Sarah's Country
Growing food and fibre is a complex but exciting world to be in. Sarah's Country is a musterer of the minds bringing together passionate innovators, and inspiring future-thinkers with a dose of practical reality. Sarah Perriam-Lampp is an award-winning rural journalist with a decade of experience across TV, radio, podcast, and print where her pulse of New Zealand's farming sector makes Sarah's Country a valuable mainstay in your podcast library. Join over 30,000 listeners monthly who tune in from across the world to gain insights and connections on how to tackle the complexity of farming for the future - together. For more...
Healthy soil just tastes better
Chef-turn-broadcasters-turn-farmers are super passionate about bringing the connection to eaters about where their food comes from, but there's a unique skill in going down a wormhole on the topic of soil and communicating the benefits of it in a way that everyday people can understand.
Matthew Evans, renowned in Australia for his TV series 'Gourmet Farmer', was a chef by trade and then a restaurant reviewer for the likes of the Sydney Morning Herald before heading to their own farm in Tasmanian to grow their own to find out why certain food tastes better.
He...
PANEL: Growing your farming destiny (recorded at Leeston event)
When your world feels like farming & growing food for the future is just getting a bit too hard, listen to our panel's discussion on what excites them about New Zealand's future.
Sarah Perriam-Lampp recently hosted six guests at the Lakeside Memorial Hall at Leeston, Canterbury for a dinner event sponsored by ESAI to discuss how we can grow our farming destiny in the context of what we can control and the opportunities before us.
Panel includes:
Hamish Gow - Global Value Chains, Lincoln University
Rhys Roberts - CEO, Align...
Controlling the carbon narrative with Mike Casey, New Zealand Zero
Food production and not using fossil fuel seem like a headache of a problem to solve, but not for these Kiwi ex-pats who returned home to Central Otago to grow New Zealand's first cherries 100% electric.
Mike & Rebecca Casey set up Forest Lodge Orchard as well as co-founded New Zealand Zero, a fossil-free food certification and loves opening his gates near Cromwell and the books to show all types of farmers & growers how they too can control the carbon narrative.
LINKS:
New Zealand Zero: https://www.nz0.com/
Winning the G...
How to keep farming with uncertainty I Freshwater Farm Plans & Intensive Winter Grazing
Scratching your head on how you are meant to navigate farming with uncertainty?
Do you need consent?
What if I've already put in my crops?
Will I be fined?
Do my regional council rules or the national government rules apply to me?
We have all your questions about regulations coming around intensive winter grazing and freshwater farm plans answered in one place!
In the first edition of "How to Keep Farming with Uncertainty" co-hosts Sarah Perriam-Lampp (Sarah's Country), Duncan Humm (NZ Farming) and Rowena Duncum...
Sarah’s Speaker Sneak Peek: E TIPU 2022 Preview & WIN a double pass
Sarah's Country has your sneak peek into E Tipu 2022: The Boma Agri Summit speaker lineup at the highly anticipated June 2022 event is set to catalyse the future of Aotearoa’s primary industries and you could get on the guest list to Sarah's Country E Tipu Cocktail Party when you enter the draw to win a double pass to E Tipu & dinner with Sarah Perriam at 5th Street (valued at $2,500!)
Sarah Perriam sits down with three of the E Tipu 2022 keynote speakers ahead of the event which gives you a preview of the insightful, tho...
Instead of being the best 'in' the world, be the best 'for' the world with Becks Smith
In an environment where farmers & growers may be thinking it's all coming at them, Becks Smith can see the light at the end of the tunnel when we condense the overwhelm and see the challenges through a more holistic approach.
New Zealand farmers naturally have an inter-generational view of stewardship of their land, but sometimes need support to bring the right expertise together when they are on the next level of their sustainability journey.
Becks Smith discusses with Sarah Perriam, host of Sarah's Country, how her career journey as a vet in Central Otago, alongside far...
Farmers may hate technology, but it will give you more time for farming!
Did you know that globally agriculture is one of the last industries to digitise? And for those farmers that will embrace the market access requirement to prove the provenance and verify the farm practices will ultimately win.
But imagine if technology as a tool actually made you a better farmer? Perhaps more tolerant to climatic conditions, faster decision making in risky situations and free up time to actually do the thing you enjoy... farming... or boating/golf/fishing!
As the Farmax annual conference wraps up, Sarah Perriam catches up with the two CEOs on the...
International Woman's Day: The tipping point of women's roles in NZ Ag with Lindy Nelson
In a special episode for 'Shaping our Future' on Sarah's Country released on 2022 International Woman's Day, Sarah Perriam discovers where women's role has come, the current is and can to in the New Zealand primary sector with female empowerment leader in rural New Zealand, Lindy Nelson.
Lindy is a woman on a mission farming with her husband David, is the Chair of Safer Farms and founded the Agri-Women's Development Trust which has unleashed the confidence and talents of over 4,000 women who have found leadership roles that are shaping our future.
In this episode, Lindy provides...
Leave it to the catchment communities to achieve freshwater outcomes. Rangitikei farmers meet the Ministry for the Environment
How do those tasked with implementing environmental policy best engage with farmers to come up with solutions that are best for the land and are fit for purpose?
Ministry for the Environment has partnered with Sarah's Country to hit the road across the lower North Island in late 2021 to get out of Wellington and onto the farm to hear & see directly from farmers.
In this third and final episode as part of the three-part series, Sarah Perriam takes Director of Policy Implementation & Delivery, Sara Clarke, meets Rangitikei Rivers Catchment Collective Chair and three-generation farmer, Roger D...
How do we avoid unintended consequences? Taranaki farmers meet the Ministry for the Environment
How do those tasked with implementing environmental policy best engage with farmers to come up with solutions that are best for the land and are fit for purpose?
Ministry for the Environment has partnered with Sarah's Country to hit the road across the lower North Island in late 2021 to get out of Wellington and onto the farm to hear & see directly from farmers.
In this first episode as part of the three-part series, Sarah Perriam takes Director of Policy Implementation & Delivery, Sara Clarke, to meet Grant Charteris at Forest Road Farm, farming with...
These farmers have done your homework on changes to He Waka Eke Noa
Not all NZ farmers have their heads in the sand about He Waka Eke Noa as Sarah discovers a group of them have done your homework on the alternative pricing options for you to simply listen and make a submission on our weekly panel, "Tell us what you really think!".
Farmers Mark McCoard (Taihape), Kerry Worsnop (Gisborne) & Graeme Gleeson (Waikato) shed some frank reality with host, Sarah Perriam on what amendments to the farm-level levy could look like to have a fairer emissions reduction and payment scheme.
Download the group's flyer & open letter to farmers...
ZQRX wool growers use tech to measure regenerative impact with Tim Loftus, NZ Merino
The level of data now being collected on farms on a daily basis is massive but it's not working together in a collaborative way for farmers to manage the data. It is also useful for brands to verify the environment's regeneration when sourcing their product.
NZ Merino has recently partnered with Silicon Valley technology company, Actual to provide insights into each ZQRX growers’ sustainability credentials. Guided by science and starting with carbon emissions, this work will include the ability to model mitigations on-farm to guide future investment, arm brands with information to source responsibly manufactured wool, and pr...
Don't punish the leaders who will pull the laggards up! Hawke's Bay farmers meet Ministry for the Environment
How do those tasked with implementing environmental policy best engage with farmers to come up with solutions that are best for the land and are fit for purpose?
Ministry for the Environment has partnered with Sarah's Country to hit the road across the lower North Island in late 2021 to get out of Wellington and onto the farm to hear & see directly from farmers in this new series, Table Swap.
In this first episode as part of the three-part series, Sarah Perriam takes Director of Policy Implementation & Delivery, Sara Clarke, to meet Grant Charteris...
PANEL: How can farming survive being taxed under the ETS?
With so much concern circling around the consultation on the alternative pricing options for New Zealand's greenhouse gas tax/levy (call it what you wish!), we break down the reality of the challenge with our esteemed guests on the first in our weekly panel, "Tell us what you really think!".
Agricultural economist, Phil Journeaux, and rural commentator and former agriculture professor, Keith Woodford, have a candid discussion with host, Sarah Perriam on how pastoral livestock farming would look if its 5% carbon emissions were taxed under the Emissions Trading Scheme.
"We have huge change occurring a...
High-tech markets for hemp with NZ Natural Fibres & Carrfields
High-value crops are often discussed on Sarah's Country as the potential to return more to farmers from fewer inputs. Whilst the industry for hemp seed and oil is becoming more established in New Zealand, the agronomic and market development for fibre has a way to go.
In late December 2022, NZ Natural Fibres (co-owned by Carrfields NZ & Hemp NZ) received a $3.2million Sustainable Food & Fibre Futures Fund to develop its hemp growing, processing and marketing capability to“go further, faster” towards taking a global leadership position in the development of industrial and consumer products made from hemp fibre.
WHY CARE about He Waka Eke Noa
The best way to kick back into gear for 2022 is of course with the chunkiest talking point in smoko rooms, dairy sheds and board tables in the primary sector "What is He Waka Eke Noa and why should I care?"
With the stresses in the face of Omicron affecting processing plants, tractors parked up waiting for the deluge of rain to bugger off to harvest crops it may seem too hard to wrap your head around another complicated pressure.
"Doing nothing is not an option, so I've cr...
Unapologetically optimistic & defiantly hopeful for 2022 I Dana Muir, BNZ
The angst and noise of 2021 have led to a division in New Zealand's primary sector.
However, the division appears to come down to whether farmers & growers are in the camp of a mindset that is optimistic, open-minded to change and unfearful of the future. Or not.
"Positivity doesn't mean your ignoring life's stress, you're just approaching hardship in a productive way," explains Dana Muir, Head of Natural Capital, BNZ.
As the last Sarah's Country Sister for the year, Dana Muir, Head of Natural Capital at BNZ, explains ho...
No longer fairy land, the rubber of regen ag is hitting the road I Hamish Reid, Synlait
When the directive from global food giants, such as Danone and Nestle pledges to source nearly a quarter of their milk globally from regenerative dairy farms by 2025, you pay attention.
Announced this week was a unique partnership between Synlait Milk and Danone, AgResearch and the Ministry for Primary Industries' (MPI) Sustainable Food and Fibre Futures Fund to study soil health between conventional and regenerative practices on 10 farms in Waikato, Canterbury & Otago over five years.
This week's Change Maker, Hamish Reid, Head of Sustainability & Brand at Synlait says we will achieve added value by profiting from...
What would David act on to support Rural NZ? I David Seymour, ACT Party Leader
The one thing this current government has given us is a lot to talk about in rural media!
Recorded on the Saturday prior to the Groundswell protest, ACT Party Leader David Seymour joined Sarah to discuss a wide range of government policy that is overwhelming the primary sector that has seen them take to the streets in their tractors.
They discuss the sector's representation in Wellington, hate speech by politicians towards farmers to Rogernomics.
Sarah has an entertaining one-hour chat with the ACT Party leader's stance on the RMA, the Zero Carbon Act...
Half of NZ's dairy emissions could be reduced with this breakthrough! I Mike Manning, Ravensdown
As the COP26 Climate Change Summit has concluded, a serendipitous scientific finding at Lincoln University virtually eliminates the methane emitted from effluent ponds and if uptook by 2030 will half dairy's emmission targets.
As this week's Sarah's Country Change Maker, Mike Manning, General Manager Innovation and Strategy at Ravensdown, explains the breakthrough discovery of the EcoPond system to target methane with an additive normally used in the treatment of drinking water.
Nearly all dairy farms use effluent ponds and they are the second-largest source of on-farm methane emissions. An average NZ dairy farm of around 400 cows...
The woman I want to clone! I Sue McGaw, Special Projects with Plants
What led me to Sue was a string of fate, and now I want to share her with the world as this week's Sarah's Country Sister.
Sue McGaw is a specialist native plant consultant from North Canterbury who works with farmers to design their riparian plantings into biodiversity nodes to ensure 99% success rate, all year round bird feed, resilence from pests, weeds, droughts, and floods and Rongoā Māori, the traditional healing properties.
At 63 years old, after 25 years of landscape design, Sue's imposter syndrome that she no one would listen to her without a Master's sh...
The ripple effect of growing people I 2022 Nuffield Scholars & Chris Parsons
We are excited for you to meet the three emerging food and fibre sector leaders who have been awarded the 2022 Nuffield New Zealand Farming Scholarships.
This group comes from the most diverse range of backgrounds we have seen in recent times and each of the scholars brings talent, passion, perspective, and a track record of performance.
Covid 19 restrictions mean this year’s scholarship recipients’ formal awards ceremony at Parliament, will be delayed until February 2022, when Minister O’Connor will award the scholarships in person.
In this episode, you will meet the 2022 Nuffield...
Our challenges are global, not just a NZ govt. problem I Anna Campbell, Zestt Wellness & AbacusBio
Brave leadership has been a fabric of our primary sector for the past century and now is a time to continue that attitude in the face of what many think is just a New Zealand government challenge when our farming cousins around the world are facing the same challenges.
Science entrepreneur and agri-business commentator, Anna Campbell, is walking the talk transitioning from AbacusBio, a highly respected science, and technology firm operating from offices in Dunedin and Rotorua New Zealand, and Edinburgh, United Kingdom, to co-founding natural health business, Zestt Wellness, to support immunity and improve l...
Our challenges are global not a NZ govt problem I Anna Campbell, Zestt Wellness & AbacusBio
Brave leadership has been a fabric of our primary sector for the past century and now is a time to continue that attitude in the face of what many think is just a New Zealand government challenge when our farming cousins around the world are facing the same challenges.
Science entrepreneur and agri-business commentator, Anna Campbell, is walking the talk transitioning from AbacusBio, a highly respected science, and technology firm operating from offices in Dunedin and Rotorua New Zealand, and Edinburgh, United Kingdom, to co-founding natural health business, Zestt Wellness, to support immunity and improve l...
Could our homegrown cannabis genetics capture a slice of the billion dollar medicinal market? I Greenlab
Whatever your thoughts or knowledge are about cannabis, the New Zealand government believes in the future of establishing evidence-based medical cannabis cultivation practices with the awarding of funds to Lincoln University-based, Greenlab.
Greenlab aims to generate standard cultivation protocols for a range of New Zealand genetics with the optimized pharmaceutical compounds required by doctors and needed by patients to improve their quality of life.
Dr. Rupinder Brar & Dr. Parmjit Randhawa, co-founders of Greenlab join Sarah as this week's Change Maker to explain how the unique research could position New Zealand as the market leader in...
Met the fresh face of Farmlands I Tanya Houghton, CEO Farmlands
The last 5 years for New Zealand's largest rural supply co-operative have been disruptive to ensure they are positioned to support their shareholders into the future.
Newly appointed CEO, Tanya Houghton has a fresh approach to leadership that is being well-received across the board.
Sarah caught up with Tanya as part of Sarah's Country sisters to discuss how to lead a team in a time of uncertainty, her thoughts on balancing the books of farmers with lower prices and that of the co-operative and her plan to navigate the challenges ahead in her own style of...
Will this be the monumental change to drive up the wool price? I Richard Young, Primary Wool Co-Op
Many farmers across New Zealand fear the future sheep farming faces is the viability of the business model in the face of trees on hill country.
The merger of Primary Wool Co-Operative & Wools of New Zealand closes on the 4th of November and maybe the ticket to contracting the fragmented industry to provide more value behind the farm gate.
As this week's Change Maker, Sarah catches up with Richard Young, Chair of Primary Wool Co-Operative to discuss what the merger will mean for growers, where the strong wool price needs to be to be sustainable...
Glass half full approach to farming leadership I Emma Crutchley, Central Otago
Positive community outcomes are what drive this Central Otago sheep & beef farmer who has found herself supporting the diversity of opinion towards environmental progress.
Emma Crutchley, farming with her husband in the Maniototo, has a wide range of experience from a career in agronomy to governance in water management aware that her biggest strength she offers is facilitating challenging conversations.
"I've learned that you have a limited time so don't spread yourself too thin. Try and find the spot where you can use your skillset to have the biggest influence with...
The Economics of Wellbeing - Re-balancing the farm across the board
Did you know that New Zealand farmers in their 40's are having heart attacks?
It's time to reframe what it means to be a top farmer. It's not about what people think of you as the stress unbalances the economics of your farm and life.
Being a Triple-A farmer is assessing, adapting, and adjusting your farm to have a holistic approach to wellbeing. From the books to the bed, being successful is having your physical, mental, social, and business wellbeing in order right across the board.
In this week's Opinion Maker, Sarah discusses t...
Lifecycle analysis of food fairer than GHG emissions I Craig Anderson, Plant & Food Research
Cherry-picking facts and non or discounted 'accounting' is happening everywhere across the conversation of climate change and food production.
One New Zealand scientist wants the narrative to include the full energy analysis of our food production which doesn't look good for plant-based proteins or vertical farming.
Craig Anderson's webinar "Is energy the Achilles heel of agriculture" has caught many people's attention and highlighted the opportunity to focus on the full life cycle analysis, instead of just greenhouse gas emissions.
As this week's Change Maker, Sarah learns more about the observations Craig is making wh...
Defining regenerative. It's more than a trend, it's our identity.
What has been polarising the New Zealand farming community for some time is a word!
Yep, that's right. The word 'regenerative'. Unable to be pigeonhole or tamed by certification. So why do we care so much about it?
It's because the principles of regenerative resonate so deeply with New Zealand's essence of how we naturally care for the environment that we have become so passionate about our identity being under threat.
In the Regenerative Agriculture Market Scan & Consumer Insights report released this week, showed here is a significant opportunity for New Zealand to...
Saving money & the environment re-purposing one post at at time I Greg Coppell & Stu Dudley, REPOST
Did you know over 200,000 treated and broken timber vineyard posts every year discarded wood destined for landfills?
Greg Coppell found himself looking to fence off his farm on a shoestring budget and Stu Dudley his mate works in the viticulture industry which was the onus for creating REPOST, this great company in Marlborough recycling what has been a waste product for the vineyard industry into a new life of farms repurposing posts as a cheap, no-fuss fencing solution for fencing off waterways on farms across the country.
This truly is saving money and the environment...
What's NZ food's unique story? I Angela Clifford, Eat New Zealand
She oozes passion for our food storytellers to lead the next generation of New Zealand's identity as a proud food-producing nation. But she says there is no time to rest on our laurels and we must come together around our proposed national food strategy, Mana Kai, for which she is on the steering group for.
"We have had the moral and environment high ground for so long. The push back that we are better than the rest of the world is really dangerous as other countries can frog-jump us with our complacency," Angela Clifford, E...
How does meat compete with the negative narrative globally?
We are heavily assuming if you are reading this article you are already well educated on the nutrition and climate science that supports grass-fed, pasture-raised beef and lamb from New Zealand.
But to also go on to assume that just because consumers may be wealthy and educated, doesn't necessarily mean they will choose to purchase red meat as often as they once did. They have been afforded the privilege of having a food identity.
You can throw all of the complex science at the human health vs planetary health debate or the plant vs meat...
No cell coverage on-farm? Low-cost satellites swarm NZ I Sara Spangelo, Swarm
From farm to fork, food is the least digitized supply chain. However, with the recent advances in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and big data analytics, and for the first time in human history, it’s now practical to digitize agriculture and its supply chain.
The billion-dollar space race is allowing connectivity to sensors like never before which will transform how we collect data in areas without cellphone coverage.
This week's Change Maker is Dr. Sara Spangelo, Founder & CEO of Swarm who are rumored to have just sold their company to Elon Musk's SpaceX, about how New Ze...
Navigating the rate of change coming at NZ farming I Anna Fisher
This is the one episode in nearly 900 episodes where I teared up editing it!
Meet one of my great mates, Anna. As an open-minded, intelligent, technologically advanced sheep & beef farmer in her 30's she is trumped, not at why change is needed, but how.
Anna Fisher, a passionate farming mother of 2-under-5 gives an authentic insight into life on farm navigating the rise in demands from every level and why farmers took to the streets in protest.
"Most of our friends in the farming industry are pretty upbeat sort of people. You d...
Q&A - Freshwater farm plans & intensive winter grazing
Want to understand the proposed changes to the freshwater farm plan and intensive winter grazing rules? Are these changes more workable for land-owners, how will improvements be measured and audited, what on-farm tools will be used?
Bryan Smith, Chief Advisor for Freshwater from the Ministry for the Environment presented as part of this Livestream Q & A on Sarah's Country about the proposed changes to the freshwater regulations on Wednesday 22nd September 2021, prior to submissions closing on 7th October 2021.
The panel featured Sam McIvor (CEO - Beef + Lamb NZ), Sam Lucas (Head o...
Keratin particles in wool are a game changer for farm-gate prices I Tom Hooper, Wool Source
Sarah is super excited about the future of wool after this episode - it is truly wool reimagined!
New Zealand scientists at the Wool Research Insitute (WRONZ) have been exploring new uses for strong wool - nature's miracle fibre that is costing farmers to shear for animal health reasons.
The game-changing development is the patented technology to break down the fibre into unique particles, powders and pigments with global export potential for applications as diverse as cosmetics, printing, luxury goods, and personal care.
"One of the massive advantages is by taking wool...
Met the woman at MfE tasked with implementing regulation to farmers I Sara Clarke, Ministry for Environment
Curious about how 'those bureaucrats in Wellington' think? Sarah Perriam, host of Sarah's Country uncovers the nurturing nature of the woman with one of the hardest jobs in the primary sector right now.
With policy flying out the door at pace from Minister Parker, her team has been elevated within the Ministry for the Environment as they have realized to achieve the outcomes they need to work with farmers and growers on the ground and provide better feedback loops.
Sarah has an in-depth yarn to Sara Clarke, Director - Policy I...
How do we turn compliance into value with trust & transparency?
It goes without saying when you are in a relationship, the ultimate glue to the longevity of that relationship is trust.
New Zealand is a trading nation exporting 95% of our products and is the largest industry geographically so there are multiple relationships to keep the trust to the highest possible level to continue to exist.
In this week's Opinion Maker series, Sarah dives into the world of technology that has the potential to digitally connect with all farms in New Zealand, ultimately returning more value to food & fibre produced to high standards.
Alongside...
