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The Muster- Jamie King: Planning For Future Seasons · The Muster on Hokonui

• 0:16
  Speaker 1: Jamie King farms the Lake Hiroko and joins us in
• 0:19
  Speaker 1: the Sergeant Dan Farming Roundup. Thanks to Sergeant Dan's Stock
• 0:22
  Speaker 1: Foods based here in Gore, we catch up with various
• 0:25
  Speaker 1: farmers from around the southern region and see how things
• 0:28
  Speaker 1: are going on the farm. Good afternoon, Jamie.
• 0:31
  Speaker 2: G'day, mate. What a tune for a Monday. I just
• 0:34
  Speaker 2: wish the sun was out, Andy, because I'd get really
• 0:36
  Speaker 2: motivated with something like that. But, yeah, hell of a good,
• 0:40
  Speaker 2: hell of a good.
• 0:44
  Speaker 1: Noise works. They're beasts on their own. The song is
• 0:47
  Speaker 1: Hot Chilly Woman. Just because it's got hot in the title,
• 0:50
  Speaker 1: you're lacking a bit of hot weather, perhaps.
• 0:52
  Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, yeah, no, definitely the only, yeah, yeah, no,
• 0:56
  Speaker 2: it's definitely not, can't say much. It's a bit gloomy
• 0:58
  Speaker 2: and murky again today, but, um, ah, it looks to
• 1:01
  Speaker 2: be improving. Hopefully get another bit of a break towards
• 1:03
  Speaker 2: the end of the week, mate, but, yeah, just like
• 1:06
  Speaker 2: everybody else around the province, probably a little bit damp
• 1:09
  Speaker 2: underfoot and, um, yeah, I'm probably more getting frustrated thinking
• 1:12
  Speaker 2: of my to-do list and Mother Nature is just not
• 1:16
  Speaker 2: helping me along, to be fair. I'm still stuck in
• 1:18
  Speaker 2: winter mode, but however.
• 1:20
  Speaker 1: It doesn't matter who you speak to from around the region, Jamie.
• 1:23
  Speaker 1: The ground is just beyond wet. Over there, Lake Oroka
• 1:28
  Speaker 1: to a temporary way where you're based, what's the situation?
• 1:30
  Speaker 1: What's it like? Yeah, it's up here.
• 1:33
  Speaker 2: I'd say we've had probably, we've got an ES rain
• 1:36
  Speaker 2: radar not too far at the end of the valley,
• 1:38
  Speaker 2: but we would have a bit more than them. So
• 1:39
  Speaker 2: I'd be picking probably 220, 230 mil for the last month. Well,
• 1:44
  Speaker 2: we haven't finished September yet, have we? But, yeah, sorry,
• 1:47
  Speaker 2: what's that? Yeah, old school, eight, nine inches, I suppose
• 1:50
  Speaker 2: we've had. Yeah, to be fair, the last two springs
• 1:54
  Speaker 2: have been the same boat, Andy. To be fair, this
• 1:57
  Speaker 2: one hasn't been quite as bad. We have had seen
• 1:59
  Speaker 2: the sun the odd break. I remember 2024, it was just,
• 2:03
  Speaker 2: we had six weeks of grey frigging days, and that
• 2:05
  Speaker 2: was hard work. But everything's plodding away. Animals are all
• 2:10
  Speaker 2: looking good. I've given up. Looking at the ground, I'm
• 2:12
  Speaker 2: just looking at the animals now and feeding accordingly, and
• 2:15
  Speaker 2: they're all thumping along pretty well. But, like I say,
• 2:17
  Speaker 2: covers are down low, and it'll take a bit of
• 2:20
  Speaker 2: catching up on.
• 2:21
  Speaker 1: A lot of people talking about having the grass of
• 2:23
  Speaker 1: dairy farmers, but the ground is beyond saturation point. And
• 2:27
  Speaker 1: the videos that I'm seeing have, you know, fantastic covers,
• 2:30
  Speaker 1: but you can't get in the paddock.
• 2:32
  Speaker 2: No, that's the thing, mate. South and down, utilisation is
• 2:34
  Speaker 2: just terrible. You know, some of these guys will be
• 2:36
  Speaker 2: down to... You know, you might have a cover of
• 2:38
  Speaker 2: three grand and, yeah, then we'll eat 20% of it
• 2:41
  Speaker 2: and stuff all the rest of it. So, yeah, it's interesting,
• 2:45
  Speaker 2: you know, perhaps we need to start looking at big
• 2:47
  Speaker 2: sheds for these spring belts. You know, I'm making more
• 2:50
  Speaker 2: of a mess now than I would have done all winter, mate,
• 2:52
  Speaker 2: to be fair. So, yeah, you know, do we push
• 2:55
  Speaker 2: dates back? Like, yeah, just... It's a definition of stupidity, mate,
• 3:00
  Speaker 2: when we do the same thing the same way every
• 3:03
  Speaker 2: year and expect a different result. So, you know, I
• 3:05
  Speaker 2: encourage everyone to put their thinking hats on. You know,
• 3:07
  Speaker 2: it's miserable, but on the top, you know, not very optimistic,
• 3:11
  Speaker 2: but probably pragmatic.
• 3:13
  Speaker 1: Pragmatic would be a good word for you, Jamie, yes.
• 3:16
  Speaker 2: Yeah, like, you know, if you're not happy, fix it.
• 3:18
  Speaker 2: We'll do something different. You know, it's nothing worse than
• 3:20
  Speaker 2: someone moaning about doing something and a bit changed, but,
• 3:23
  Speaker 2: you know. that you've got to build a big wintering
• 3:25
  Speaker 2: shed or something for the summer or something, you know,
• 3:27
  Speaker 2: I'm having to poke around in some of those spaces
• 3:29
  Speaker 2: at the moment or adjusting stock classes again. I know
• 3:32
  Speaker 2: I'm probably lucky enough with the property we've got. I
• 3:35
  Speaker 2: can sort of be flexible in that. But, I mean, yeah,
• 3:39
  Speaker 2: there's always a way and there's always a different way
• 3:41
  Speaker 2: to skin a cat sometimes. So, you know, whether you
• 3:43
  Speaker 2: ship some of these lambing carving dates back or something,
• 3:46
  Speaker 2: I don't know. Interesting one.
• 3:48
  Speaker 1: How far through lambing are you?
• 3:50
  Speaker 2: Ah, probably he's getting well through now. He'll be two
• 3:52
  Speaker 2: thirds of the way through. And probably the main McStage
• 3:56
  Speaker 2: line they started about 10 days ago. They're still out
• 3:58
  Speaker 2: in the hill, just doing their own thing. Yeah, they're
• 4:01
  Speaker 2: all in really good nick going out there. There's not
• 4:03
  Speaker 2: a lot of cover now left. And there's a few
• 4:05
  Speaker 2: gullies and that for them to hide in. So they'll
• 4:07
  Speaker 2: still get left to their own devices. Probably there. And
• 4:11
  Speaker 2: to be fair, the sheet covers on the flats aren't
• 4:13
  Speaker 2: too bad on their engine room stuff. All the young
• 4:17
  Speaker 2: stock's thumping along pretty well. I'm just having to feed
• 4:19
  Speaker 2: a lot of supplement out to them just to keep
• 4:21
  Speaker 2: them going along with the fattening stock, but I've got
• 4:23
  Speaker 2: a pair of bailage up my sleeve, so that's not
• 4:25
  Speaker 2: a bad complaint to have. Oh, yeah, it's miserable and shitty, Andy,
• 4:28
  Speaker 2: but it still could be worse, mate.
• 4:30
  Speaker 1: So you're feeding that bailage out? You got places dry
• 4:33
  Speaker 1: enough for it to lie on the ground?
• 4:35
  Speaker 2: Yeah, well, so I've got a few of these stud
• 4:37
  Speaker 2: cows sort of carving down the lowlands because I'm trying
• 4:39
  Speaker 2: to be the world's best stud farmer, mate, and tagging
• 4:41
  Speaker 2: away in DNA and everything at birth. But I'm not too...
• 4:46
  Speaker 2: It's hay and baleage and I'm just feeding that through
• 4:48
  Speaker 2: a wagon so it gives the calves somewhere to lie
• 4:50
  Speaker 2: on and cows are happy in that too. I can
• 4:53
  Speaker 2: fix the damaged pastures, that's why we've got tractors and
• 4:56
  Speaker 2: aerators and rollers and drills and that, mate, but I
• 4:58
  Speaker 2: can't afford to lose too many critters because they are
• 5:02
  Speaker 2: the tools in the toolbox, aren't they? They're what make
• 5:04
  Speaker 2: the money.
• 5:05
  Speaker 1: There's a lot of interest around Henry Buckingham, who I
• 5:07
  Speaker 1: had on the program a couple of weeks ago, regarding
• 5:10
  Speaker 1: the changing of his main flock into early October. Realistically, Jamie,
• 5:15
  Speaker 1: is this something you'd look at based on what we've
• 5:17
  Speaker 1: seen for the three previous lambings now?
• 5:20
  Speaker 2: Oh, 100%, mate. And it's been longer than three, mate.
• 5:23
  Speaker 2: I'd encourage anyone to take a photo because we've got
• 5:25
  Speaker 2: short memories sometimes. I remember 2019, I was up to
• 5:27
  Speaker 2: my eyeballs. In 2018, I think I was trying to
• 5:31
  Speaker 2: feed some show cattle, and it was just absolutely an
• 5:34
  Speaker 2: abomination then too. So it's a lot longer than three years.
• 5:37
  Speaker 2: I think we've just got short memories. Hugely so, mate.
• 5:41
  Speaker 2: And we're getting better at autumn. I think I said
• 5:44
  Speaker 2: last time I spoke to you, we're not getting on
• 5:46
  Speaker 2: crop now until late June, the end of June, and
• 5:50
  Speaker 2: on grass. Historically, Andy, we used to be on it
• 5:52
  Speaker 2: in the first opening weekend of May. Yeah. We're getting
• 5:56
  Speaker 2: it at the other end, so perhaps we do just
• 5:58
  Speaker 2: shove everything back. It's only a calendar, mate. It's only
• 6:01
  Speaker 2: a date. Who says it's right and wrong? Perhaps we
• 6:06
  Speaker 2: need to start farming by Mother Nature, not farming by
• 6:08
  Speaker 2: the calendar.
• 6:09
  Speaker 1: Well, if the seasons are moving the way that they're anticipating,
• 6:14
  Speaker 1: and like you say, we've seen it over the previous
• 6:16
  Speaker 1: wee while now. I said the last three springs for
• 6:18
  Speaker 1: this time of year. You've gone back a bit further
• 6:21
  Speaker 1: just regarding the seasons as such, and all of a
• 6:23
  Speaker 1: sudden nothing is on the table. I mean, why would
• 6:26
  Speaker 1: you want to go out there when you know the
• 6:27
  Speaker 1: weather's going to be basically an extended winter?
• 6:31
  Speaker 2: Yeah, that's dead right. 100%, you know, you're setting yourself
• 6:34
  Speaker 2: up to fail, aren't you? So, you know, there's probably
• 6:37
  Speaker 2: some learnings and there'll be some Keep thinking about it,
• 6:40
  Speaker 2: you know. Some days you think about putting it on
• 6:42
  Speaker 2: the market, mate, and then you go, well, I wouldn't
• 6:44
  Speaker 2: want an office job either. But, yeah, no, you just
• 6:49
  Speaker 2: plug along. And we've got school holidays now, so I've
• 6:51
  Speaker 2: got all the troops home giving me a hand, and
• 6:53
  Speaker 2: it's like a bit of a breath of fresh air too.
• 6:55
  Speaker 2: They're all still excited.
• 6:57
  Speaker 1: You know, it's an interesting time when you hear the
• 6:59
  Speaker 1: word learnings from a farmer.
• 7:03
  Speaker 2: Every day is a learning day, Andy. Come on, mate.
• 7:05
  Speaker 1: Jamie Mackay, I await your input. Now, regarding getting off
• 7:11
  Speaker 1: farm and just catching up with others at the moment,
• 7:13
  Speaker 1: what's something you do, Jamie? Is there anything you're doing
• 7:16
  Speaker 1: to try and break the monotony of the September cycle
• 7:19
  Speaker 1: when it's like this? Yeah, mate.
• 7:21
  Speaker 2: Well, most predominantly, rails will be social sometimes, so you
• 7:24
  Speaker 2: just sort of tick around. There's always jobs and people
• 7:26
  Speaker 2: I want to catch up with. I was talking to
• 7:28
  Speaker 2: a couple of guys yesterday just to measure up a
• 7:30
  Speaker 2: bit of what you said, deer yards, so We caught
• 7:32
  Speaker 2: up with Amy Stafford and had a bit of a
• 7:33
  Speaker 2: measure up and just had a couple of beers with
• 7:36
  Speaker 2: them and then I'm going to shoot to a field
• 7:38
  Speaker 2: day hopefully on Wednesday to have a look at a
• 7:40
  Speaker 2: composting barn in an Aztec building just that's sort of
• 7:44
  Speaker 2: aroused my interest so we'll go and have a look
• 7:45
  Speaker 2: at that and just, yeah, I'm sort of in between
• 7:48
  Speaker 2: cycles with Cow's Carb and I've got number one daughter
• 7:50
  Speaker 2: here keeping an eye on things so I can't afford
• 7:52
  Speaker 2: just to Go for a bit of a squiz round
• 7:54
  Speaker 2: and just get the plans together for the ideas, because
• 7:57
  Speaker 2: I can't do much else, Andy. There's no tractor work
• 8:00
  Speaker 2: being done, and there's only so much coffee a man
• 8:02
  Speaker 2: can drink.
• 8:04
  Speaker 1: OK, you're looking at a composting barn. It's not going
• 8:06
  Speaker 1: to be a cheap exercise, but you think the money
• 8:09
  Speaker 1: is immaterial when it comes to the bigger picture, when
• 8:12
  Speaker 1: you need to fortify your business?
• 8:14
  Speaker 2: I'm not sure, mate. I've got some numbers written down,
• 8:16
  Speaker 2: but I'm just going to go through the exercise and
• 8:18
  Speaker 2: see what rolls out the bottom. Probably at a... $ 8,
• 8:21
  Speaker 2: $ 9 per kilo beef fry certainly does, but I mean,
• 8:24
  Speaker 2: who's going to say what's going to happen there? But
• 8:25
  Speaker 2: it's just nice to know. I doubt, you know, I'm
• 8:28
  Speaker 2: probably not going to go through much, but I just,
• 8:30
  Speaker 2: it's an interesting concept. And I've put my interest a
• 8:34
  Speaker 2: couple of years ago, and what better time to go
• 8:35
  Speaker 2: and get excited and have a look at one and
• 8:37
  Speaker 2: see if it's something maybe in the future or something,
• 8:40
  Speaker 2: you know, and costings and, yeah, from the outside looking in,
• 8:45
  Speaker 2: it looks like it's not a silver bullet, but it
• 8:47
  Speaker 2: might be a brass one. For our situation, you know,
• 8:51
  Speaker 2: not so much wintering, just over six weeks over, calving,
• 8:55
  Speaker 2: you know, chuck the cows in the air. As they calve,
• 8:56
  Speaker 2: they can get out on grass. I mean, I wouldn't
• 8:58
  Speaker 2: have 80 hectares of wrecked pasture. I could probably, a
• 9:01
  Speaker 2: few more years poking around, it's probably the easiest way
• 9:04
  Speaker 2: to maybe intensify our system a little bit, but at
• 9:07
  Speaker 2: a cost, obviously, mate. You know, I'm probably looking 20
• 9:10
  Speaker 2: mil or a mil and a half. But, yeah, whether
• 9:13
  Speaker 2: or not we do anything, but. But you've got to
• 9:16
  Speaker 2: go and have a look, Andy, because if you don't know,
• 9:18
  Speaker 2: there's no point in starting down that track and realising
• 9:20
  Speaker 2: it's a complete and utter waste of money at the end.
• 9:23
  Speaker 1: Nothing wrong with scratching the itch, Jamie King. Thanks for
• 9:25
  Speaker 1: your time. And next time we speak to you, you know,
• 9:27
  Speaker 1: fingers crossed, there's going to be a better situation weather-wise,
• 9:30
  Speaker 1: which I'm sure it will.
• 9:31
  Speaker 2: Yeah, no, good on you, mate. And Godspeed, everyone. Yeah, no, absolutely.
• 9:34
  Speaker 2: We'll be short to the single at no time, mate,
• 9:36
  Speaker 2: and it should be unreal.
• 9:41
  Speaker 1: Jamie King of Lake Oroko in the Sergeant Dan Farming Roundup.
• 9:45
  Speaker 1: Thanks to Sergeant Dan's Stock Foods in Gore. Coincidentally as well,
• 9:48
  Speaker 1: Ruddle Peaks Cafe, not far from Jamie at Blackmount. Beef
• 9:53
  Speaker 1: and lamb spring shouts happening there on Thursday the 8th.
• 9:55
  Speaker 1: They're getting underway coincidentally this week at Tokanui. on the
• 10:00
  Speaker 1: 30th at the Rugby Club and on the 1st at
• 10:02
  Speaker 1: Central Pirates Rugby Club at Wilson Crossing. Geoff Grant's up next.