In this episode: News Wrap | Emissions reduction and the profitable farm1:48 – DairyNZ head of data science and modelling Mark Neal tells Bryan about a newly released study that shows any farm in any region can be profitable and emissions efficient. The study drew on data from DairyNZ, Dairybase, Fonterra and LIC.Feature | Agroecology coach favours relationships over recipes7:56 – Nicole Masters, an agroecology coach, reckons that if we’re going to improve environmental outcomes we need to stop focusing on data and rules and instead look to relationships and values. Masters says farmers tend to use intuition when making big decisions, rather than relying on facts and figures.Feds Focus | Richard Dawkins takes on sheep and beef challenge20:58 – We catch up with Federated Farmers meat and wool chair Richard Dawkins, a Marlborough farmer who was voted onto the national executive a few weeks ago. Richard talks about his farming life and what the meat and wool executive has planned for the months ahead.The Final Word29:15 – Nuffield scholar Hugh Ritchie has some advice for today’s farmers – look up and look out. He says there’s plenty of innovation out there that could transform NZ farm systems, if we’re willing to find it.
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31:35
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31:35
Feature | Agroecology coach favours relationships over recipes
Nicole Masters, an agroecology coach, reckons that if we’re going to improve environmental outcomes we need to stop focusing on data and rules and instead look to relationships and values. Masters says farmers tend to use intuition when making big decisions, rather than relying on facts and figures.
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13:50
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13:50
News Wrap | Emissions reduction and the profitable farm
DairyNZ head of data science and modelling Mark Neal tells Bryan about a newly released study that shows any farm in any region can be profitable and emissions efficient. The study drew on data from DairyNZ, Dairybase, Fonterra and LIC.
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6:55
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6:55
Feds Focus | Richard Dawkins takes on sheep and beef challenge
Bryan meets the new Federated Farmers meat and wool chair Richard Dawkins, a Marlborough farmer who was voted onto the national executive a few weeks ago. Richard talks about his farming life and what the meat and wool executive has planned for the months ahead.
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9:04
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9:04
Full Show | July 4
In this episode: News Wrap | Alliance’s financial D-Day draws nearer1:43 – Senior reporter Neal Wallace outlines the latest developments in the Alliance funding saga as the clock ticks this month on an announcement about how the co-operative will raise the $200 million needed after two years of tough losses. He also talks to Richard about the other elephant in the room – ongoing overcapacity issues and how they still need to be resolved, regardless of what structure Alliance takes.Neal is also catching up about the fate of a US$80 million Jeff Bezos-backed methane-detecting satellite that has disappeared into space. Feature | The shift in New Zealanders’ relationship with Asia9:25 – Dr Julia Macdonald, director of research and engagement at the Asia New Zealand Foundation, talks about the Foundation’s latest “Perceptions of Asia” survey results. It’s a deep dive into how New Zealanders relate to Asia, in a business, social and cultural sense. It also highlights just how far we have come in our understanding about that populous place, and how important we see Asian success being Kiwi success. Feds Focus | Karl Dean takes on role as dairy chair 19:36 – Karl Dean, sharemilking at Leeston in Canterbury, unpacks where he sees the big challenges in his new role as the Federated Farmers national dairy chair. He talks about the mixed bag of local and national issues that are likely to be challenging dairy farmers over the coming couple of years including migrant labour regulations, climate challenges and the perennial challenge of farm costs.For the Fed’s 2024 Rural Advocate of the Year, it is a big, but welcome step up into the new role.
The Farmers Weekly Podcast covers the big issues in the food and fibre sector.Each week managing editor Bryan Gibson presents a no-frills look at the news with the Farmers Weekly editorial team and the newsmakers they report on.It’s rich farming news for time-poor farmers.
New Zealand