The Country

05/12/2025

In case you missed the show today, Hamish caught up with Todd McClay to ask the Minister of Agriculture and Forestry about IKEA planting trees in Hawkes Bay, and could his next trade trip to India mean an early Christmas present for farmers?

📣SOUND ON for a short clip of today's interview

For the FULL interview find the link in the comments 🎧

05/12/2025

Things are heating up in parts of the country!

Christchurch, Ashburton and Dunedin are forecast to hit around 30C today.

04/12/2025

DAY 3 - COUNTDOWN TO CHRISTMAS… and today’s prize is all about boosting your pasture health and growth with BioFish NPKS from BioActive Soils.

This biological solid farm fertiliser is made from seaweed and fish, is easy to spread and valued at $796 per ton. That’s enough to cover around five hectares.

Boost your pasture growth and give your farm a healthy start to the season!

To enter, text WIN, and your name, to 5009. Jamie will announce the winner on tomorrow’s show.

Find out more about BioFish NPKS and BioActive Soils at bioactivesoils.co.nz.

04/12/2025

In case you missed it, Jamie caught up with Shane Jones, last time we yarned, he coined the phrase “a demonic egg beater” when referring to Chlöe Swarbrick. What will he call her, and who will be in the firing line today? The Prince of the Provinces, Matua Shane, also tackles the failed ETS auctions of 2025, ridding us of the “green banshees” and the regional councils, capping local body rates at 2-4%, and selling off state assets, including Pāmu.

📣 SOUND ON for a short clip of today's interview.

For the FULL interview find the link in the comments 🎧

04/12/2025

Not all of Jamie's time is spent behind the mic in a cushy studio .........

🎥🎬Behind the scenes of something coming in 2026!

Cub Cadet Steelfort

03/12/2025

Thursday folks, here's your line up for midday!

⚫️ Shane Jones- NZ First's deputy leader and the self-proclaimed "Prince of the Provinces"

🧀 Miles Hurrell- Fonterra CEO on Fonterra's FY26 business update released this morning.

🐄 Barry Fox- PGG Dairy Livestock Manager for the Central South Island, on the IHC Calf Sales.

🇦🇺 Chris Russell- our Australian correspondent with all the top news from across the ditch.

🎉PLUS we announce the winner of the FECPAC for yesterday's Countdown to Christmas Prize🎄🎁! And the Countdown to Christmas continues, today's prize is thanks to PTS Logistics

🎧LISTEN between 12-1pm on Newstalk ZB, GOLD SPORT, Hokonui, and iHeart.

03/12/2025

**COMPETITION CLOSED**

DAY 2 - COUNTDOWN TO CHRISTMAS... and today’s prize is all about making transport and storage a breeze thanks to PTS Logistics.

This awesome prize pack includes:
- $1,000 PTS Transport & Storage Voucher – keep things moving on-farm or free up some space with secure storage.
- $200 PTS Prize Pack – a little extra something from the team to make your Christmas even better.

The voucher is valid for 18 months, so you’ve got plenty of time to cash it in when you need it most. (Just a heads up – it can’t be redeemed for cash.)

To enter, just text WIN, and your name, to 5009 and you’re in the draw! Jamie will announce the winner on tomorrow’s show.

03/12/2025

In case you missed the show today, Jamie caught up with Christopher Luxon. The Prime Minister commented on another drop in the GDT Auction, the US Business Summit, a farm visit today to Hawke's Bay, whether Pāmu is on the chopping block, and whether holding local body rate rises to 2-4% is realistic.

📣 SOUND ON for a short clip of today's interview.

For the FULL interview find the link in the comments 🎧

02/12/2025

**COMPETITION CLOSED**

DAY 1 - COUNTDOWN TO CHRISTMAS... and we’re kicking things off with a seriously smart prize from FECPAK.

We’re giving away the brand-new DrenchSmart DIY Faecal Egg Count Reduction Test, valued at $1,200 ex GST.

Brought to you the Fecpak NZ team, the new DrenchSmart DIY is the simple, cost effective way to protect stock health and improve your farm income.

No contractors. Just a kit with everything you need to take samples before and after treatment and send them to the lab. A results report shows if the drench you’re using is working.

With price options to suit the number of actives you’re testing, DrenchSmart DIY is the independent way to show if your drench is actually working.

To enter the draw for the FECPAK ‘DrenchSmart DIY’ prize, text WIN, and your name, to 5009. Jaime will announce the winner on tomorrow’s show.

Find out more about DrenchSmart DIY at FECPAK.COM

02/12/2025

Congratulations to the 3 New Zealand finalists selected for the Zanda McDonald Award! 🏆🎉🎊

👩‍🌾Chloe Butcher- Herries - farm manager, Mathews Station sheep and beef farm.

🧑‍🌾Karn Dhaliwal - Founder/Owner of Greenfield Development, cropping business Ohinewai Harvest Ltd and Dhaliwal Ag Ltd.

👩‍🌾Lana Marshall - Client Director at NZAB, financial guidance and strategic planning for farmers, and 50:50 sharemilker.

🇦🇺 🇳🇿 One New Zealand winner and one Australian winner will be announced at the Award's annual Impact Summit in March 2026. 🏆

02/12/2025

Last night's GDT saw an eighth consecutive drop in the overall index, with butter sliding to -12.4% .

02/12/2025

In case you missed the show today, Hamish had a chat with Mike McIntyre, Jarden’s head of derivatives, and took a closer look at why the GDT index hasn’t been positive since mid-August.

📣 SOUND ON for a short clip of today's interview

For the FULL interview find the link in the comments 🎧