Sarah's Country

How do we position our hand in the ‘green’ purse?

The talk-fest about ‘value-add’ is a waste of time if we don’t understand what the value is we are adding to our high-value consumers. Are we prepared to succumb to their ‘green’ demands to get our hand into their treasure chest for the future abundance of our economy?

This week in Sarah's Country we hear head to the US where we speak to shopper researcher for natural & organic food & beverage, Lisa Mabe-Konstantopoulos, who works with New Zealand companies breaking into a strong ‘buy-local WholeFoods’ market.

Sarah Perriam, the host of Sarah's Country, is this week joined by guest co-host Emily House, Nutrient Management Advisor for 5th Business Agri.

Sarah also hears both sides of the West Coast ‘land grab’ debate with Damien O’Connor & National MP for West-Coast/Tasman, Maureen Pugh, discusses the GMO-free debate in Waikato with an organic dairy farmer & genetics scientist as well as get’s an update from Emma Higgins on the feedback from her harrowing predictions of a dairy land value slump.

Guests on this week’s show:

• 1. BETTER POSITION OUR ‘STORY’ IN THE US : Lisa Mabe-Konstantopulous from Green Purse PR.
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• 2. GMO-FREE WAIKATO? : LIC Chief Scientist, Richard Spellman & Te Aroha organic dairy farmer, Gavin Fisher.
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• 3. WHAT FUELED THE BOOM & WHAT’S DRIVING THE SLUMP: Rabobank Dairy Analyst, Emma Higgins.
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• 4. WEST COAST ‘LAND GRAB’ : Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor & National’s West Coast/Tasman MP, Maureen Pugh.

To listen to the full-length interviews and participate in the conversation, download the Sarah's Country app now available on Apple and Android.

New Zealand companies such as Aitkins Ranch, Taylor Pass Honey & Beef + Lamb NZ are getting deep into the minds of their ideal US consumer who shops with a green purse in WholeFoods stores across America.

Lisa Mabe-Konstantopoulos is a shopper researcher and public relations practitioner based in Washington DC working with New Zealand exporters because she just LOVE's all things NZ & AUS because I believe they produce BETTER products than what we have here in America.

Sarah uncovers what New Zealand's biggest challenges and opportunities are to successfully build our food & beverage products brand awareness for a little unknown country selling into a market that is pushing 'local US is best' messages to their shoppers.

For more information visit: https://www.greenpursepr.com/

The Waikato District Council has recently held a hearing to hear the views of the region on the implications of introducing a 'GMO-free status'.

Dairy genetics company, LIC's Chief Scientist explains to Sarah it will effect their future options to use tools such as gene editing to breed 'heat-tolerant' cattle with the impeding climate change challenges.

However, Gavin Fisher, Te Aroha organic dairy farmer explains that the debate is not about organics, it's about market access to all our discerning consumers who are demanding the accreditation.

Her late-January 2020 prediction of a 10-20% dairy land value slump saying that we have been stuck in neutral for the past decade has seen Rabobank Dairy Analyst, Emma Higgins, receive a lot of flack from the industry.

Emma discusses with Sarah how she has worked through the macro factors of why she predicts this correction and how we got to the over-inflated prices to start with.

In our fortnightly catch up with Minister of Agriculture, Sarah chats to Damien O'Connor who is in Wairoa for the East Coast Expo.

He shares his views on forestry expansion on marginal land on the East Coast, celebrates the work of BioSecurity New Zealand in achieving a world-first eradication of the pea weevil and we ask the Minister why GMO-free is being left up to the choice of individual district councils to regulate rather than the Environmental Protection Agency.

NGO's such as Forest and Bird are stating that West Coasers have 'damaged & destroyed' more wetlands than any other region.

Landowners, regional councils and MP's are up in arms over the government's Significant Natural Area's process which will see farmers lose up to 95% of their private property over night.

In this episode, Sarah speaks to Minister of Agriculture and Labour MP for West Coast-Tasman, Damien O'Connor as well as National MP for West Coast-Tasman, Maureen Pugh on the issue that has Coasters' wild about what they are describing as a 'Mugabee-style land grab'.

Diamonds are made under extreme pressure and a vast line-up of pressures facing the New Zealand economy and environment may well surface gem’s of innovation, but we need to economically and mentally survive until that point - are we in a position to do this? 

This week in Sarah's Country we hear from Amos Palfreyman on how New Zealand is well positioned for the discerning consumer who will want the ‘real’ dairy option even though there is large venture capital investment pouring into cellular and lab-grown food. We also cross to Richard Rennie from Global HQ reporting from Australia on EvokeAg and the BlazeAid fencing camps.

Sarah Perriam, the host of Sarah's Country, is this week joined by guest co-host Nick Pyke of Leftfield Innovation and former CEO of FAR.

Sarah also speaks to Scott Wishart from NZAB on tips to fend of bank pressure, Cameron Bagrie with his thoughts on how we are placed to face a global recession and Vernon Tava, leader of the new Sustainable NZ political party on why there needs to be more sensible debate to not polarise the environment vs economic growth.

Guests on this week’s show:

• 1. DIARY IS LIKE DIAMONDS - LAB-GROWN WON’T REPLACE THE REAL THING : Amos Palfreymen, Business Development Manager, FoodHQ

• 2. VIRTUAL FENCING THE FUTURE FOR RURAL AUSTRALIA: Richard Rennie, agricultural journalist for Farmers Weekly.

• 3. FIVE TOP TIPS FROM A RURAL BANKER: Scott Wishart, Managing Director for NAB.

• 4. WE HAVE ENOUGH GAS IN THE TANK FOR A RECESSION: Cameron Bagrie, Independent Economist.

• 5. WHAT MAKES THIS NEW ‘GREEN’ PARTY DIFFERENT?: Vernon Tava, Sustainable NZ Party.

It’s one thing to have uncertainty from government and global markets, but then to have your major business partner - the bank - force you into a precarious position its a real kick in the guts while you're down.

On Sarah’s Country I want to continue to bring hope and optimism to our amazing resilient food producers whilst showcasing to all the curious consumers listening just how tough it is for our farmers and they aren’t these big, capitalist pigs ruining the environment.

When we had David Montgomery, a rural valuer on the show a couple of weeks but trying to bring some calm to the story of land values halving, he told me afterwards that I really need to speak to Scott Wishart, Managing director of NZAB.

With 12 years’ experience in the agribusiness banking industry he and his team of ex-bankers are doing wonders to help farmers enhance their banking relationship by ensuring farmers have a plan, are reducing their risk and, as a result, getting what they rightfully deserve. 

Last week on the show we had a wonderful guest co-host, CEO of the Irrigation New Zealand Elizabeth Soal and she closed the show with her dream utopia this election that we stop politicising water and create a Water Commission.

So how do we de-politice something that every New Zealand cares so deeply about going into the 2020 election?

Vernon Tava from the new Sustainable New Zealand party has many new policies that address environmental concerns whilst ensuring it is balanced with sustainable economic growth.

Spreading mistruths to sway the urban vote in favour of Labour & Greens supporters seemed like a home run last election, but Vernon wants to change the conversation that the environment and the economy are interdependent.

Vernon also welcomes Greens co-leader James Shaw to his party away from the extreme anti-capitalism party Vernon was once apart of.