Lamb price plummets with no immediate relief in sight – Neal Wallace :
Prime lamb farmgate prices have fallen 50c/kg in the past three weeks, reaching a level where for the first time in 20 years average July prices are lower than those paid in June.
Lamb prices are being driven lower by bulging inventory in China, high export volumes from Australia and the fact that global consumers are not spending.
With no immediate improvement in sight, meat companies are reluctant to predict where new season schedules will open.
AgriHQ senior analyst Mel Croad warns those opening prices in November could be below $7/kg, equating to $40-$45/head lower than the previous two years. . .
Study flags higher mortality in rural New Zealand – Neal Wallace :
Rural New Zealanders are dying at higher rates than those in the main urban centres, new research out of the University of Otago has found.
The results are worse for those aged under 30 living in the most rural communities, where mortality rates are double those of the most urban centres at 599 urban deaths per 100,000, compared with 1085 in rural areas.
Researchers found higher rural mortality rates across all groups aged under 60.
Lead author Professor Garry Nixon from the University of Otago said the study, published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, contradicts existing data and is the strongest evidence yet that New Zealanders who live in rural areas have poorer health outcomes. . . .
Egg-cellent prospects for fledgling egg farmer – Shawn McAvinue :
The number of hens and custom-made coops continues to rise as an egg business expands on a dairy farm in Central Southland. Shawn McAvinue talks to Red Feather Eggs owner Naomi Hanning (18) about her new business and keeping her hens happy by moving their coops to follow the grazing rotation of the cows.
A fledgling egg farmer is set to grow her business assets to 750 hens and three mobile coops on a dairy farm in Central Southland.
To celebrate the start of a new season, DairyNZ held an event on the dairy farm of Maurice and Suzanne Hanning in Grove Bush, northeast of Invercargill.
The stock on the nearly 300ha family farm, Bristol Grove Dairies, includes 650 cows and 450 hens. . .
Biodiversity loses out due to new legislation :
Biodiversity will be the biggest loser if the Government’s new legislation announced last week is passed, claims rural lobby group Groundswell NZ.
“The more landowners do to look after biodiversity, the more they are penalized with rules, bureaucratic interference, and costs,” says Groundswell NZ’s environmental spokesperson Jamie McFadden.
“This ill-conceived legislation turns biodiversity into a liability and is a smack in the face for thousands of landowners that have been proactive in protecting and enhancing biodiversity on their land. It is a disincentive for anyone wanting to do the right thing for the environment.”
For the past 23 years McFadden has been at the forefront of the biodiversity effort in Canterbury with an eco-sourced, native plant nursery and environmental restoration business inspiring thousands of projects. . .
2023 vintage will support strong demand for New Zealand wine :
Strong export value and increasing international demand will help support further export growth over the next 12 months, despite a challenging season and a smaller harvest than last year, reports New Zealand Winegrowers.
The total value of the New Zealand wine industry exports (year to May 2023) was $2.4 billion, up 25% on 2022.
“Reaching another new record level of wine exports into some of the world’s largest and most competitive markets is an outstanding achievement for New Zealand wine exporters, and testifies to the increasingly strong global demand for our wines,” says Philip Gregan, CEO of New Zealand Winegrowers.
“New Zealand wine, particularly Sauvignon Blanc, is going from strength to strength in the USA, as consumers appreciate the distinctive flavours, commitment to quality, and know it is a unique product that they can trust.” . .
New Zealand’s apiculture industry names top honey producers and honours outstanding achievements :
New Zealand’s best honey producers have been named at the Apiculture New Zealand National Honey Competition as part of the industry’s annual conference in Rotorua last week.
The conference hosted 700 delegates from the apiculture industry at the Rotorua Energy Events Centre on 29 and 30 June. The National Honey Competition, held before the conference, featured products across a range of honey categories from creamed honey to chunky honey and cut honeycomb.
The 2023 Kiwi Labels Supreme Award winner was Timaru-based Jarved Allan from The Mānuka Collective, who took away the award for the third year in a row.
Head judge Maureen Conquer said that the quality of honey improved again this year with very few points separating the top three entrants. All entries were blind-tasted, and an international scale of points was used to determine the winners across 10 main categories. . .
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