Ag in Conversation

El Nino, not all sunshine and warm winds

Ag in Conversation

Show Notes

EP 140 | El Nino, not all sunshine and warm winds

🌧️ Weather. 🥛 Milk price. 🌲 Carbon farming. 🗳️ An election looming.

There’s plenty to talk about in NZ agriculture this week.

We start down south, where farmers in Southland and on the West Coast are battling relentless wet conditions — and take a moment to acknowledge the very real pressure that puts on people, stock and farming systems.

Then we look ahead at El Niño. What could a strong event mean for pasture growth, feed costs and farm profitability — and does a $9.50 milk price still look quite so exciting if breakeven starts nudging $9/kgMS?

Fonterra has delivered a huge FY26 result, so we unpack the numbers and ask what the post-Mainland version of our biggest co-op might look like . Then we're talking trees 🌲 — specifically carbon forestry, whole-farm conversions and whether the ETS is creating the right incentives for NZ's productive land and rural communities.

And finally: Election Watch is here. 🗳️ With the election approaching and agricultural policy starting to come thick and fast, we're looking past the slogans at what the parties are actually proposing — and what those policies could mean on farm. 🎙️ All that, plus the usual opinions, tangents and agricultural chat, on this week's Ag in Conversation.

Big thanks to our partners Cinta Insights and Ag Assist for supporting our podcast.

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HOSTS | @‌emilywalker @‌myfanwyalexander

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