Explorez tous les épisodes du podcast The Al & Juddy Show

In this episode, Al & Juddy explore the importance of paddock rotations and long term planning in farming systems.

They outline the potential of a 7-10 year plan, ranging from grass-to-grass transitions to more complex systems that incorporate crops like fodder beet, kale, and lucerne.

These planned cropping cycles can stack yields, tackle hard-to-kill weeds, and streamline farm management.

No matter your farm type, this discussion offers valuable insights into transforming unproductive paddocks and improving overall efficiency with forward thinking.

“Stacking yields in a well designed rotation allows you to maximise productivity and capture more feed across different seasons, ultimately making the best use of your land.’ – Allister Moorhead

Navigating your career path in your early 20s can be challenging. In this episode, Al & Juddy sit down with Sarah McKenze, Agricom’s Extension Manager to talk about her career journey and how she has achieved her success to date. This conversation is aimed at inspiring young professionals who are starting or progressing in their careers. They share a wide range of insights including what to expect in your first role and how to excel in a new environment.

‘You only know what you know. It’s important to talk to people in different roles. While you may not have your version of the perfect job, it’s about focusing on the skills you’re gaining and the lessons you’re learning along the way.’ – Sarah McKenzie

Winter feed competitions are an integral part of New Zealand rural communities, where farmers showcase their best crops for a panel of judges. In this episode, Al & Juddy team up with Fraser Harrison, Agricom’s Forage System Specialist as seasoned competition judges to share top tips for winning your next local winter feed competition. From ideal crops, sowing dates and timing to bonus strategies for scoring extra points on the day, this podcast has what you need to come out on top.

Summer cropping offers an excellent opportunity to boost feed during the season, especially when paddocks are scheduled for autumn renovation. Al & Juddy discuss various brassica varieties and how they fit into different farming systems and climatic conditions. Join them as the explore specific examples and offer valuable insights into how summer cropping could benefit your operation.

This isn't your typical episode of Seed Dating! Al & Juddy are joined by Fraser Harrison, Agricom's Forage System Specialist, to highlight the critical role of Seed Treatment in protecting brassica crops during the spring sowing season. Listen in to learn the benefits of both Ultrastrike® and Gaucho®, and how these treatments serve as an essential 'insurance policy' against pests and diseases, ensuring better plant survival through the establishment stage and beyond.

In this episode of Seed Dating, meet the star of regrowth—Mainstar forage rape. This modern, early-maturing rape boasts strong aphid tolerance and is capable of multiple regrowth cycles! Tune in to learn why Mainstar forage rape could be a great fit to your farming system.

Introducing New Zealand’s largest selling kale—SovGold! This late flowering kale stands out with its impressive utilisation and leaf-to-stem ratio. Thanks to its outstanding characteristics, SovGold is suitable for a wide range of farm systems seeking a high-yielding kale that offers great flexibility.

Join Al & Juddy as they discuss how to choose the best forage species for your farming system. They share their experiences in evaluating different cultivars, covering everything from understanding animal grazing preferences and conducting replicated plot trials to considering the impact of management decisions. Whether you already have your preferred forage cultivars or are curious about the selection process, this episode provides valuable insights on how to make informed choices that align with your farming system.

Introducing Align, the latest ryegrass from Agricom — a high producing tetraploid perennial ryegrass. This smart ryegrass maintains its density during challenging wet periods while delivering robust growth through summer and autumn. Will you be swiping right on Align? Tune in!

Brace yourself! Al & Juddy are excited to introduce Brace, a New Zealand-bred, large-leaved white clover that's a true all-season producer. This resilient clover will support your farm through autumn and early winter, making it an excellent addition to dairy and beef finishing systems. Plus, it's perfect for producing quality silage. 

If you’re aiming to boost your summer pasture quality with a high performance forage, the choice is clear – choose Choice chicory. This New Zealand-bred and certified chicory is a reliable option, whether used as a pure sward or in a mix. Tune in to find out why Choice is the right decision for your farm.

Al & Juddy can give you plenty of "reasons" why Reason perennial ryegrass is the perfect fit for your farming system. With its remarkable resilience and ability to form a solid base for your perennial pasture, Reason stands out. Its most attractive trait is its powerful spring production, ensuring productive pasture year after year.

Introducing Manta AR37 Italian Ryegrass, also known as The Beast. This fast-starting Italian ryegrass is perfect for most undersowing situations and is naturally tolerant in many challenging environments. Its leafy nature could be the ideal addition to your farm system, providing robust performance and adaptability. Discover how The Beast can elevate your forage game!

Note: Manta AR37 is only recommended for beef and dairy. 

You can trust Mohaka to grow more tucker. This powerhouse finishing pasture is ideal for the 3-4 year break between cropping systems, providing reliable performance even under stressful conditions. Is Mohaka the perfect match for your farming system? In this episode, discover how Mohaka tetraploid hybrid ryegrass can elevate your productivity.

During this very topical episode, Al & Juddy are joined by Techion Managing Director, Greg Mirams (who developed the original FECPAK back in ’92 and recently the GII to measure parasite burdens on farm) who has a wealth of knowledge around managing drench resistance.

Al & Juddy have an important conversation with their guest about the challenge drench resistance holds for farmers within New Zealand and the importance of forages as a tool to help combat it.

“The damage is done when they come over the tongue” – Greg Mirams

Join Al & Juddy as they delve into the lesser-explored realm of alternative grass species in the New Zealand landscape.

Building on their extensive coverage of popular grass varieties, this episode was inspired by a listener’s request to explore the less conventional choices that may not be widely adopted in New Zealand.

From an agronomic perspective, Al & Juddy dissect these alternative grasses, examining their relevance and application in various animal systems.

“We kind of love them together as what we refer to as the alternative options. Their different characteristics mean that they have quite different ranges in terms of where you would sow them. Moreover, they play varied roles within animal systems, showcasing their versatility” – Glenn Judson

In this month's podcast Al & Juddy dive into a timely topic as autumn approaches – cheap/uncertified seed. T

hey give a high-level summary of the intricacies of certified seed which assures the integrity and guarantee of what you are sowing. The discussion then shifts to the potential pitfalls of uncertified seed and the implications that this can have on your farming system.

Tune in to gain a deeper understanding of cheap seed that could help you make informed decisions as another season fast approaches.

"We take opportunities because they seem good, there's the irony. They seem good value for money. But you forget that you are about to earn an income off it. And it's important that it actually meets your expectations to quite a high level. So you haven't quite valued your future income stream as much as your front up cost moment" – Allister Moorhead 

What do snakes, hair removal cream, and ONE50 perennial ryegrass all have in common?

They’re in this episode of the Al & Juddy Show.

In the spirit of the season, they’re sharing light hearted yarns from their careers, aiming to trigger a few giggles or smiles!

Join Al & Juddy as they sit down with the boss, John McKenzie. They discuss his early career, taking New Zealand products to the world and delve into forward thinking strategies that utilise failures and successes of R&D to support investment strategies for future technology. Will there be an Episode 21? Listen to find out!

‘What you can do is transplant the way a Kiwi thinks. When you trace it back, it's about making the most of the resources at hand. It’s the number eight wire and binder twine mentality of people who came out here and settled in this country 150 years ago. It’s the way we think’ – John McKenzie 

Al & Juddy enjoyed having Stephen Goldson from AgResearch in the studio as their second guest.

Stephen shares his intrepid journey on controlling the Argentine stem weevil population by retrieving parasitoids from South America and bringing them to New Zealand.

Tune in for a first hand account of ecology in action. 

 "In terms of Conservation Biocontrol, we cannot use examples of this approach from abroad. What we can do is import biocontrol control agents that have evolved in association with stem weevil through evolutionary time, which is what the importation biocontrol is all about." – Stephen Goldson 

Listen in as Al & Juddy cover everything about the highly nutritious herb chicory, which resonates with many New Zealand farming systems including dairy, sheep and beef. Offering key recommendations and best practice tips for getting the most out of your chicory. 

 "Between its easily grazed habit and its ability to stimulate grazing by being a herbaceous plant full of water, in a hot dry environment you tend to find it is a perfect way of getting more drymatter and more energy into an animal under stress. Making it an ideal home grown feed." – Allister Moorhead 

Join Al & Juddy as they delve into one of the fundamental aspects of a calendar year, wintering systems.

They unpack how to select the ideal wintering system, taking into account the factors of your resource base such as how much land for the number of animals you have.

They discuss the various characteristics of different cultivars and rotations, offering insight into optimising the area you farm on, with a particular focus on the dairy system.

"Winter is challenging, but it doesn’t mean to say that we need to change the system completely. I think by looking at best practices and being sensible about them, we can navigate our way through those challenges" – Glenn Judson 

Throughout this episode, Al & Juddy have a comprehensive discussion about finishing lambs during the lactation phase.

They explore historical examples that shaped their understanding of how various forages integrate within a finishing system and provide valuable insights into how to optimise their use.

"The detail is actually understanding your forage and variety choice along with their seasonality. It’s really important because we are trying to match forage growth with livestock demand for the first month and a half of spring. Not all plants are equal, and not all varieties are equal in those windows of time" – Glenn Judson

Al & Juddy are joined by local farmer Chris Chamberlain for the second episode of their two part series.

Chris shares his personal leasing experience, offering valuable lessons and expertise that will benefit young farmers looking to get their foot in the door.

“We need young people and their enthusiastic brains. And I think leasing is a way that they can get their foot in the door and old hardheads can help assist. You can ask, you can listen and you can learn” – Chris Chamberlain 

Join Al & Juddy as they welcome their first guest, sheep and beef farmer Chris Chamberlain, in the latest episode - ‘Forging lasting relationships’.

In this deep dive discussion, they explore their shared history and experience reaching back close to 25 years.

This is the first of two podcasts so don’t miss the banter and experience that will leave you wanting more!

‘We try and take the risk and vulnerabilities away and add benefit. So, it’s about drafting through that knowledge base and utilising the stuff that’s applicable to your business’ – Chris Chamberlain 

Join Al & Juddy in this episode as they delve into the four main factors that affect animal intake, and how this may impact your farming system. From bite size and rate, to grams per bite and grazing duration, there are many factors to consider each with its own influence on animals. Tune in to grasp how these effects impact your animals.

In a pastoral system, grazing animals get their energy from grazing forages. Grazing intake, which refers to how much an animal can consume from pasture in a day, is affected by various factors that can make it easier or harder for the animal to consume pasture and ultimately affect their daily energy intake – Glenn Judson

Capital stock are a critical part of most production systems yet sometimes their importance is overlooked.

Al & Juddy take a farm systems approach in discussing forage and forage systems which feed this important stock class at critical times of the year.

Listen in to this general discussion on the principles of feeding next year’s production.

‘Always focussing on driving pasture covers so that when we put a ewe with high energy demand into a set stock phase to be lambing, she's got enough feed underneath her with enough momentum to get to peak lactation as fast as possible.’ – Allister Moorhead

Dactylis glomerata, orchard grass, cat grass, or most commonly ‘cocksfoot’ is often misunderstood and seen as a relic of the past with no relevance in today’s farming systems.

Al & Juddy bust this myth by dissecting its rich history and explaining cocksfoot’s resilience and productivity in a dryland environment.

Listen in and find out how you could reap the benefits of cocksfoot in your farming system.

‘Sometimes something that is not perfect is actually still really important. And if you don’t like it because it’s not perfect, you miss the fact this it’s actually still quite important’- Allister Moorhead

https://www.agricom.co.nz/podcast

This month Al and Juddy discuss the science behind seed mixes. They tackle how seed and plant characteristics, environment, and grazing management affect the balance of plants in a pasture.

“One thing I would always encourage you to do is be fully aware of what plant species you’re bringing into your landscape and actually know them, because making the mix is quite an important thing”

This month Al and Juddy explore the “jewel in the crown” for Agricom - Marshdale, our beef research and demonstration unit which evaluates new forage products and grazing techniques, and provides data on topical aspects of animal production.

Join the lads and let them explain “the science between the stones”.

 "There’s very little accurate beef industry information in New Zealand regarding liveweight gain on different species, however, Marshdale fulfills and represents a really important role for the New Zealand beef industry"

Hang out with Al and Juddy this month as they do some “kale time” and take you on a journey with this amazing plant.

They cover aspects of biology, farm systems, animal health, and establishment considerations along with their normal banter.

“Kale is far more flexible than we've ever thought of before. The reality is it can fit inside your feed program in more ways than we have traditionally used it.”

This month Al & Juddy share their expertise on one of their favourite topics, summer brassicas. Join the lads while they discuss and give examples on linking summer brassicas to farm systems, along with a summary on the history around summer brassica grazing management. Including tips and tricks on getting summer brassicas reliably established and, thoughts around maximising performance across various stock classes.

“Know your summer brassica, and get the right one for your forage needs, your farm system and your climatic variability”

Fescues are often considered an alternative to ryegrass and can be a great fit in many farming systems. Let Al and Juddy take you through the A-Z of this species, from its history through to relevant systems use and don’t forget to listen out for Juddy’s Top 5 Grazing Tips!

“Even if it’s a colder year, you still get that flush of feed coming in.”

"It’s a really important species to New Zealand agriculture, particularly now and remember red clover is the driver, it’s not the passenger."

Red clover is a powerhouse in a pasture and can have real animal performance advantages, so let Al and Juddy talk you through the ins and outs of this legume, as well as how it can best fit into a farming system.

“It’s pretty exciting science when you can find four separate functions, all working towards a common goal.”

There’s been a lot of chatter about Ecotain and its benefits to the environment so Al and Juddy have jumped on to cover how it works to help solve some of the environmental problems that farmers are facing. They will also talk about how you can get it to work on your farm and how you can use it to achieve the functionality that may be required going forward.

Al and Juddy are back to let us know about the wonder plant that is white clover: how important it is to farmers in New Zealand, the different types and how they are best utilised, its role in nitrogen fixation and the benefits to our animals. All of this as well as a bit of an introduction about themselves and how they came to be sitting in front of a microphone.

"The more clover you can get in there, the higher the performance of those animals."

"Ryegrass as a species is the single most important plant in the New Zealand economy."

Our animals love to eat it and we love to grow it, but what really are the differences in the varieties of ryegrasses out there? From annual, hybrid and perennial types to diploids and tetraploids, there’s a lot to cover here, including one of the most overlooked factors in getting the best out of your ryegrass – its flowering date.

Let Al and Juddy take you for a wander through a topic on ryegrasses and get an appreciation for just how important it is to New Zealand’s agriculture.

“What that has highlighted is that endophyte has been a very special thing.”

Ever wondered how endophytes benefit the grass in which they live or how they affect the animals grazing on them?

Al Moorhead and Glenn Judson are here to fill in all the gaps; from just what endophytes are, what they mean to New Zealand, how they pass through generations of ryegrass and how they help with various pasture pests.

Endophytes are a vital tool in many farmer's toolbox, so make sure to listen in!