REX

Ben Todhunter has quite a few pots on the boil - he and his wife Donna farm 1,900 hectares on the south side of the Rakaia River, including running a Cleardale SX Fine Wool stud and an Angus stud. Ben is a director of the NZ Merino Company and StockX Ltd… He’s been on a trip to the US recently, visiting Angus studs and cattle ranches, on the hunt for genetics suitable for use back in NZ.

Richard Dawkins is a farmer who is perhaps best known for developing an indoor-lambing system, at his home farm The Pyramid. When he’s not being a mid-wife to 100s of lambs going through the lambing shed, he grows out and leases Jersey bulls. He and his wife Jess, together with his parents Chris and Julia, won the Marlborough Sheep & Beef Farmer of the Year, back in 2021. He’s currently vice President of Marlborough Federated Farmers. You get the picture - he’s pretty motivated… He was also happy to put his hand up, to host the Waihopai Valley catchment group field day, this week, at The Pyramid Woolshed… He joins us on REX.

On the show today: Dr Tim Chambers: Department of Public Health, University of Otago Shane Bird: Former Farmer turned Lifecoach And Hamish McKay on the weekend of sport ahead.

David Burge, DairyNZ's Sustainable Dairy GM & Anna Fisher from Silverstream Farm are on REX Today with Dom George.

WeatherWatchNZ's Phil Duncan and Owner of Canterbury Woodchips Brad Coleman make up today's edition of REX Today.

On todays show: Craig Wiggy Wiggins and Dairy Women's Network CEO Jules Benton

Continuing with our Best Of from REX so far this year, and of course, there was some heavy lifting to be done in the immediate aftermath of Cyclone Gabrielle… Somebody who had the machinery to undertake that heavy lifting is Mark Law, who operates Whakatane-based Kahu helicopters, and flies the country's only Blackhawk helicopter… He was at the coalface in the wake of the devastation, and we caught up with him in late February.

For another Best Of segment on our Easter Sunday special, and one of the country’s most prominent artists has joined a battle to protect Central Otago from pine trees… Sir Grahame Sydney is one of 37 people or organisations who submitted against the proposal to plant 66 hectares of pine trees for carbon on Lammermoor Station… He joined us on REX to talk about his involvement back in early February.

For another Best Of segment on our Easter Sunday special, and one of the country’s most prominent artists has joined a battle to protect Central Otago from pine trees… Sir Grahame Sydney is one of 37 people or organisations who submitted against the proposal to plant 66 hectares of pine trees for carbon on Lammermoor Station… He joined us on REX to talk about his involvement back in early February.

Our final ‘Best Of’ interview for our Easter Sunday Special is Harriet Bremner; author, speaker, Southland farmer and advocate for health, safety and wellbeing in agriculture… She added to that list last month, winning the 2023 Zanda McDonald Award

For another Best Of segment on our Easter Sunday special, and one of the country’s most prominent artists has joined a battle to protect Central Otago from pine trees… Sir Grahame Sydney is one of 37 people or organisations who submitted against the proposal to plant 66 hectares of pine trees for carbon on Lammermoor Station… He joined us on REX to talk about his involvement back in early February

It’s on track to be a 20 billion dollar global industry, and this week it was on full display at Auckland’s Aotea Centre. The 10th World Avocado Congress saw industry leaders from 33 countries converge on NZ, the first time it’s been held in this country. To tell us all about it, we’re joined now by the CEO of NZ Avocado, Jen Scoular.

Kane Brisco is a Taranaki farmer and father of three… He started his farmer-support page, Farm Fit, to create awareness around the importance of talking about the daily pressures of farming… He’s a former rugby player, boxer and qualified personal trainer, he runs fitness boot camps and paddock sessions for his local community, and he has a book out! We had the pleasure of his company at Fieldays last year and thought we’d get him on to see how life is at the moment.

Time to talk competitive shearing and to give us the long blow on the NZ shearing champs, Sir David Fagan joins us on REX.

We’re joined by good friend of the show, Head of Analytics at NZX, Julia Jones.

Andrew Steven was one of the team behind the scenes, organising the recent five-day NZ Farm Forestry Conference… Hosted by South Canterbury, the delegates saw the best the region could offer - with a visit into the Mackenzie to two big stations there, and to a dairy farm and sheep and beef farms near Geraldine… They saw a stand of 150 year old oak trees and redwoods planted in 1864… That even makes me feel young! We find Andrew on his home farm, on Rolling Ridges Road, which was also one of the farms toured during the event…

The Fairlight Foundation is on a mission to advance women in agriculture… It’s run by Laura Koot, who spends a year with a group of selected interns and gets them ready for a career in agriculture.

On Wednesday night Rebecca Greaves attended the Tararua Excellence in Farming Awards at the Tui Brewery in Mangatainoka, where they handed out three new awards. Becks recorded this interview with the MCI & Associates Tararua Agricultural Industry Champion winner, Allan Benbow, on the night.

For this week’s View From the Top Paddock, we’re joined by the man spreading his knowledge and expertise far and wide these days, the former Minister for Primary Industries, Nathan Guy.

The Glenmore Station Farmer & Mackenzie Waitaki Two-Tooth Competition Organiser spoke with Hamish McKay to discuss what went down after a big few days. And we head to Marlborough for a chat with Anna Flowerday from Te Whare Ra Wines.

We head to Marlborough now for a chat with Anna Flowerday from Te Whare Ra Wines.

The Glenmore Station Farmer & Mackenzie Waitaki Two-Tooth Competition Organiser spoke with Hamish McKay to discuss what went down after a big few days.

Genevieve Steven, Chair of Women in Agribusiness NZ, Fed Farmers Board Member Richard McIntyre, & Amy Castleton from the NZX are on REX Today with Hamish McKay.

Hamish McKay sits in for Dom George today, and yesterday Dom spoke with Dr Ali Rashidinejad, Riddet Institute Research Officer. And Hamish catches up with Robin Congdon GM at NZ Dairy Industry Awards.

Kate Acland joins REX Today's Dom George for her first radio interview in her new role as the Beef + Lamb NZ Chair Also on the show Nick O'Connor, Tasman FMG Young Farmer Of The Year and REX's Jo Grigg was out and about on Friday at the South Island Ag Field Days and caught up with some of the vendors at the Kirwee event.

REX's own Jo Grigg was out and about on Friday at the South Island Ag Field Days and caught up with some of the vendors at the Kirwee event.

Kate Acland joins REX Today's Dom George for her first radio interview in her new role as the Beef + Lamb NZ Chair

We're broadcasting out of the Christchurch studios this weekend after a fun-filled few days at the South Island Agricultural Field Days, with more guests lined up from the Kirwee event and some more great interviews from Kiwis across the country, up and down the land. As fabled co-host of REX Hamish Mckay says - "REX never sleeps!"

Beaming out of the Christchurch studio this weekend after a stunning few days at the South Island Agricultural Field Days, we have a great bunch of guests lined up throughout the show. And to address the elephant in the room - REX is here to stay!

Live from South Island Ag Field Days, Hamish and Beks has a chat with REPOST Co-founder Greg Coppell around their sustainable practices.