BreakFeed: Talking Bull 3 – Stockwater, fertiliser, fencing and other important details

This week we wrap up our mini-series on farming bulls for beef. This podcast covers a range of topics, as Richard Plunket of North Otago and Bob Thomson of AgFirst share some top tips, tricks and tools for farming bulls well, making money, looking after the aninals and the farmers, and taking care of the farm environment. For more information on farming bull beef, and beef production in general, check out our Guide to New Zealand Cattle Farming (6.6mb): https://beeflambnz.com/knowledge-hub/PDF/guide-new-zealand-cattle-farming

BreakFeed: Talking Bull 2 – Living with bulls

North Otago bull beef farmer Richard Plunket and AgFirst consultant Bob Thomson talk day to day management of bulls for beef production. Topics covered include: systems; break size and shape; shifting frequency; mob size; matching stocking rate, demand and pasture supply; rotation length; all-grass wintering or crops, and more.

BreakFeed: Talking Bull 1 – Why you should (or shouldn’t) farm bulls.

Richard and Andrea Plunket farm 440ha near Oamaru, and run about 300 Friesian bulls as part of their system. Richard was part of the RMPP pilot farm project with Alliance Group, exploring information transfer for farmers, and he had the chance to visit some top performing bull beef farms. In this podcast, he shares some of what he learned, and we discuss bull beef farming with renowned agricultural consultant Bob Thomson, of AgFirst. Topics covered include considering the whole farm system, why bulls are an underutilised option, management systems, and the key points for success.

Beef + Lamb New Zealand’s FarmSmart 2019 Panel Discussion: ‘More Than Just Hot Air’

Robyn Dynes (AgResearch) led a panel discussion at Farmsmart 2019 with Dr Judy Lawrence (Senior Resarch Fellow, NZ Climate Change Research Institute) and Peter Ettema (Manager for the International Policy Directorate, MPI). The panel addresses the biggest issues facing our sector – the Zero Carbon Bill, the Emissions Trading Scheme, and climate change. What does all this mean for our red meat producers?

Reflections: Concluding panel discussion at the 2019 Red Meat Sector Conference

Fran O’Sullivan (NZ Herald) talks with John Loughlin (Meat Industry Association), Lindy Nelson (Agri-Women’s Development Trust) and Andrew Morrison (Chair, Beef + Lamb New Zealand) at the conclusion of the 2019 Red Meat Sector Conference. The panel discuss the outlook for red meat and red meat farming. Topics include markets, policies and trends, nutrition, promotion, and the role of each of us in the industry. Check out B+LNZ’s YouTube channel for more presentations from the conference: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9ZU9GuQ1pFbtaMuNtb5DpS_JtZn7m-4q

Beef + Lamb New Zealand’s Trade Policy programme

We’re joined by B+LNZ’s Esther Guy-Meakin, Manager – International Trade and Swetta Magan, Trade Policy Advisor to discuss the work their team does on behalf of beef and sheepmeat levypayers, and why trade policy isn’t about winning but rather about strong agreements. We discuss why levies are used to support this work, what has been achieved so far, what the team are currently working on for farmers and what they see as issues for the future. Topics include: CPTPP, tariffs, FTAs, Brexit, quotas, co-operation and collaboration by NZ Inc, deals and no-deals and why calm, stable and predictable trade is good for everyone.

Check out more at https://beeflambnz.com/your-levies-at-work and follow Esther on Twitter: @eguymeakin

Break Feed: Farmer to commentator, with Rowena Duncum

Rowena is proud to be the producer of The Country, the longest running rural radio show in New Zealand. Along with pushing the buttons to take the show to air at midday each weekday, she also contributes to the show’s direction, hunts down people for interviews and tries to keep the show’s host Jamie Mackay in line – as NZ’s champion cow-pat thrower and the 2nd best gumboot thrower in the world, she’s more than qualified. Rowena shares tips a woman with a passion for a similar career or similar might benefit from, and talks about how farming can use social media better. Follow her on Twitter, her handle is: @rowie_nz

Herb and clover pastures for higher liveweight gain, with Professor Paul Kenyon of Massey University

High-quality, legume based forages offer sheep and cattle farmers the opportunity to achieve higher liveweight gains from young stock. Based on red and white clover, with plantain and sometimes chicory, they may be especially useful when it can be difficult to maintain high quality and high legume content in grass swards. We’re joined by Paul Kenyon from Massey University to talk about the pros and cons of these specialist forages, when and how to incorporate them into a farm system, and how to get the best out of them.

Successful early weaning of lambs, with Professor Paul Kenyon, Massey University

Early weaning of lambs, onto high quality and legume dominant forage, can be a valuable management tool that can advantage both ewes and lambs. We are joined on this podcast by Professor Paul Kenyon of Massey University to discuss when it can be beneficial for sheep farms and how to do it right. For more information, check out our factsheet that Paul wrote: https://beeflambnz.com/knowledge-hub/PDF/early-weaning or other material on early weaning: https://beeflambnz.com/search?term=early+weaning

Gaining resilience in the result of tragedy: Louise Robson

Louise is a small block owner in Central Southland. Emigrating from the family crop farm in the UK 19 years ago to follow her passion for livestock, she has worked on both dairy and sheep farms before focusing on animal nutrition for the last 5 years. Several events in Louise’s life have led her to focus on resilience and passing that message on to help others. We discuss recommendations she has from others and the key lessons she has learned.