Let’s Hope The Weather Holds

Use less fertiliser, make more money, and have healthier animals

In this episode farm nutrient advisor Melinda Turner and Barrie Riddler talk about their theory that using less fertiliser on New Zealand farms will mean more profit for farmers and better animal health.
They talk about their deep frustrations with the idea that maximum production means maximum profit.
Some of what they say might be triggering to anyone who does not understand the curve of diminishing returns.
Barrie talks extensively about the software model, E2M, that he wrote.
He voices his frustration with how averaging is used to make decisions on farms.
Melinda talks about the connection between soil and animal health.
She talks about a need for plant system modelling in Overseer, and how soil optimal ranges are based on averages that are useless for individual farms, and how she believes farms have to be treated as individuals.
She talks about how there is little understanding of how what happens in soils has an impact on livestock health.
She says she doesn’t use the term regen as it is basically just good farm practice.
Barrie says if a greenhouse gas tax kicks in and software uses averages to calculate future fertiliser use on farms, then the best and most efficient farmers will be penalised the most.
They voice opinions on sale reps.
Some useful information.
A E2M intro and demo
https://youtu.be/kSHcWXJ08Sc
John King explaining diminishing returns  https://youtu.be/F9ytTwU_TUQ
E2M-technical-foreword.pdf (landcare.org.nz)
This is a full and at times complex overview of E2M
Sarahs Country discussion on E2M 
 https://youtu.be/bl3tuI7im3I  
E2M Detailed Overview 
https://youtu.be/SmEx7irZP14
Annette Litherland, Takaka Study
Takaka-Case-Study-3.pdf (landcare.org.nz)
https://landcare.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/E2M-technical-foreword.pdf
And last but not least a explanation by ChatGPT that Barrie provided on E2M:
"E2M (Enviro-Economic Model) is a unique farm-planning tool that can identify how to achieve a particular outcome on a farm within the many constraints that farm operates within—whether it be maximising economic performance or minimising external inputs, nutrient losses, or emissions. It is a full farm systems model, summarising farm operations in fortnightly increments including pasture growth, grazing, fertiliser use, economics, nutrient outputs, and greenhouse gas emissions. E2M works differently to other farm systems models available in Aotearoa New Zealand (and the world)—and this makes it much more efficient and effective than those models.
E2M is based on a linear-programming platform and can model whole farm systems including greenhouse gas emissions. It differs from other farm systems models worldwide as it avoids the restrictions that linear programming exhibits when integrating multiple complex systems."
 
 
 

The sheep rustler who became a legend - James Mackenzie

In the 1800's New Zealand sheep thief James Mackenzie became a legend for stealing large flocks of sheep with just the help of his dog, he took them over 100's of kilometres of mountains to a piece of land he wanted to stake a claim on.
He later had a whole area of the country named after him: Mackenzie Country.
In this episode I speak to curator Sean Brosnahan and exhibition developer William McKee from the Toitū Otago Settlers Museum.
Below are links to stories of pioneers from New Zealand history, a project Sean and Will are working on.
Journey to New Edinburgh documentary:  https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLeriCkBw8zMgqxdPz1XlkILIAlugr3JD_&si=JAoO6JENAJIovQJv  
100 Pioneers Stories:  https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLeriCkBw8zMjEtYJjSuU_HPqF3GZf9EVj&si=JP-paYudjG9iXqbp
Definition of Pakeha: A Maori term for the white inhabitants of New Zealand.
All music by Jacques van Wyk

The battle against wool

The fight against wool - a story of lawsuits, bad science and political kowtowing
In this episode I speak to Greg Smith, CEO of wool carpet manufacturer Bremworth, about how regulations and selective science is showing wool is somehow worse for the planet than synthetic materials.
We delve into government intervention and how politicians appease voters and their climate views.
The lawsuit against Bremworth.
And what the future holds.
We talk about Greg's mind-shift when he leaves the jewellery world for primary industries.
Why are governments intervening in the industry? (at min 15:44)
Did he expect the backlash from synthetic industry when Bremworth began promoting wool?
The impact of the cyclone and flooding on Bremworth's factory.
https://bremworth.co.nz
 
All music by Jacques van Wyk

New Zealand needs a food strategy

In this episode I speak to CEO of Eat New Zealand Angela Clifford.
We talk about why New Zealand needs a food plan and strategy, how introduced species like deer and trout play a role in a food plan, we touch on food waste, regenerative agriculture, we bemoan how white bait is managed, and we talk about the role of the export market, the supermarket duopoly, Supie, the role consumers have to play in making new systems work and more.
 
Maori definitions used by Angela for foreign listeners;
Kai moana: Food from the sea
Whanau: Extended family or community
Mahinga kai: cultivation or food gathering place
 
 
 

Could you fly fish for the extinct New Zealand grayling

In this episode I talk to Dr Nic Rawlence director of the University of Otago's Palaeogenetics Laboratory and PhD student Lachlan Scarsbrook, based at Oxford University in the UK, about the extinct New Zealand grayling.
I also talk to Ross Bailey, an Australian fly fisherman who has in the past caught Australian grayling as bycatch. The Australian grayling is protected and you are not allowed to target them. Ross shares how he caught them on the fly, what fly patterns they went for, what rivers they are found in, how hard they fought. He also talk about catching their far-off cousins in Europe and Alaska.
The grayling was hyper-abundant and was New Zealand's most common fish. It is, for now, the only extinct New Zealand fish.
Dr Nic and Lachlan do a deep dive into a DNA study they did, what they found, the wide ranging theories of how the fish became extinct, what it ate (which is a clue to how you'd fish for it if you are a fly-fisherman), we establish that you don’t have to fish every weekend to be able to study fish, we talk about possible reintroduction of the fish, and Lachlan says Nic is a rainmaker when it comes to getting funding for studies. We also talk about dogs, wolves and why using fish as fertiliser isn't a good idea.
 

Glyphosate, your hormones, cancer, and why all the previous science was wrong but also right with Ian Shaw.

I speak to Professor Ian Shaw an international expert on food safety. We talk about glyphosate as an environmental estrogen, estrogen mimicry, ideas on non-genotoxic carcinogenicity and how former research was right and then turned out to be completely wrong, long term inflammatory effects and possible environmental impact of glyphosate through avenues that were not previously considered. Shaw is the former chair of the UK Pesticide Residues Committee and working as the National Food Safety Programme Manager at the Institute of Environmental Science and Research (ESR), based in Christchurch. He specialises in chemical residues in food and the environment and their human health effects and leads the Toxicology Research Group at the University of Canterbury.

Eat what you kill with Tim Kavermann

How do you build a social media community that shares recipes of food they harvested? How would you market wild meat to a townie consumer? How do you give wild meat value in a country like New Zealand that declares some sources of game as pests? What is ethical spearfishing? How does the outdoors connect to mental health? 
I speak to brand strategist, creative, photographer and foodie Tim Kaverman from Eat What you Kill Co about all this and more.

The Hunter‘s Journal with editor Cam Henderson

Cam Henderson started the Hunter's Journal magazine in a time when print is supposedly dying. He kicked that theories behind. We speak about getting a magazine started. Being cold outdoors. How good Kiwi hunters have it. Why hunt photography has become so freakn good. And how awesome that first time you see a tahr bull is.