May 12, 2026 • 9 mins
James Edgar looks at winter grazing and a common theme that occurs regarding it.
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Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:13):
James Egger Farms the Mother Flat, and no doubt he'll
be rating my choice of music for probably the fourth
time in a row. Good afternoon.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
You know you're doing yourself again, which is great. It's
a great breaks song thatt as we're putting them up
in the Swedes and no, that's good. That just the
spirits this afternoon.
Speaker 1 (00:32):
Take Well, I don't know where to go with my
music for you because I'm damned to a damned of a.
Speaker 2 (00:35):
Don't I have to start seeing it them pre pre
the end.
Speaker 1 (00:39):
Of your please do absolutely no problem.
Speaker 2 (00:42):
We'll find out find out how I click. My taste
of music is.
Speaker 1 (00:45):
Hey, how's things looking out there? Anyhow? Out as not?
Heariet Mar Flat.
Speaker 2 (00:51):
Once again. I think we touched on it a few
months ago. It's been the most every season's unusual, I guess,
but it's been quite unusual. So at Top Farm, right
at the top of Mile Flat, we just called it
maybe well rain on a few goes in the summer
and we've had probably one of our best grass growing
years for a long time, and we've managed to keep
(01:13):
the cover and sort of manage that block well, which
we're pretty pleased about. And then it's really only about
three or four kilometers towards Etrich and there's sort of
a line around there towards their other block. And we've
been incredibly dry and we've probably grown a thirdly stry
metter than what we'd what we normally would, so that's
been quite frustrating. I'd actually lot to acknowledge there's a
(01:35):
few guys over in Miller's Flat towards Rocksburgh and I
understand it's been about the driest autumn of about twenty
odd years. So I'm going to make some serious decisions
were with our block that's been really dry. We're steadily
getting their stock numbers down and we'll probably end up
wintering a thirdly stocked than what we normally would. Just
(01:55):
when you've got you're just going to do a winter
budget and if it doesn't work, you've got to find
a way to make it work. We're shifting some stock
ground to the other blocks, and some of our crops
around the place haven't been too bad and possibly call
their hog it's slightly heavier than normal and possibly have
any us as well. So yeah, the feed budget now works,
(02:19):
but it's been a bit of a head scratch for
last month.
Speaker 1 (02:22):
But you're not contemplating trees though.
Speaker 2 (02:25):
No, no, I don't think so. We're actually probably pulled
out of trees. We've gone the other way where we're
going to plant some more heat years of unproductive farm
land of the forestry. But I think we'll actually worry
about that now. Probably been a bit of a game
changer with calf price in some ways because we can
actually afford to the sheep don't develop very well on
(02:48):
those south faces and they just get skinny and don't perform.
But a breeding cow of a sudden, you know, a
fifteen hundred dollars half becomes quite an economic unit. So
we'll probably move away from more trees and actually possibly
put a few more cows on. So that's great news,
I suppose with the current prices, and looks like we
(03:09):
should get another year.
Speaker 1 (03:10):
Hopefully well a fifteen hundred dollars car if you want
to cover the poor thing and bubble rap.
Speaker 2 (03:16):
Yeah, no, it's incredible, isn't it. It just changes everything and
they're business. It's been the probably as busy as season
as we've had. The lambs have been hard, so you've
been weighing a lot of bobs to get them, but
equally probably since COVID when they shut down from COVID
and then the LAMB priccles crashed, so we'll probably catching
(03:39):
up on deferred maintenance over about four years worth over
the last while. So yeah, it's been it's been good
to get that done, but it's made everything a lot
busier too.
Speaker 1 (03:51):
Wonder grazing comes under the spotlight, James, and for more
reasons than one, because a lot of environmentalists are out
there trying to create names for themselves and whatever way,
shape or form that they can. But there's been a
bit of breakthrough on this passed by Parliament over the
last couple of days.
Speaker 2 (04:07):
You know, some people would call it breakthrough, some people
would call it common sense. Andy. I find these people
absolutely leeches and parasites. It's pretty I'd just like to
see in a turnlift budget like what is their aturnative.
So they've been quite clear, you know, and I probably
lumped some of the whatever it's called, these young rivers
or in some of these other people that are taking
(04:29):
photos of what I call good practice as saying nobody
can downs bad practice and it's certainly not what I'm doing.
But the last one I saw that they were posting
on the thing near the kettle were exceptionally well fed
and they were really fat, but they looked really good.
And we all know what South and did last weekend,
(04:49):
so you know, I just feel for that farm and
maybe that had that photo taken of them. But yeah,
these leeches and parasites that don't want any fonterra. They
don't want any meat industry, they don't want any mining,
they don't want any hole, they don't want what is
the solution to because we cannot just go back to
the third world. They have no solution. They just economic
(05:12):
vandals in my opinion, and yeah, without being too strong
a words, I just think they're scum.
Speaker 1 (05:18):
But that's just me, and tell us what you really think.
Speaker 2 (05:22):
I think we need to stop pandering around. I mean,
love we were, we're all putting up with them, but
the reality is in the social media generation now, they're
not going to change their opinions and they're putting really
extreme material out there, and we just need to call
them as we see it now as an industry and
just just call these guys what they are. You know,
just as I say, go as far as call them scum.
Speaker 1 (05:44):
You're probably right in that you are right in that
regard to it just needs to be recognized more. And
you know, farmers don't do these things to want reward.
But at the same time you're saying that it should
be out there and acknowledged.
Speaker 2 (05:56):
Yeah, I don't. Yeah, no, that's their eddy. I don't
know if I need acknowledged. I think it's the same
as all the consenting that's coming in. Look, Andy, these
this is just money coming off farms that work down
to local communities. It goes into the council, which in
my opinion gets wasted. But once again we must well
not mint any words today. But you know, the consenting
should be the same thing. If you can prove, you know,
(06:19):
three hundred and sixty five days of the year that
you're not impacted in the environment, and you know, just
going about your work and you're even improving it, like
I know we're improving. It would change some of our
stock passes and bits and pieces. But we just keep
fencing off the waterways and just do a job right
because we actually can't afford to put our tops all
(06:39):
down the river. We can't afford to lose our third
wise down the river. So yeah, their whole Palmerhawk and
now is fenced off behind the property at Riverside. And
to be brutally honest, I don't know that it's been
that successful because now the whole thing's coming and broom
long grass and we'll try to plant natives in there,
(07:00):
you know, in the hope that in about one hundred
years it might be a native corridor. But yeah, it
was a lot easier to enjoy the river. I mean
it was grazed by my stock, mainly sheep, so I
probably do. Sheep don't like to go and water, you know,
they're quite a different animal.
Speaker 1 (07:16):
Talking to Christine from FEDS shortly and he'll bring out
counsel amalgamations. What's your thoughts around it? You're based in
the IC region.
Speaker 2 (07:24):
We just need we need to get really serious. I
see some of the rate was arises again and there's
just no sign of those lowering at any stage. So
we just have to get better what we do. See.
I always link it back to being a business owner
or even a household budget, you know, so you can't
just always go and ask for more money, or if
(07:46):
the lamb price is a fragments take eight dollars. I'm
just going to meet companies and expect nine. Because I
said farn budget doesn't work. We actually have to cut
the cloth. So there's sometimes like an attend on lamb
schedule on the farm here, like we will be planting
some natives and doing some extra fencing and doing some
nice to have and there's times at eight dollar lambs
(08:07):
schedule that we have to button in all that stuff.
So the classic probably is a planting planted boxes and go,
And it's not the only thing. Even from the r
C put the district council. Sometimes we you know, we
watched three four vehicles from the clue the district council
compass the mailbox all going up to the water treatment thing.
(08:30):
And I guess we just have to get a lot
more efficient at what we do. Like this isn't silly,
this is just common teams once again, and yeah, we're
just some of the rules even starting from central government
need to get out of the out of the way,
because I do acknowledge the councils do have to follow
the rules by central government. So I don't knowledge that,
(08:50):
but I think we can be a lot better at
what we do.
Speaker 1 (08:52):
James Egg, always appreciate your thoughts.
Speaker 2 (08:56):
Cheers and.
Speaker 1 (09:00):
James Egger, based at maa Flat, not mincing words today.
Crystallan is up next. He is now president or re
elected as president of SOULF Confederated Farmers. We catch up.
James Egger Farms the Mother Flat, and no doubt he'll
be rating my choice of music for probably the fourth
time in a row. Good afternoon.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
You know you're doing yourself again, which is great. It's
a great breaks song thatt as we're putting them up
in the Swedes and no, that's good. That just the
spirits this afternoon.
Speaker 1 (00:32):
Take Well, I don't know where to go with my
music for you because I'm damned to a damned of a.
Speaker 2 (00:35):
Don't I have to start seeing it them pre pre
the end.
Speaker 1 (00:39):
Of your please do absolutely no problem.
Speaker 2 (00:42):
We'll find out find out how I click. My taste
of music is.
Speaker 1 (00:45):
Hey, how's things looking out there? Anyhow? Out as not?
Heariet Mar Flat.
Speaker 2 (00:51):
Once again. I think we touched on it a few
months ago. It's been the most every season's unusual, I guess,
but it's been quite unusual. So at Top Farm, right
at the top of Mile Flat, we just called it
maybe well rain on a few goes in the summer
and we've had probably one of our best grass growing
years for a long time, and we've managed to keep
(01:13):
the cover and sort of manage that block well, which
we're pretty pleased about. And then it's really only about
three or four kilometers towards Etrich and there's sort of
a line around there towards their other block. And we've
been incredibly dry and we've probably grown a thirdly stry
metter than what we'd what we normally would, so that's
been quite frustrating. I'd actually lot to acknowledge there's a
(01:35):
few guys over in Miller's Flat towards Rocksburgh and I
understand it's been about the driest autumn of about twenty
odd years. So I'm going to make some serious decisions
were with our block that's been really dry. We're steadily
getting their stock numbers down and we'll probably end up
wintering a thirdly stocked than what we normally would. Just
(01:55):
when you've got you're just going to do a winter
budget and if it doesn't work, you've got to find
a way to make it work. We're shifting some stock
ground to the other blocks, and some of our crops
around the place haven't been too bad and possibly call
their hog it's slightly heavier than normal and possibly have
any us as well. So yeah, the feed budget now works,
(02:19):
but it's been a bit of a head scratch for
last month.
Speaker 1 (02:22):
But you're not contemplating trees though.
Speaker 2 (02:25):
No, no, I don't think so. We're actually probably pulled
out of trees. We've gone the other way where we're
going to plant some more heat years of unproductive farm
land of the forestry. But I think we'll actually worry
about that now. Probably been a bit of a game
changer with calf price in some ways because we can
actually afford to the sheep don't develop very well on
(02:48):
those south faces and they just get skinny and don't perform.
But a breeding cow of a sudden, you know, a
fifteen hundred dollars half becomes quite an economic unit. So
we'll probably move away from more trees and actually possibly
put a few more cows on. So that's great news,
I suppose with the current prices, and looks like we
(03:09):
should get another year.
Speaker 1 (03:10):
Hopefully well a fifteen hundred dollars car if you want
to cover the poor thing and bubble rap.
Speaker 2 (03:16):
Yeah, no, it's incredible, isn't it. It just changes everything and
they're business. It's been the probably as busy as season
as we've had. The lambs have been hard, so you've
been weighing a lot of bobs to get them, but
equally probably since COVID when they shut down from COVID
and then the LAMB priccles crashed, so we'll probably catching
(03:39):
up on deferred maintenance over about four years worth over
the last while. So yeah, it's been it's been good
to get that done, but it's made everything a lot
busier too.
Speaker 1 (03:51):
Wonder grazing comes under the spotlight, James, and for more
reasons than one, because a lot of environmentalists are out
there trying to create names for themselves and whatever way,
shape or form that they can. But there's been a
bit of breakthrough on this passed by Parliament over the
last couple of days.
Speaker 2 (04:07):
You know, some people would call it breakthrough, some people
would call it common sense. Andy. I find these people
absolutely leeches and parasites. It's pretty I'd just like to
see in a turnlift budget like what is their aturnative.
So they've been quite clear, you know, and I probably
lumped some of the whatever it's called, these young rivers
or in some of these other people that are taking
(04:29):
photos of what I call good practice as saying nobody
can downs bad practice and it's certainly not what I'm doing.
But the last one I saw that they were posting
on the thing near the kettle were exceptionally well fed
and they were really fat, but they looked really good.
And we all know what South and did last weekend,
(04:49):
so you know, I just feel for that farm and
maybe that had that photo taken of them. But yeah,
these leeches and parasites that don't want any fonterra. They
don't want any meat industry, they don't want any mining,
they don't want any hole, they don't want what is
the solution to because we cannot just go back to
the third world. They have no solution. They just economic
(05:12):
vandals in my opinion, and yeah, without being too strong
a words, I just think they're scum.
Speaker 1 (05:18):
But that's just me, and tell us what you really think.
Speaker 2 (05:22):
I think we need to stop pandering around. I mean,
love we were, we're all putting up with them, but
the reality is in the social media generation now, they're
not going to change their opinions and they're putting really
extreme material out there, and we just need to call
them as we see it now as an industry and
just just call these guys what they are. You know,
just as I say, go as far as call them scum.
Speaker 1 (05:44):
You're probably right in that you are right in that
regard to it just needs to be recognized more. And
you know, farmers don't do these things to want reward.
But at the same time you're saying that it should
be out there and acknowledged.
Speaker 2 (05:56):
Yeah, I don't. Yeah, no, that's their eddy. I don't
know if I need acknowledged. I think it's the same
as all the consenting that's coming in. Look, Andy, these
this is just money coming off farms that work down
to local communities. It goes into the council, which in
my opinion gets wasted. But once again we must well
not mint any words today. But you know, the consenting
should be the same thing. If you can prove, you know,
(06:19):
three hundred and sixty five days of the year that
you're not impacted in the environment, and you know, just
going about your work and you're even improving it, like
I know we're improving. It would change some of our
stock passes and bits and pieces. But we just keep
fencing off the waterways and just do a job right
because we actually can't afford to put our tops all
(06:39):
down the river. We can't afford to lose our third
wise down the river. So yeah, their whole Palmerhawk and
now is fenced off behind the property at Riverside. And
to be brutally honest, I don't know that it's been
that successful because now the whole thing's coming and broom
long grass and we'll try to plant natives in there,
(07:00):
you know, in the hope that in about one hundred
years it might be a native corridor. But yeah, it
was a lot easier to enjoy the river. I mean
it was grazed by my stock, mainly sheep, so I
probably do. Sheep don't like to go and water, you know,
they're quite a different animal.
Speaker 1 (07:16):
Talking to Christine from FEDS shortly and he'll bring out
counsel amalgamations. What's your thoughts around it? You're based in
the IC region.
Speaker 2 (07:24):
We just need we need to get really serious. I
see some of the rate was arises again and there's
just no sign of those lowering at any stage. So
we just have to get better what we do. See.
I always link it back to being a business owner
or even a household budget, you know, so you can't
just always go and ask for more money, or if
(07:46):
the lamb price is a fragments take eight dollars. I'm
just going to meet companies and expect nine. Because I
said farn budget doesn't work. We actually have to cut
the cloth. So there's sometimes like an attend on lamb
schedule on the farm here, like we will be planting
some natives and doing some extra fencing and doing some
nice to have and there's times at eight dollar lambs
(08:07):
schedule that we have to button in all that stuff.
So the classic probably is a planting planted boxes and go,
And it's not the only thing. Even from the r
C put the district council. Sometimes we you know, we
watched three four vehicles from the clue the district council
compass the mailbox all going up to the water treatment thing.
(08:30):
And I guess we just have to get a lot
more efficient at what we do. Like this isn't silly,
this is just common teams once again, and yeah, we're
just some of the rules even starting from central government
need to get out of the out of the way,
because I do acknowledge the councils do have to follow
the rules by central government. So I don't knowledge that,
(08:50):
but I think we can be a lot better at
what we do.
Speaker 1 (08:52):
James Egg, always appreciate your thoughts.
Speaker 2 (08:56):
Cheers and.
Speaker 1 (09:00):
James Egger, based at maa Flat, not mincing words today.
Crystallan is up next. He is now president or re
elected as president of SOULF Confederated Farmers. We catch up.
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