andy Dennis, Mark Dillon, Matt Ward, Peter Allan and Matt Taylor.
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Speaker 1 (00:06):
Last night I have the strangers during a very good
morning and welcome to the Best of the Muster, brought
to you by Marco Fertiliza. My name's Andy Miller. Appreciate
your company. The Best of the Muster is a collaboration
of interviews that took our attention during a busy week
here at Hokanui HQ. And we start off Andandy Dennis
farming in the south proclaimed gold Coast of the South,
(00:29):
which is Manapori Keki, just goes over a few things,
how things are going in the lead into lambing, they
probably need a bit more tuck her up there on
the basin. Mark Dylan Plowman extraordinary. He joins us from
the Czech Republic where he's at yet another World Chams.
He's over there next year as well, and tells us
about what it's like for the logistics with a tractor
(00:50):
on the other side of the world. Matt Warb was
on the program.
Speaker 2 (00:54):
Now.
Speaker 1 (00:54):
I had the fortune to catch up with Matt last
week at the Beef and Lamb event here in Gore,
and he's a young guy really who has really switched
on with a lot of passion regarding the rural industry.
And I just thought a messaging was really on point
as well. Regarding the sector, Peter Allen talks Venison of
course farming at Glenure near Balfa. Been involved in the
(01:15):
industry for a very long time, and Pete thinks there's
a lot of good things to celebrate at the moment,
especially when you look at contracts for Venison on the likes.
So boy, he's going to catch up with Pete and
Matt Taylor. He farms up not far out of Garston
at Lawn Peak, and he talks about AI on the
farm and what it means looking into the future. And
(01:37):
you think about artificial intelligence and the way that it's
going to be used in the day to day operations,
especially in a rural sense. It's interesting, to say the least.
So we'll start the yur and ol with Andy Dennis.
Thanks to Marco Fertilizer. This is the best of the muster.
(02:08):
A wait a man of Pori this afternoon on the
must of the songs, just like Paradise. While Andy Kaka
Dennis farms just out of Menapori. He calls it the
gold Coast of the South Island and he joins us.
Thanks to Sergeant Dan's stock foods and the sergeant Dan
farmer around up this Monday afternoon. How are you?
Speaker 2 (02:24):
Yeah, very good than you know, we're taking away right. Yeah,
it's it rained last night, quite a good rain axtally,
so yeah, hopefully it sort of gets things going because
it's been a lovely August. But the grass is a
bit slow, it seems at the moment, so it might
actually need a drink, which was a bit random for August,
but that's okay.
Speaker 1 (02:44):
Yeah, a farmer asking for raid in South lond in August,
it's crazy.
Speaker 2 (02:50):
Well never ha recet. I'm not sure what I'm asking for,
but I'm sure I won't get it now I've asked
for it.
Speaker 1 (02:56):
Yeah, what's happening? Whether wiy is up there this morning?
Though it's sounds as though some parts of the region
have got a bit of snow on the ground.
Speaker 2 (03:03):
I'd say the rest of the basin's white, but now
don here, We're okay, just some rain. It was trying
to snow this morning but it stopped. But you know,
I just heard that sending kids back on the bus
bus kids out of college and the primary school, so
it must be still snowing and air and up towards
a key in it.
Speaker 1 (03:22):
It's just one of those winters. We feed utilization has
been really good.
Speaker 2 (03:26):
Yeah, look, yeah we needed one to go exactly here.
It heads to be fear up here. Yeah, that drive
cost us as far as cropping dage made. So it's
been good to use every bid up and have a
weab it. We've still got you know, the hinds can
start and cropping all the you know, middle of October,
so it's making sure they can do that and there's
(03:48):
enough feed disgreeezed through. So no, it's all really good.
Speaker 1 (03:51):
Yeah, when do you start landing.
Speaker 2 (03:54):
The first sort of the early next week and then
yeah that around and around and around. So yeah, no,
the news didn't scam well and doesn't sort of back
on conditions. So it'd be nice just to get a
sort of a easier September to be fair, just to
try and get some lambs on the ground. But I'm
(04:15):
sure it'll do what it'll do, and they're with that
far behind on rainfall this year. It's got to come
at some stage, so hopefully it's not too hard on
us KAKA.
Speaker 1 (04:24):
The Alliance groups for pose capital restructure, which includes dawn
meat s based out of violand what do you make
of it?
Speaker 2 (04:31):
Well, I'm gonna here hold us. I can't say too much,
but it certainly gets some alarm bells ringing as far
as the cart goes. If an Irish meat company that
was only established in nineteen eighty that only proceeds is
three and a half million lambs and million kettle a
year can go out and borrow that much, well, it's
(04:53):
worth five point six million apparently, so five point six billion, sorry,
versus a lot that's worth under and two million processes,
four and a half me and lambs, seven thousand years
and three and a half thousand kettle. But it seems
I'm alarm bells springing if that company's been able to
(05:14):
go out and borrow that amount of money and made
that much growth in the last thirty five years, and
it seems like we're just wallowing along. But I guess
it comes down to the location and population, which New
Zealand doesn't have. But you get like a sort of
when you read it like that, you get you feel
like you can kick them in the guts a weave it,
don't you.
Speaker 1 (05:32):
It's a case of the lions, though, they've got to
change their business model doing nothing is not an option.
And we find out that the shareholder meetings and the
lights in the next six to eight weeks, what's actually
going to heaven there?
Speaker 3 (05:44):
I mean, I'm not going to comment on.
Speaker 2 (05:46):
What they should do and what they should do, but
it just frustrates me when you know, our company in
Ireland does that well and down here in little old
New Zealand we're just battling away. Really, it just seems like, yeah,
that corstruct is definitely wrong, or we've got to change something. Yeah,
just try and get theirselves out. They're a bit more so,
(06:08):
you know, if the alliance they can't go and by
Turner and wn't turning seventy million, but a company like
that and Island can go under it, well, it's yea
a bit of a worrying that. It's just frustrating when
Silver and Farmas has to get Chinese interests to be
able to get into an overseas market better and get
better prices, and their alliance is going to have to
(06:30):
team up with, you know, a UK based company to
get the same benefits and the same excess. It's just
frustrating that New Zealand companies need overseas investment or overseas
sort of input to be able to achieve those things.
That's the frustrating part for me.
Speaker 1 (06:48):
And it's interesting. The doormats Worthy underbid is the Shanghai
mailing when they took the fifty percent shear holding a
silver firm back in twenty sixteen. So they've definitely want
to get involved. They've wanted to get involved in New
Zealand soon them.
Speaker 3 (07:00):
Later be able.
Speaker 2 (07:01):
They obviously they need the numbers up there, don't they,
because they've got the markets. Yeah, it just it pisses
off that New Zealand isn't They're not being made available
to New Zealand straight out. We've got to have someone
getting a piece of the pie in the meantime. But
that's just how it is. When they've got the population,
we've got the location. I suppose.
Speaker 1 (07:22):
Basically, you want to talk about Palmu, the artist formerly
known as land Corp.
Speaker 2 (07:27):
Well, yeah, firstly, I've just been reading a lot in
the paper. It should be sold and everything, and like
we're neighbored by land Corp. And there's a lot of
good people in the system, especially at farm level, but
it seems like selling the only benefit I see the
selling is there'll be more EMPHASI which might bring the
price down, so some of us, as next gen or
(07:49):
the generation below me, can actually achieve some farm ownership.
But I don't see, I don't see how selling is
going to work on more of the idea around leasing
the land. Yeah, so break these blocks up a bit
more to four hundred or eight hundred here farms, and
like the lease, he's going to have to come in
with the weaver of a weaver of equality, so maybe
(08:11):
one hundred of turn k depending on what size the
farm ends up. But are able to buy the sock
and plant or buy her to buy the stock and plant,
and then a good five or ten year lease they
probably need, you know, like ten years farming experience, proven
farming experience to be given a crack. But then if
that all goes well in at least term, they get
(08:33):
the chance to lease a bigger farm in the system,
or you know, get out and buy a farm privately.
So it keeps freeing up those smaller farms or those
lease farms for the next generations that keep coming through.
Because I mean, yeah, I mean, I guarantee that the
government will get a better will get a better return
(08:54):
on investment, leasing the land out, then they are running
it at the moment.
Speaker 1 (08:58):
Anyway, for a lot of younger farmers, is there a
genuine concern actually getting into a property.
Speaker 2 (09:05):
Yeah, of course it is, and that and that sort
of gives this, you know, this pathway through for people. Yeah.
I mean currently we're recording record prices, but I mean
they're not real record prices, to be fair. It's just
that everything's aligned at the same time. But I mean
this is exactly where prices need to be now and
(09:25):
carrying on into the future because the farm, the farm
inputs through the roof. Still nothing's changed. I see, fuels
gone back up. Actually, so I mean we need these
we need these prices to survive, and not only survived,
but to grow. Like like when you're going out looking
at farms to buy at the moment, like nothing really
(09:46):
adds up, Like even daring doesn't end up that well.
So I mean the price of land just doesn't sort
of reflect the money you can make off that farm
at the moment. So there's got to be either a
pathway made or some changes so there's actually future for
the next generations to come in or I think the
current ones can look at sort of growing their business.
You know. Yeah, that's sort of my thoughts for a Monday.
(10:09):
So at least I'm getting it all out now and
before I spend the next six weeks going round and
around on a four wheeler mulling it over.
Speaker 1 (10:16):
Maybe, but those prices though, Simon Cruelty coming out a
couple of weeks ago, adam at the next season's looking
positive as well. Do we just need to sit back
and just put things in perspective sometimes? As sheep farmers,
would you say, Kecker.
Speaker 2 (10:30):
Ah, No, I just I think we've got to all
bend together and stick to the guns a bit more
like this is where the prices should be. We know that.
And obviously overseas companies are doing perfectly fine out of
mutton or beef or maybe not so much venison, but
the same thing out of red meat. So so so
why aren't we Why aren't we able to get that
(10:53):
return back and capture some of this, you know, and
Loo looked to the future for New Zealand farming. Really
that's yeah, but it's a very reflective Monday up here
when yeah.
Speaker 4 (11:04):
Maybe.
Speaker 1 (11:06):
Good only Andy Dinnis, we always appreciate your time on
the muster and next time we catch up, hopefully a
lot of those lambs have hit the ground for you.
Speaker 2 (11:13):
Yeah, I know that'd be great, but it'll be good
just to hit a few more on the ground and
you know, maybe catch up. Believe it on some of
the poor skinnings that we're on the basement up here.
So yeah, no, it has been in the lemon season,
the start of the new farming season, so good luck
to everyone for that, and I'm sure we'll catch up
down the track a bit. Thanks Andy.
Speaker 1 (11:46):
This is the muster on Hakanui, Mark Dylan Plowman extraordinary.
We catch up with them this afternoon. He's not on Riversdale,
but once again he's over in Europe, the Czech REPUBLICA
do believe he's over there for the World Champs again.
To fill us out on how things are going and
the lead up to the event, which starts on the
fifth of September. Of September, Mark joins us, can I.
Speaker 5 (12:07):
Bob, Yeah, any care things?
Speaker 1 (12:10):
Yeah? Pretty good. Firstly, can I say how ridiculously clear
the cell phone lineers, considering you're on the other side
of the world and make some mockery of what we
get over here.
Speaker 5 (12:19):
I totally agree you we'll be going with the boys
at home. And it's clear as whistle. And if you
can't even talk to someone across the side of the
yard and service breaking.
Speaker 1 (12:26):
Down anyway, to the matter at hand, how's it all
going over there? Firstly, when did you arrive?
Speaker 5 (12:31):
Yes, so we arrived in on Monday morning, so we've
been out of the airport in a regal care. You
be found the university fail the container, opened it up
and had a looking sowid and everything looked good. And
then Tuesday or bo the Monday afternoon babalo and so
we went they can picked them up from the airport.
Be end your accommodation. And then the Tuesday we got
(12:52):
the tripders, open the container up, started the tractors up,
all the metal container. Yeah they will both both and
started up first off and be everything rolled out. Last couple.
We all look someone, but they think it was just
because I've been sitting for a year and seals might
have been drawn, but they've seemed to have picked up.
And he shifted the trickness to the marshaling head. Then
we thought, right, we'll go for a drive and see
if we can find some practice ground. So very lucky.
(13:14):
We've just come seen this cropping farmer for the head
on the side of the road, calling and seeing him plucky.
They spoke about English, had he earned them, explained what
rapp do and he went back next morning nine o'clock,
caught up with the farm owner and the son and lord,
and yeah, they have warned them with lodging. If he's
taken us on, letting us use the workshop, give us
some practice ground. Really awesome. It's pretty humbling to come
(13:35):
to the other side of the world and meets us
lovely people that are so keen to help with it.
Speaker 1 (13:38):
I listen to the story, Bob, it sounds awfully similar
to Burt mad Road going over to the body bull
Salt Flat. It's getting his machine over there. It starts
for him first go and as he goes along on
his trebles there, all these things happened along the way.
Quite a bit to entail the first start, like you're
driving on the other side of the road. How are
you coping with it?
Speaker 5 (13:57):
Ah, he has been nervous for a start, and I've
got the coppolus. I'd be just reminding me. But now
I've done a few days. If it does not be
but it just takes a weav to get used to
another sort of the road and make sure you're looking
on the opposite direction betray for coming. But as you
get rolling along the road, it's pretty good.
Speaker 1 (14:12):
So Bob Mertens is over there with you once again.
Speaker 4 (14:15):
Yeah, we've got.
Speaker 5 (14:15):
Bob Murtons and then Malcolm Taylor's over here as a coach,
and then Sonia stepped up to be minager.
Speaker 1 (14:20):
But the fact the Trector starts first turn after not
being going for close to twelve months, that must be
pretty good.
Speaker 5 (14:26):
Oh, it was awesome, great feeling. I was always planning
the bickie more on what they're going to be like.
And there've been in some extreme coldes and there some
extreme heats and the container and them come out of
box slits as perfect.
Speaker 4 (14:35):
Makes your day.
Speaker 1 (14:36):
Well, of course the Stonia was it last year? You
had to get them all transported.
Speaker 5 (14:40):
Yeah, so we shut them over last year from from
New Zealand to Estonia and yeah, and then we picked
them up after the competition and they got shipped or
attracted pretty much from Estonia's straight to Pargue and keep
the Republic after the eating last year.
Speaker 1 (14:53):
So what happens after the champ this year because you've
taken next year off, is that right? Because you've got
the Nationals here to think of had in a couple
of years other world.
Speaker 5 (15:02):
Next year's twenty nine were housed in the world in
New Zealand, So it's next year's Croati which we've alread
qualified for that one of course, just just the way
things have worked out. Bob's Malcolm to playing with me
next year. So the gear the cantaon is coming home
and they able to repack and see the big over
which is a bit of a pound. But then I've
got modifications and stuff i want to do to the playoff.
All it's home anyway, and then I'll use that trigger
(15:25):
and play out next year's Nationals in New Zealand.
Speaker 1 (15:28):
Would you be able to leave it over there if
you wanted to or does it have to come home?
Speaker 2 (15:32):
Yeah?
Speaker 5 (15:32):
He can't sput the part of the CAPA has got
like a passport for the gear and sid it, so
you can't split the passport up. So yeah, it's going
to come home. It's just just the way the rules work.
But it's anyway, it's just passaball and lucky enough my
playing the club's pretty supportive, and I've got a lot
of good sponsors behind me to help bit of it.
Speaker 1 (15:49):
It's just about niggling more than anything else. Ont of major,
Yeah it is.
Speaker 5 (15:53):
This would have been pretty easy to modify the bits
of home and ship them over. But anyway, it's just
the way the cookie grumblers both.
Speaker 1 (16:00):
Tell us about this farmer who gave you the fortunate
position of going on to his farm and doing some practice.
Tell the operation there is a very similar to what
you strike in Estonia that bigger farms.
Speaker 5 (16:11):
Probably so this guy's running a thousand and seven hundred,
he's a heerial, he's got ice cream trucks. The son
in law's venue Vigny had a fruit orchard. It's quite
a diverse operation. They've got hells. He took us for
a look around the air so fully automated robot milking
in robot feeding. So it's you've got a diet feeder
that goes into the sheet and grabs a handful of
(16:32):
a grayful of solids of this and a grappul of
it to make up the different different mixes, and feeds
the keales and go feeds the calves. And he was
quite interesting seeing that did you.
Speaker 1 (16:41):
Say he's got ice cream trucks as well, like mister
whippie type things.
Speaker 5 (16:44):
Yeah, he's got four of them lined up, so he
must go around where there he's presumed he's selling his
own milk in the ice creams.
Speaker 1 (16:50):
It's fair to say he's gone into versification pretty good.
Speaker 5 (16:53):
Oh, definitely, definitely. Hell, you're a real nice fellow. He's
pretty awesome. This rock up at someone's gate and they
take you in.
Speaker 1 (17:01):
So the Czech Republic and the farming seed is very
similar to Estonia and the fact technology and the likes,
it's pretty much up to date.
Speaker 5 (17:08):
Yeah, there's varying degrees of machinery. There's old stuff and
new stuff. And yeah, they're looking pretty nice crops of
head over here because they've just quite a drawage period
and we're just did able a hermit last night. They
don't have a great rainfall over here. It's about five
hundred mills a years what they get, so they're still
grown sort of eight eight and nine pound crops of
bari and nine to eleven ton crops of wheat, and
there's the maize grown around the air, and there's sugar
(17:31):
beet ground just down the road. So it's quite interesting.
It's talking to them about what we can talk to
them with the language barrier, about their different family operations.
Speaker 1 (17:40):
Well, I'm sure the language berry is broaken down at
night after the bottle comes out for a couple of yarns,
I suppose.
Speaker 5 (17:46):
Yeah, we've worked out pretty to get the Google trainslate
going as well. But it's amazing what you do with
a bit of miming as well.
Speaker 1 (17:53):
Now when it come to the event, is a pretty
similar as far as your competitors from last year.
Speaker 5 (18:00):
There's a few different places here. I'm coming along, but
a lot of the same places as last year. So
Bere just sort of missing a goal from Slovenia would
meet but he's not coming this year. But he's going
to be in decoration each year. And I've been messaging
some guys from Scotland so they're loading up the gear
and getting ready to leave Midwek too.
Speaker 1 (18:18):
Is there a real camerariterie and makes a competers because
some of these guys are pretty down serious about it.
Speaker 5 (18:23):
Oh yeah, it's a lot of the guys are going
pretty well, but when it comes to competition day, she's
she's all everyew hundred themselves and focusing on the job. Beheen.
Speaker 1 (18:32):
So what are you doing in the lead up to
the even just practicing pretty much every day. You and
your wife Sony got to take the chance to do
a bit more ticky touring or what's on the agenda.
Speaker 5 (18:41):
Yesterday sundayybe So the plan is to get into the
city for a drove and they've looked around and taking
a few of the sorts and you see if we
can find well, we've got a bit of mountains, but
all the playoffs, so we need to go into Hodral, Jared,
we're not sure we can scrapt it. Today we were
picking around.
Speaker 1 (18:56):
How's the price of das al over there?
Speaker 5 (18:58):
It's not too bad. We did boy, we did both
on the puny leader for the trick the other day
and she paid how much wilso on your paid for it?
But meet they were lucky enough. The farm is going
to opposite the two, both of all of them around
the Derndan server whenever we need top up.
Speaker 1 (19:12):
And just finally, when you look back at last year,
what little bits of wisdom do you think you can
take from what you learned in Estonia?
Speaker 5 (19:19):
You just got to be a deep to the different
soul conditions quicker. We've changed a quite a few bits
and pieces on the playof this year and really help
you with them. How the how the fires are rolling
it and me and he's picking them up, so that
should be a real advantage. And get this developing the
skills I've gotten, they do the best we can on the.
Speaker 1 (19:37):
Day, absolutely, Mark how we're going to keep tabs on
you and Sonia are on your travels over there all
the best and the lead out do some ticky touring,
enjoy the sites and always appreciate your time. And how
good is this technology? For goodness sake?
Speaker 5 (19:48):
That's awesome.
Speaker 1 (20:00):
Then welcome back to the muster. Matt Ward joins us next.
He was a twenty twenty four Beef and Lamb New
Zealand Young Farmer Development Scholarship winner. We had him on
the show just on a year ago, just after he
received the award, So we're having you catch up with Matt.
It was really interesting the other night at the Beef
and Lamb Showcase event in Gore. He went up there
(20:22):
and did a presentation for around twenty five to thirty
minutes and he spoke nothing but a lot of sense
as well, So thought a good chance to get Mat
on the show to tell us about his story and
some really interesting usings around China as well. Matt Ward,
welcome to the muster.
Speaker 3 (20:37):
Goody Andy, how are you look?
Speaker 1 (20:40):
But after Friday night and listening to what you had
to say, and there it was, I'm feeling really good,
feeling really positive about farming, knowing that people are coming
through the sector and have a different you know, they're
positive about the outlook of the industry.
Speaker 6 (20:53):
I suppose, yeah, thank you now, phonything. This Kellogg's Journey's
taught me. Taught me to be myself and like I
am quite a I see myself as quite a positive
sort of person. I wouldn't be doing it if I
was negative about the industry or what the future holds
for it.
Speaker 3 (21:10):
To be fair.
Speaker 1 (21:12):
Now, the kel I Giral Leadership Program is what you
took up as part of the scholarship prize. Tell us
about what it involved.
Speaker 3 (21:19):
Yeah, so, Andy, the.
Speaker 6 (21:21):
Kel I Grew Leadership Program. It's run over about six
or seven months. It's eighteen days in Perison over three
phases and started up in Lincoln for nine days back
in January. And it was a real fundamental learning basically
about leadership, like what it looks like to us and
(21:41):
how to become good.
Speaker 3 (21:43):
Leaders and it was a real yeah, big part was.
Speaker 6 (21:47):
Just looking inward about ourselves and what makes us tick.
Then in April we had five days up in Wellington
hearing from industry experts and industry leaders sorry, and met
with a couple of politicians and had a day in
Parliament sitting in on question time and seeing the ins
and outs of what makes Wellington tick. And then finished
(22:09):
up back in Lincoln in July with five days of
all of us presenting air research reports. And within that
six months we had to hand in a research report,
so it was about Yeah, it must have been about
six months worth of work getting all their data and
figures and everything all together and then presenting it back.
Speaker 3 (22:32):
To each other.
Speaker 1 (22:33):
So the program was more or less about personal growth.
Speaker 6 (22:37):
Yeah, I would say, like for me, that's probably the
biggest thing I got out of it was personal growth.
I can't speak for everyone, but real good insight into
the industry and what's happening in New Zealand and around
the world. Yeah, but for me it was definitely around
that personal growth and just being yourself really not trying
(23:00):
to put on a facade of what other people want
to hear or what you think people should be hearing.
Speaker 5 (23:05):
Its.
Speaker 3 (23:06):
Yeah, yeah, that's sort of what the biggest thing I
got out of it.
Speaker 1 (23:09):
Now, you spent a lot of your farming background today
up in central the Targo, in the high Country and
the like, so eight years or such that would have
taught you quite a bit.
Speaker 6 (23:19):
Oh, definitely, definitely now. I absolutely loved it. I couldn't
recommend it enough. Like I was saying on Friday night,
that I was lucky enough to come down and work
for Auntie and uncle in Mordern Main Seat when I
left school, and I sort of knew after eighteen months
or so that I always had planned to come home
to where I am now.
Speaker 3 (23:40):
I wanted to get out see.
Speaker 6 (23:42):
What the rest of the South Island had to offer,
and just bit the bullet and ended up in the
Mini a Toto for three years there and then ended
up through it we Swanaka Station and then finished up
at Mount of Spiring Station. And it's it's just good
hard work. Like they teach you how to work hard,
they get a good team of dogs going and but yeah,
(24:04):
I still think that you've got to go out and experience,
experience what's outside your front door.
Speaker 1 (24:10):
Really, because a lot of people these days, their parents
are saying, you're not coming home until you've gone and
worked two or three years on someone else's farm. Would
you agree with.
Speaker 3 (24:19):
That one hundred percent?
Speaker 1 (24:20):
I reckon longer.
Speaker 6 (24:21):
To be fair, I was always told that you're going
to be when you get home, You're always going to
be at home, Like, get out, experience what it has
to offer and going Like the biggest thing for me
was getting like, I've got a heap of mates from
all around the South Island that are all around New
Zealand now as well, so you've got those connections throughout
(24:42):
the country and we're all.
Speaker 3 (24:45):
God, I've first left when I was.
Speaker 6 (24:46):
Must have been about nineteen nineteen to twenty six, twenty seven.
We're all young shepherds.
Speaker 3 (24:52):
Through Wanaca, through re and fairly all.
Speaker 6 (24:54):
Playing rugby together, playing cricket together, chasing dogs together.
Speaker 3 (24:58):
And Jesus the time of your life Andy Like it
was Yeah, God, it was good fun.
Speaker 1 (25:03):
Would you say it's a case of leaving a boy
returning a man.
Speaker 6 (25:07):
I wouldn't they staw a wee bit of that boy
and me It was.
Speaker 3 (25:12):
No recive definitely agree. Definitely agreed. Made you grow up,
Definitely made you grow up and.
Speaker 6 (25:17):
Just realized that there is more going on than just
around your own week patch, you know.
Speaker 1 (25:24):
And you talk about in a sporting sense as well
being captain of rugby Cleuvel though you had a bit
of a missack towards the end of the season, but
just bringing a lot of those skills and what you've
learned over the last year and correlating into a sporting
sense must be pretty cool.
Speaker 6 (25:39):
Yeah, yeah, definitely, especially around that whole leadership thing. Like
you sound lucky enough to be captain of the Edendale
team and it's at the start, it wasn't something I
really wanted to do last season, Like it was, I
sort of played footy because like I enjoyed playing, but
I enjoy having a beer afterwards and that Kellogg thing.
Speaker 3 (25:58):
This this year has really.
Speaker 6 (25:59):
Taught me to like embrace, embrace the leadership and the
biggest thing I've got out of it is like bringing
the younger the younger people along up into that leadership
role behind you, so you're you're leaving it in goodstead
and that's quite exciting. Now that we had a real
good year with Edendale this year and had a heap
of young good fellas joined the team and it's like
(26:24):
a passion of mine now is to get them up
and to up and to going. So like five six
years time down the track, they're all they're all wanting
to be captains and leaders of ford packs and backlines
and just believe that next group in Goodstead.
Speaker 1 (26:38):
Really going back to Friday night, there was one figure
around China which was interacing it disturbing as well regarding wool.
Speaker 4 (26:46):
Yeah.
Speaker 6 (26:46):
Yeah, So we're lucky enough to meet with meet with
a guy who lives in China and he imports New
Zealand red meat over there, and he gave us We
went out for dinner with a man gave us a
big speel on what's happening in China.
Speaker 3 (27:02):
And I was sat down and had to be with
them afterwards.
Speaker 6 (27:05):
And I'm quite passionate about Crossbreed Wall in the future
it has for us, And I just asked them what
the what his opinion on Crossbreed Wall at Crossbreed Wall
going into China looks like? And he sat there and
laughed at me, and I was sort of taken a
wee bit back, and he said that China's got over
one hundred and eighty million sheep and they don't even
(27:25):
know what to do with their own wool, so why
would they want airs going in there? Which really sort
of rocked me because it sort of goes against what
we're being told.
Speaker 1 (27:35):
So as far as the wall situation into China is
just a dream unfortunately for New Zealand.
Speaker 6 (27:41):
Yeah, I don't know.
Speaker 3 (27:42):
I really hope not.
Speaker 6 (27:44):
And like you got to take like it's his opinion.
I yeah, yeah, I really don't know. I like, I
really hope that future a wall is looking very promising.
Speaker 3 (27:56):
I've got four dollars for crossbreed wall was it? And yessed?
It were a week sail.
Speaker 6 (28:01):
Just previously, So that's yeah, Like I still think it's positive,
but I just don't think it's as rainbows and kittens
as what we lead to believe.
Speaker 1 (28:10):
Just finally, you're back on the farm at Morton, Maine.
Is that correct?
Speaker 3 (28:14):
Yes? That's great, yep.
Speaker 1 (28:15):
Yeah, And how's it all going there? Tell people about
the operation you're on.
Speaker 6 (28:19):
Yes, it's going good. It's going good. So I've got
two hundred and thirty hectares here that I least back
off my family breed bred about sixteen hundred years lamon
about four hundred.
Speaker 3 (28:30):
Hoggits and trade. Oh yeah, I'll be up to three.
Speaker 6 (28:35):
Hundred three and fifty kettle through the summer, so I
always try to leave like a bit of a trading
component through through it. So that's going good. We've had
an absolute ripping winter, sort of enjoying those days. We
must said about a couple weeks there shifting breaks without
having to put leaguings on. So it's yeah, definitely nothing
to complain about.
Speaker 1 (28:54):
Makes a big difference to the mood. Matt Hey, thanks
very much for your time on the Muster. Wi Chet again.
Speaker 3 (28:58):
Yeah, good man, Andy, thank you very much.
Speaker 1 (29:00):
It sing us as the other piano man sing us
assol tonight.
Speaker 2 (29:09):
Well we're on in the moon.
Speaker 1 (29:11):
Welcome back, This says the Muster Billy Joel as the
artist on a Wednesday, so that means only one thing.
We are catching out with Peter Allen, our deaf farming
correspondent from the glen Ere and Belfa Pete. Good afternoon.
And the reason I give you, Billy Joel on the
Wednesdays that you're on the Muster just for the duration
of the show now is because if I remember rightly.
A few months ago had I had to share all
(29:33):
destiny to play Cliff Richard, and you more oraly said
to me off here, what the hell was that crap?
Speaker 4 (29:40):
You good afternoon, Andy, and I do feel a bit
privileged for you to officially play Billy Joel for me. No,
he's good.
Speaker 1 (29:48):
How's everything at Glenn?
Speaker 2 (29:49):
You're well up.
Speaker 4 (29:50):
Until three days ago. As I mentioned, if here fifty
five meals makes a hell of a difference to being
on top of the ground or being in the middle
of it, shifting a break. Just a couple of hours ago,
it was rather muddy and some of the wet paces,
but that's just a reminder that winter's still here. The
animals are still doing well, but it certainly softened up
(30:12):
things a little bit. Yeah, fifty five mills is quite
a considerable amount, and a lot of the creeks were
pretty fresh, and some of them overflowing around Colberts. But
another twenty four hours and we back down to normal again.
Speaker 1 (30:24):
A couple of guys so Hi I texted this morning,
says this is the first time for the winter they've
had leggings on two days in a row.
Speaker 4 (30:31):
Yeah, well, I wear knee high gum boots most of
the year round anyway, just the way deer farmers are.
Speaker 1 (30:39):
Well, you just got to do what you've got to
do to stay dry, suppose.
Speaker 4 (30:43):
Yeah, yeah, And they don't stand inside my boots that way.
Speaker 1 (30:47):
There's a good point working with there. I don't know.
Are they a bit scattery at times?
Speaker 4 (30:53):
No, we've farmed them for that long that you know,
temperament and that is a huge thing. And no, we
just know how to hand them right through weaning and
velveting and stuff. Some of them you've got to just
literally push along out of the way. But no, you
don't get stood on too much, to be fair, and
if you do while, you're a slow learner.
Speaker 1 (31:11):
So when you arrive in the gate, the more or
less just have a bit of a yarn for each other.
So pizza here feet type. That's about it.
Speaker 4 (31:17):
Carry on. Oh look, feeding out to the most of
the deer in the winter time, you've actually got to
push some of them out of the way. They're eating
the bailich as. You've taken the net wrap often and
do that quiet. But I think they kind of use
you as that savior from getting punted by the other animals.
Speaker 1 (31:34):
Some of the time Venison contracts. As we look at
the industry pete, they're looking pretty rosy.
Speaker 4 (31:40):
Yeah, that they've been well signaled from quite a few
months out and most of the companies are up north
of eleven dollars once we hit September for about four
to five weeks coinciding with the chilled season contracts. We
still have a major issue of undersupplying the contracts that
have been you know, got to in the last few years.
(32:04):
You know, we're well off the peak kill of six
hundred and fifty thousand animals eighteen years ago down to
probably only two and in fifty thousand animals, so the
marketers don't have to really push too hard. But it's
really good to see north of eleven dollars. We've taken
up one contract for that first week in September, and
we talked about companies off here too, Andy and we've
(32:27):
dedicated ourselves to the Dunkan Venison family based at Molesgow.
They started in nineteen ninety nine and a lot of
that had to do with the fact that Alliance weren't
killing deer back then, and I was a shareholder and
I kept asking them if they were ever going to
go into Deer and Murphy's Law. Twelve months after we've
got our shareholding paid out, they went into Deer, but
(32:48):
it was too late.
Speaker 1 (32:49):
What are your thoughts around this proposal with the Lions.
You've been in the game a long long time paid
Do you think it's a step in the right direction
or just a realization that Alliance has to do what
they have to do.
Speaker 4 (33:02):
Yeah, I think the latter very much. When you've got
that enormality of debt, and you've incurred that much debt
over in the last three or four years, you know,
for stocking it that they've been killing in the last
three years. It's costing them three times as much to
process animals than most of the other companies, albeit because
(33:24):
of the debt that they have to service that's the
biggest part of their cost. I mean, now that I'm
not a shareholder, I'm not going to stick any knives in,
but the fact is that they've been over corporatized for
too long as well. And the company that we've been
supplying for twenty six years as a family business that
haven't got debt and we get a true schedule because
(33:47):
there's no cross subsidization, and they've gone and found their
own markets in the US that nobody else was willing
to do and poop food for a long time. And
now they arony is that the bigger companies are now
getting into North America because they think it's a good idea,
whereas Duncan venison got there before the rest of them.
Speaker 1 (34:06):
Interesting numbers in the deer space, So you say you
two hundred and fifty thousand animals processed as opposed to
six hundred and fifty thousand, that's a hell of a
decrease here, it.
Speaker 4 (34:16):
Is, But the irony is andy. There's a lot of
people that fifteen years ago that had, you know, eight
hundred breeding hinds and were finishing venison, and they've still
got similar stock units of deer, but they're velveting stags,
and that's exactly what's happened. There's been a slow change
into the velvet side of it because per hectare people
(34:36):
could work out that they were doing better from velveting stags,
and as a consequence, we've gone from five hundred ton
of velvet ten years ago to over twelve hundred and
fifty ton of velvet in the last year, and we're
essentially three hundred ton of velvet more than what the
international market needs. So I mean, it would be an
easy fix to say that what we need to do
(34:58):
is kill let me see, probably fifty two one hundred
thousand stags to even up the balance a little bit
and bring the velvet production down and increase the venison.
But it's just not that easy. But again, don't con venison.
And I know I've given them three plugs already in
the last five minutes. They've actually come out with a
(35:19):
schedule for bigger stags and put their one hundred to
one hundred and twenty kilo big stags oldest stags schedule
up by two dollars to try and attract some early
venison pre velveting. And that's work to a certain descent.
Speaker 1 (35:37):
Well, that's just a continuation of the price we're seeing
through the other sectors as well. And I mean it's
a supply and demand thing, absolutely.
Speaker 4 (35:44):
Yeah. Well we know what's happened with lamb and mutton
and beef and cows and woolen. Yep, it's really hard
to get that supply demand scenario right, But that's kind
of what's happened. It's an odd thing. It's not so
much that the den numbers in total are down as
far as this documents go, it's just the fact that
the venison numbers have gone down considerably.
Speaker 1 (36:07):
Now, Pat, you're coming in to go this so afternoon
at the Town and Country there is a winter da
seminar going on. What's happening.
Speaker 4 (36:14):
Yeah, there's a few industry speakers there and it'll be
a good catch up. And the whole idea Andy, is
for a winter catch up for the South and Deer
Farmers branch and everybody else. You don't have to be
a member of that. It's just Deaf Farmers and it's
been well documented. You should have registered by now. But
that starts about up us to this afternoon in the
Town and Country Club, and there's one or two other
industry supported things Northern South and Vets are putting on
(36:37):
a worm wise you know, it's looking at all gipower
sites and lung worm and everything to do with drenching
and resistance and whatever. And one of those is on
Tuesday next week, the twenty sixth and Mosbone at the
Community Center, and then there's another one in Winton. So
if you're a client and a deaf farmer of Northern
(36:57):
South and Vets. You should have already got an email
and a notice of about that. We're incredibly lucky with
Northern South and Vet Sandy, because there's a high number
of deer farms in Northern South and we need a
lot of dear specialist bets and we're incredibly well off.
There's a lot of really smart dear vets based in
Northern South and so we're a bit lucky in that regard.
Speaker 1 (37:19):
Absolutely, the enniest fits do an outstanding Jobete. Hey, we
better leave it there, enjoy the afternoon. Now he's got
to catch up.
Speaker 4 (37:25):
Thanks Andy, thanks a lot.
Speaker 7 (37:27):
Oh and he's talking with the laugh out loud with
ag proud because life on the land can be a
laughing matter. Brought to us by sheer Well Data working
to help the livestock farmer and Mary.
Speaker 1 (37:41):
Couple are cruising down the highway at forty miles per hour.
The husband's behind the wheel and focus but out of nowhere,
the wife says, after twenty years, I want a divorce.
He doesn't flinch, just nudges the speed up to forty five. Here,
she continues, and don't try to stop me. I've been
seeing your best friend at let's just say I'm happy
where I'm at. He speeds out to fifty five. I
like the house, she demands. He goes up to sixty.
(38:02):
I'm taking the car too, sixty five miles per hour. Oh,
and I'm draining the bank accounts and taking the boat.
The car slowly drifts towards a concrete barrier. Paddick. Now,
she blurts out, don't you want anything? The husband finally speaks, Nope,
I've got everything I need. She scoffs, really and what
is that? He grins, eyes on the road and says,
I've got the year back.
Speaker 6 (38:24):
The Muster Events Diary brought to you by Beef and
Lamb New Zealand click beeflambendz dot com.
Speaker 1 (38:36):
Matt Taylor is part of the Beef and Lambs Southern
Farmer Council. He farms up at Lawn Peak in northern
South and joins us this afternoon. Good afternoon, Matt, welcome
to the program.
Speaker 8 (38:45):
Yeah, Andy, Good after Andy. Yeah gone out.
Speaker 1 (38:49):
Yeah, it makes it suns out, guns out, not quite
to that degree, but you're based up at Lawnpeak near Gars.
Soon it sounds as though that snow was slowly disappearing.
Speaker 8 (38:58):
Yeah, Look, we don't envy to speak industry as much
on the top. So's what's going to keep the river running.
But the summer's going to be interesting. But oh look
Stone and August, I'd rather have it now in October.
Speaker 1 (39:10):
Yeah, the ski industry in Queenstown, they'll be suffering at
the moment, are they.
Speaker 8 (39:14):
Yeah, she looks pretty bare when over a goat the hill,
shifting bloody balls up the hill and kind of looks
look up towards Cornea. You only really see the main
trails up there at the moment.
Speaker 1 (39:23):
So well, just every season is different from the last one.
Met now up there at lawn peak day. Like I say,
you're part of the Beef and Lambs Southern Founding Council.
It was a good wee shindig last Friday Nights and
Matt Ward I had him on the program on Tuesday show.
He was a Beef and Lambs scholarship winner as well.
He just oozes positivity for the sector. It's what you
(39:45):
want to see.
Speaker 8 (39:46):
Yeah, it's quite inspiring for the future, isn't it. But
I think you know, my role as an employee here
is to make sure I get more passionate people. People
that are more passionate and smarter than me involved in
my business. And if there's an industry you can get
those kind of people that a been a smarter than
the because it come for him coming through. I think
we've got a pretty good future going forward. I thought
(40:06):
you did pretty well corolling the bloody the panel there
on Friday night and it was Yeah, Robbie and Nigel
made a few good points here, didn't I.
Speaker 1 (40:16):
Yea, it was fascinating. It was all about the positivity
of sector and talking about technology and the way that
it's advancing. But look about you're part of the Farmer
Research group there at Beef and Lamb. When you talk
about technology a big one as well as AI and
now it's not artificial disseminations and keep saying it is
artificial intelligence and by the day it was just growing.
Speaker 8 (40:37):
Yeah, it's when you think about what implication it is
for the society in general, Like I think the Economic
Forums come out and said it's going to be eighty
five million jobs will disappear on the next two years.
That's worldwide. But you know, when we went back to
the two thousands and we had in coming through and
we didn't know what all these people were going to do.
But you know, we seem to be than what we
(41:00):
were before the Internet come around. But you know, as
far as it goes with egg and sheep and beef,
beef and Lamb's got quite a cool AI search engine
come out called Balla, so you can search all the
old research papers and it's it's not looking at the
whole web, it's just looking at the Zealand kind of
(41:21):
centric research papers. You can type in a question there
about Jesus, why did I scan this, or any question
you want, and it will come back to answer. Let's
pretty called tech there yourself.
Speaker 1 (41:35):
Man, are you quite happy to embrace this technology?
Speaker 8 (41:38):
I think we're going to get left behind, to be fair,
to give you an example, like you know, in the
last five years we've all got caught up on you
beyond meats and all this investment into alternative proteins. But
you know, the total investment worldwide that the alternative foods
in the last twelve years has been about nine percent,
(42:00):
and worldwide we spent about sixty over sixty percent into
market and retail systems. But I'm not talking about these
zyllainuses worldwide. So you know the application of blockchain and
AI and robotics to get us further down that value
chain and get us closer to the market and get
some more of that value back to us. It's pretty exciting.
(42:21):
It's look, it's I think the jobs that are kind
of be really under threat of those kind of intellectual roles.
Like I was talking to and advertise the other day
and we just threw a couple of phrases and some
scenery and it come back with a half a minute
ads about our country farming, and there was a AI
(42:41):
the voice over everything.
Speaker 1 (42:43):
Like copywriting, writing ads and the likes everything's up for grabs.
Speaker 4 (42:47):
Bloody yeah, bloody earth.
Speaker 8 (42:48):
Like if you're an accounts for a lawyer, like you know,
an AI can go and draft up an agreement. It's
all coming. So where we play in agriculture lit a
bit more hands on. Yeah, it's just that whole data sovereignty.
But we creep a lot of data on farm and
interpreting it, and I think a lot of guys, you know,
a lot of other outfits see more value in that
(43:10):
data we click than what we do. So if we
can get AI in there and make some really smart sousings, Yeah, Look,
I think it's something to be get excited about, not
to fear.
Speaker 1 (43:21):
What do you think of the biggest negatives around AI, though, Matt,
We talk about the positives, but surely there's got to
be a downside to this, and a lot we say
we talk about jobs, what else?
Speaker 8 (43:30):
Oh well, look, it's you've got all that dystopian future stuff,
haven't you that your terminator and the special thing about
humans that were sentient and we you know, we've got
imagination and you know, whether it's AI is ever going
to replicate that creative side of it, I don't know,
(43:52):
but bloody, you know, and agriculture can beep is like
it's it's skill, but there's also a bit of out
of had a. It's a complicated system when you so, yeah,
I don't know. It's the displacement of jobs is going
to be interesting, and you know how people are going
to earn money in the future and that whole displacement
(44:15):
of jobs. Yeah, just from a society point of view,
it's going to be, yeah, fascinating to watch play out.
Speaker 1 (44:21):
I'm Telly. The other night they had an article about
the robot Olympics. I think in China, I never think
anything so bizarre in my life.
Speaker 8 (44:29):
Yeah, well to give you one. In America, they've got
it's called mcflipper. It's all this robot and AI does
as flipburgers at McDonald's or any fast food outflue. I'm
trying to remember. I think that will make two hundred
million dollars more proper for fast food.
Speaker 5 (44:43):
I think it was two hundred.
Speaker 8 (44:45):
It was a big number in America every year just
by getting rid of that one person that was minimum
wage in the kitchen flipping burgers, put a robot in there.
But you know, when you think about that, that means
instead of a company paying out wages, they've got to
take on debt to do the capital and b So
where's all that money going to come from? And yeah,
just fascinating.
Speaker 1 (45:05):
Do you think they'll become a time and a place
in agriculture where even labor units will be under threat
due to AI? Yeah?
Speaker 8 (45:12):
Well, we're saying a little bit with Collins, now, aren't we,
Like come, you know, we've got the shepherd collars up
the hill and eventually, you know, if we could wrap
some AI around that where we could measure the residual
speed residuals pre and post from a satellite and then
AI interpreted it and went off and said, oh shit,
your fence needs to be dropped, or some way of
(45:33):
measuring growth rates on those balls up the hill. You know,
it takes a little bit of that human facture out
of it, I suppose, and just like, yeah, get a
bit more out of that system.
Speaker 1 (45:43):
And you said you have to get Matt Taylor there.
Wrapping up the best of the muster for your Saturday morning.
My name's Andy Muller. I hope everything goes well on
the farm this weekend. Take that opportunity to get off
farm if it is presented as well. I mean, it's
a busy time of year, but remember to look after yourself.
Thanks to Manco Fertilizer, this has been the best of
(46:06):
the muster. Enjoy the weekend. To see Monday.
Speaker 2 (46:10):
You're on the road and
Last night I have the strangers during a very good
morning and welcome to the Best of the Muster, brought
to you by Marco Fertiliza. My name's Andy Miller. Appreciate
your company. The Best of the Muster is a collaboration
of interviews that took our attention during a busy week
here at Hokanui HQ. And we start off Andandy Dennis
farming in the south proclaimed gold Coast of the South,
(00:29):
which is Manapori Keki, just goes over a few things,
how things are going in the lead into lambing, they
probably need a bit more tuck her up there on
the basin. Mark Dylan Plowman extraordinary. He joins us from
the Czech Republic where he's at yet another World Chams.
He's over there next year as well, and tells us
about what it's like for the logistics with a tractor
(00:50):
on the other side of the world. Matt Warb was
on the program.
Speaker 2 (00:54):
Now.
Speaker 1 (00:54):
I had the fortune to catch up with Matt last
week at the Beef and Lamb event here in Gore,
and he's a young guy really who has really switched
on with a lot of passion regarding the rural industry.
And I just thought a messaging was really on point
as well. Regarding the sector, Peter Allen talks Venison of
course farming at Glenure near Balfa. Been involved in the
(01:15):
industry for a very long time, and Pete thinks there's
a lot of good things to celebrate at the moment,
especially when you look at contracts for Venison on the likes.
So boy, he's going to catch up with Pete and
Matt Taylor. He farms up not far out of Garston
at Lawn Peak, and he talks about AI on the
farm and what it means looking into the future. And
(01:37):
you think about artificial intelligence and the way that it's
going to be used in the day to day operations,
especially in a rural sense. It's interesting, to say the least.
So we'll start the yur and ol with Andy Dennis.
Thanks to Marco Fertilizer. This is the best of the muster.
(02:08):
A wait a man of Pori this afternoon on the
must of the songs, just like Paradise. While Andy Kaka
Dennis farms just out of Menapori. He calls it the
gold Coast of the South Island and he joins us.
Thanks to Sergeant Dan's stock foods and the sergeant Dan
farmer around up this Monday afternoon. How are you?
Speaker 2 (02:24):
Yeah, very good than you know, we're taking away right. Yeah,
it's it rained last night, quite a good rain axtally,
so yeah, hopefully it sort of gets things going because
it's been a lovely August. But the grass is a
bit slow, it seems at the moment, so it might
actually need a drink, which was a bit random for August,
but that's okay.
Speaker 1 (02:44):
Yeah, a farmer asking for raid in South lond in August,
it's crazy.
Speaker 2 (02:50):
Well never ha recet. I'm not sure what I'm asking for,
but I'm sure I won't get it now I've asked
for it.
Speaker 1 (02:56):
Yeah, what's happening? Whether wiy is up there this morning?
Though it's sounds as though some parts of the region
have got a bit of snow on the ground.
Speaker 2 (03:03):
I'd say the rest of the basin's white, but now
don here, We're okay, just some rain. It was trying
to snow this morning but it stopped. But you know,
I just heard that sending kids back on the bus
bus kids out of college and the primary school, so
it must be still snowing and air and up towards
a key in it.
Speaker 1 (03:22):
It's just one of those winters. We feed utilization has
been really good.
Speaker 2 (03:26):
Yeah, look, yeah we needed one to go exactly here.
It heads to be fear up here. Yeah, that drive
cost us as far as cropping dage made. So it's
been good to use every bid up and have a
weab it. We've still got you know, the hinds can
start and cropping all the you know, middle of October,
so it's making sure they can do that and there's
(03:48):
enough feed disgreeezed through. So no, it's all really good.
Speaker 1 (03:51):
Yeah, when do you start landing.
Speaker 2 (03:54):
The first sort of the early next week and then
yeah that around and around and around. So yeah, no,
the news didn't scam well and doesn't sort of back
on conditions. So it'd be nice just to get a
sort of a easier September to be fair, just to
try and get some lambs on the ground. But I'm
(04:15):
sure it'll do what it'll do, and they're with that
far behind on rainfall this year. It's got to come
at some stage, so hopefully it's not too hard on
us KAKA.
Speaker 1 (04:24):
The Alliance groups for pose capital restructure, which includes dawn
meat s based out of violand what do you make
of it?
Speaker 2 (04:31):
Well, I'm gonna here hold us. I can't say too much,
but it certainly gets some alarm bells ringing as far
as the cart goes. If an Irish meat company that
was only established in nineteen eighty that only proceeds is
three and a half million lambs and million kettle a
year can go out and borrow that much, well, it's
(04:53):
worth five point six million apparently, so five point six billion, sorry,
versus a lot that's worth under and two million processes,
four and a half me and lambs, seven thousand years
and three and a half thousand kettle. But it seems
I'm alarm bells springing if that company's been able to
(05:14):
go out and borrow that amount of money and made
that much growth in the last thirty five years, and
it seems like we're just wallowing along. But I guess
it comes down to the location and population, which New
Zealand doesn't have. But you get like a sort of
when you read it like that, you get you feel
like you can kick them in the guts a weave it,
don't you.
Speaker 1 (05:32):
It's a case of the lions, though, they've got to
change their business model doing nothing is not an option.
And we find out that the shareholder meetings and the
lights in the next six to eight weeks, what's actually
going to heaven there?
Speaker 3 (05:44):
I mean, I'm not going to comment on.
Speaker 2 (05:46):
What they should do and what they should do, but
it just frustrates me when you know, our company in
Ireland does that well and down here in little old
New Zealand we're just battling away. Really, it just seems like, yeah,
that corstruct is definitely wrong, or we've got to change something. Yeah,
just try and get theirselves out. They're a bit more so,
(06:08):
you know, if the alliance they can't go and by
Turner and wn't turning seventy million, but a company like
that and Island can go under it, well, it's yea
a bit of a worrying that. It's just frustrating when
Silver and Farmas has to get Chinese interests to be
able to get into an overseas market better and get
better prices, and their alliance is going to have to
(06:30):
team up with, you know, a UK based company to
get the same benefits and the same excess. It's just
frustrating that New Zealand companies need overseas investment or overseas
sort of input to be able to achieve those things.
That's the frustrating part for me.
Speaker 1 (06:48):
And it's interesting. The doormats Worthy underbid is the Shanghai
mailing when they took the fifty percent shear holding a
silver firm back in twenty sixteen. So they've definitely want
to get involved. They've wanted to get involved in New
Zealand soon them.
Speaker 3 (07:00):
Later be able.
Speaker 2 (07:01):
They obviously they need the numbers up there, don't they,
because they've got the markets. Yeah, it just it pisses
off that New Zealand isn't They're not being made available
to New Zealand straight out. We've got to have someone
getting a piece of the pie in the meantime. But
that's just how it is. When they've got the population,
we've got the location. I suppose.
Speaker 1 (07:22):
Basically, you want to talk about Palmu, the artist formerly
known as land Corp.
Speaker 2 (07:27):
Well, yeah, firstly, I've just been reading a lot in
the paper. It should be sold and everything, and like
we're neighbored by land Corp. And there's a lot of
good people in the system, especially at farm level, but
it seems like selling the only benefit I see the
selling is there'll be more EMPHASI which might bring the
price down, so some of us, as next gen or
(07:49):
the generation below me, can actually achieve some farm ownership.
But I don't see, I don't see how selling is
going to work on more of the idea around leasing
the land. Yeah, so break these blocks up a bit
more to four hundred or eight hundred here farms, and
like the lease, he's going to have to come in
with the weaver of a weaver of equality, so maybe
(08:11):
one hundred of turn k depending on what size the
farm ends up. But are able to buy the sock
and plant or buy her to buy the stock and plant,
and then a good five or ten year lease they
probably need, you know, like ten years farming experience, proven
farming experience to be given a crack. But then if
that all goes well in at least term, they get
(08:33):
the chance to lease a bigger farm in the system,
or you know, get out and buy a farm privately.
So it keeps freeing up those smaller farms or those
lease farms for the next generations that keep coming through.
Because I mean, yeah, I mean, I guarantee that the
government will get a better will get a better return
(08:54):
on investment, leasing the land out, then they are running
it at the moment.
Speaker 1 (08:58):
Anyway, for a lot of younger farmers, is there a
genuine concern actually getting into a property.
Speaker 2 (09:05):
Yeah, of course it is, and that and that sort
of gives this, you know, this pathway through for people. Yeah.
I mean currently we're recording record prices, but I mean
they're not real record prices, to be fair. It's just
that everything's aligned at the same time. But I mean
this is exactly where prices need to be now and
(09:25):
carrying on into the future because the farm, the farm
inputs through the roof. Still nothing's changed. I see, fuels
gone back up. Actually, so I mean we need these
we need these prices to survive, and not only survived,
but to grow. Like like when you're going out looking
at farms to buy at the moment, like nothing really
(09:46):
adds up, Like even daring doesn't end up that well.
So I mean the price of land just doesn't sort
of reflect the money you can make off that farm
at the moment. So there's got to be either a
pathway made or some changes so there's actually future for
the next generations to come in or I think the
current ones can look at sort of growing their business.
You know. Yeah, that's sort of my thoughts for a Monday.
(10:09):
So at least I'm getting it all out now and
before I spend the next six weeks going round and
around on a four wheeler mulling it over.
Speaker 1 (10:16):
Maybe, but those prices though, Simon Cruelty coming out a
couple of weeks ago, adam at the next season's looking
positive as well. Do we just need to sit back
and just put things in perspective sometimes? As sheep farmers,
would you say, Kecker.
Speaker 2 (10:30):
Ah, No, I just I think we've got to all
bend together and stick to the guns a bit more
like this is where the prices should be. We know that.
And obviously overseas companies are doing perfectly fine out of
mutton or beef or maybe not so much venison, but
the same thing out of red meat. So so so
why aren't we Why aren't we able to get that
(10:53):
return back and capture some of this, you know, and
Loo looked to the future for New Zealand farming. Really
that's yeah, but it's a very reflective Monday up here
when yeah.
Speaker 4 (11:04):
Maybe.
Speaker 1 (11:06):
Good only Andy Dinnis, we always appreciate your time on
the muster and next time we catch up, hopefully a
lot of those lambs have hit the ground for you.
Speaker 2 (11:13):
Yeah, I know that'd be great, but it'll be good
just to hit a few more on the ground and
you know, maybe catch up. Believe it on some of
the poor skinnings that we're on the basement up here.
So yeah, no, it has been in the lemon season,
the start of the new farming season, so good luck
to everyone for that, and I'm sure we'll catch up
down the track a bit. Thanks Andy.
Speaker 1 (11:46):
This is the muster on Hakanui, Mark Dylan Plowman extraordinary.
We catch up with them this afternoon. He's not on Riversdale,
but once again he's over in Europe, the Czech REPUBLICA
do believe he's over there for the World Champs again.
To fill us out on how things are going and
the lead up to the event, which starts on the
fifth of September. Of September, Mark joins us, can I.
Speaker 5 (12:07):
Bob, Yeah, any care things?
Speaker 1 (12:10):
Yeah? Pretty good. Firstly, can I say how ridiculously clear
the cell phone lineers, considering you're on the other side
of the world and make some mockery of what we
get over here.
Speaker 5 (12:19):
I totally agree you we'll be going with the boys
at home. And it's clear as whistle. And if you
can't even talk to someone across the side of the
yard and service breaking.
Speaker 1 (12:26):
Down anyway, to the matter at hand, how's it all
going over there? Firstly, when did you arrive?
Speaker 5 (12:31):
Yes, so we arrived in on Monday morning, so we've
been out of the airport in a regal care. You
be found the university fail the container, opened it up
and had a looking sowid and everything looked good. And
then Tuesday or bo the Monday afternoon babalo and so
we went they can picked them up from the airport.
Be end your accommodation. And then the Tuesday we got
(12:52):
the tripders, open the container up, started the tractors up,
all the metal container. Yeah they will both both and
started up first off and be everything rolled out. Last couple.
We all look someone, but they think it was just
because I've been sitting for a year and seals might
have been drawn, but they've seemed to have picked up.
And he shifted the trickness to the marshaling head. Then
we thought, right, we'll go for a drive and see
if we can find some practice ground. So very lucky.
(13:14):
We've just come seen this cropping farmer for the head
on the side of the road, calling and seeing him plucky.
They spoke about English, had he earned them, explained what
rapp do and he went back next morning nine o'clock,
caught up with the farm owner and the son and lord,
and yeah, they have warned them with lodging. If he's
taken us on, letting us use the workshop, give us
some practice ground. Really awesome. It's pretty humbling to come
(13:35):
to the other side of the world and meets us
lovely people that are so keen to help with it.
Speaker 1 (13:38):
I listen to the story, Bob, it sounds awfully similar
to Burt mad Road going over to the body bull
Salt Flat. It's getting his machine over there. It starts
for him first go and as he goes along on
his trebles there, all these things happened along the way.
Quite a bit to entail the first start, like you're
driving on the other side of the road. How are
you coping with it?
Speaker 5 (13:57):
Ah, he has been nervous for a start, and I've
got the coppolus. I'd be just reminding me. But now
I've done a few days. If it does not be
but it just takes a weav to get used to
another sort of the road and make sure you're looking
on the opposite direction betray for coming. But as you
get rolling along the road, it's pretty good.
Speaker 1 (14:12):
So Bob Mertens is over there with you once again.
Speaker 4 (14:15):
Yeah, we've got.
Speaker 5 (14:15):
Bob Murtons and then Malcolm Taylor's over here as a coach,
and then Sonia stepped up to be minager.
Speaker 1 (14:20):
But the fact the Trector starts first turn after not
being going for close to twelve months, that must be
pretty good.
Speaker 5 (14:26):
Oh, it was awesome, great feeling. I was always planning
the bickie more on what they're going to be like.
And there've been in some extreme coldes and there some
extreme heats and the container and them come out of
box slits as perfect.
Speaker 4 (14:35):
Makes your day.
Speaker 1 (14:36):
Well, of course the Stonia was it last year? You
had to get them all transported.
Speaker 5 (14:40):
Yeah, so we shut them over last year from from
New Zealand to Estonia and yeah, and then we picked
them up after the competition and they got shipped or
attracted pretty much from Estonia's straight to Pargue and keep
the Republic after the eating last year.
Speaker 1 (14:53):
So what happens after the champ this year because you've
taken next year off, is that right? Because you've got
the Nationals here to think of had in a couple
of years other world.
Speaker 5 (15:02):
Next year's twenty nine were housed in the world in
New Zealand, So it's next year's Croati which we've alread
qualified for that one of course, just just the way
things have worked out. Bob's Malcolm to playing with me
next year. So the gear the cantaon is coming home
and they able to repack and see the big over
which is a bit of a pound. But then I've
got modifications and stuff i want to do to the playoff.
All it's home anyway, and then I'll use that trigger
(15:25):
and play out next year's Nationals in New Zealand.
Speaker 1 (15:28):
Would you be able to leave it over there if
you wanted to or does it have to come home?
Speaker 2 (15:32):
Yeah?
Speaker 5 (15:32):
He can't sput the part of the CAPA has got
like a passport for the gear and sid it, so
you can't split the passport up. So yeah, it's going
to come home. It's just just the way the rules work.
But it's anyway, it's just passaball and lucky enough my
playing the club's pretty supportive, and I've got a lot
of good sponsors behind me to help bit of it.
Speaker 1 (15:49):
It's just about niggling more than anything else. Ont of major,
Yeah it is.
Speaker 5 (15:53):
This would have been pretty easy to modify the bits
of home and ship them over. But anyway, it's just
the way the cookie grumblers both.
Speaker 1 (16:00):
Tell us about this farmer who gave you the fortunate
position of going on to his farm and doing some practice.
Tell the operation there is a very similar to what
you strike in Estonia that bigger farms.
Speaker 5 (16:11):
Probably so this guy's running a thousand and seven hundred,
he's a heerial, he's got ice cream trucks. The son
in law's venue Vigny had a fruit orchard. It's quite
a diverse operation. They've got hells. He took us for
a look around the air so fully automated robot milking
in robot feeding. So it's you've got a diet feeder
that goes into the sheet and grabs a handful of
(16:32):
a grayful of solids of this and a grappul of
it to make up the different different mixes, and feeds
the keales and go feeds the calves. And he was
quite interesting seeing that did you.
Speaker 1 (16:41):
Say he's got ice cream trucks as well, like mister
whippie type things.
Speaker 5 (16:44):
Yeah, he's got four of them lined up, so he
must go around where there he's presumed he's selling his
own milk in the ice creams.
Speaker 1 (16:50):
It's fair to say he's gone into versification pretty good.
Speaker 5 (16:53):
Oh, definitely, definitely. Hell, you're a real nice fellow. He's
pretty awesome. This rock up at someone's gate and they
take you in.
Speaker 1 (17:01):
So the Czech Republic and the farming seed is very
similar to Estonia and the fact technology and the likes,
it's pretty much up to date.
Speaker 5 (17:08):
Yeah, there's varying degrees of machinery. There's old stuff and
new stuff. And yeah, they're looking pretty nice crops of
head over here because they've just quite a drawage period
and we're just did able a hermit last night. They
don't have a great rainfall over here. It's about five
hundred mills a years what they get, so they're still
grown sort of eight eight and nine pound crops of
bari and nine to eleven ton crops of wheat, and
there's the maize grown around the air, and there's sugar
(17:31):
beet ground just down the road. So it's quite interesting.
It's talking to them about what we can talk to
them with the language barrier, about their different family operations.
Speaker 1 (17:40):
Well, I'm sure the language berry is broaken down at
night after the bottle comes out for a couple of yarns,
I suppose.
Speaker 5 (17:46):
Yeah, we've worked out pretty to get the Google trainslate
going as well. But it's amazing what you do with
a bit of miming as well.
Speaker 1 (17:53):
Now when it come to the event, is a pretty
similar as far as your competitors from last year.
Speaker 5 (18:00):
There's a few different places here. I'm coming along, but
a lot of the same places as last year. So
Bere just sort of missing a goal from Slovenia would
meet but he's not coming this year. But he's going
to be in decoration each year. And I've been messaging
some guys from Scotland so they're loading up the gear
and getting ready to leave Midwek too.
Speaker 1 (18:18):
Is there a real camerariterie and makes a competers because
some of these guys are pretty down serious about it.
Speaker 5 (18:23):
Oh yeah, it's a lot of the guys are going
pretty well, but when it comes to competition day, she's
she's all everyew hundred themselves and focusing on the job. Beheen.
Speaker 1 (18:32):
So what are you doing in the lead up to
the even just practicing pretty much every day. You and
your wife Sony got to take the chance to do
a bit more ticky touring or what's on the agenda.
Speaker 5 (18:41):
Yesterday sundayybe So the plan is to get into the
city for a drove and they've looked around and taking
a few of the sorts and you see if we
can find well, we've got a bit of mountains, but
all the playoffs, so we need to go into Hodral, Jared,
we're not sure we can scrapt it. Today we were
picking around.
Speaker 1 (18:56):
How's the price of das al over there?
Speaker 5 (18:58):
It's not too bad. We did boy, we did both
on the puny leader for the trick the other day
and she paid how much wilso on your paid for it?
But meet they were lucky enough. The farm is going
to opposite the two, both of all of them around
the Derndan server whenever we need top up.
Speaker 1 (19:12):
And just finally, when you look back at last year,
what little bits of wisdom do you think you can
take from what you learned in Estonia?
Speaker 5 (19:19):
You just got to be a deep to the different
soul conditions quicker. We've changed a quite a few bits
and pieces on the playof this year and really help
you with them. How the how the fires are rolling
it and me and he's picking them up, so that
should be a real advantage. And get this developing the
skills I've gotten, they do the best we can on the.
Speaker 1 (19:37):
Day, absolutely, Mark how we're going to keep tabs on
you and Sonia are on your travels over there all
the best and the lead out do some ticky touring,
enjoy the sites and always appreciate your time. And how
good is this technology? For goodness sake?
Speaker 5 (19:48):
That's awesome.
Speaker 1 (20:00):
Then welcome back to the muster. Matt Ward joins us next.
He was a twenty twenty four Beef and Lamb New
Zealand Young Farmer Development Scholarship winner. We had him on
the show just on a year ago, just after he
received the award, So we're having you catch up with Matt.
It was really interesting the other night at the Beef
and Lamb Showcase event in Gore. He went up there
(20:22):
and did a presentation for around twenty five to thirty
minutes and he spoke nothing but a lot of sense
as well, So thought a good chance to get Mat
on the show to tell us about his story and
some really interesting usings around China as well. Matt Ward,
welcome to the muster.
Speaker 3 (20:37):
Goody Andy, how are you look?
Speaker 1 (20:40):
But after Friday night and listening to what you had
to say, and there it was, I'm feeling really good,
feeling really positive about farming, knowing that people are coming
through the sector and have a different you know, they're
positive about the outlook of the industry.
Speaker 6 (20:53):
I suppose, yeah, thank you now, phonything. This Kellogg's Journey's
taught me. Taught me to be myself and like I
am quite a I see myself as quite a positive
sort of person. I wouldn't be doing it if I
was negative about the industry or what the future holds
for it.
Speaker 3 (21:10):
To be fair.
Speaker 1 (21:12):
Now, the kel I Giral Leadership Program is what you
took up as part of the scholarship prize. Tell us
about what it involved.
Speaker 3 (21:19):
Yeah, so, Andy, the.
Speaker 6 (21:21):
Kel I Grew Leadership Program. It's run over about six
or seven months. It's eighteen days in Perison over three
phases and started up in Lincoln for nine days back
in January. And it was a real fundamental learning basically
about leadership, like what it looks like to us and
(21:41):
how to become good.
Speaker 3 (21:43):
Leaders and it was a real yeah, big part was.
Speaker 6 (21:47):
Just looking inward about ourselves and what makes us tick.
Then in April we had five days up in Wellington
hearing from industry experts and industry leaders sorry, and met
with a couple of politicians and had a day in
Parliament sitting in on question time and seeing the ins
and outs of what makes Wellington tick. And then finished
(22:09):
up back in Lincoln in July with five days of
all of us presenting air research reports. And within that
six months we had to hand in a research report,
so it was about Yeah, it must have been about
six months worth of work getting all their data and
figures and everything all together and then presenting it back.
Speaker 3 (22:32):
To each other.
Speaker 1 (22:33):
So the program was more or less about personal growth.
Speaker 6 (22:37):
Yeah, I would say, like for me, that's probably the
biggest thing I got out of it was personal growth.
I can't speak for everyone, but real good insight into
the industry and what's happening in New Zealand and around
the world. Yeah, but for me it was definitely around
that personal growth and just being yourself really not trying
(23:00):
to put on a facade of what other people want
to hear or what you think people should be hearing.
Speaker 5 (23:05):
Its.
Speaker 3 (23:06):
Yeah, yeah, that's sort of what the biggest thing I
got out of it.
Speaker 1 (23:09):
Now, you spent a lot of your farming background today
up in central the Targo, in the high Country and
the like, so eight years or such that would have
taught you quite a bit.
Speaker 6 (23:19):
Oh, definitely, definitely now. I absolutely loved it. I couldn't
recommend it enough. Like I was saying on Friday night,
that I was lucky enough to come down and work
for Auntie and uncle in Mordern Main Seat when I
left school, and I sort of knew after eighteen months
or so that I always had planned to come home
to where I am now.
Speaker 3 (23:40):
I wanted to get out see.
Speaker 6 (23:42):
What the rest of the South Island had to offer,
and just bit the bullet and ended up in the
Mini a Toto for three years there and then ended
up through it we Swanaka Station and then finished up
at Mount of Spiring Station. And it's it's just good
hard work. Like they teach you how to work hard,
they get a good team of dogs going and but yeah,
(24:04):
I still think that you've got to go out and experience,
experience what's outside your front door.
Speaker 1 (24:10):
Really, because a lot of people these days, their parents
are saying, you're not coming home until you've gone and
worked two or three years on someone else's farm. Would
you agree with.
Speaker 3 (24:19):
That one hundred percent?
Speaker 1 (24:20):
I reckon longer.
Speaker 6 (24:21):
To be fair, I was always told that you're going
to be when you get home, You're always going to
be at home, Like, get out, experience what it has
to offer and going Like the biggest thing for me
was getting like, I've got a heap of mates from
all around the South Island that are all around New
Zealand now as well, so you've got those connections throughout
(24:42):
the country and we're all.
Speaker 3 (24:45):
God, I've first left when I was.
Speaker 6 (24:46):
Must have been about nineteen nineteen to twenty six, twenty seven.
We're all young shepherds.
Speaker 3 (24:52):
Through Wanaca, through re and fairly all.
Speaker 6 (24:54):
Playing rugby together, playing cricket together, chasing dogs together.
Speaker 3 (24:58):
And Jesus the time of your life Andy Like it
was Yeah, God, it was good fun.
Speaker 1 (25:03):
Would you say it's a case of leaving a boy
returning a man.
Speaker 6 (25:07):
I wouldn't they staw a wee bit of that boy
and me It was.
Speaker 3 (25:12):
No recive definitely agree. Definitely agreed. Made you grow up,
Definitely made you grow up and.
Speaker 6 (25:17):
Just realized that there is more going on than just
around your own week patch, you know.
Speaker 1 (25:24):
And you talk about in a sporting sense as well
being captain of rugby Cleuvel though you had a bit
of a missack towards the end of the season, but
just bringing a lot of those skills and what you've
learned over the last year and correlating into a sporting
sense must be pretty cool.
Speaker 6 (25:39):
Yeah, yeah, definitely, especially around that whole leadership thing. Like
you sound lucky enough to be captain of the Edendale
team and it's at the start, it wasn't something I
really wanted to do last season, Like it was, I
sort of played footy because like I enjoyed playing, but
I enjoy having a beer afterwards and that Kellogg thing.
Speaker 3 (25:58):
This this year has really.
Speaker 6 (25:59):
Taught me to like embrace, embrace the leadership and the
biggest thing I've got out of it is like bringing
the younger the younger people along up into that leadership
role behind you, so you're you're leaving it in goodstead
and that's quite exciting. Now that we had a real
good year with Edendale this year and had a heap
of young good fellas joined the team and it's like
(26:24):
a passion of mine now is to get them up
and to up and to going. So like five six
years time down the track, they're all they're all wanting
to be captains and leaders of ford packs and backlines
and just believe that next group in Goodstead.
Speaker 1 (26:38):
Really going back to Friday night, there was one figure
around China which was interacing it disturbing as well regarding wool.
Speaker 4 (26:46):
Yeah.
Speaker 6 (26:46):
Yeah, So we're lucky enough to meet with meet with
a guy who lives in China and he imports New
Zealand red meat over there, and he gave us We
went out for dinner with a man gave us a
big speel on what's happening in China.
Speaker 3 (27:02):
And I was sat down and had to be with
them afterwards.
Speaker 6 (27:05):
And I'm quite passionate about Crossbreed Wall in the future
it has for us, And I just asked them what
the what his opinion on Crossbreed Wall at Crossbreed Wall
going into China looks like? And he sat there and
laughed at me, and I was sort of taken a
wee bit back, and he said that China's got over
one hundred and eighty million sheep and they don't even
(27:25):
know what to do with their own wool, so why
would they want airs going in there? Which really sort
of rocked me because it sort of goes against what
we're being told.
Speaker 1 (27:35):
So as far as the wall situation into China is
just a dream unfortunately for New Zealand.
Speaker 6 (27:41):
Yeah, I don't know.
Speaker 3 (27:42):
I really hope not.
Speaker 6 (27:44):
And like you got to take like it's his opinion.
I yeah, yeah, I really don't know. I like, I
really hope that future a wall is looking very promising.
Speaker 3 (27:56):
I've got four dollars for crossbreed wall was it? And yessed?
It were a week sail.
Speaker 6 (28:01):
Just previously, So that's yeah, Like I still think it's positive,
but I just don't think it's as rainbows and kittens
as what we lead to believe.
Speaker 1 (28:10):
Just finally, you're back on the farm at Morton, Maine.
Is that correct?
Speaker 3 (28:14):
Yes? That's great, yep.
Speaker 1 (28:15):
Yeah, And how's it all going there? Tell people about
the operation you're on.
Speaker 6 (28:19):
Yes, it's going good. It's going good. So I've got
two hundred and thirty hectares here that I least back
off my family breed bred about sixteen hundred years lamon
about four hundred.
Speaker 3 (28:30):
Hoggits and trade. Oh yeah, I'll be up to three.
Speaker 6 (28:35):
Hundred three and fifty kettle through the summer, so I
always try to leave like a bit of a trading
component through through it. So that's going good. We've had
an absolute ripping winter, sort of enjoying those days. We
must said about a couple weeks there shifting breaks without
having to put leaguings on. So it's yeah, definitely nothing
to complain about.
Speaker 1 (28:54):
Makes a big difference to the mood. Matt Hey, thanks
very much for your time on the Muster. Wi Chet again.
Speaker 3 (28:58):
Yeah, good man, Andy, thank you very much.
Speaker 1 (29:00):
It sing us as the other piano man sing us
assol tonight.
Speaker 2 (29:09):
Well we're on in the moon.
Speaker 1 (29:11):
Welcome back, This says the Muster Billy Joel as the
artist on a Wednesday, so that means only one thing.
We are catching out with Peter Allen, our deaf farming
correspondent from the glen Ere and Belfa Pete. Good afternoon.
And the reason I give you, Billy Joel on the
Wednesdays that you're on the Muster just for the duration
of the show now is because if I remember rightly.
A few months ago had I had to share all
(29:33):
destiny to play Cliff Richard, and you more oraly said
to me off here, what the hell was that crap?
Speaker 4 (29:40):
You good afternoon, Andy, and I do feel a bit
privileged for you to officially play Billy Joel for me. No,
he's good.
Speaker 1 (29:48):
How's everything at Glenn?
Speaker 2 (29:49):
You're well up.
Speaker 4 (29:50):
Until three days ago. As I mentioned, if here fifty
five meals makes a hell of a difference to being
on top of the ground or being in the middle
of it, shifting a break. Just a couple of hours ago,
it was rather muddy and some of the wet paces,
but that's just a reminder that winter's still here. The
animals are still doing well, but it certainly softened up
(30:12):
things a little bit. Yeah, fifty five mills is quite
a considerable amount, and a lot of the creeks were
pretty fresh, and some of them overflowing around Colberts. But
another twenty four hours and we back down to normal again.
Speaker 1 (30:24):
A couple of guys so Hi I texted this morning,
says this is the first time for the winter they've
had leggings on two days in a row.
Speaker 4 (30:31):
Yeah, well, I wear knee high gum boots most of
the year round anyway, just the way deer farmers are.
Speaker 1 (30:39):
Well, you just got to do what you've got to
do to stay dry, suppose.
Speaker 4 (30:43):
Yeah, yeah, And they don't stand inside my boots that way.
Speaker 1 (30:47):
There's a good point working with there. I don't know.
Are they a bit scattery at times?
Speaker 4 (30:53):
No, we've farmed them for that long that you know,
temperament and that is a huge thing. And no, we
just know how to hand them right through weaning and
velveting and stuff. Some of them you've got to just
literally push along out of the way. But no, you
don't get stood on too much, to be fair, and
if you do while, you're a slow learner.
Speaker 1 (31:11):
So when you arrive in the gate, the more or
less just have a bit of a yarn for each other.
So pizza here feet type. That's about it.
Speaker 4 (31:17):
Carry on. Oh look, feeding out to the most of
the deer in the winter time, you've actually got to
push some of them out of the way. They're eating
the bailich as. You've taken the net wrap often and
do that quiet. But I think they kind of use
you as that savior from getting punted by the other animals.
Speaker 1 (31:34):
Some of the time Venison contracts. As we look at
the industry pete, they're looking pretty rosy.
Speaker 4 (31:40):
Yeah, that they've been well signaled from quite a few
months out and most of the companies are up north
of eleven dollars once we hit September for about four
to five weeks coinciding with the chilled season contracts. We
still have a major issue of undersupplying the contracts that
have been you know, got to in the last few years.
(32:04):
You know, we're well off the peak kill of six
hundred and fifty thousand animals eighteen years ago down to
probably only two and in fifty thousand animals, so the
marketers don't have to really push too hard. But it's
really good to see north of eleven dollars. We've taken
up one contract for that first week in September, and
we talked about companies off here too, Andy and we've
(32:27):
dedicated ourselves to the Dunkan Venison family based at Molesgow.
They started in nineteen ninety nine and a lot of
that had to do with the fact that Alliance weren't
killing deer back then, and I was a shareholder and
I kept asking them if they were ever going to
go into Deer and Murphy's Law. Twelve months after we've
got our shareholding paid out, they went into Deer, but
(32:48):
it was too late.
Speaker 1 (32:49):
What are your thoughts around this proposal with the Lions.
You've been in the game a long long time paid
Do you think it's a step in the right direction
or just a realization that Alliance has to do what
they have to do.
Speaker 4 (33:02):
Yeah, I think the latter very much. When you've got
that enormality of debt, and you've incurred that much debt
over in the last three or four years, you know,
for stocking it that they've been killing in the last
three years. It's costing them three times as much to
process animals than most of the other companies, albeit because
(33:24):
of the debt that they have to service that's the
biggest part of their cost. I mean, now that I'm
not a shareholder, I'm not going to stick any knives in,
but the fact is that they've been over corporatized for
too long as well. And the company that we've been
supplying for twenty six years as a family business that
haven't got debt and we get a true schedule because
(33:47):
there's no cross subsidization, and they've gone and found their
own markets in the US that nobody else was willing
to do and poop food for a long time. And
now they arony is that the bigger companies are now
getting into North America because they think it's a good idea,
whereas Duncan venison got there before the rest of them.
Speaker 1 (34:06):
Interesting numbers in the deer space, So you say you
two hundred and fifty thousand animals processed as opposed to
six hundred and fifty thousand, that's a hell of a
decrease here, it.
Speaker 4 (34:16):
Is, But the irony is andy. There's a lot of
people that fifteen years ago that had, you know, eight
hundred breeding hinds and were finishing venison, and they've still
got similar stock units of deer, but they're velveting stags,
and that's exactly what's happened. There's been a slow change
into the velvet side of it because per hectare people
(34:36):
could work out that they were doing better from velveting stags,
and as a consequence, we've gone from five hundred ton
of velvet ten years ago to over twelve hundred and
fifty ton of velvet in the last year, and we're
essentially three hundred ton of velvet more than what the
international market needs. So I mean, it would be an
easy fix to say that what we need to do
(34:58):
is kill let me see, probably fifty two one hundred
thousand stags to even up the balance a little bit
and bring the velvet production down and increase the venison.
But it's just not that easy. But again, don't con venison.
And I know I've given them three plugs already in
the last five minutes. They've actually come out with a
(35:19):
schedule for bigger stags and put their one hundred to
one hundred and twenty kilo big stags oldest stags schedule
up by two dollars to try and attract some early
venison pre velveting. And that's work to a certain descent.
Speaker 1 (35:37):
Well, that's just a continuation of the price we're seeing
through the other sectors as well. And I mean it's
a supply and demand thing, absolutely.
Speaker 4 (35:44):
Yeah. Well we know what's happened with lamb and mutton
and beef and cows and woolen. Yep, it's really hard
to get that supply demand scenario right, But that's kind
of what's happened. It's an odd thing. It's not so
much that the den numbers in total are down as
far as this documents go, it's just the fact that
the venison numbers have gone down considerably.
Speaker 1 (36:07):
Now, Pat, you're coming in to go this so afternoon
at the Town and Country there is a winter da
seminar going on. What's happening.
Speaker 4 (36:14):
Yeah, there's a few industry speakers there and it'll be
a good catch up. And the whole idea Andy, is
for a winter catch up for the South and Deer
Farmers branch and everybody else. You don't have to be
a member of that. It's just Deaf Farmers and it's
been well documented. You should have registered by now. But
that starts about up us to this afternoon in the
Town and Country Club, and there's one or two other
industry supported things Northern South and Vets are putting on
(36:37):
a worm wise you know, it's looking at all gipower
sites and lung worm and everything to do with drenching
and resistance and whatever. And one of those is on
Tuesday next week, the twenty sixth and Mosbone at the
Community Center, and then there's another one in Winton. So
if you're a client and a deaf farmer of Northern
(36:57):
South and Vets. You should have already got an email
and a notice of about that. We're incredibly lucky with
Northern South and Vet Sandy, because there's a high number
of deer farms in Northern South and we need a
lot of dear specialist bets and we're incredibly well off.
There's a lot of really smart dear vets based in
Northern South and so we're a bit lucky in that regard.
Speaker 1 (37:19):
Absolutely, the enniest fits do an outstanding Jobete. Hey, we
better leave it there, enjoy the afternoon. Now he's got
to catch up.
Speaker 4 (37:25):
Thanks Andy, thanks a lot.
Speaker 7 (37:27):
Oh and he's talking with the laugh out loud with
ag proud because life on the land can be a
laughing matter. Brought to us by sheer Well Data working
to help the livestock farmer and Mary.
Speaker 1 (37:41):
Couple are cruising down the highway at forty miles per hour.
The husband's behind the wheel and focus but out of nowhere,
the wife says, after twenty years, I want a divorce.
He doesn't flinch, just nudges the speed up to forty five. Here,
she continues, and don't try to stop me. I've been
seeing your best friend at let's just say I'm happy
where I'm at. He speeds out to fifty five. I
like the house, she demands. He goes up to sixty.
(38:02):
I'm taking the car too, sixty five miles per hour. Oh,
and I'm draining the bank accounts and taking the boat.
The car slowly drifts towards a concrete barrier. Paddick. Now,
she blurts out, don't you want anything? The husband finally speaks, Nope,
I've got everything I need. She scoffs, really and what
is that? He grins, eyes on the road and says,
I've got the year back.
Speaker 6 (38:24):
The Muster Events Diary brought to you by Beef and
Lamb New Zealand click beeflambendz dot com.
Speaker 1 (38:36):
Matt Taylor is part of the Beef and Lambs Southern
Farmer Council. He farms up at Lawn Peak in northern
South and joins us this afternoon. Good afternoon, Matt, welcome
to the program.
Speaker 8 (38:45):
Yeah, Andy, Good after Andy. Yeah gone out.
Speaker 1 (38:49):
Yeah, it makes it suns out, guns out, not quite
to that degree, but you're based up at Lawnpeak near Gars.
Soon it sounds as though that snow was slowly disappearing.
Speaker 8 (38:58):
Yeah, Look, we don't envy to speak industry as much
on the top. So's what's going to keep the river running.
But the summer's going to be interesting. But oh look
Stone and August, I'd rather have it now in October.
Speaker 1 (39:10):
Yeah, the ski industry in Queenstown, they'll be suffering at
the moment, are they.
Speaker 8 (39:14):
Yeah, she looks pretty bare when over a goat the hill,
shifting bloody balls up the hill and kind of looks
look up towards Cornea. You only really see the main
trails up there at the moment.
Speaker 1 (39:23):
So well, just every season is different from the last one.
Met now up there at lawn peak day. Like I say,
you're part of the Beef and Lambs Southern Founding Council.
It was a good wee shindig last Friday Nights and
Matt Ward I had him on the program on Tuesday show.
He was a Beef and Lambs scholarship winner as well.
He just oozes positivity for the sector. It's what you
(39:45):
want to see.
Speaker 8 (39:46):
Yeah, it's quite inspiring for the future, isn't it. But
I think you know, my role as an employee here
is to make sure I get more passionate people. People
that are more passionate and smarter than me involved in
my business. And if there's an industry you can get
those kind of people that a been a smarter than
the because it come for him coming through. I think
we've got a pretty good future going forward. I thought
(40:06):
you did pretty well corolling the bloody the panel there
on Friday night and it was Yeah, Robbie and Nigel
made a few good points here, didn't I.
Speaker 1 (40:16):
Yea, it was fascinating. It was all about the positivity
of sector and talking about technology and the way that
it's advancing. But look about you're part of the Farmer
Research group there at Beef and Lamb. When you talk
about technology a big one as well as AI and
now it's not artificial disseminations and keep saying it is
artificial intelligence and by the day it was just growing.
Speaker 8 (40:37):
Yeah, it's when you think about what implication it is
for the society in general, Like I think the Economic
Forums come out and said it's going to be eighty
five million jobs will disappear on the next two years.
That's worldwide. But you know, when we went back to
the two thousands and we had in coming through and
we didn't know what all these people were going to do.
But you know, we seem to be than what we
(41:00):
were before the Internet come around. But you know, as
far as it goes with egg and sheep and beef,
beef and Lamb's got quite a cool AI search engine
come out called Balla, so you can search all the
old research papers and it's it's not looking at the
whole web, it's just looking at the Zealand kind of
(41:21):
centric research papers. You can type in a question there
about Jesus, why did I scan this, or any question
you want, and it will come back to answer. Let's
pretty called tech there yourself.
Speaker 1 (41:35):
Man, are you quite happy to embrace this technology?
Speaker 8 (41:38):
I think we're going to get left behind, to be fair,
to give you an example, like you know, in the
last five years we've all got caught up on you
beyond meats and all this investment into alternative proteins. But
you know, the total investment worldwide that the alternative foods
in the last twelve years has been about nine percent,
(42:00):
and worldwide we spent about sixty over sixty percent into
market and retail systems. But I'm not talking about these
zyllainuses worldwide. So you know the application of blockchain and
AI and robotics to get us further down that value
chain and get us closer to the market and get
some more of that value back to us. It's pretty exciting.
(42:21):
It's look, it's I think the jobs that are kind
of be really under threat of those kind of intellectual roles.
Like I was talking to and advertise the other day
and we just threw a couple of phrases and some
scenery and it come back with a half a minute
ads about our country farming, and there was a AI
(42:41):
the voice over everything.
Speaker 1 (42:43):
Like copywriting, writing ads and the likes everything's up for grabs.
Speaker 4 (42:47):
Bloody yeah, bloody earth.
Speaker 8 (42:48):
Like if you're an accounts for a lawyer, like you know,
an AI can go and draft up an agreement. It's
all coming. So where we play in agriculture lit a
bit more hands on. Yeah, it's just that whole data sovereignty.
But we creep a lot of data on farm and
interpreting it, and I think a lot of guys, you know,
a lot of other outfits see more value in that
(43:10):
data we click than what we do. So if we
can get AI in there and make some really smart sousings, Yeah, Look,
I think it's something to be get excited about, not
to fear.
Speaker 1 (43:21):
What do you think of the biggest negatives around AI, though, Matt,
We talk about the positives, but surely there's got to
be a downside to this, and a lot we say
we talk about jobs, what else?
Speaker 8 (43:30):
Oh well, look, it's you've got all that dystopian future stuff,
haven't you that your terminator and the special thing about
humans that were sentient and we you know, we've got
imagination and you know, whether it's AI is ever going
to replicate that creative side of it, I don't know,
(43:52):
but bloody, you know, and agriculture can beep is like
it's it's skill, but there's also a bit of out
of had a. It's a complicated system when you so, yeah,
I don't know. It's the displacement of jobs is going
to be interesting, and you know how people are going
to earn money in the future and that whole displacement
(44:15):
of jobs. Yeah, just from a society point of view,
it's going to be, yeah, fascinating to watch play out.
Speaker 1 (44:21):
I'm Telly. The other night they had an article about
the robot Olympics. I think in China, I never think
anything so bizarre in my life.
Speaker 8 (44:29):
Yeah, well to give you one. In America, they've got
it's called mcflipper. It's all this robot and AI does
as flipburgers at McDonald's or any fast food outflue. I'm
trying to remember. I think that will make two hundred
million dollars more proper for fast food.
Speaker 5 (44:43):
I think it was two hundred.
Speaker 8 (44:45):
It was a big number in America every year just
by getting rid of that one person that was minimum
wage in the kitchen flipping burgers, put a robot in there.
But you know, when you think about that, that means
instead of a company paying out wages, they've got to
take on debt to do the capital and b So
where's all that money going to come from? And yeah,
just fascinating.
Speaker 1 (45:05):
Do you think they'll become a time and a place
in agriculture where even labor units will be under threat
due to AI? Yeah?
Speaker 8 (45:12):
Well, we're saying a little bit with Collins, now, aren't we,
Like come, you know, we've got the shepherd collars up
the hill and eventually, you know, if we could wrap
some AI around that where we could measure the residual
speed residuals pre and post from a satellite and then
AI interpreted it and went off and said, oh shit,
your fence needs to be dropped, or some way of
(45:33):
measuring growth rates on those balls up the hill. You know,
it takes a little bit of that human facture out
of it, I suppose, and just like, yeah, get a
bit more out of that system.
Speaker 1 (45:43):
And you said you have to get Matt Taylor there.
Wrapping up the best of the muster for your Saturday morning.
My name's Andy Muller. I hope everything goes well on
the farm this weekend. Take that opportunity to get off
farm if it is presented as well. I mean, it's
a busy time of year, but remember to look after yourself.
Thanks to Manco Fertilizer, this has been the best of
(46:06):
the muster. Enjoy the weekend. To see Monday.
Speaker 2 (46:10):
You're on the road and
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