West Otago Farmer Luke Kane Wins Rabobank 2026 Prize
West Otago dairy farmer Luke Kane has been awarded the 2026 Rabobank Dr John Morris Business Development Prize.
The new podcast, RaboTalk – Growing our future, will feature informed opinions and healthy discussion on the future of farming and how primary producers can adapt farm strategies and systems to ensure they thrive in a fast-changing world.
Hosted by Rabobank’s head of sustainable business development, Blake Holgate, the podcast will include interviews with a range of industry experts from New Zealand and around the world, with topics including long-term strategic planning, agritech, supply and value chains, and access to capital.
The first episode of the new podcast series was released this month and is now accessible via the Rabobank website and all major podcast apps.
Holgate says the new podcast has been established with the aim of equipping New Zealand’s farmers and growers with the knowledge to develop and maintain resilient farming systems.
“There’s a lot happening across New Zealand’s agricultural sector at the moment, and a key goal of the new podcast is to help listeners understand the changing landscape of the industry,” he says.
“As a global food and agribusiness banking specialist with a strong focus on market research, Rabobank is able to draw on insights gathered from the local food and agribusiness sector and from other key agribusiness markets around the world.
“And the intention with the podcast is to condense these insights down into digestible chunks for farmers and, in so doing, support them to make informed decisions about the future of their farming operations.”
The inaugural podcast episode features a conversation with Rabobank’s head of global rural and F&A Lara Yocarini.
As part of her role, Yocarini leads Rabobank’s Global rural team which is focused on connecting and growing Rabobank’s rural businesses in New Zealand, Australia, Brazil, Chile, Peru, Argentina and the US.
“In the episode, we discuss how sustainability is influencing capital markets around the world, how banks are responding, and ultimately how this will flow through to impact New Zealand’s farmers and growers over coming years,” says Holgate.
Other topics featured in episodes scheduled for release throughout December and January include the role of onfarm planning, the impact of changing climatic conditions on future farming systems, and how sustainability is influencing food supply chains.
“We’re really excited about the new podcast series as we see it as another way we can help our clients, and the wider farming community, to achieve their business goals,” he says.
