Federated Farmers Podcast

Vangelis Vitalis is New Zealand's top trade negotiator. He's our man in the room securing better access for our exports, defending our interests overseas, and managing relationships with some of the world's biggest economies. In this episode, Vangelis explains how New Zealand navigates an increasingly complex and unpredictable global trading environment. How does a small exporting nation compete for access to international markets? What happens behind closed doors during trade negotiations? A...

What do farmers need from the next government? Federated Farmers president Wayne Langford joins us to walk through the organisation's newly released election platform, a five-point plan to double farm productivity, cut costs, improve environmental outcomes, and strengthen rural New Zealand. Wayne explains the thinking behind each proposal, the challenges farmers are facing on the ground, and why Feds believes these changes would benefit the wider economy as well as the rural sector. Lin...

Kerry Harmer and her husband Paul have recently won top environmental awards for their high-country stewardship work, while simultaneously fighting a $150,000 (so far) battle for consent to keep farming. In this episode, the new Mid Canterbury Federated Farmers president talks about the brutal irony of being recognised for environmental leadership while being told they’re not doing enough. She shares the reality of the Harmers’ costly consent battle, the emotional toll of public scrutin...

Manawatū contract milker Riley O’Neill shares his top tips for people going contract milking for the first time in the coming season, or for existing contract milkers moving farms. Riley also discusses his own progression through the dairy sector, and his recent experience of moving to a new farm and new part of New Zealand. This is good, solid advice that's relevant to most dairy farmers, but particularly new contract milkers. Riley's social media channel: www.instagram.com...

To mark Anzac Weekend 2026, we’re bringing you a special episode that reaches back into one of New Zealand’s most remarkable wartime stories. In November 1918, during the final days of World War I, New Zealand soldiers achieved the extraordinary by liberating the French town of Le Quesnoy without destroying it. Many of those soldiers were farmers, young Kiwis who'd left behind their land, livestock, and livelihoods to serve on the other side of the world. More than a century later, their lega...

When you get an unexpected windfall as a farmer, what should you actually do with it? Is it just another payout to roll back into the farm, or a rare opportunity to reset your financial position? With many Fonterra farmers waking up this week to a significant lump sum in their accounts, we asked Forsyth Barr investment adviser Michael Raynes to unpack the key decisions farmers should be thinking about. Michael walks through five options, ranging from reinvestment and debt reduction to divers...

Silver Fern Farms chief executive Dan Boulton joins us to break down the company’s 2025 turnaround, including what’s driving the strong results and whether better prices are here to stay. We dive into the challenges behind falling livestock numbers, the pressures on processors’ margins, and the role of global markets and geopolitics in shaping New Zealand red meat. Dan also shares insights on the balance between value-add strategies and efficiency, the ongoing importance of sustainabili...

Do Kiwi farmers need to be concerned about getting their hands on fertiliser? Ravensdown chief operating officer Mike Whitty joins us to explain how conflict in the Middle East is shaping the global fertiliser market right now. He tackles the key question on farmers’ minds: how much fertiliser is actually on hand, and what’s being done to secure supply ahead of spring. Whitty also explains where New Zealand’s fertiliser comes from, how exposed we are to international volatility, and what’s dr...

In this episode, Waikato lawyer Andrew Clements explains why farm succession can fail even when the balance sheet looks rock solid. He breaks down the five types of capital that really determine long-term success, and why focusing on just one can undermine the rest. Andrews shares real examples of farming families that have learned this stuff the hard way, and he provides practical advice on how to build a farm business with something stronger than just a healthy bottom line. This episo...

In this episode, we’re joined by Waikato dairy farmer Carla de Wet, who shares an honest look at building a career in farming as a young woman today. Originally from South Africa, Carla talks about her journey to New Zealand just before Covid, settling into rural life, and finding her place in a family dairy business. As former chair of the Morrinsville–Ngarua Young Farmers club, she reflects on leadership, confidence, and the value of getting involved beyond the farm gate. Being relatively n...

This is the first episode in a new series where we sit down with good keen Kiwi farmers and simply have a chat – how they got into farming, what drives them, and what they’ve learned along the way. We’ll release one each month. For our first ‘Meet the farmer’, we’re joined by Jimmy Emmett, a South Canterbury dairy farmer who took an unconventional path into the industry. A self-confessed city boy, Jimmy swapped hospitality management for contract milking 17 years ago and hasn’t lo...

What actually happens to wool after it leaves the sheep’s back? In this episode, Breanna Hayes, supply growth manager at The New Zealand Merino Company, and Nathan Watt, trading manager at New Zealand Wool Services International, explain how the wool industry works, why strong wool in particular faces challenges, and what farmers can do to improve outcomes. They unpack who the players are in the supply chain, share insights on the future of wool, and discuss why they're feeling co...

Homekill is booming in New Zealand, and Edgecumbe butcher Toby Barkla is right at the centre of it. In this episode, Toby explains why more Kiwis are choosing homekill, the pressures facing rural meat processors, and why he believes regulated mobile and micro abattoirs could be the future of local meat. He also shares his own business journey with Plains Butchery, the challenges around waste and by-products, and how innovation could help rural communities keep feeding themselves. ...