Bringing you the most inspiring stories from gate to plate

I was fortunate enough to grow up on a farm in New Zealand and I honestly believe that agriculture becomes ingrained into your bones. I have spent the last 10 years working, studying and loving every second of being involved in agriculture, and I plan to spend the next 50 doing exactly the same.

While I was at high school I spent a lot of time milking cows (honestly the best pocket money for a 15 year old!). I headed off to university in 2014 with the dream of becoming a vet, but after spending time with a local agronomist I discovered my passion for the arable and small seed industry. In 2016, I graduated with a Bachelor of Agricultural Science from Massey University, where I met some of the many talented people we will hear stories from on Bread & Butter. From there, I spent a year in vegetable seed research before switching things up and spending three years on the road as an arable agronomist.

In January 2021, I made the move of a lifetime. The company I work for had a sales opening in Australia so I packed my life into three suitcases and headed out to the middle of New South Wales. With no intention of buying a return ticket home, I took on a role of Territory Manager for the Central South West NSW area. Culture shock? Yes! Any regrets? Absolutely none. It has been the most incredible experience and I would love to help others get involved in an industry where you can literally travel the world and do what you love at the same time.

The release of Bread & Butter is a long awaited dream come true for me. I've always thought about how I could contribute to helping bridge the urban/ rural divide, especially in New Zealand. I intend to invest my passion and imagination into every episode that I produce, in hopes that it will bring not only some inspiration to your day but also a good old laugh! I think agriculture screams opportunity and I often struggle to understand why everyone else in the world doesn't think the same (I mean who doesn't like to eat food!). Those who know me closely know that I am incredibly passionate about what I do, and I have an amazing ability to talk to pretty much anything that can walk. So I thought why not combine the two, and start to celebrate ordinary people doing extraordinary things in the agricultural space.

I hope you enjoy listening to our stories as much as I have producing them. There are some truely incredible people out there and I am forever grateful that I get to help celebrate their stories.

Whether you are in the tractor, on your way to work, sitting on the deck enjoying a cold one or out for a walk, thank you so much for listening.

Mel x