BusinessHealth & FitnessNutrition

The Milk Business

Jack Kennedy

A dairy specific agribusiness podcast discussing the global dairy business highlighting dairy consumer trends, milk supply and demand, and new product development.

Play

Open in

23 episodes
weekly
Avg 37 min
English

Episodes 23

Newest Oldest Longest

All20 Unplayed20 In progress0 Played0

Counted on this page — what you have heard stays on this device, so it is not something the list can be paged by.

#26
Friday · 34 min
Will higher farmgate milk prices lift supply in Europe?
This week Jack Kennedy talks to milk suppliers from all over Europe about how they are going to react to rising farm gate milk prices and what milk supply is doing in each country as it counts the cost of the long dry summer. We also hear from Australia, and New Zealand as they reach the end of calving and milk supply starts to crank up.
#25
August 28 · 32 min
New Zealand dairy land sales rise 30% as 10 dollar payout looms for 2026
This week Jack Kennedy talks to economist Matt Dilly from ANZ bank in New Zealand about the 30% rise in dairy land sales in New Zealand, and how the El Nino might impact on New Zealand dairy farming. We hear about drone spraying and spreading in Australia, we hear about 'Shamonda like' virus in the Netherlands and maize yields only half of what was expected in Southern England.
#24
August 21 · 36 min
Tracking milk market sentiment as GDT rises
Sentiment on dairy markets is improving – this week we wrap up some of the key drivers of milk market sentiment in the key milk producing parts of the world that impact on global dairy trade which in turn impact farm gate milk price into the future. We also hear from our contributors in New Zealand, Denmark, Germany, France, England, Scotland and Ireland about what's happening or in the news in each country.
#23
August 14 · 53 min
CEO Interview; Jason Hawkins, Carbery on the future of milk in West Cork, Ireland
The dairy protein industry is riding the crest of a wave – whey protein isolate and concentrate prices are orbiting where nobody ever expected – demand is off the charts. One of the very first companies globally to invest in membrane technology to essentially create these whey protein products was Carbery – a relatively small but niche Irish based company working out of South West Cork. Its not only milk protein that makes money for Carbery – taste and flavours have been good for business also. This week Jack Kennedy sits down with Jason Hawkins, CEO at Carbery. Previously Jason worked with Kerry and indeed Dairy Farmers of America so he is well known across the world. Carbery today is different to what it was even five years ago – they’ve grown the milk pool and invested into 'Synergy' - Carbery's taste and flavour business - so what next for Carbery? We also hear from milk suppliers around the world on what's happening and why or how it is impacting milk supply.
#22
August 7 · 14 min
August review of the Milk Business podcast content
This week we take an August bank holiday recap and review of the last 20 episodes of the Milk Business podcast. We pull out the best bits - ask what has happened in that space since we published the particular podcast, and look forward to the next couple of months in the Milk Business.
#21
July 31 · 36 min
US driving transformation of global dairy landscape - how and why?
Five ways the US are hammering the rest of the world on milk and why is American dairy different now to what it was before? After considerable feed back on our two most recent US speakers – Mary Ledman and Darragh Maccabee I was contacted by a number of listeners asking why is the US scoring big on milk compared to the EU, and I got a good few ‘why does it matter’ type of questions. This week in 5 key points I want to summarise why I think the US is on a completely different track to EU milk and why America dairy now is different to what it was before. The global dairy landscape is undergoing a fundamental transformation that could reshape trade flows for the next decade.
#20
July 24 · 49 min
Making high protein ice cream in Idaho
Idaho Milk Products have been in the milk protein game for nearly 20 years. Now they’ve just joined the ice cream game. Is it a pivot, is it more of the same? As wildfires sweep Europe Jack Kennedy talks to Idaho Milk Products CEO Daragh Mccabee as they have just invested over $200m US dollars in a new state of the art ice cream plant officially opened in May of this year. For almost 20 years they have led in the milk protein game – why the move into ice cream now?
#19
July 17 · 37 min
Where now for the UK dairy industry as milk supply crashes in the heat?
The English football team are coming home from the world cup. Irish dairy company Dairygold are selling part of their UK dairy business. New Zealand giants Fonterra are looking to once again supply large volumes into the UK dairy market, and weight loss medication is going on sale in the UK this week in tablet form – it’s all change at the top of the English milk business. This week Jack Kennedy talks to Chris Walkland about football, warm weather, Fonterra, rising UK farmgate milk prices, UK milk supply crashing, and he has some advice for Irish co-op Dairygold selling their UK soft cheese business. We also hear updates from milk suppliers from New Zealand, Germany, the Netherlands, England, Scotland, and Ireland.
#18
July 10 · 40 min
Is the US dairy sector in top gear - is change on the way?
The US dairy Industry is riding the crest of a wave – the processing sector is investing like never before – the US government and political institution really wants farmers and the dairy industry to thrive. Consumers can’t get enough dairy protein. This week, podcast host Jack Kennedy, talks to Mary Ledman, former head of dairy at Rabobank and a global expert who has spent her career talking to and working with the global dairy industry. We also hear updates from around the world on what's happening on milk supply, feed availability, milk pricing and recent innovation.
#17
July 3 · 43 min
Hedging milk price - how dairy traders do it
Europe is well behind the US and New Zealand when it comes to milk price management tools for hedging milk price. This week host Jack Kennedy gets the insights of a trading expert John O'Driscoll who was globally trading dairy and other food commodities to hear his thoughts on risk management to make margins and returns more predictable and consistent. We also hear from milk suppliers around the world to keep a handle on what's happening supply.
#16
June 26 · 42 min
Milk Mergers heat up as Europe sizzles
With dairy companies announcing new mergers and acquisitions at renewed pace in 2026 this week podcast host Jack Kennedy talks to a global expert on why it's all happening and what dairy companies not in the M&A space need to consider. As Europe melts in extreme heat we are talk melting of a different sort this week as dairy companies around the world continue to merge, bolt-on, change, diversify, grow and develop. This week Dutch based expert Mark Voorbergen, an independent consultant working in the field of strategy, finance and mergers with global dairy companies joins us on the Milk Business Podcast to talk mergers, why now, and what next.
#15
June 19 · 43 min
Making milk work in New Zealand
With a new strategy in place for global dairy giant Fonterra, a template and a history in share farming and equity partnerships, and an industry that is treating livestock emissions differently to many other countries – the global dairy industry needs to hear more from New Zealand. This week the Milk Business podcast host Jack Kennedy talks to Nicola Shadbolt from New Zealand about some of the fundamental challenges to dairy farming and how the Kiwi's are managing these new changes. We also hear from milk suppliers from Denmark, the Netherlands, the UK, New Zealand and Australia.
#14
June 12 · 35 min
If airlines can protect margins why can't dairy farmers?
If the airline industry can ride the storms of higher energy prices why can’t the dairy industry? Europe is playing catch up to the rest of the world on milk price risk management. The US dairy industry is leading the way on options for protecting margins. This week Jack Kennedy talks to global expert broker John Lancaster from StoneX on his experience, recommendations and advice on what the next steps should be. We also hear from farmers around the world as they prepare for calving in New Zealand and making winter feed in Europe.
#13
June 5 · 45 min
CEO Interview: Jack Kennedy sits down with Pat Murphy, Kinisla CEO
Since 2021 Kerry Group plc have started to evolve their existing milk business into a stand alone business unit. In December 2024 Kerry shareholders and milk suppliers voted unamimously to take back the milk business into majority co-op ownership. This Kerry milk business that was previously called Kerry Dairy Ireland – now has been rebranded Kinisla. This podcast carries the full interview between Jack Kennedy and Kinisla CEO Pat Murphy.
#12
June 5 · 36 min
Changing times on 'The Kinisla Way'
After a recent period of turbulance it seems calm has been restored on what was 'the Kerry way', but now is 'the Kinisla way'. World renowned Kerry Group plc still own 30% of the Kinisla dairy business, however, milk suppliers are back in control of the Kinisla co-op now. This week Jack Kennedy sat down in Kinisla headquarters to meet with CEO Pat Murphy to talk changes, where for the future, and how Kinisla expect to better compete on a global stage. We also hear from milk suppliers in New Zealand, Australia, France, and the Netherlands.
#11
May 29 · 15 min
Bonus Episode - Arla, Fonterra and Kinisla make news in the Milk Business
This week there were some very interesting global dairy news stories so Jack Kennedy said he’d package them together to bring a flavour of some of the breaking news in the dairy game. Fonterra announced financial results and announced a forecast milk price for the rest of the 2025/2026 season, and also another forecast milk price for 2026/2027 season. The Arla merger with DMK and DOC was formally approved by the EU, over 12 months after it was first announced, and, the company formerly known as Kerry Dairy Ireland re-booted it's journey under a new name, Kinisla.
#10
May 29 · 42 min
Managing milk price - are the US and New Zealand 20 years ahead of the EU?
This week on the Milk Business Podcast Jack Kennedy talks to a global expert from Ireland on what’s happening globally in terms of trying to tie down what revenue, milk price or even margin milk suppliers are getting around the world. MTU expert Declan O Connor from Cork in Ireland has many years of experience lecturing the industry on the benefits of risk management to the dairy industry. We also hear from farmers in New Zealand, Australia, The Netherlands, France, England, Brazil and Ireland on what they are doing to manage risk.
#9
May 21 · 45 min
Where now for China and US trade?
This week given the significance to world trade of a meeting between the Presidents of US and China Jack Kennedy chats to Ian Lahiffe in Beijing about the 'meeting', milk production in China, Taiwan, Foot and Mouth, and Chinese whole milk powder imports. We also hear from dairy farmers around the world discuss key issues facing them as we head into the last week of May.
#8
May 18 · 35 min
Understanding how privately owned European milk companies operate
The majority of European milk is purchased by co-operatives (c.60%), however, a large chunk of milk produced in major European milk producing countries such as France, the UK and Germany is purchased by private companies. One of the key differences between private and co-operatives entities is that milk suppliers are not the owners of the business, and hence processing investment decisions, milk payment decisions and retained earnings for growth are in the hands of private owners not milk suppliers. Frischli, is a German private milk processing company and is one of the most modern and high performance dairies in Germany. For over 125 years, the owner-managed company has produced dairy products, which fulfil the highest standards for quality, sustainability and taste. Processing over 1 billion litres of milk annually it has business in retail, food service and export markets. With over 1,000 employees across four processing sites it processes milk from over 750 German farmers. This week I sat down with executives from Frischli to discuss how the business runs as it celebrates 125 years in business.
#7
May 11 · 28 min
The global milk supply glut - what happens next?
This week on the milk business podcast we report from the 2026 Dairy Industry Newsletter annual conference in London. A host of global experts gathered to discuss what they expect to happen to global milk supply as commodity dairy prices and milk prices to farmers mean some of the actual farmgate milk prices are some of the worst experienced for the last 20 years. We also hear from suppliers around the world as they describe the key issues impacting in their region.

Showing 1–20 of 23 episodes