REX

The Self-titled Chief of Hope for New Zealand, JJ joins Hamish and Beks on REX recorded live from Mystery Creek's Fieldays.

Catch every interview from this weekends Rural Exchange right here.

On today’s episode, grieving Taranaki Dad and Farmer Simon Adams on water safety… We speak to a farmer right in the thick of scanning… And we ask how to find and keep good farm employees…

On today’s episode… We look at the plight of kiwifruit growers on the back of a very tough season… We look at efforts to get vets to go rural… And we zone in on the importance of wool grading.

Our next guest Mel Sheppard has probably seen it all in her roles in the sheep, beef and forestry industries - recruiting and training people, and helping when things turn tricky! She’s currently Sector Manager for Primary ITO - looking after the training courses on sheep, beef, deer, and pork.

Andrew Vavasour is right in the thick of his ewe pregnancy scanning beat across Gisborne, Wairoa, and the Hawkes Bay at the moment… In his other life, he has a successful landscaping business in Marlborough, but each winter, he gets on his woolly long johns and hat and steps inside the scanning tent!

Simon Adams is a Taranaki dairy farmer and a father. In May he ran four marathons - that’s one every weekend for a month - taking on the pain to raise awareness about water safety after his son Jordy tragically drowned in 2021 aged just 18. Donate to Simon's Give-A-Little here

Kicking things off with a look at the rural print media, and we’re joined by our good mate Tony Leggett from Dairy Exporter and Country Wide.

Time now for this week’s View From the Top Paddock, and we’re joined by the outgoing Vice President of the World Farmers’ Organisation and West Coast dairy farmer Katie Milne.

Well, no real surprises - it's been a tough year for the kiwifruit sector with the final numbers released recently by Zespri… Global revenue and sales volumes were both down on the previous season, while the value of Kiwifruit also took a hit due to quality issues… Throw in some nasty weather events and the 2022/23 season is probably one to forget… To get a grower’s perspective on this, we’re joined now by New Zealand Kiwifruit Growers Chief Executive Colin Bond

Marg Ford works for the NZ Wool Classers Association… Her interest in wool started when she was an ag journalist for the Waikato Times… Then she married a shearer and spent lots of time in woolsheds, becoming a wool classer herself… She joins us on REX.

Stuart Bruere is a Veterinarian trainer. He’s based at Massey University and wants to inspire Vets to work in rural clinics, and has some thoughts on how Farmers can help welcome and support young Vets.