Federated Farmers Podcast
The Federated Farmers Podcast is your weekly guide to the issues affecting rural New Zealand. Join us as we unpack the policies, challenges and big ideas shaping life on farm. With frank conversations from farmers, advocates and experts, we break down what matters and why, so you can stay informed, prepared and heard.
Hosted by Ben Chapman-Smith, Federated Farmers' communications manager, who grew up on a sheep and beef farm in Te Akau on Waikato's west coast.
Episodes
89 episodes
Kerry Harmer’s fight for consent while winning awards | EP 89
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 Cante...
Neat Meat’s Simon Eriksen doesn’t mince his words | EP 88
Neat Meat founder Simon Eriksen reflects on 25 years of building one of New Zealand’s best-known premium meat businesses, from running deliveries out of a 1986 Subaru Legacy to supplying supermarkets, restaurants and My Food Bag.Simon sh...
Five tips for new contract milkers | EP 87
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 th...
Meet the farmer: Shanice Young’s rise from city kid to rural leader | EP 86
Shanice Young didn’t grow up in farming, but she’s right in the mix now. From Wellington city kid to Bay of Plenty dairy farmer, Shanice shares how she found her way into farming and ended up leading her local Young Farmers Club, growing it rap...
When farmers became heroes — the liberation of Le Quesnoy | EP 85
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 extrao...
Meet the farmer: Ian Strahan | EP 84
In this episode, we sit down with Manawatū farmer Ian Strahan, who runs 440 hectares of rolling country at Kiwitea, finishing around 16,000 lambs and up to 1000 cattle each year.Ian, Manawatū–Rangitīkei Federated Farmers president, talks...
Five investment moves for your Fonterra windfall | EP 83
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 ...
Jo Luxton on life, politics and earning farmers’ trust | EP 82
Labour’s agriculture spokesperson Jo Luxton joins us for a candid chat about her upbringing, the tough chapters in her life, and her connection to farming.She shares what she’s hearing from farmers, what she'd prioritise if she became Mi...
Red meat recovery or short-term bounce? | EP 81
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 l...
Is our fuel running out? | EP 80
Fuel supply is front of mind for farmers right now, with rising uncertainty around availability, pricing and logistics.In this episode, Fern Energy CEO Chris Gourley joins us to cut through the noise and explain what’s really going on. A...
Fertiliser supply: what’s real and what’s noise | EP 79
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 t...
Glenaray Station and the future of high-country farming | EP 78
Stretching across nearly 68,000 hectares in northern Southland, Glenaray is a sheep, beef and deer station that’s quietly challenging assumptions about high-country farming.In this episode, we’re joined by station manager Simon Lee and o...
Why farm succession fails — even on profitable farms | EP 77
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 c...
Arable sector in crisis — and why it matters to all farmers | EP 76
New Zealand's arable farmers are facing some of their toughest conditions in years, with margins collapsing and growers exiting the industry.It's a "crisis" that will have flow-on effects for dairy, sheep and beef farmers, says David Bir...
Meet the farmer: Carla de Wet | EP 75
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 C...
What’s next for Federated Farmers — with Mike Siermans | EP 74
In this episode, we sit down with Mike Siermans, the new CEO of Federated Farmers, to talk about what’s next for the organisation and for farmers.Mike shares his journey from growing up around farming in rural South Auckland to a commerc...
Meet the farmer: Jimmy Emmett | EP 73
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 ...
Jamie Mackay on life, farming and broadcasting | EP 72
He’s the most recognisable voice in rural New Zealand but you’ll usually hear The Country host Jamie Mackay asking the questions rather than answering them. In this episode, Jamie sits on the other side of the mic to reflec...
Wool — who’s clipping the ticket? | EP 71
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, ex...
AI, gene tech and the trends shaping NZ farming | EP 70
What does the rise of artificial intelligence mean for Kiwi farmers? Where does gene technology fit into New Zealand’s farming future — and what are the real opportunities and risks? And which global trends should farmers be paying close attent...
Inside the homekill boom with Toby Barkla | EP 69
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 m...
Diversifying on-farm to build new income | EP 68
In this episode, we speak with two farmers who’ve taken different approaches to diversification as a way to build resilience, create new income, and keep life interesting.King Country dairy farmer Michael Woodward has added Angora goats ...
Back on the front foot – driving farming forward with Wayne Langford | EP 67
After several years focused on restoring farmer confidence, the conversation is shifting – from fighting roadblocks to driving the sector forward.In this conversation, Federated Farmers national president Wayne Langford reflects on a lan...
When farming isn’t the problem – a Farmstrong story | EP 66
Marc Gascoigne, a Cambridge dairy farmer and Farmstrong Champion, joins us to share his wellbeing journey, including what it was like to suffer in silence for years and what helped him turn things around, including an unexpected conversation wi...