The Federated Farmers Podcast is your weekly guide to the issues affecting rural New Zealand. Join us as we unpack the policies, challenges and big ideas shaping life on farm. With frank conversations from farmers, advocates and experts, we break down what matters and why, so you can stay informed, prepared and heard.
Hosted by Ben Chapman-Smith, Federated Farmers' communications manager, who grew up on a sheep and beef farm in Te Akau on Waikato's west coast.
Want to know where the main parties stand on the issues that matter most to farmers and rural New Zealand? Hosted by Heather du Plessis-Allan at Mystery Creek, the Rural Issues Debate on 30 September brought together Todd McClay (National), Jo Luxton (Labour), Mark Patterson (NZ First), Andrew Hoggard (ACT) and Steve Abel (Green).
The 90-minute debate covered the future of the ETS, whole-farm forestry conversions, the India FTA, rural connectivity, taxation, on-farm solar, the Paris Agreement and much more, with plenty of robust debate along the way.
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28 Sept 2026
Farming with drones – are they actually useful? | EP 107
East Coast farmer Blair Crawshaw has been using drones for eight years, putting them to work mustering stock, finding missing animals and pests, and checking for problems across his steep Motu farm, Tawa Hills Angus. In this episode, we get practical about how farmers can actually use a drone on farm — what it’s good for, what it can’t do, and what you need to know before buying one.
See omnystudio.com/listener (https://omnystudio.com/listener) for privacy information.
21 Sept 2026
What if the meatworks came to the farm? | EP 106
When a friend asked Logan Wait to provide some meat for an event post-Covid, he realised there was a problem: he had the animals, but no easy way to get meat from the farm to the people who wanted it. That question led him to found Earth First, New Zealand’s first certified mobile abattoir of its kind. His big idea is simple: what if the meatworks came to the farm, instead of the animal going to the meatworks?
Logan joins us to talk about leaving a corporate job in Auckland, returning to the family farm and building a new way for farmers to process and sell their meat. His vision is for Kiwis to have easier, more affordable access to high-quality meat, while helping farmers keep more of the value rather than losing it along the supply chain.
Links
(https://www.earthfirst.org.nz)
www.earthfirst.org.nz/contact (https://www.earthfirst.org.nz/contact)
See omnystudio.com/listener (https://omnystudio.com/listener) for privacy information.
Who has been a guest on Federated Farmers Podcast
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
Sarah How
Dr Mary van Andel
Sarah Adams
Joe Morgan
Toby Williams
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Spotify
4.6 / 5
10 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 33 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
41
Social presence
0
YouTube
0
Engagement
60
Contact Federated Farmers Podcast
Guest appearances
Books guests
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