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The Muster- Tony Roberts: A Prosperous Few Months · The Muster on Hokonui

• 0:09
  Speaker 1: Welcome back to the muster. We're all the way down
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: to Merino Downs now. Tony Roberts, he was, along with
• 0:16
  Speaker 1: his wife Michelle, they were awarded the 2026 Gordon Stevenson
• 0:21
  Speaker 1: Trophy at the Balanced Farm Environment Awards. We caught up
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: with the couple the morning after their success. And actually,
• 0:28
  Speaker 1: Geordie Yates said the other day, we need to get
• 0:30
  Speaker 1: back in touch with Tony because he spoke at the
• 0:32
  Speaker 1: recent Beef and Lamb AGM and he said, really interesting
• 0:35
  Speaker 1: to listen to him speak. So I thought, what better
• 0:38
  Speaker 1: idea than listen to Geordie. So Tony, welcome to the muster.
• 0:41
  Speaker 1: Good to catch up again.
• 0:43
  Speaker 2: Yep, no, great to be on the show today, Andy. Yeah,
• 0:46
  Speaker 2: good to hear from you.
• 0:47
  Speaker 1: Yeah, look, it's been a couple of months since your
• 0:49
  Speaker 1: success with the Gordon Stevenson Trophy. I suppose the obvious
• 0:54
  Speaker 1: question is, how long did it take you to get
• 0:56
  Speaker 1: down from that high, or has it continued, and positivity
• 0:59
  Speaker 1: for the sector from what you're doing?
• 1:02
  Speaker 2: Yeah, no, like I say, it was certainly, as we
• 1:05
  Speaker 2: said at the time, it was a big shock to us,
• 1:07
  Speaker 2: but we were so chuffed to, you know, take that
• 1:10
  Speaker 2: title and bring it back to Southland. And, yeah, no,
• 1:13
  Speaker 2: we've just been on a real high ever since. And
• 1:17
  Speaker 2: it's been a great experience. And we've had amazing support
• 1:19
  Speaker 2: from all people through all sectors, you know, congratulating us
• 1:23
  Speaker 2: and saying well-deserved. And, yeah, and as you said, we've
• 1:27
  Speaker 2: just been down to the Beef and Lamb AGM in
• 1:29
  Speaker 2: Riversdale the other day and spoke there. And it was
• 1:32
  Speaker 2: a great crowd. So, yeah, no, awesome. Awesome.
• 1:34
  Speaker 1: Your story of arriving in the South is interesting. You
• 1:37
  Speaker 1: came down in the middle of the 1990s to go
• 1:41
  Speaker 1: share milking ahead of the dairy boom, which is around
• 1:45
  Speaker 1: the year 2000, 2001. What made you decide to come
• 1:48
  Speaker 1: to Southland?
• 1:51
  Speaker 2: I think the big thing, Andy, was at the time
• 1:53
  Speaker 2: we were in share milking in Taranaki and there was
• 1:55
  Speaker 2: a lot of competition for share milking positions and they
• 1:59
  Speaker 2: were fairly small operations. So when you came and looked
• 2:03
  Speaker 2: at what Southland had to offer, you know, there were
• 2:06
  Speaker 2: bigger share-working jobs, there was a lot more choice and
• 2:09
  Speaker 2: a lot more opportunity for our future as in to
• 2:13
  Speaker 2: purchase land and get ahead as a family and as
• 2:16
  Speaker 2: a business. So that was the main emphasis for us
• 2:20
  Speaker 2: at that time. So, yeah.
• 2:21
  Speaker 1: It's fair to say that land in Southland was cheaper
• 2:24
  Speaker 1: than what you'd experienced on North Island as well, because
• 2:27
  Speaker 1: speaking to a couple of people who made the move
• 2:29
  Speaker 1: similar to you, they said that was one of the reasons.
• 2:32
  Speaker 2: Yep, definitely. It was quite a difference in price of
• 2:37
  Speaker 2: the land at that time, and you're getting better quality
• 2:41
  Speaker 2: land for that price too, as you're well aware. In Southland,
• 2:45
  Speaker 2: we've got some beautiful rolling country down to your flats
• 2:49
  Speaker 2: at Winton and Dacre down through there, so we're Pretty lucky,
• 2:52
  Speaker 2: pretty lucky.
• 2:53
  Speaker 1: So, yeah. Now, you went from a share milking operation
• 2:56
  Speaker 1: to deer farming with dairy grazing as part of it.
• 2:59
  Speaker 1: What made you transition?
• 3:00
  Speaker 2: Oh, yeah, that's a pretty good question, actually. Yeah, no, well,
• 3:03
  Speaker 2: we did 29 years milking cows and we thoroughly enjoyed
• 3:06
  Speaker 2: every bit of it. But it was really just time
• 3:07
  Speaker 2: for a change, really. That was the big part of it.
• 3:09
  Speaker 2: And I've always enjoyed... hunting and that's where the deer
• 3:13
  Speaker 2: came into it and we wanted a business that was
• 3:16
  Speaker 2: sustainable and resilient and having multiple income streams just to
• 3:20
  Speaker 2: give us that protection so that's why we included the
• 3:22
  Speaker 2: dairy grazing and that aspect too and then we've got
• 3:26
  Speaker 2: the fellow deer too so it gives us that diversity
• 3:29
  Speaker 2: and income streams for our business and protection.
• 3:32
  Speaker 1: So it's fair to say you've got a lot of
• 3:35
  Speaker 1: positivity for farming heading into the tail end of 2026?
• 3:41
  Speaker 2: Definitely. Things are looking pretty good right across the red
• 3:44
  Speaker 2: meat sector and the milk and fibre. So I think
• 3:47
  Speaker 2: there's a lot of positivity there. I just need a
• 3:50
  Speaker 2: few other some of those costs to come down as
• 3:53
  Speaker 2: in fuel and fertiliser and all the rest of it.
• 3:56
  Speaker 2: But yeah, no, we're in a good space. We're in
• 3:58
  Speaker 2: a good space.
• 3:59
  Speaker 1: Now at the awards. You were described as someone who
• 4:02
  Speaker 1: was prepared to challenge conventional thinking, embrace new technology and ask,
• 4:07
  Speaker 1: why not? What's a couple of examples of this, do
• 4:09
  Speaker 1: you reckon, that made you come to the fore?
• 4:11
  Speaker 2: Oh, God, Andy, that's putting me on the spot. I
• 4:14
  Speaker 2: think the big one was just looking at the resources
• 4:17
  Speaker 2: that you have on your properties and saying, well, what
• 4:19
  Speaker 2: can we utilise, whether it's been sheds for winter barns,
• 4:23
  Speaker 2: for the deer grazing inside, sorry, winter deer grazing inside.
• 4:30
  Speaker 2: and then, yeah, looking at those options and saying, well,
• 4:34
  Speaker 2: how can we repurpose them and actually make a difference
• 4:38
  Speaker 2: to our environmental rules and protect the land or the
• 4:43
  Speaker 2: valuable land that we have? So that's just one example. But, yeah,
• 4:46
  Speaker 2: technology has been a big part of it for me,
• 4:48
  Speaker 2: you know, whether it's been using resolution, whether it's been
• 4:51
  Speaker 2: using our Gallagher programs, you know, water monitoring apps, just
• 4:55
  Speaker 2: so that we're, you know, utilising that technology to its
• 4:59
  Speaker 2: best for the productivity of our operation, really.
• 5:02
  Speaker 1: Would you say it's fair to say, though, if you're
• 5:04
  Speaker 1: not utilising technology, you're going to fall behind?
• 5:06
  Speaker 2: Oh, definitely, definitely. Yeah, well, like I say, you've got
• 5:11
  Speaker 2: this whole revolution of AI coming on stream, and I've
• 5:13
  Speaker 2: just been mucking around with it for the last few days,
• 5:16
  Speaker 2: playing with records and, you know, producing, I wouldn't say apps,
• 5:20
  Speaker 2: but programmes on my computer so that we can record
• 5:24
  Speaker 2: our velveting usage of our low-pane ore. And then the
• 5:30
  Speaker 2: other one was I managed to make a tallies record
• 5:34
  Speaker 2: that we can update for our stock tallies, whether it
• 5:36
  Speaker 2: be our cattle, our deer, our sheep, so that we
• 5:38
  Speaker 2: can have a running tally of that. And it sounds
• 5:40
  Speaker 2: pretty simple stuff, but AI did all that in about
• 5:44
  Speaker 2: an hour and a half on a computer at home
• 5:47
  Speaker 2: in the office. Well, those things were never dreamt about five,
• 5:50
  Speaker 2: six years ago. So Technology has come a long way,
• 5:53
  Speaker 2: come a long way.
• 5:54
  Speaker 1: You're the National Ambassadors for Sustainable Farming and Growing. I'll
• 5:57
  Speaker 1: offer for Michelle, so that must mean a lot of
• 6:00
  Speaker 1: travel around the country at the moment, but only for
• 6:02
  Speaker 1: the better.
• 6:04
  Speaker 2: Yeah, no, we haven't actually had too many engagements yet,
• 6:07
  Speaker 2: but there's a few things coming up in the pipeline,
• 6:10
  Speaker 2: and we've got the study tour that we're working on
• 6:13
  Speaker 2: at the moment. So we're looking at going over to
• 6:16
  Speaker 2: China and studying how's the inside and the operations over there.
• 6:23
  Speaker 1: So, yeah.
• 6:24
  Speaker 2: But, no, it's been great. It's been great.
• 6:28
  Speaker 1: How long are you over in China for? Because I'll
• 6:29
  Speaker 1: be honest, it's a country that sounds fascinating.
• 6:33
  Speaker 2: Oh, look, incredibly fascinating. The more you find out, the
• 6:36
  Speaker 2: more you want to go and visit all these places. But, well, obviously,
• 6:38
  Speaker 2: we've got a limited... schedule or time schedule and there
• 6:42
  Speaker 2: are specific places that we want to go and visit
• 6:44
  Speaker 2: but yeah no it's quite mind-blowing when you actually start
• 6:46
  Speaker 2: doing your homework and we've got to talk to a
• 6:48
  Speaker 2: few key people within DINS and MPI and draw up
• 6:52
  Speaker 2: a bit of a plan so we're busy working on
• 6:54
  Speaker 2: that at the moment and we'll come up with a
• 6:56
  Speaker 2: schedule that will work for our tour so yeah so
• 6:58
  Speaker 2: we're quite excited about that part of it very excited.
• 7:01
  Speaker 1: So how's spring been in Merino Downs Tony or do
• 7:04
  Speaker 1: you say it's been like everywhere else and been a
• 7:06
  Speaker 1: bit of a challenge?
• 7:08
  Speaker 2: Yeah well unfortunately we were away for most of the
• 7:10
  Speaker 2: September when that bad weather was on so we were
• 7:12
  Speaker 2: over in Europe Michelle and I and we left Kate
• 7:15
  Speaker 2: and Mark in charge and they did an amazing job
• 7:18
  Speaker 2: under some very testing conditions but they came through with
• 7:23
  Speaker 2: flying colours and since then October's been pretty amazing we've
• 7:27
  Speaker 2: had some pretty good growth but the last week or
• 7:29
  Speaker 2: so has been a bit average with the cooler weather
• 7:31
  Speaker 2: and things have really slowed up in the grass production
• 7:34
  Speaker 2: but looks like this week coming ahead is going to
• 7:36
  Speaker 2: be good and we've managed to get fodder beaten, and
• 7:40
  Speaker 2: we've got young grass in, so we're pretty happy about that.
• 7:43
  Speaker 2: So we've only got, what have we got, kale to
• 7:47
  Speaker 2: go in and a few summer turnips. So we're pretty
• 7:49
  Speaker 2: well looking pretty good at the moment, pretty good.
• 7:51
  Speaker 1: So the season's corrected itself, it's fair to say?
• 7:55
  Speaker 2: Yeah, well, it was like we had two weeks of
• 7:57
  Speaker 2: great weather there, and it literally turned around overnight with
• 8:00
  Speaker 2: the heat and the grass growth and, yeah, dried things out.
• 8:04
  Speaker 2: So Pretty incredible, actually, from what you had in September.
• 8:08
  Speaker 1: Yeah, it's a pretty good time in getting off farm
• 8:11
  Speaker 1: in September, I must say.
• 8:13
  Speaker 2: Yeah, well, it was sort of a window that sort
• 8:15
  Speaker 2: of worked for us because, like I say, most of
• 8:17
  Speaker 2: the animals were off the... Well, some were still on
• 8:19
  Speaker 2: winter crops and some were still in the sheds, but
• 8:21
  Speaker 2: it was sort of a bit of a quiet time,
• 8:23
  Speaker 2: so we thought, why not? So, yeah, we shot over
• 8:26
  Speaker 2: and visited a few places in Europe and had an
• 8:28
  Speaker 2: absolutely fantastic time with some friends of ours and saw
• 8:31
  Speaker 2: some amazing cities and... tourist spots, and it was pretty incredible. So, no,
• 8:37
  Speaker 2: it was good.
• 8:38
  Speaker 1: Hey, good on you, Tony. Thanks for the chat this afternoon.
• 8:40
  Speaker 1: Great to catch up, and I'm quite happy to catch
• 8:42
  Speaker 1: up in the future as well. You're somebody who reeks
• 8:45
  Speaker 1: of positivity for the sector, and worthy recipient, yourself and
• 8:49
  Speaker 1: your wife, Michelle, of a 2026 Gordon Stevenson Trophy. Thanks
• 8:53
  Speaker 1: for your time.
• 8:54
  Speaker 2: No, awesome, Andy. Thank you very much for the call.
• 8:57
  Speaker 2: You have a great day.
• 9:00
  Speaker 1: Tony Roberts, along with Michelle at Top Deck Trading, winners
• 9:04
  Speaker 1: of the 2026 Gordon Stevenson Trophy. Thomas O'Brien's up next,
• 9:08
  Speaker 1: based up in Garston. You're listening to The Muster.