The Dairy Exporter Podcast

Financial literacy is almost like learning another language, and in the summer issue of Dairy Exporter the special report focusses on where to start and what is to gain from improving financial literacy in our farm businesses. From understanding debt management, to growing your funds through compounding, in this episode we break down the key terms and tools.

Guests include:

1. Paul Bird, Financial Educator, DairyNZ

2. Chris Lewis, Managing Director, BakerAg

Hosts:

1. Sheryl Haitana, Editor, Dairy Exporter

2. Anne Lee, Deputy Editor, Dairy Exporter

DairyNZ’s Paul Bird discusses the basics of financial literacy, including the everyday terminology, and how learning the terms and tools will help you grow a successful farm business, including the power of compounding money. 

BakerAg’s Chris Lewis discusses the key things to be aware of when it comes to running a financially strong farm business, including doing a budget together as a partnership, good communication on spending, and managing debt. 

• Read the Special Report here.

• Buy the Dairy Exporter Summer Issue here

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Farm ownership is becoming a harder goal to achieve, especially for the next generation who might not have the capital to meet increasing land prices. In this episode hear from Sarah How, Co-Founder of Landify, on how the platform is setting up young growers with established farmers; Conrad Wilkshire from Property Brokers about how the property market is gaining momentum this spring; and CEO of Pāmu Mark Leslie, on their new pathways programme.

Guests include:

1. Sarah How, Co-Founder, Landify 

2. Conrad Wilkshire, General Manager for Rural, Property Brokers

3. Mark Leslie, CEO, Pāmu

Hosts:

1. Sheryl Haitana, Editor, Dairy Exporter

2. Anne Lee, Deputy Editor, Dairy Exporter

3. Sarah Perriam-Lampp, Managing Director, CountryWide Media

Co-Founder of Ladify Sarah How discusses why they created Landify to support younger farmers into business and farm ownership pathways, and to connect them with established farmers. She says the big barrier for the next generation of farmers is having enough capital to purchase land, but also the connections to go into equity-partnership models with, which is where Landify can help.

General Manager for Rural at Property Brokers Conrad Wilkshire discusses whether the property market is softening, and what this could mean for both growers wanting to get into farm ownership, and those looking to sell. He says there’s a lot more market discipline happening this season, and good preparation around due diligence.

Pāmu has committed to creating more pathways to bring more farmers into the sector, by making it easier for farmers to get into farm ownership. CEO Mark Leslie discusses why they decided to do it, what they hope to achieve, and the pathways available. 

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Drench resistance is already a widespread problem in the sheep industry, so how can dairy farmers stay ahead of the game, to avoid the same fate? Regular testing and monitoring are the keys to staying ahead, according to our guests in this episode, who discuss the tools and technology available to farmers right now. 

Guests include:

1. Greg Mirams, Founder & Managing Director, Techion

2. Richard Fowler, Rotorua Dairy Farmer

3. Lance Price, Farm Manager

4. Ginny Dodunski, Programme Manager, Wormwise

Hosts:

1. Sheryl Haitana, Editor, Dairy Exporter

2. Anne Lee, Deputy Editor, Dairy Exporter

Founder and Managing Director of Techion Greg Mirams discusses how changing biology is increasing drench resistance, and what tools and technology are options for farmers to keep ahead of the game. 

Rotorua farmer Richard Fowler has been part of an AgResearch monitoring programme that involved him routinely testing his stock, including for worms. Richard and Lance Price, who manages Richard’s runoff, discuss how the programme has changed their approach to drenching onfarm.  

Wormwise Programme Manager Ginny Dodunski discusses how drench resistance affects cattle herds, and how they’re trying to collect data to get a better understanding of the problems. She says it’s a farm-by-farm discussion about what can be done differently, especially on calf-only blocks. 

• Check out Wormwise here.

Buy the new Dairy Exporter Summer Issue here

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Learning to live with Kikuyu is the reality for more farmers in the upper North Island. Featured in the brand new Dairy Exporter Summer issue, Natalie and Andre Meier share their learnings from managing the subtropical grass on their farm. Also hear from Northland consultant Kim Robinson who gives her top tips for management of a Kikuyu system. 

Guests include:

1. Natalie & Andre Meier, Bay of Plenty Farmers

2. Kim Robinson, Agribusiness Consultant & Director, AgFirst

Hosts:

1. Sheryl Haitana, Editor, Dairy Exporter

2. Anne Lee, Deputy Editor, Dairy Exporter

Bay of Plenty dairy farmers Andre and Natalie Meier have learnt to embrace the summer grass Kikuyu, and have also altered their system to once-a-day and are enjoying the productivity wins. They discuss how they got here.

• Read their story here.

Kim Robinson, Agribusiness Consultant and Director at AgFirst, has been part of the system alternation on the Meier’s farm, and discusses the approach they took, and the advice she has for other farmers dealing with Kikuyu. 

• Find Kikuyu resources on the AgFirst website here.

Buy the Dairy Exporter Summer Issue here

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With mating underway it’s important to look at your pasture management systems to make sure your herd is eating well. Keeping quality while there is a surplus and then keeping an eye out on when to slow down your round is important to future proof feed supply. 

Guests include:

1. Mark Williams, Farm Systems Specialist, DairyNZ
2. Robbie Ferris, GM of Piriaka Farms and Chair of Pasture Summit

Hosts:

1. Sheryl Haitana, Editor, Dairy Exporter
2. Sarah Perriam-Lampp, Managing Director, CountryWide Media

DairyNZ’s Mark Williams discusses pasture management as we head into the spring flush for pastures, including the targets farmers need to keep in mind, having a well communicated plan, and making the right decisions at the right time. 

Robbie Ferris is the General Manager of Piriaka Farms, as well as the Chairperson of the Pasture Summit. He discusses why pasture management is important especially at this time of year, with mating underway, and why it’s important to have the right policy onfarm including stocking rates. 

Learn more about the Pasture Summit in Episode 9 of the podcast here.

Buy the Dairy Exporter Spring Issue here

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With mating season underway farmers will be considering how to make their herds more efficient, through breeding. Fonterra have been around the country on their Efficiency Evolution Strategy Roadshow, and two of their presenters share the tools they encourage farmers to think about when it comes to getting the most from your herd. Also hear from two LIC Agri Managers on their MINDA tool, and how they’re using it to make bespoke plans for their farmers on what efficiency means to them.

Guests include:

1. Malcolm Ellis, Strategic Advisor, Fonterra
2. Louise Cook, Environment Programme Lead, Fonterra
3. Charlotte Gray and Rosanna Dickson, Senior Agri Managers, LIC

Hosts:

1. Sheryl Haitana, Editor, Dairy Exporter
2. Sarah Perriam-Lampp, Managing Director, CountryWide Media

Malcolm Ellis and Louise Cook from Fonterra hosted Fonterra’s Efficiency Evolution Strategy Roadshow. They discuss different strategies to get more efficiency from your herd and farm system. They say due to challenges like M Bovis farmers haven't had the chance to get into selecting cows for efficiency, but it’s time to look more closely at the replacements we are breeding. 

Senior Agri Managers at LIC Charlotte Gray and Rosanna Dickson discuss the “MINDA” tool, and how LIC creates bespoke understandings of what “efficient” is to each individual farmer. They discuss how to get the best from the best cows, the limitations of herd data, and ways of measuring efficiency. 

Buy the Dairy Exporter Spring Issue here

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Salmonella outbreaks in herds can be devastating, and given the wet spring across the country, it is a grim reality for some farmers at the moment. 

In this episode, hear from a vet managing Salmonella outbreaks in Southland; two Veterinary Technical Advisors from MSD Animal Health about how to prevent a Salmonella outbreak on your farm; and a Waikato dairy farmer about how she managed an outbreak on her farm during the dry period, and what she’s doing now to prevent it happening again.

Guests include:

1. Sam Lee, Southland Dairy Vet, Northern Southland Vets
2. Kim Kelly, Livestock Veterinary Technical Advisor, MSD Animal Health
3. Andrew MacPherson, Veterinary Technical Advisor, MSD Animal Health
4. Louise Collingwood, Dairy Farmer, Ōtorohanga

Hosts:

1. Sheryl Haitana, Editor, Dairy Exporter
2. Anne Lee, Deputy Editor, Dairy Exporter
3. Sarah Perriam-Lampp, Managing Director, CountryWide Media

Southland Dairy Vet Sam Lee says cows that are already under stress are more prone to contracting Salmonella, and it doesn’t have to have been brought onto the farm by external factors such as birds. The Salmonella bacteria likes wet conditions, so he has been dealing with it especially this year with an especially wet spring in Southland right now. 

MSD Animal Health are receiving a high number of calls from vets around the country seeking advice on best practice management of Salmonella as a result of outbreaks they are seeing from their farming clients. Livestock Veterinary Technical Advisor for MSD Animal Health Kim Kelly, and Veterinary Technical Advisor Andrew MacPherson, share what they are seeing out on farms at the moment and how to avoid an outbreak of this devastating bacteria on your farm.

Thanks to using SenseHub Dairy collars Ōtorohanga dairy farmer Louise Collingwood was able to pick up the symptoms of Salmonella and get the farm vet involved early to treat her herd. The health alerts from the devices go out even before the cows themselves show symptoms visible to the farmer.

For more information

• To find out more about Salmonella visit Top Farmers Know-How https://www.topfarmers.co.nz/know-how/salmonella/
• To find out more about prevention with Salvexin+B click here.

Other Important Notes:

• https://www.topfarmers.co.nz/know-how/salmonella/
• https://www.topfarmers.co.nz/know-how/salmonella/salmonella-in-cattle/  PODCAST: Sharemilkers Matt and Jennifer Davison share their experience of a Salmonella Brandenburg outbreak on their Canterbury dairy farm and MSD Technical Vets talk about how common outbreaks of Salmonella are, what the options are for damage control and how to prevent it in the first place. 
• Salmonella fact sheet https://www.topfarmers.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/sites/244/2022/12/NZ-SAL-210900003-TFKH_Salmonella_Fact-Sheet-1_Salmonella-In-Cattle_2021.pdf

Buy the Dairy Exporter Spring Issue here

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Springtime is said to be the best time of year to put your farm on the property market, and those across the real estate sector are feeling optimistic about the way the market is heading with rising milk payouts, and more interest from investors back into the dairy sector. After a tough couple of years, it looks like confidence and capital are building – so could it be a good time to look at buying land?

Guests include:

1. Bruce Weir, General Manager of Country Banking, Rabobank
2. Conrad Wilkshire, General Manager - Rural, Property Brokers 
3. Craig Bates, Otago/Southland Sales Manager, PGG Wrightson Real Estate

Hosts:

1. Sheryl Haitana, Editor, Dairy Exporter
2. Anne Lee, Deputy Editor, Dairy Exporter

Rabobanks General Manager of Country Banking Bruce Weir says in their latest Rural Confidence Survey 26% of farmers surveyed were looking to expand their farm business. He says at the moment they’re seeing confidence begin to grow after a tough couple of years, and are seeing a lot more diversification of farm systems, into the likes of solar, arable, and agritourism. 

Rural General Manager for Property Brokers Conrad Wilkshire says that while dairy payouts have gone up, turnover of farm sales has gone down – with the lowest year in the past decade being 2019, when the Reserve Bank tightened up access to capital. He says the valuation of land at the moment is low, but that will change over time, and in the past twelve months they’ve had a higher number than usual of farmers buying their first dairy farms. 

Craig Bates says they’ve been getting a steady number of people interested in buying their first dairy farm, or diversifying their current farm with dairy, as well property being sold by those already in the industry. He’s optimistic about the spring season with loan interest rates coming down, and interest from investors increasing. 

Buy the Dairy Exporter Spring Issue here

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Dairy companies are finding ways to make their businesses more efficient in a bid to lower emissions. However, we are also going through an electricity crisis, and how we use energy needs to be looked at across the board. In this episode we look at new technology such as hydrogen powered milk tankers, and electric powered boilers, as well as new mapping and modelling tools coming from Fonterra to measure carbon removal on farms. 

Guests include:

1. Michelle Good, Manager of Innovation, Farm Source
2. Mark de Lautour, CEO, Open Country
3. Brendan Haigh, Kaitiaki, Miraka

Hosts:

1. Sheryl Haitana, Editor, Dairy Exporter
2. Anne Lee, Deputy Editor, Dairy Exporter

Farmsource’s Manager for Innovation Michelle Good discusses a new carbon removal and vegetation mapping tool that Fonterra is looking into. This modelling will look at annual sequestration from trees, using data sources like satellite technology to identify where vegetation is onfarm.

Mark de Lautour from Open Country discusses their world-first electric boiler which is powered by renewable energy including hydroelectric power and wind farms. They’re using the transition period to find out what does and doesn’t work for their system, and also how moving to electric power is affected by a nationwide electricity shortage. 

Miraka has started driving around their dual-fuel hydrogen-diesel milk tanker, as part of the company’s goal to reduce milk transportation emissions. Miraka Kaitiaki Brendan Haigh discusses the challenges and opportunities of being early adopters of the technology, and what they’re planning next. 

Buy the Dairy Exporter Spring Issue here

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With the latest Global Dairy Trade report out this week, the impacts of what’s happening overseas will be on farmers' minds. We chat to those with an eye on the global pulse about what New Zealand dairy farmers can expect for the rest of the year, and into 2025. 

Guests include:

1. Stu Davison, Senior Manager, Global Market Insights, HighGround Dairy
2. Chris McCullough, Irish Journalist
3. Cristina Alvarado, Commercial Manager - Data & Insights, NZX

Hosts:

1. Sheryl Haitana, Editor, Dairy Exporter
2. Anne Lee, Deputy Editor, Dairy Exporter

Senior Manager of Global Market Insights Stu Davison discusses the trade climate in the United States at the moment, and the impact the current election will have on worldwide dairy trade; the USA is currently the fourth largest trade destination for New Zealand dairy. He also discusses the US consumer demand for high protein foods which is great news for dairy, and how challenges like bird-flu and blue-tongue will impact global trade.

Irish Journalist Chris McCullough gives an update from Ireland, about what’s happening over there as the summer season wraps up, including milk prices and the impact of new regulations around the environment and live exports.

Cristina Alvarado of the NZX discusses the GDT report out this week. She says the results show that the results are higher than a year ago, and the demand for dairy products is still there. She also discusses how global trade routes have been disrupted, and what this means for New Zealand. 

Buy the Dairy Exporter Spring Issue here

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