The Muster- Jacob Mackie: Beef and Lamb Happenings

Jacob Mackie catches up as part of the Southern Farmer Council.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
It's the Muster Events Diary, brought to you by Beef
and Lamb New Zealand. Click beeflambendz dot com.

Speaker 2 (00:12):
Jacob mackey is part of the Beef and Lambs Southern
Farmer Council, works for PAMU, based in the Fieldland Basin
and joins us this afternoon on the mustas Beef and
Lamb catch up with us every week here on the program. Jacob, Welcome.
How's things Yeah?

Speaker 3 (00:25):
Good, Thank you Andy, thanks for the call.

Speaker 2 (00:28):
Firstly, how's the situation up there around Menapori? Were you
based by the sounds of it, it's still pretty damp.

Speaker 3 (00:35):
Yeah, Yeah, it's been very wet, specially Yeah, it's still
rain on the radar two. Yeah, it's been very challenging
to yeah, say the least really through the last few months.
And yeah, a few frustrations out there, but we're sort
of feel like we're through the other side of it
now and any rain now, to be fair, leading up

(00:56):
towards Christmas is probably going to be well received. It
should keep us going through to the new year, especially
farming somewhere that can dry out pretty quickly.

Speaker 2 (01:06):
Yeah, that's the irony of all the rainfall. We've had
and dually touched on this on Monday about any rainfall
now through until Christmas is appreciated considering the amount of
rainfall you've gone through.

Speaker 3 (01:17):
Yeah, I think there's a lot of crops going in
the ground too. At the moment, everything's quite late and
the grass has been that short and it's sort of
been stressed. So I think that all eve it a
consistent rain going forward or will help it, but it
is still still challenging trying to try to farm through
it all the same.

Speaker 2 (01:36):
Jacob good people a bit of an understanding about your
farming background.

Speaker 3 (01:41):
Yeah, so I've been farming in the last South Orland
for thirteen years, probably around western southern majority of it,
worked through Black Mountain and over at Mountains and stations.
Spent seven years there and yeah, popped up north for
a couple of years and was managing farm up there,

(02:05):
and then yeah, we decided to move back down for
family reasons back to the basin and yeah, so now
working for Parma and yeah, oversee five farms and work
with farm managers throughout the basin. So yeah, yeah, a
bit about me really.

Speaker 2 (02:23):
There's quite a few Palmu farms around the Manipuri region
isn't there in the basin in general?

Speaker 3 (02:28):
Yeah, there's fifteen that we've got in south On and
another seven and Otago. So yeah, there's the sort of
spread from I guess ear Creekers over towards Queenstown and
then we're landed by Nightcaps and then yeah, and then
there's a big cluster around the Manipuri town area.

Speaker 2 (02:51):
Now as far as rejoining the count so I believe
you were on it before you hit it that north
and yeah, like I say, you're back on it now.
What was the rest now behind that?

Speaker 3 (03:00):
I just I guess I'm still working with a lot
of farmers and got a lot of a lot of
I guess connections and friends farming in Southland and people
I know. I thought I've got across quite a few
things and quite enjoy being involved with beef and lamb
last time I.

Speaker 1 (03:19):
Was in it.

Speaker 3 (03:19):
So I think it's good to sort of voice a
few of those things and frustrations too and get them
feed them back up to and work with the Farmer
Council to people hearing a what a few issues are
on the ground. So yeah, I'm talking to guys every day,
so I feel like I'm as good as they need

(03:39):
to to join and help help help send that message
and and sort of get a bit of feedback to
you of what farmers do want to have at field
days and that sort of thing, and feed that back
to and and what's going to help them and their businesses.

Speaker 2 (03:55):
And it sounds as a Southern Farmer Council as well.
There's a lot of new voices on it for this term,
which is always a good thing. Yeah.

Speaker 3 (04:02):
Yeah, there was two men and one other that got
elected on and yeah, a change in chairs. So yeah,
it's going to be it's going to be good. Looking
forward to the next twelve months. Yeah, farm inflation sort of,
I guess it's platted a bit at the moment from
some figures I was looking at the other day. There's

(04:23):
definitely going to be a highlight onto efficiency and probably
I think I've been sitting down with a lot of
guys this last week or two and looking at where
what areas of the business we can really try and
capture some more potential out with its lambs, kill waits
or kettle waits, and probably trying to optimize the livestock

(04:46):
that we've got on farms, because yeah, I think there's
going to be a weave bit of a shortage, So yeah,
I guess I'm still optimistic though. That's why I was
still here doing it. I think you've got to stay
positive about it. It's just going to be some real challenges,
so all the same, And I'm hearing that and seeing

(05:07):
that from talking to a lot of people.

Speaker 2 (05:09):
I suppose one of the positives at the moment there
is a reflection of Mutton on the market. It's actually
selling well, arguably two three times as much as last
year for the same time.

Speaker 3 (05:19):
Yeah, yeah, there's still there's still some good contracts going
forward to a lot the Lamb and dam contracts, and
there's still good prices. Well, you know, it's probably not
as good as what we've seen, but it's it's as
good as what we're getting at the moment. So that's
given a little bit more positivity. And I think it's
from talking to a few different people too, I'd say
it's a week bit more than what was originally budgeted too,

(05:42):
So I think that's going to help long term for
this season anyway. And yeah, there's been talk about Lamb
holding a wee bit longer than what it was predicted.
So but then you know there's there also newer report
to saying it's going to dry out a little bit,
so it's got to be careful. We get your information
from sometimes.

Speaker 2 (06:02):
Two words you said. Then, Jacob, to wrap up, you
talked about positivity in other wordvers long term, So I'll
ask you long term positivity for the sector? What are
you thinking?

Speaker 3 (06:13):
I think it's it's not all doom and gloom. I
think there's stools, there's some really good innovation coming through
at the moment, and I think everyone's really honed in
on their cost structures and we opportunities are in their business.
I think it's going to be a real push for more, more,
trying to do more of what we've got and try

(06:35):
and capture as much productivity out of operations as we can.
And and yeah, I think it's gonna it's gonna this
time in probably two years, I think it's going to
be hopefully completely different picture.

Speaker 2 (06:50):
Jacob Mackie, part of the Beef and Lamb Summer Farmer Council.
I appreciate your time on the Master.

Speaker 3 (06:54):
Yeah, awesome, Thank you. Andy.

Speaker 2 (06:59):
Jacob macke out of the Beef and Lambs Southern Farming
Council beef and Lamb on the Musta every Thursday. Before
we wrap up, we're going over to Paddis, Paris. Elliott
Smith News Talks. He'd being Goldsmort rugby commentator, but of
a preview of the AB's A hit of the game
against France Sunday morning