Kite Consulting

Will and Ben are joined this week by Erik Elgersma - founder and director of Strategic Analysis Services BV – a Dutch-based globally active consulting firm in strategy, market and competitive intelligence and training. Also with us is Kite Director John Allen, and Senior Consultant Becki Reay. As the new Labour government settles in here in the UK we thought we’d take a look at the political landscape elsewhere today, especially in Europe. We discuss the political changes happening across Europe and what this means for farmers. Erik gives us an update on the political situation in the Netherlands and a summary of the carbon tax policy and how this might affect Danish farmers. Chris Walkland gives his usual Milk Market report for this week.Please note: The information provided during this podcast has been prepared for general informational purposes only and does not constitute advice. The information must not be relied upon for any purpose and no representation or warranty is given as to its accuracy, completeness or otherwise. Any reference to other organisations, businesses or products during the podcast are not endorsements or recommendations of Dairy Consulting Ltd or its affiliated companies. The views of the presenter are personal and may not be the views of Dairy Consulting Ltd. The contents of this podcast are the copyright of Dairy Consulting Ltd.

Following Chris' report this week, Will and Ben are joined by Lancashire dairy farmer Ed Towers and Kite consultant Tillie Williams to discuss the importance of investing in people. Ed and Tillie address the challenges associated with labour in agriculture, noting that labour costs are the second-largest expense on a farm. They explore how investing in employee development and training can positively impact the business, even if the benefits are not directly financial, by improving the business retention and positively influencing recruitment efforts. Tillie also discusses how changes in government and the likely resultant policies may affect employment and recruitment efforts.Please note: The information provided during this podcast has been prepared for general informational purposes only and does not constitute advice. The information must not be relied upon for any purpose and no representation or warranty is given as to its accuracy, completeness or otherwise. Any reference to other organisations, businesses or products during the podcast are not endorsements or recommendations of Dairy Consulting Ltd or its affiliated companies. The views of the presenter are personal and may not be the views of Dairy Consulting Ltd. The contents of this podcast are the copyright of Dairy Consulting Ltd.

A very special episode and a Kite podcast first as we record with a live audience from Down to Earth at Grosvenor Farms. Starting with the usual report from Chris Walkland, Will, Ben and Becki are joined by Mark Roach, Managing Director and Charlie Steer, Arable Manager for Grosvenor Farms, Helen Dent, Senior Sustainability Consultant with Kite and Amy Jackson, Director Oxtale Specialist Communications to discuss regenerative dairy farming. Helen outlines what we mean when talking about regenerative agriculture, looking at the SAI’s regen ag framework and what regen might look like for different systems. Mark and Charlie discuss the important role large, housed herds play in sustainable circular farming, what this means in the context of regen and how the principles have been integrated at Grosvenor. Focusing on questions from the audience, Amy emphasises that every farm can do something towards regen and the importance of authentically communicating these positive changes and messages to the consumer via the supply chain, with simplified proactive messaging.Please note: The information provided during this podcast has been prepared for general informational purposes only and does not constitute advice. The information must not be relied upon for any purpose and no representation or warranty is given as to its accuracy, completeness or otherwise. Any reference to other organisations, businesses or products during the podcast are not endorsements or recommendations of Dairy Consulting Ltd or its affiliated companies. The views of the presenter are personal and may not be the views of Dairy Consulting Ltd. The contents of this podcast are the copyright of Dairy Consulting Ltd.

After Chris’ report, this week Will and Ben are joined by an impressive line-up with Dr Anna Watkins MBE, double Olympic medallist and two times World Champion in the women’s double scull, Wendy Martinson OBE, Technical Lead and Performance Rehabilitation Nutritionist at the UK Sports Institute as well as Dr Judith Bryans, CEO at Dairy UK to discuss the import role dairy nutrition plays with athletes. Anna describes her journey into elite rowing and the role that dairy plays as part of her diet when training for events like the Olympics. Wendy introduces her role as a nutritionist to these elite athletes and why the composition of dairy products like milk, specifically play such an important role in their diet, including its ease of access wherever they are in the world and the importance of protein rich foods, especially for post workout recovery. Judith explains how Dairy UK are working with people like Anna & Wendy to educate teachers & other influential professionals about diary nutrition & running consumer campaigns via social media.Please note: The information provided during this podcast has been prepared for general informational purposes only and does not constitute advice. The information must not be relied upon for any purpose and no representation or warranty is given as to its accuracy, completeness or otherwise. Any reference to other organisations, businesses or products during the podcast are not endorsements or recommendations of Dairy Consulting Ltd or its affiliated companies. The views of the presenter are personal and may not be the views of Dairy Consulting Ltd. The contents of this podcast are the copyright of Dairy Consulting Ltd.

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Please note: The information provided during this podcast has been prepared for general informational purposes only and does not constitute advice. The information must not be relied upon for any purpose and no representation or warranty is given as to its accuracy, completeness or otherwise. Any reference to other organisations, businesses or products during the podcast are not endorsements or recommendations of Dairy Consulting Ltd or its affiliated companies. The views of the presenter are personal and may not be the views of Dairy Consulting Ltd. The contents of this podcast are the copyright of Dairy Consulting Ltd.

After Chris’ report this week, Will and Ben are joined by Paul Macer, Principal Consultant at Kite and Chris Davidson, Head of Procurement at AB Agri, to discuss milk flows, feed markets & the current forage positions across the country. Milk this spring was slightly lower than usual/predicted, so Paul discusses how outlook is looking now and into the autumn. With all first cuts now in the clamp & second cut completed or underway, Paul outlines what the quality and quantity is looking like and how the cash flow situation has impacted inputs, plus how farmers can look ahead to try and mitigate some for these extreme weather situations in the future in terms of feed and forage stocks. Chris gives us an overview of broader feed markets and along with the weather, what has been driving changes including the ongoing impact of the Russia/Ukraine war on exports of feed and touches on the incoming EU regs on soya with what impact this may have on UK farmers.Please note: The information provided during this podcast has been prepared for general informational purposes only and does not constitute advice. The information must not be relied upon for any purpose and no representation or warranty is given as to its accuracy, completeness or otherwise. Any reference to other organisations, businesses or products during the podcast are not endorsements or recommendations of Dairy Consulting Ltd or its affiliated companies. The views of the presenter are personal and may not be the views of Dairy Consulting Ltd. The contents of this podcast are the copyright of Dairy Consulting Ltd.

There was lots for hosts Will Evans and Ben Eagle to discuss with the guests on this week’s podcast. Firstly, along with the usual milk market update, Chris Walkland and John Allen discussed the very positive news regarding Muller’s acquisition of Yew Tree Dairy and the wider commitment to the sector being shown by UK based processors and how this is supports a positive outlook for UK farmers. Chris & John also joined NZ AgFirst CEO; James Allen and Kite’s Edward Lott in reviewing the past NZ dairy season and discussing Fonterra’s opening forecast price for the season ahead, including the comparative Cost of Production and how this could impact on farmer confidence, sentiment and investment. James looks ahead to the changing structure of NZ dairy including political, environmental and export market influences and they discuss how this compares to the UK.Please note: The information provided during this podcast has been prepared for general informational purposes only and does not constitute advice. The information must not be relied upon for any purpose and no representation or warranty is given as to its accuracy, completeness or otherwise. Any reference to other organisations, businesses or products during the podcast are not endorsements or recommendations of Dairy Consulting Ltd or its affiliated companies. The views of the presenter are personal and may not be the views of Dairy Consulting Ltd. The contents of this podcast are the copyright of Dairy Consulting Ltd.

Other than the sad news about Mona Dairy, the remainder of Chris' milk market report is fairly positive this week. Will and Ben are then joined by Łukasz Wyrzykowski, Managing Director at IFCN and Judith Bryans, Chief Executive at Dairy UK to discuss World Milk Day & dairy across the world. Judith gives an update on Dairy UK and the situation with the potential changes to food labelling and how this may affect the industry. She outlines why World Milk Day is such a significant event in the dairy calendar and introduces the theme for this year, emphasising the importance of education and promotion of dairy as a sustainable and healthy form of nutrition. Lukasz outlines the crucial role of dairy nutrition in diets across the world, the different perceptions of dairy in terms of affordability and accessibility and difference in consumer trends, as well as what this means for farmers. They discuss the priorities of global dairy going forwards, where the sector should focus it’s messaging and the need to carefully plan policies so that ambitions for world dairy can be achieved. Please note: The information provided during this podcast has been prepared for general informational purposes only and does not constitute advice. The information must not be relied upon for any purpose and no representation or warranty is given as to its accuracy, completeness or otherwise. Any reference to other organisations, businesses or products during the podcast are not endorsements or recommendations of Dairy Consulting Ltd or its affiliated companies. The views of the presenter are personal and may not be the views of Dairy Consulting Ltd. The contents of this podcast are the copyright of Dairy Consulting Ltd.

On this weeks Podcast we’re joined by the Managing Director of Arla Foods UK, Bas Padberg, Kite Director John Allen, and Senior Consultant Becki Reay who will be discussing Arla and the more than £300 million worth of new UK investments that they’ve announced so far this year. In addition to previously announced plans for its Taw Valley site, Arla have announced that they will be updating and expanding their dairies and creameries at Lockerbie, Stourton, Aylesbury and Westbury. They go on to talk about what this means for the industry and for the future. Chris Walkland gives his usual Milk Market report for this week. Please note: The information provided during this podcast has been prepared for general informational purposes only and does not constitute advice. The information must not be relied upon for any purpose and no representation or warranty is given as to its accuracy, completeness or otherwise. Any reference to other organisations, businesses or products during the podcast are not endorsements or recommendations of Dairy Consulting Ltd or its affiliated companies. The views of the presenter are personal and may not be the views of Dairy Consulting Ltd. The contents of this podcast are the copyright of Dairy Consulting Ltd.