By CountryWide Media
Bringing' you the best of rural New Zealand for nearly 50 years via your mailboxes, now it’s time for our seasonal stories from the magazine to weekly updates straight to your ears.
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The podcast currently has 53 episodes available.
Recruiting and keeping great employees is always relevant in the success of farm businesses, and is the focus of the special report in Country-Wide Summer. In this episode find out more about what employees are looking for when it comes to work contracts, how we’re doing as a sector when it comes to remuneration, and how you can attract good employees through your recruitment process.
Guests include:
Richard McIntyre, Employment Spokesperson, Federated Farmers
Gretchen Parkes, Manager, Rural Directions
Hosts:
Rebecca Greaves, Editor, Country-Wide
Luisa Osborne, Podcast Producer, CountryWide Media
Federated Farmers Employment Spokesperson Richard McIntyre discusses the importance of the total value package, one that benefits both an employee's work and personal life. He says agriculture is at risk of workers taking better paid jobs in towns, and so farmers need to provide good progression pathways.
Manager of Rural Directions Gretchen Parkes discusses how farm business branding will help when it comes to recruiting employees to your farm, and what this could look like. She also gives some tips for employees looking for jobs, and how to pitch themselves to employers.
Read the special report here.
Read the Summer issue of Country-Wide Magazine here.
Subscribe to Country-Wide magazine for $59/four magazines plus postage annually: https://country-wide.co.nz/shop/
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Keeping young people engaged in the farming industry is vital to the long term success of our sector. Nurturing and growing the next generation of farmers is something we should all care about. In this episode we look at the programmes that exist to upskill our future farmers, and give them the tools to have a long and rewarding career. We also dive into the current property markets as we head into spring and summer, and what we can glean from iconic sheep and beef farms hitting the markets.
Guests include:
Wendy Paul, CEO, Growing Future Farmers
Conrad Wilkshire, General Manager of Rural, Property Brokers
Shane Boderick, Team Leader Trades Academy Tutors, Primary ITO
Hosts:
Rebecca Greaves, Editor, Country-Wide
Sarah Perriam-Lampp, Managing Director, CountryWide Media
Growing Future Farmers CEO, Wendy Paul, discusses the role Growing Future Farmers has taken in developing the skills of young people going into the farming industry. The programme sets up 16-20 year-olds on farms for a two year programme to get practical farming experience, and learn valuable life skills.
General Manager of Rural at Property Brokers Conrad Wilkshire discusses the spring property markets, as a number of iconic sheep and beef properties go on the market, what this means for land values, and whether farmers should be concerned.
Team Leader Trades Academy Tutors at Primary ITO Shane Boderick discusses the Trades Academy Programme, and how it gives students hands-on experience and skills to get into the primary industries. He says it’s been part of his own journey, and helps a lot of school students to find something they’re talented at, and get real world experience.
Make the smart call. Click here to contact an Agri Manager.
Read the Summer issue of Country-Wide Magazine here.
Subscribe to Country-Wide magazine for $59/four magazines plus postage annually: https://country-wide.co.nz/shop/
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Farm businesses, like any other business, thrive better when there’s good leadership, from large multi-farm businesses to family owned-and-operated farmers. But how do you become a good leader, and what actually makes one? In this episode we delve into Pāmu’s leadership programme model, and talk to a Marlborough farmer investing in good leadership and team culture on his farm.
Guests include:
Bernadette Kelly, Chief People, Safety and Reputation Officer, Pāmu
Fraser Avery, Marlborough Farmer
Hosts:
Rebecca Greaves, Editor, Country-Wide
Sarah Perriam-Lampp, Managing Director, CountryWide Media
Pāmu’s Chief People, Safety and Reputation Officer, Bernadette Kelly, discusses how they’ve developed a culture of good leadership to do the best by their staff. This includes making sure there are opportunities for growth, development, and having each other’s back. She says people often leave workplaces due to poor leadership, so it’s critical to get it right.
Marlborough Farmer Fraser Avery works hard to create good team culture on his farm. He says it’s something that farmers often don’t learn about when they’re training, and is overlooked. He’s been looking for ways to learn from others about effective leadership styles and team culture, to do the best by his farm team.
Read more in the Special Report “Leadership It Starts at the Top” here.
Read the Summer issue of Country-Wide Magazine here.
Subscribe to Country-Wide magazine for $59/four magazines plus postage annually: https://country-wide.co.nz/shop/
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The light at the end of the tunnel is coming for the red meat sector, but how can farmers start planning ahead to stay out of the boom-and-bust cycle that seems prevalent in the sector? Hear from RaboResearch Senior Animal Protein Analyst Jen Corkran on the opportunities available to red meat farmers going forward, and Australian Independent Livestock Analyst Simon Quilty on what opportunities we can glean from the Australian market.
Guests include:
Jen Corkran, Senior Animal Protein Analyst, RaboResearch
Simon Quilty, Independent Livestock Analyst
Hosts:
Rebecca Greaves, Editor, Country-Wide
Sarah Perriam-Lampp, Managing Director, CountryWide Media
Senior Animal Protein Analyst with RaboResearch, Jen Corkran, has delivered her report “Watering the green shoots in New Zealand sheep meat”, identifying three pathways to lift our earnings in the sector. She discusses the opportunities for red meat farmers to look into, avoiding a boom-and-bust economy, and what overseas markets we could break into.
Independent Livestock Analyst from Australia, Simon Quilty, discusses what he’s forecasting for the sheep meat sector over the next 12 months, and what he sees happening coming out of tough farming and financial times, through to 2028. This includes potential markets for Australia and New Zealand, and how the Australian market bleeds into ours.
Read Simon’s article in the latest SHEEP Country journal here.
Learn more about Global AgriTrends here.
Interested in learning more? Buy a copy of the 2024 SHEEP Country today, while stock lasts.
Other links from this podcast:
Make the smart call. Click here to contact an Agri Manger.
Read the Spring issue of Country-Wide Magazine here
Subscribe to Country-Wide magazine for $59/four magazines plus postage annually: https://country-wide.co.nz/shop/
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Changing a farm system is no small feat, and Banks Peninsula farmer George Masefield, and his wife Emma, have spent the past eight years making significant changes to the family’s farming operation. In almost a decade they’ve been able to transform the business, enabling them to finish all of their lambs on their dryland hill country and buy in trading stock.
In this episode hear from George Masefield, and PGG Wrightson Technical Field Representative Robert Trott, who has been part of the farm transformation. We also catch up with AgResearch about their latest project: a brand new podcast exploring the big questions facing New Zealand agriculture, and Jasper Van Halder CEO of Agnition about the exciting opportunities available to farmers through their pilot farmer network.
Guests include:
Hosts:
George Masefield is a sixth generation sheep and beef farmer on Banks Peninsula, and is currently almost a decade into transforming the farm to get the most from their dryland system. He discusses the benefits of doing it yourself, rather than relying on contractors, and how as a family they’ve made their plans possible.
CEO of Agnition Jasper Van Halder discusses the exciting opportunities available through Agnition. Agnition’s dual mission is to generate returns from innovations and to accelerate innovation in the ag sector in NZ. Agnition also facilitates a pilot farm network where twice a year, 100+ curious farmers and growers act as ‘beta tester’ for pre-commercial solutions ready for on-farm deployment.
Agronomist Robert Trott from PGG Wrightson has been along for the journey with the Masefields while they transform their farm. He discusses the vast array of different crops they’re trying on the Masefield’s farm, and what he himself has learned along the way.
‘What’s Next? from AgResearch’ is a limited series podcast exploring the big questions facing New Zealand agriculture. Senior Marketing and Communications Advisor Eryn Breading discusses the work AgResearch is doing, covering everything from soil health and composition, to what lives and grows in that soil, to the wellbeing of the livestock that eat what grows in the soil, to the food and fibre produced by those animals and the health impacts on consumers.
Read the Spring issue of Country-Wide Magazine here
Subscribe to Country-Wide magazine for $59/four magazines plus postage annually: https://country-wide.co.nz/shop/
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The Beef + Lamb New Zealand Awards are a highlight of the farming calendar, to come together and celebrate the hard work and excellence of the sheep and beef sector. The judges had their work cut out for them this year, with many notable figures in the industry up for awards, from science and technology, to farming leadership and community involvement.
In this episode, hear from three farmer award winners. Let’s take the chance to celebrate the hard work being done in our sector.
Guests include:
Hosts:
The Ravenwood family, who own Fernglen Farm, won The Gallagher Innovative Farming Award. Jeff Ravenwood discusses their diversification journey, establishing a 1300 flock of milking ewes at their Wairarapa farm, enabling all five family members to work in the business together.
Waikato sheep and beef farmer Graeme Gleeson won the Regional Leadership Award at the Beef + Lamb New Zealand Awards for his involvement in farmer advocacy and industry-good activities. He discusses his experience in the advocacy world, from the 1980s to now, with He Waka Eke Noa and emissions reduction plans.
Te Kuiti farmer Mitchel Hoare won The AgResearch Emerging Achiever Award, for his motivation and innovation towards farm ownership. He discusses his progression through the farming industry, and his community involvement in the sheep and beef sector.
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Pathways to farm ownership can be hard to navigate, with young farmers having less access to the capital required to purchase land. Equity partnerships are a viable option that allow farmers to partner with investors to get a foot on the farm ownership ladder.
In this episode hear from Wairarapa farmers, Simon and Katie Falloon, who are equity managers in an equity partnership; Sarah How, Co-Founder of Landify, on how their platform sets up farmers with interested investors to make farm ownership possible; and MCI’s Sean Stafford, who helped put together the Falloon’s equity partnership, on the key elements of a successful equity partnership.
Guests include:
Hosts:
Simon and Katie Falloon have worked hard to make their Wairarapa farm a viable equity partnership, and discuss how they managed to build the reputation and networks that made it possible to find investors. They also took out this year’s Keinzley Agvet Wairarapa Sheep & Beef Farm Business of the Year, after only two years on their farm.
Co-founder of Landify, Sarah How, discusses why Landify was developed as a tool to connect farmers and investors to go into equity partnerships. They saw a gap in the market for young motivated farmers to access capital to purchase farm businesses, and decided to set up Landify to meet that need.
Sean Stafford is an Advisory Specialist with MCI & Associates, and helped put together the Waipuke partnership for Simon and Katie Falloon. He discusses what makes a good equity partnership, how they develop an exit plan at the end of the partnership, and what his advice is to those interested in an equity partnership.
Read the new Spring issue of Country-Wide Magazine here
Subscribe to Country-Wide magazine for $59/four magazines plus postage annually: https://country-wide.co.nz/shop/
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This week we catch up with Country-Wide’s Spring issue Home Block columnists from around the country to find out what’s happening in their patch. From yearling bull sales and cyclone recovery in Hawke’s Bay and Gisborne, to challenging lambing conditions in Southland, our four farmers discuss the challenges and rewards of farming in each of their regions.
Guests include:
Hosts:
Hawke’s Bay farmer Max Tweedie discusses how the lambing and calving season has been going on his farm. He also tells us how the yearling bull sale went for him this year, and what he’s noticing about the traits customers are looking for over time.
Southland farmer Ben Dooley says it has been a relatively good winter, thanks to good grass covers to make sure sheep have feed, but it was a tough September coming into spring. Lamb survival has been impacted, and as he says, your whole year's work can be taken away by 18 days of bad weather. He shares some tips on how to keep motivated when times are tough.
Mid Canterbury farmer Anna Munro is in the thick of lambing, and has had a good run of weather for it, however feed levels have been low due to a dry autumn and winter. She also discusses her rural-focussed photography business, and participating in the autumn muster up at Lake Heron Station.
Tairāwhiti Gisborne farmer Sandra Matthews was the winner of the FMG Rural Champion Award at the 2022 Beef + Lamb NZ Awards, for her involvement in her local community. She discusses the impact land loss has had on their farming system, and the importance of having community - for her that has been Rural Women New Zealand.
Read the new Spring issue of Country-Wide Magazine here
Subscribe to Country-Wide magazine for $59/four magazines plus postage annually: https://country-wide.co.nz/shop/
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Can we find common ground to solve the challenges facing the primary industries? AGMARDT has launched a thought leadership report with KPMG with the proactive title ‘Are industry good bodies good for industry?’ The report identified 150 different organisations from co-operatives to levy-funded and member organisations that drive forward positive outcomes for farmers, but are they working collaboratively together in a way that will take farming into the future?
In this episode we hear from farmer Phil Weir, who wrote his Nuffield report about how industry bodies can collaborate more effectively to tackle challenges in the sector, and Lee-Ann Marsh the General Manager of AGMARDT, about why they funded this report and what the next steps are for better industry collaboration.
Guests include:
Hosts:
Waikato Farmer and Director on the board of Beef + Lamb New Zealand, Phil Weir, wrote his 2020 Nuffield report on “Restructuring Industry Good for the Future”, which proposed a new industry body to oversee the challenges facing the farming sector. He says this isn’t about getting rid of the individual groups, but finding ways to work across the sector on common issues, for a more impactful outcome.
General Manager of AGMARDT Lee-Ann Marsh discusses why AGMARDT are funding collaborative partnerships that involve groups from across the sector, including the KPMG report, to bring better solutions to industry challenges. This would tackle issues such as duplicate applications for funding towards solving the same issue, rather than collaboration across the industry bodies for a common outcome.
Read the new Spring issue of Country-Wide Magazine here
Subscribe to Country-Wide magazine for $79/four magazines plus postage annually: https://country-wide.co.nz/shop/
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With a goal of Predator Free 2050, it can seem ambitious with only 25 years to go. Is it a fantasy, or can it become our reality? In this episode we catch up with different groups working to tackle pests and weeds across New Zealand, from animals like ferrets, goats and possums, to weeds like wilding conifers.
Guests include:
Hosts:
Pete Oswald, skier and entrepreneur by trade, and self-titled passionate environmentalist, has been project manager for the Central Otago Wilding Conifer Control Group for 18 months. He discusses the impact of funding issues, and what this means for effectively tackling wild weeds in New Zealand.
Mike Perry has been the Manager of DOC’s new National Wild Animals Management Programme for two years, having spent 10 years with them already, and working in the bush and backcountry for over 20 years. He discusses the National Wild Goat Hunting Competition that is back for 2024, and encourages those who farm and hunt to either enter or sign up to the new landowner category.
Keen to get involved? Find out more here.
Professor James Ross of Lincoln University discusses whether Predator Free 2050 is a reality or a fantasy, and how replicating what has been done on our uninhabited islands to tackle pest problems can be used on the mainland to achieve the same outcome. He discusses the projects he’s worked on, and what technology we need to meet our goals.
Read more in Country-Wide Spring:
Read the new Spring issue of Country-Wide Magazine here
Subscribe to Country-Wide magazine for $59/four magazines plus postage annually: https://country-wide.co.nz/shop/
SUBSCRIBE TO THE COUNTRY-WIDE WEEKLY EMAIL
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The podcast currently has 53 episodes available.