This week on Stockwhips and Lattes we chat with Brian Clayton, one of the three brothers who own and operate Clayton Hops, New Zealand's largest hop-growing company. Brian, Glen, and Andrew Clayton grew up on a farm on the West Coast of the South Island and all traveled overseas to pursue corporate careers before coming home to NZ to get into the hops industry.  Today Clayton Hops is a proud family-run business with the brother's better halves Sarah, Sara, and Rebecca also working on the...

This week on Stockwhips and Lattes we get Hilary Webber back on the show to discuss Eqalis a vertically integrated medicinal cannabis business based in the Bay of Plenty. We all know that medicinal cannabis is now legal in New Zealand, but the industry is still fraught with obstacles and challenges which Hilary discusses with us.  Hilary describes Eqalis as an agritech business and says that the medicinal cannabis industry in New Zealand has the potential to be as big as dairy. So the...

This week on Stockwhips and Lattes we chat to Hilary Webber, dairy farm owner and Chairperson of Eqalis, a vertically integrated medicinal cannabis business.  Hilary's journey is hard-fought and fraught with obstacles. Hilary was a townie from Cambridge working as a nurse when she meet and then married a dairy farmer. From breastfeeding her kids in the milking shed to becoming the first woman elected on the NZ Dairy Board, Hilary has had an impressive governance career that was kickstarted...

This week on Stockwhips and Lattes we chat with Jono Frew, co-founder of Quorum Sense, a network of farmers sharing knowledge about regenerative systems. Jono hasn't always been so clean and green and his journey from agrichemical operator to regenerative farm warrior is an interesting one.  Jono has regrets, but he has turned those regrets into lessons and shares them all with us. Also, his answer to our final question about what he would like to change in the rural industry is a goody, so...

This week on Stockwhips and Lattes Laura and Macca bravely step foot into the unknown Web 3 world and discuss things like blockchains, NFT communities, cryptocurrency, and one rural lad's journey into all of it. Ben grew up farming, studied marketing and business and when he started traveling overseas he began researching ways to make money online.  He now applies traditional marketing methodologies to a very non-traditional industry and right now is promoting a very unique online whiskey...

This week on Stockwhips and Lattes we interview Maccas mate Brendan Webby from the mighty Waikato. Brendan shares his story of climbing the ladder from dairy factory worker after being kicked out of school, to farm ownership.  He says that there was a bit of luck and timing involved, but as we say, there is no such thing as luck, there is simply hard work and executing on opportunities, which is exactly what Brendan has done.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on Stockwhips and Lattes we chat with Dave Clouston, winemaker and owner of Two Rivers winery in Marlborough. In an industry that is dominated by corporates, owner-operated Two Rivers is working hard to stand out and disrupt the market with its exceptional blends and innovative thinking.  Dave has had an incredible journey from gypsy winemaker in the Mediterranean to boutique New Zealand wine entrepreneur and we love hearing how he developed his skills and passion for the...

This week on Stockwhips and Lattes we chat with Ken Payne an ex professional shearer turned farm tutor and district councilor based in Balclutha. Ken is passionate about our shearing and rural industry and for the last 2 decades has been passing on his skills and knowledge with Telford agricultural students and most recently, with Laura's interns at Fairlight Station. Ken can shear a sheep blindfolded, spins a good yarn and is a bit of a legend in the deep south.  See...

This week on Stockwhips and Lattes we chat with Southland woman Kate Macdonald who just this week, launched her own company Davaar and Co. Kate has combined her agribusiness and marketing qualifications with her passion for farming by creating a modern take on the old fashioned homespun jerseys.  Using only the wool from her family's property in Southland which has been farmed by the Macdonald's since 1915, Davaar and Co has created fashionable woollen jerseys that would make any rural...

This week we talk with Simon Hunt, a pig farmer near Te Aroha in the heart of the Waikato. Simon loves a good challenge and has a history of turning around businesses. Simon has been there and done that, in addition to pigs, he’s worked in large dairy farms in the South Island and Hawkes Bay and accredits his success to getting the most out of people. I: @pukeroa_station See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on Stockwhips and Lattes we catch up with business owner and microbiologist Jayne McMillan. Jayne owns The Fridge Butchery in Cromwell, a paddock-to-plate vertically integrated meat processing business that she started 4 years ago. Jayne is a microbiologist by trade and still does consulting work for Alliance, work she assures us, that is not all lab coats and microscopes. Jayne has been in the media this month for becoming the NZ face of a global campaign to help promote more...

This week on Stockwhips and Lattes we interview self-described genetics geek Anna Boyd. Anna was born and raised on Haldon Station in the Mackenzie Country and after completing a Bsc in Zoology, a stint in AgResearch, Anna is now the Beef Genetics Operations Specialist for Beef + Lamb New Zealand Genetics, a role that she absolutely loves.  Anna bleeds red and white (loves her Herefords) and her message to bull buyers is simple, buy better bulls and by better, she means genetically...

This week on Stockwhips and Lattes we chat with machine operator/tractor driver/tyre kicker Jordan Blair. Jordan is 29 years old working as the main tractor driver on Greenvale Station in Northern Southland. Jordan loves his career and since first hopping into the tractor seat at age 15, he hasn't left. Jordan has some great advice for anyone looking to enter his industry as says there are plenty of awesome opportunities and employers wanting to take on keen people willing to learn the...

This week on Stockwhips and Lattes we chat with farmer and ex-farm show demonstrator Ru Gaddum. Ru is currently running an 880 ha deer, beef, and sheep farm in Kereru but also farms in conjunction with his brother and father so combined they cover 1783ha across 5 properties in the mighty Hawkes Bay. Ru spent 2 years in Japan as a farm demonstrator, entertaining thousands with his sheep shearing and mustering skills and shares some great stories and lessons with us about his time there.  Ru...

This week on Stockwhips and Lattes we chat with 22-year-old dairy farmer Sydney Porter. Born and bred in the Naki, Sydney reckoned that school wasn't for her so she started working for her brother who was contract milking, and fell in love with working outdoors and with cows.  Sydney is now managing a 33 split calving property in Hawera and is not sure where she wants her career to go from here, but she isn't afraid to put herself out there. Sydney entered the NZ Dairy Awards twice and the...

Vote for Stockwhips & Lattes for the 2021 NZ Podcast Awards Listeners Choice!  This week on Stockwhips and Lattes we chat with Gisborne-based Shaun McCarthy who grew up on farms up north and is currently driving logging trucks after 8 years working for a topdressing company in Gisborne.  Shaun loves the outdoors, isn't afraid of a bit of hard work and although being a top-dressing pilot is still on the agenda, he is enjoying diversifying into another industry right now until he can...

Vote for Stockwhips & Lattes for the 2021 NZ Podcast Awards Listeners Choice!  This week on Stockwhips and Lattes we interview Jimbo Burgess, a top dressing pilot, and a self-described plane geek. Jimbo's Instagram is full of videos of him doing extreme maneuvers that even Air Force jet fighter pilots reckon are pretty insane.  Jimbo is exceptionally passionate about what he does, reckons it is the best job in the world, and is keen to do his part to encourage others into his...

Vote for Stockwhips & Lattes for the 2021 NZ Podcast Awards Listeners Choice!  This week we interview 21-year-old shepherd Brooke Elstob. Brooke grew up farming in Central Otago, she left school at age 16 to work full time for a tailing gang and landed her first shepherding job at age 17 on Lake Hawea Station. Brooke hasn't looked back since and recently returned to the mainland after a short stint on the Chatham Islands. This farming, rodeo girl, with aspirations to get her Heli-license...

This week on Stockwhips and Lattes we chat with Laura's old scarfie mate Kieran Bruce, aka Chin, owner, operator of K Bruce Shearing in Taumarunui. Chin studied a BSc at Otago Uni with Laura and after jumping on the handpiece during the uni holidays to make a bit of cash, he decided to pursue a professional shearing career after graduating as a way to make some good money and now owns his own shearing business.  Chin has always had his eyes on the prize and chose to purchase a few student...

Vote for Stockwhips & Lattes for the 2021 NZ Podcast Awards Listeners Choice!  Simms Davison, owner and studmaster of Mapperley Stud joins us this week on Stockwhips and Lattes. Mapperley Stud has been in the Davison family for three generations. Developed for the sole purpose of breeding and raising young thoroughbreds, Mapperley spans over 600 acres of beautiful rolling Waikato country.  Simms is in the middle of his busy breeding season with his 3 stallions working hard and this...

This week we yarn with southern shepherd Heather Thompson. Laura introduced herself to Heather a few years ago when she was a farm demonstrator at Walter Peak, Queenstown's biggest agritourism experience. After watching her round up some sheep with her epic heading dog Jess, Heather then proceeded to shear one of the sheep in front of a large crowd and look like an absolute boss while doing it. Laura was super impressed and had to meet her.  Fast forward a few years and Heather left her...

This week on Stockwhips and Lattes we interview Andrew Noble-Campbell a jack of all trades rural professional that has travelled the world shearing, scanning and playing a bit of footy. Now based on 500 acres outside of Huntley Andrew just sold up his shearing run but still has a scanning operation as well as running his farm.  What started out as a conventional pathway with a stint at Flock House in 1985 followed by a Dip Ag turned into an around the world adventure with Andrew only coming...

This week on Stockwhips and Lattes we interview 24-year-old crazy horse lady Heather Gee-Taylor from the mighty Manawatu! Heather leases 400 acres of hill country and works on other farms in the district to keep busy. When she is not farming, running her dogs or breaking in horses, you will find Heather working in the community as an elected member of the local council and on the board of trustees at her old high school.  She reckons that it is the non-farming stuff that makes her...

This week on Stockwhips and Lattes we chat to former townie turned shepherd, Ben Maxwell. Ben was born and raised in Invercargill and his only experience with the rural way of life was spending time on farms that belonged to extended family.  He made a few bucks crutching and shearing then obtained an agricultural qualification from Otago Polytechnic. Fast forward a few years and Ben is now shepherding at Longacre in Central Otago.  A man of the land and a keen rugby player, Ben epitomises...