Farmers Weekly Podcast

Senior reporter Richard Rennie outlines a new report that looks at demographic change in our regions, and finds that while populations are growing in some places, the age of them is rising, bringing workforce and productivity challenges.

Senior analyst Suz Bremner says store cattle prices are high and even up on last year’s results at this time of year, but expectations are higher and some are feeling a little disappointed on returns. Buyers are very cautious about the El Niño risk and that’s impacting the longer term cattle market.

Federated Farmers arable chair Chris Dillon says the Government’s plan to ease drone regulations could encourage more farmers to invest in the technology. He says costly and complex certification requirements have been a major barrier, making farmers reluctant to adopt drones despite their potential on-farm benefits.

In this week's episode, senior reporter Neal Wallace and AgriHQ analyst Alex Coddington examine red meat and lamb markets as prices face seasonal pressure, while Biosecurity Minister Andrew Hoggard outlines the government’s $109m battle plan to tackle wilding pines.

Biosecurity Minister Andrew Hoggard outlines the plan being developed to combat wilding pines. With $109 million in the war chest for the fight, Hoggard says he’s keen to have a plan that uses resources efficiently, and draws on the capability of every stakeholder.

Senior reporter Neal Wallace takes a look at the red meat markets, with data from Beef + Lamb NZ and global trends all pointing to a slight drop in farmgate returns.

Could lamb prices be heading for their usual pre-Christmas slide? AgriHQ analyst Alex Coddington unpacks the market signals farmers should watch as spring progresses.

This week we examine the issues shaping rural New Zealand. Neal Wallace revisits the solar farm debate and looks at moves to bring food and fibre into secondary schools, AgriHQ’s Sara Hilhorst wraps up a massive Feilding-Marton hogget fair, AgFirst’s James Allen explains how small farm management changes can deliver big gains for dairy farmers, and Federated Farmers’ Sandra Faulkner examines the progress of local government reform.

Senior reporter Neal Wallace follows up on his story on solar farms, with advocates saying the better alternative to them is for every farmer to implement their own system. And, moves to introduce a food and fibre curriculum to secondary schools is being celebrated, though teachers are waiting on the details on how it will be taught.

AgriHQ analyst Sara Hilhorst wraps up the Feilding-Marton hogget fair, held in Feilding this week. It was a massive yarding and despite the size, vendors left happy.