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The Muster- Codey Patterson: Open Country · The Muster on Hokonui

• 0:07
  Speaker 1: Welcome back to The Muster. Cody Patterson is Milk Supply
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: Manager of Open Country and catches up once again. Cody,
• 0:15
  Speaker 1: good afternoon. How's things? Yeah, good.
• 0:17
  Speaker 2: Andy, yourself?
• 0:19
  Speaker 1: Pretty good. Sunshine puts a spring in the step, that's
• 0:21
  Speaker 1: for sure. No pun intended. Well, it is, actually.
• 0:24
  Speaker 2: Yeah, no, no. It's certainly good for morale, I can
• 0:26
  Speaker 2: tell you that much. And, uh, and you can see
• 0:29
  Speaker 2: it in us, but you can see it in the
• 0:30
  Speaker 2: bloody cows and calves and even the old lambs out
• 0:32
  Speaker 2: in the paddock too, so vitamin D is good for everyone,
• 0:36
  Speaker 2: isn't it?
• 0:37
  Speaker 1: You had your open day last week down here at
• 0:39
  Speaker 1: MVM in Gore, and no doubt the mood would have
• 0:42
  Speaker 1: been pretty much that, just the sunshine after the rain.
• 0:46
  Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, certainly. We had our supply meetings the day before,
• 0:49
  Speaker 2: and then we had the open day at our Gore site,
• 0:53
  Speaker 2: Matera Valley, and no, it was everyone was in good spirits,
• 0:57
  Speaker 2: and It was just nice. The staff at the Matara
• 1:03
  Speaker 2: Valley site were just, you know, so proud to show
• 1:06
  Speaker 2: us around their factory. And, geez, it was– she's a
• 1:10
  Speaker 2: flash factory and just so well-kept and well-looked after. Yeah,
• 1:14
  Speaker 2: it was great to have a look around.
• 1:16
  Speaker 1: What was the key messaging from farmers regarding everything?
• 1:20
  Speaker 2: Oh, hey, look, I mean, we've had a few days
• 1:23
  Speaker 2: of sun on our back and we've got a few
• 1:25
  Speaker 2: ahead of us, but it's pretty tough out.
• 1:27
  Speaker 1: There at the moment.
• 1:28
  Speaker 2: I mean, we've all been living through this wet weather
• 1:32
  Speaker 2: and that sort of thing. But things are remaining positive,
• 1:36
  Speaker 2: like sales of milk and the milk price is still
• 1:41
  Speaker 2: steady strong. We're still talking a mid $ 9 pay up
• 1:45
  Speaker 2: for the season and can't see any change in that
• 1:49
  Speaker 2: at the moment. Things are pretty consistent, steady, demand still up.
• 1:54
  Speaker 2: So we're feeling pretty positive, and I guess that helps.
• 1:59
  Speaker 2: And then it's just a case of everything else going
• 2:02
  Speaker 2: on in the world, we can't change that. So we've
• 2:05
  Speaker 2: just got to, you know, just keep track of our
• 2:09
  Speaker 2: costs and, you know, try and keep things as tight
• 2:13
  Speaker 2: as possible. Yeah.
• 2:15
  Speaker 1: Now, milk flows down in the south, without stating the obvious.
• 2:18
  Speaker 1: It's early days, but it hasn't been flashed. But around
• 2:21
  Speaker 1: the country, what's it been like?
• 2:23
  Speaker 2: Oh, look, hey, North Island's going strong. I think they'll
• 2:27
  Speaker 2: be close to peak up there. So they've been getting
• 2:31
  Speaker 2: rain when they want it and getting sunshine when they
• 2:33
  Speaker 2: want it. So most of the areas up there have
• 2:35
  Speaker 2: been good. To be fair down here, we've probably flatlined
• 2:39
  Speaker 2: a little bit at the moment, but we're still holding
• 2:41
  Speaker 2: steady on our production. And I guess, unfortunately, this isn't
• 2:47
  Speaker 2: the first study radio for our farmers with the wet springs.
• 2:49
  Speaker 2: We've had a few in a row, so... I think
• 2:51
  Speaker 2: there has been quite a bit of prep done in
• 2:54
  Speaker 2: the sense of having a bit of extra feed on
• 2:56
  Speaker 2: hand or contracting some extra PKE and grain, although I
• 2:59
  Speaker 2: think it's getting tight now. But the sunshine will certainly
• 3:04
  Speaker 2: help maybe stretch this route out or get a bit
• 3:06
  Speaker 2: of grass growth and be able to do that. But yeah,
• 3:10
  Speaker 2: our farmers are resilient, so they're working their way through it.
• 3:16
  Speaker 1: So regarding the tight feed situation, everyone seems pretty confident
• 3:20
  Speaker 1: they can negate the current situation?
• 3:23
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I think so. Well, it was getting a bit
• 3:26
  Speaker 2: day by day there, so I guess it'll just how
• 3:29
  Speaker 2: long we can keep the sun around for. I mean,
• 3:32
  Speaker 2: I know there's plenty of PKE and grain around, but
• 3:35
  Speaker 2: it's actually getting it to farmers, you know, talking to
• 3:39
  Speaker 2: agri-feeds and that sort of thing. So it's probably just
• 3:42
  Speaker 2: a bit of pressure on the supply chain, but... As
• 3:45
  Speaker 2: I say, this might give us a bit of breathing
• 3:46
  Speaker 2: room at the moment and get caught back up, but
• 3:49
  Speaker 2: as I say, the milk flows have flattened, but hopefully
• 3:54
  Speaker 2: we won't... It wasn't almost this time last year we
• 3:57
  Speaker 2: had a big, bloody windstorm come through right in our
• 4:00
  Speaker 2: peak and dropped things for a few days, so hopefully
• 4:03
  Speaker 2: we don't get anything like that this year.
• 4:04
  Speaker 1: We're seeing a lot of events occur down in the
• 4:06
  Speaker 1: south from businesses putting on shouts for farmers and the likes.
• 4:10
  Speaker 1: You guys here, Melissa Brown and Berg at Pemberton have
• 4:13
  Speaker 1: got something lined up. What's happening there? Yeah, yeah.
• 4:16
  Speaker 2: The girls have had a bit of a drive to
• 4:18
  Speaker 2: do with weathering it together and holding some coffee days
• 4:24
  Speaker 2: around the region, Kaka Point, Mandeville, Winton, Limba Cargill next week.
• 4:28
  Speaker 2: They're just targeting that to the ladies on the farm.
• 4:32
  Speaker 2: They're stressed to come in and have a coffee and
• 4:35
  Speaker 2: have a catch-up and just sort of connect. And one
• 4:39
  Speaker 2: of the things they're really emphasising is... we're sending it
• 4:44
  Speaker 2: out to our suppliers, but bring a friend. And the
• 4:46
  Speaker 2: friend can be anything. It could be on your farm.
• 4:48
  Speaker 2: They could be a sheep farmer. They could be supplying
• 4:50
  Speaker 2: another dairy company. But just bring a friend along and,
• 4:53
  Speaker 2: you know, it's just a chance to catch up and connect.
• 4:58
  Speaker 2: And I guess, you know, everyone knows everyone's doing it tough,
• 5:02
  Speaker 2: but it's always better to, you know, when you can
• 5:04
  Speaker 2: get together and have a bit of yarn about that
• 5:06
  Speaker 2: or other stuff anyway.
• 5:08
  Speaker 1: Suppliers will be in the know regarding these dates and
• 5:11
  Speaker 1: where they're occurring. Cody, you take it?
• 5:13
  Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, there's been emails go out, but if anyone's
• 5:16
  Speaker 2: listening and they're not sure, just give one of your
• 5:19
  Speaker 2: milk supply managers a ring and we can give her
• 5:20
  Speaker 2: the dates and timing and that sort of thing. But yeah, yeah,
• 5:25
  Speaker 2: or keep an eye out. There'll be another email coming
• 5:27
  Speaker 2: out shortly. And we've also, we've recently, we've partnered with
• 5:33
  Speaker 2: the rural support with their brunches on us. So we
• 5:38
  Speaker 2: got around, I think it was about, nine or ten
• 5:40
  Speaker 2: events in southland yeah to most of them and i
• 5:43
  Speaker 2: think we gave away near on 400 kilos of cheese
• 5:46
  Speaker 2: at those just the farmers it's always good if they
• 5:48
  Speaker 2: can take a block of cheese home and and she
• 5:50
  Speaker 2: added a few coffees and that sort of thing so
• 5:52
  Speaker 2: that was a good way to connect as well a bit.
• 5:54
  Speaker 1: Of messaging here too we hear about starlings and birds
• 5:57
  Speaker 1: at this time of year doing nesting nests in tractors
• 6:01
  Speaker 1: but milk fats this is occurring as well for the
• 6:03
  Speaker 1: sun what's happening Yeah, no, we've just.
• 6:06
  Speaker 2: Had a wee run, not too many, but the old
• 6:09
  Speaker 2: starlings or the birds are getting into the milk vats
• 6:11
  Speaker 2: and they're cleaning them and look, it's not widespread, but
• 6:15
  Speaker 2: what happens as a result is they get milked on
• 6:17
  Speaker 2: top of and then we have to dump that milk
• 6:19
  Speaker 2: and it's too bloody precious to be putting down the drain,
• 6:22
  Speaker 2: that's for sure, so it's just like your tractors putting
• 6:26
  Speaker 2: your bonnets up and checking and all that, it's the
• 6:28
  Speaker 2: same thing, you know, before you close your door on
• 6:30
  Speaker 2: your vat, you know, to milk and poke your head
• 6:33
  Speaker 2: in there and have a look and make sure there's
• 6:34
  Speaker 2: nothing in there and And just follow your procedures, you know,
• 6:36
  Speaker 2: don't leave it open all day, that sort of thing,
• 6:38
  Speaker 2: because as I say, that bloody gold's too precious to
• 6:42
  Speaker 2: be bloody going down the drain, that's for sure.
• 6:45
  Speaker 1: How common an occurrence is that to happen?
• 6:48
  Speaker 2: Oh, it's sort of this time of year, not too common, but,
• 6:52
  Speaker 2: you know, it's just another one of those little things,
• 6:55
  Speaker 2: and I know there's a lot going on on farms
• 6:57
  Speaker 2: at the moment and that sort of thing, so it's
• 6:59
  Speaker 2: more just, you know, I know sometimes it's the little
• 7:03
  Speaker 2: things that sort of slip by, but It's even nice
• 7:07
  Speaker 2: having to ring a farmer and say that we've had
• 7:09
  Speaker 2: to dispose of that milk. But yeah, we get three
• 7:15
  Speaker 2: or four a year or a wee bit more. So
• 7:17
  Speaker 2: it's nice to get none and then we don't have
• 7:20
  Speaker 2: to worry about it.
• 7:22
  Speaker 1: So more or less it's a case of roll on
• 7:23
  Speaker 1: this warmer weather and get that grass growing, get production pumping.
• 7:29
  Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, get it going. Yeah, no, we want to
• 7:31
  Speaker 2: fill those factories up. We've got the two factories down
• 7:34
  Speaker 2: here now, so we want them full. Yeah, so we
• 7:38
  Speaker 2: just get it going, yeah. And as I say, hopefully
• 7:41
  Speaker 2: the sunshine will be getting their grass growing and then
• 7:45
  Speaker 2: stretch the round out a bit and get a bit
• 7:46
  Speaker 2: of breathing room and we'll see what comes later on.
• 7:50
  Speaker 2: But we're going to deal with what we can see
• 7:51
  Speaker 2: in front of us at the moment. So, yeah.
• 7:55
  Speaker 1: Good times ahead, Cody. Thanks for your time as always.
• 7:59
  Speaker 2: No, cheers, Andy, and to everyone out there, you know,
• 8:02
  Speaker 2: just keep up the good work and, yeah, roll on
• 8:05
  Speaker 2: the good weather.
• 8:10
  Speaker 1: Cody Patterson there out of Open Country. They do good cheese.
• 8:15
  Speaker 1: You're listening to the muster on Hokanui. Up next, Anna
• 8:19
  Speaker 1: Gillespie of Otago Federated Farmers. All I ever want