Podcast

Our guests Matte Kirk and Kelly Dickey share their thoughts on mental wellness in the rural sector. Are farmers getting better at talking about how they’re feeling? Why is getting off the farm so important?

Waikato farm owners Bryce Anderton and Aleisha Broomfield share how the current period of increased farm costs and high inflation is affecting them and how they’re coping.

In today’s tight labour market, we need to ensure our dairy farm assistant jobs are attractive and competitive – but how?

Our guests on this episode are Morrinsville farmer Johan van Ras, planting professional Antony Snodgrass, and DairyNZ’s Aslan Wright-Stow, Senior Manager – Environment.

Overwhelmed by workload pressure, self-doubt and a fear of what others expected of him, fifth generation farmer Sam Spencer-Bower stopped being able to function.

Rotorua farm owner Steve Holdem joins us to share his experience with Ecotain plantain: what’s worked well, what he and wife Paula have learned about maintaining it, and how it’s saving them from reducing their stocking numbers.

It’s difficult to see the benefit of genetic gain in a herd from one season to the next. When you see an improvement in farm performance, how do you know that's a result of better genetics?

For many of the biggest challenges facing Kiwi dairy farmers, the answers lie in solid, farm-tested research. So, what are the big focus areas for DairyNZ’s science team right now? What work is underway to give farmers the tools they need?

What’s it like coming into the dairy sector with no experience? How can farm employers make it a softer landing for newbies and increase our chances of them succeeding and remaining in farming?

What might NZ dairy farming look like in 2030? What strategies and technologies could Kiwi farmers adopt to get ahead of our global competitors, like US mega-dairies?