Podcasts Other The Mike Hosking Breakfast Justine and Geoff Ross: Lake Hawea Station Owners on their new book "Meet You At The Main Divide"

Justine and Geoff Ross: Lake Hawea Station Owners on their new book "Meet You At The Main Divide"

Published: Oct. 16, 2023, 9:39 p.m.

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The founders of 42 Below Vodka, Justine and Geoff Ross are a controversial pair within the farming world.\\xa0

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In 2017, the pair sold their company and bought a farm, aiming to change the model and confront the climate crisis, establishing Australasia\\u2019s only climate positive farm.\\xa0

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Geoff told Newstalk ZB\\u2019s Mike Hosking that despite the controversy, most of what they saw and felt was positive.\\xa0

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\\u201cWe got huge numbers of messages of support from pretty much every agricultural company in the country,\\u201d he said.\\xa0

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\\u201cA huge number of farmers wanting to visit and exchange knowledge.\\u201d \\xa0

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Their South Island farm is 6,500 hectares, holding 10,000 merino sheep and 280 angus beef cattle.\\xa0

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\\u201cWe were na\\xefve,\\u201d Justine told Hosking with a laugh.\\xa0

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\\u201cAlthough we come from farming backgrounds, we\\u2019d never, we don\\u2019t know anything about sheep and beef farming.\\u201d\\xa0

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The pair fell in love with the property, realising that it provided the opportunity for them to pursue their goal in farming in a climate positive way.\\xa0

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\\u201cWe emit two-and-a-half thousand tons of greenhouse equivalent and we sequester, we remove five-and-a-half thousand tons.\\u201d \\xa0

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Justine and Geoff detail their experiences in their new book \\u201cMeet You At The Main Divide.\\u201d\\xa0

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\\u201cIf you read the book,\\u201d Justine told Hosking. \\u201cYou will see that there was a bumpy road.\\u201d\\xa0

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\\u201cIt hasn\\u2019t been easy.\\u201d\\xa0

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