The Muster- Don Morrison: Getting On With The Work

Willowbank farmer Don Morrison looks at the season ahead after the recent volatile winds.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:02):
This interview brought to you by Agriss in to South
branches in Laurnville, Gore, Cromwell, Milton and ran Philly. Dropped
by your local Agriss ends a South branch today.

Speaker 2 (00:14):
Don Morrison farms at willow Bank as well. He is
an Alliance BORT director and we haven't talked to Howie
for a few weeks. Been quite a bit going on, Howie,
good afternoon. Sounds like you're in a sling though.

Speaker 3 (00:25):
Oh, cured Andy. He had action for for well, supposedly
for six weeks with the sling just out. A bit
of shoulder surgery done, so yeah, but feeling pretty good
and plenty to administer and give some plans out on
the farm at the moment.

Speaker 2 (00:42):
So how did you guys fear in those winds a
few weeks back?

Speaker 3 (00:46):
Oh, we had a lot well, we got a lot
of shelter here, Andy, and a lot of it was
big mature gums. So look, I think we had about
one hundred big trees down and we could have had
another couple of hundred smaller trees snapped off. So it's
it was a bit daunting at the time, but we've
been pragmatic about it. We've we've cleaned up the half
too ones, which are the ones in lane ways and
blocking gateways, and just said, hey, we've got to be

(01:09):
a bit resilient here, get on with the rest of
the work, make sure the fences are stop proof, and
then clean up might take the next six months, I think.

Speaker 2 (01:17):
So this is pretty much stock standing for over around
Willow Bank.

Speaker 3 (01:21):
Oh there was there was a lot of Hey, I
got I got mates on around me here that had
a lot more damage than me with with sheds, with
sheds lost and and you know, vehicles lost and things.
So you look, kay, it's it's farming. You know. You've
always got to Yeah, it's it's tricky. You've got to
have that plan. You've got to be as up to
date as you can. But you've just got to be

(01:42):
resilient when stuff like this gets thrown at you and
you know it. And it normally is weather events, whether
it's a sort of an insidious little drought that sneaks
up on you, or whether it's those those rain events
and the floods. Well, now we've got the wind, so
it's it seems it's just it's just farming andy, and
you you don't let it get you down. You just
you just get on and do what you can.

Speaker 2 (02:04):
So how are things looking on the farm where there
are site?

Speaker 3 (02:06):
Ah, yeah, look that's we're Yeah, we're really under control.
Lambing was great, Hoggitt mating just got one bet one
hundred lambs still to do, but great results on on
both the US and the Hogits cereal and grass and
red clover and and half of the fodder beat to
win by next week and just probably about three or
four more paddocks to work on. So Locke and George

(02:30):
you're both both keeping the wheels turning on two trectors
at the moment. So yeah, pretty up to date.

Speaker 2 (02:35):
Well that's a good way to be all things considered,
especially with the way the weather's kind of been tempering
expectations for the season.

Speaker 3 (02:43):
Yeah, we'll look part of that planning to andy. You
know that the test has probably been the low grass
grass growth with this, you know, a colder season. So
this week we've drenched all the lambs on our the
one year use as such, and all the single lambs
mouth those use and shure them as they're in. So
they're back out now, which will which will set us

(03:05):
up for probably a slightly earlier, weening maybe the end
of November to get those lamb to get those early
lambs away and actually have those US off the place,
which will probably be half the US that will be
coming for the season. So you know, having that plan
and being prepared to react as you know, hopefully going
to alleviate that feed Demander weave it.

Speaker 2 (03:26):
Putting on your Alliance group hat coming up to the
kill season. How things looking.

Speaker 3 (03:32):
Well? Look from a from a farmer supplier, I don't
think we've ever had, you know, stronger prices regardless of
who you're who you're supplying, so you know, really strong
prices both in the and the lamb and the ewes,
the certainly the bovine space really strong. So I guess
it's a matter of, you know, how how realistic are
these prices going to be going into the season. You know,

(03:55):
we always know that prices fall down once we hit
will certainly end of December January, but it looks like
pretty strong price and going forward Andy.

Speaker 2 (04:02):
Starting with the nine at the peak of the season.

Speaker 3 (04:06):
Look you'd be I wouldn't want to make any predictions,
but you know it's looking in that direction, so you know,
and certainly you've got the you've got your lift and market,
you've got strong markets and once again you've got that
process a competition for animals, both playing in the same space.

Speaker 2 (04:23):
So the price is looking good. Therefore, overseas consumers are
still keen to get involved with New Zealand land.

Speaker 3 (04:28):
Would you say, got some really got some really strong
markets Andy, and you know, actually shorting some of those
markets where where certainly over these last six months coming
into the next season haven't been able to meet the
demand for all markets. So that certainly put that upward
pressure on price. And I guess they're always the scary

(04:49):
thing in as a processor or certainly as farmers is
when you know, product prices get too high that consumers
want to want a substitute out of red meat into
something a bit cheaper. So that's I think that's the
space to watch.

Speaker 2 (05:02):
Because somebody use a comparison the other day mince is
the new butter when it comes to price.

Speaker 3 (05:07):
Well, yeah, and hey we know what, we know what
a pound of butter cost to Andy. So yeah, look,
it's it's a tough one for consumers in New Zealand
because whether it's butter, whether it's your whether it's your
red meat. You know, they have to pay the price
that or so we sell to those suppliers for the
price that we get in the international market, which is

(05:28):
what we have to do for the best return to
your suppliers. Slight elements of you know, we can talk
about supermarket markup and I think that's that's quite a
valid debate. But you know, we can only sell into
the domestic market what we can get for our product internationally.

Speaker 2 (05:45):
So Dawn meets they've now got a capital investment with Alliance.
What happens there coming into the start of the season.
From an Alliance provider's viewpoint.

Speaker 3 (05:53):
It is andy, It's one hundred percent business as usual.
So Alliance Group is still Alliance Group. You've got exactly
the same drafter, We've got exactly the same team, and
you've just got a different governance ownership and governance structure
going forward. So that's likely to change in December, there'll

(06:14):
be there'll be a handover, but it's the it's business
as usual with an effect, but with a whole lot
new opportunity.

Speaker 2 (06:22):
Okay, how is that time of the week we we
get to talk to you about the yule Blacks and
you're still not a fan of the Barons. Surprise, surprise.

Speaker 3 (06:30):
I'm just not a fan of the wrong people in
the wrong position.

Speaker 2 (06:34):
And that is so diplomatic.

Speaker 3 (06:37):
Well, lock, hey, you've got a second five and you've
got a center, and now that a're playing second five
and center, and you know, for so long we haven't
had that combination. I think I think you've got some
pretty exciting players there the chance to work up some
combinations and and you know d Mac. You know the
question always comes up around Dmac. Someone said you like
him as an impact player. Well, I think it's a

(06:58):
bit like having joanah Lin would have been a great
impact player. But aren't you better to have him on
for eighty minutes rather than twenty minutes? So that's where
I'd go to on that whole debate too, Andy You Yeah,
you know, look, I don't think Boden Barrett actually the
test he's played this year, I haven't seen him particularly
said anything on fire in the back line tendency to

(07:19):
still run across against hard opposition, and look, whether it's
you know, we've got to have a better kicking game,
we're really we're really inferior to most of our opposition
and that kicking game with the high.

Speaker 2 (07:31):
Ball, rugby's going to be the winner. Don Morrison, always
appreciate your time on the Muster.

Speaker 3 (07:36):
Rest up, Yeah, very good, Andy, look forward to next time.

Speaker 2 (07:41):
Don Morrison. Farming at will they be as well as
being an Alliance Sport director. You're listening to the Muster. Next,
we're going to get a gauge on the weather for
the next seven days down here with weather watchers Phil Duncan,