Ugly will get uglier

06/07/2023

Pessimism about the business outlook and the country’s direction has been confirmed:

Labour’s failure to manage the economy is translating into to more debt and bigger deficits, says National finance spokesperson Nicola Willis.

“Treasury’s ‘Interim Financial Statements of the Government of New Zealand for the eleven months ended 31 May 2023’ released today shows that the Government has underestimated how badly the economy is tanking – and now the books have blown out.

“Government debt has soared by an additional $5 billion, and the books have been plunged even further into the red, with a deficit that is $2 billion larger than forecast.

“A weaker economy will only worsen the already significant challenges facing New Zealand.

“It’s more evidence that we need an urgent change of direction. The $2 billion shortfall in company tax revenue is an indictment on the Government’s economic management.

“Businesses are drowning under a tidal wave of new costs, worsening inflation, and these are weighing the economy down.

“Labour’s only plan to get through the cost-of-living crisis was more spending and higher taxes. Now the books are blowing out and Kiwis have nothing to show for it.

“It’s time for a fresh approach. National has a plan to fix the economy, so we can afford the frontline services Kiwis deserve and get New Zealand back on track.”

It’s not only the Crown accounts that are ugly, those of a lot of businesses are too, especially those of farmers.

The 3.3% drop in the GlobalDairyTrade price index will do nothing to boost the mood of farmers who are expecting a tough season.

Fonterra’s opening forecast for the current season is a range of $7.25 to $8.85. The midpoint of $8 will be only just at, or more likely below, breakeven for most farmers.

The schedule for sheep and lambs is falling. It isn’t expected to get better soon and the price of wool is well below the cost of shearing.

Arable farmers, foresters and horticulturalists are also looking towards poor returns.

The usual response to a gloomy outlook like this is to forgo luxuries and be very, very careful about what’s necessary. That will feed through to reduced income for all businesses that service and supply primary producers and that will in turn hit the wider economy.

The government is blaming the bad books on the global economy and cyclones.

The cyclones have cost a lot but the government’s own shortcomings have had a far worse impact than what’s happening in the rest of the world.

Overspending borrowed money and wasteful spending  that fuelled  inflation and forced interest rates up; unsustainable increases in the minimum wage; increased compliance . . .

All of these problems are the government’s responsibility.

It won’t acknowledge that and if past performance is indicative it will have neither the will nor the ability to solve them.

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Rural round-up

05/07/2023

Cream of NZ”s primary industries researchers and innovators honoured :

Teams and individuals whose talents and toil help New Zealand’s farmers, foresters and fishers thrive, and what they produce foot it in intensely competitive international marketplaces, were honoured at the 2023 Primary Industries New Zealand Awards tonight.

The awards evening is a highlight of the fifth annual PINZ Summit, with winners from 65 nominations across nine award categories announced at Tākina, Wellington’s new Convention and Exhibition Centre.

A mark of the fact that science and research so often underpins solutions to gnarly environmental, climate and production challenges is that AgResearch personnel took out three of the coveted trophies.

The Science & Research Award went to the AgResearch Endophyte Discovery Team for their world-leading development and commercialisation of strains of ryegrass with improved insect protection and plant persistence, coupled with fewer adverse effects on animal health. . . 

Hunting for Tai Rāwhiti – “I don’t see deer, I see a food bag” – Sally Round :

It’s the crack of dawn just after the roar and three hunters and their dogs are sidling along a ridge on the edge of a forest. 

Mist cloaks the valley below and in the distance is the sacred maunga, Hikurangi.

Lisa, Matt and 16-year-old Sam are stalking deer on Puketoro Station, one of Tairāwhiti’s landmark sheep and beef stations on the edge of the Raukumara Range.

They’re there not only for the thrill of the hunt but also to stock the region’s food banks which are under heavy demand in the cyclone-ravaged region. . . 

Mitigating methane – one artificial lab cow at a time – Monique Steele :

While the government scrambles to develop methane-mitigating tools for farmers, the private sector is drumming up its own solutions.

New Zealand researchers are working to develop methane inhibitors and vaccines for cows, sheep and deer to reduce agricultural emissions.

It comes as the government announced at Fieldays a joint industry investment of $17.7 million to go towards the construction of a new purpose-built greenhouse gas testing facility.

But American animal health multinational Alltech is already years into its New Zealand study of how a cow’s diet impacts its methane output – with its yeast culture feed products being tested on 60 artificial cows in an Auckland laboratory. . . 

Comparing (export) apples with apples – Dr Eric Crampton:

A little known law of demand in economics explains why countries export their best produce 

Once you see it, you see it everywhere.

Married couples who’ve left the kids at home with a sitter go out to nicer restaurants than childless couples who have the same income.

If you’re travelling abroad and looking across the wine aisle, there’s a lot less price difference between top-tier and mid-tier wine than you’d find here at home. You might be more inclined to pay the smaller bit extra. 

And the best New Zealand produce is often destined for export markets. . . 

A second Green Revolution is needed to feed the planet – Bjorn Lomborg :

With just $5.5bn invested annually, agricultural R&D can reduce hunger and increase per capita incomes, making it one of the best investments humanity can make

One of humanity’s biggest achievements in the last century was  a huge increase in food production. From 1900 to 2000, there was a six-fold increase in crop harvests, while the global population increased less than fourfold, meaning that on average, people today have about 50% more food available than their great, great grandparents.

Most of the increase in production came from farmers growing more food from each hectare of land. The extraordinary progress is due to the Green Revolution that turbocharged modern inputs for farming.

It has been estimated that Nobel peace prize-winning agronomist Norman Borlaug, who spearheaded the intensification of modern farming methods, saved more than 1-billion lives from hunger. As well as feeding people, the Green Revolution made societies far richer. And, as agriculture becomes more efficient, people are freed from back-breaking labour and are able to engage in a far broader range of productive activities.

The Green Revolution was an extraordinary achievement. However, the world needs a second Green Revolution to extend the benefits to the world’s poorest and reduce global hunger. . . 

Cheese export values stretch to new highs :

Cheese exports rose $763 million (35 percent) in the 12 months to May 2023, compared with the previous year reaching $3.0 billion, according to figures released by Stats NZ.

Over the same period, cheese quantities exported rose 6.9 percent, and the average price per kilogram rose 26 percent.

“Cheese has become an even more valuable export for New Zealand over the last year, reflecting the higher prices that are being experienced globally,” international trade manager Al Allen said.

Cheddar cheese made up 43 percent of total cheese exported or $1.3 billion and was the top category of cheese exported in the year to May 2023. Fresh cheese (mainly mozzarella and cream cheese) made up 18 percent ($528 million), and grated or powdered cheese made up 15 percent ($456 million) of the total. . . 

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Rural round-up

03/07/2023

Where are all the leaders – Jacqueline Rowarth :

New Zealand agricultural businesses, from farms through to levy bodies, co-operatives, banks and other rural professional groups, invest money in upskilling staff. Upskilling in nutrient management, finances or animal health might seem a more obvious investment than leadership – but leadership is needed for the future success of the country. And there are many people champing at the bit to assist. Picking the right course and the right person has become an art.

A Google search on “leadership lacking in NZ” produces more than 11 million hits in less than half a second. Add “agriculture” and the hits are more than three million in the same time frame.

Across the ditch, the search produces more than eight million hits for agriculture. Change NZ to Ireland and 3.7 million hits appear. . .

Overseas Investment Office approves sales of four farms for conversion to forestry –

Four farms covering more than 2,000 hectares have been sold to overseas investors for conversion to rotational forestry.

The sales were approved under the Overseas Investment Office Special Forestry Test.

A 632 hectare beef farm in Whangārei has been sold to Swiss company Kauri Forestry – it plans to convert 420 hectares of the farm into a commercial plantation forest.

The remaining land will be made up of approximately 152 hectares of native bush and scrub and 60 hectares of unplantable land, infrastructure and buffer land which will include riparian and boundary setbacks. . . 

End of season wool sales disappoint – Annette Scott :

Wool prices were all over the place at the end-of-season sales in both the North and the South Island.

Wool auctions were held in both islands on June 29 with a massive total of just under 24,000 bales offered across the two sales. 

Considering that most exporters have a June 30 end of financial year, along with the North and South Island wool scours being booked out until at least October, the market was always going to waiver with this volume of wool being offered on one day, DevoldNZ wool manager Craig Smith said. 

It seems like the wool brokers were desperate to get wool sold due to their year-end as well. . . 

Bay of Plenty Young Grower competition showcases the future of horticulture :

The Bay of Plenty region is set to witness the incredible talent and dedication of its young horticulturists as they gather for the highly anticipated Bay of Plenty Young Grower competition and Gala Dinner. Taking place on Wednesday, 12 July, the competition promises to showcase the depth of the careers within the horticultural industry and the competitor’s passion.

Now in its 16th year, the Bay of Plenty Young Grower has become a significant platform for emerging talent in the horticultural sector. Organised by New Zealand Kiwifruit Growers Inc (NZKGI), the competition aims to recognise and celebrate the skills, knowledge, and innovation demonstrated by young horticulturists in the region.

Participants from various horticultural sectors, including kiwifruit and avocados, will engage in a series of practical and theoretical activities designed to test their abilities across multiple areas.

The Bay of Plenty Young Grower competition not only provides a platform for friendly competition but also serves as an invaluable learning experience for the participants. They will have the opportunity to network with industry leaders, exchange ideas, and gain insights into the latest techniques and practices driving the horticulture sector forward. . . 

EU will regret making farmers scapegoats for climate change – Eoin Drea :

Wasn’t the war in Ukraine — and the soaring supermarket bills that followed — supposed to make food security a top priority for the European Union?

On a jaunt to the Global Food Security Summit in 2022, even European Council President Charles Michel noted that the need for stable food supplies was “the major global challenge today … and now is the time for all of us to translate our political commitments into concrete action.”

Alas, at the EU level, “concrete action” has turned into a euphemism for undermining the very agricultural sector that feeds its citizens. And thanks to the bloc’s determination to position Europe as the global hero of climate action, Brussels is well on its way to alienating and impoverishing a large part of rural Europe.

Setting increasingly ambitious environmental targets from the comfort of haute cuisine Brussels is one thing. But navigating the fraught local realities — which achieving such goals actually entails — is a totally different bag of frites. . . 

Many of Vermont’s dairy farms have shuttered and the forecast is for still fewer and much larger operations – Kirk Kardashian :

Five years or so ago, dairy farming stopped being fun for Robert Bassett.

He had taken pleasure for 30 years in managing his herd, working outdoors and being his own boss. He had chosen this life, dropping out of college, abandoning his plans to become an engineer, and returning to the 98 acres his grandfather and father had farmed since 1945. The Bassett Farm was a landscape of flat pastures, hillside forest, red barns and Jersey cows less than two miles from the Woodstock Village Green. He felt a deep connection to the land.

For three decades, Bassett rode the steep ups and downs in milk prices and found ways to manage rising costs. He held on when the family’s 240-year-old farmhouse burned to the ground.

But a persistent oversupply of milk in the U.S. depressed prices paid to farmers so much, for so long, that most dairies like his hadn’t seen positive balance sheets in years. Bassett, 55, was growing weary of toiling for such little return. His 100-cow farm was just too small to operate with the same efficiency as the emerging 1,000-cow dairies in Vermont, and he couldn’t afford to expand. . . 

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Rural round-up

22/05/2023

Rural counseling fund drops as demand peaks – Leah Tebbett:

A well-being programme designed to give farmers and rural people access to counselling sessions has been forced to pause due to insignificant funding – right when it’s needed most.

The RuralChange Fund (born out of the Will to Live Charitable Trust) is the brainchild of Canterbury woman Elle Perriam who was compelled to lead change after her partner, a young farmer, took his own life in 2017.

For five years Perriam has worked hard to create awareness and hold space for people to open up and learn about their own mental health.

However, with an 8-week waitlist to be assigned a counsellor in the public health system, Perriam decided to push all the money raised through the trust into a fund to connect people with help almost immediately. . .

NZIFF disappointed by lack of historical context in land use report :

The New Zealand Institute of Forestry (NZIF) expresses deep disappointment in the Ministerial Inquiry into Land Use causing woody debris (including forestry slash) and sediment-related damage in Tairāwhiti and Wairoa; especially in regards to the absence of historical context, the Crown’s accountability and the geology of the area.

NZIF President, James Treadwell said “the Ministerial Inquiry has failed to acknowledge the Crown’s significant role in promoting the planting of protection forests, subsequently marketing and selling them as harvesting rights to international buyers. Furthermore, the inquiry neglected to recognise the post-cyclone Bola subsidies and support mechanisms provided by the Crown for planting initiatives”

James Treadwell believes the Ministerial Inquiry’s report findings is recommending measures which will stop the very activities which are vital for the region’s recovery. . .

Beef + Lamb organised Road who to discuss farmers’ concerns:

Beef + Lamb New Zealand has arranged a series of talks around the country so farmers can provide feedback on any concerns raised at the group’s recent annual meeting.

Nine remits were tabled at the March meeting, two were in relation to He Waka Eke Noa – the industry partnership working with government to shape how farmers will pay for their on-farm emissions.

Nearly 49 percent of those who voted, voted in favour of leaving the partnership, 44 percent were against leaving, while nearly 7 percent abstained.

But only about 22 percent of Beef + Lamb’s farmers engaged in the remit process. . .

Politicians weigh-in on DoC’s $300m maintenance backlog – David Williams :

Worries about possible privatisation if parks shed visitor assets like huts and tracks.

A year ago, the then Conservation Minister Kiri Allan, speaking from the Tongariro northern circuit, celebrated 30 years of Great Walks.

“The outdoors and nature are a core part of our identity as New Zealanders and the origins of these walks are testament to this.”

The incredible popularity of the 10 walks was underlined last month when the booking website crashed after 10,000 people tried to book the Milford Track. . . .

Lewis Road Creamery export butter wins prestigious US award:

The Sofi Awards are presented by the not-for-profit Specialty Food Association (SFA), the leading membership trade association in the $175 billion specialty food industry.

Lewis Road Creamery’s 10 Star Grass Fed butter was blind-tasted alongside other premium and specialty butters to take gold in the dairy category, which covered all domestic and imported butters available in the United States.

The grass-fed, traditionally churned butter is made from cream exclusively off Lewis Road’s parent Southern Pastures’ own farms, which meets stringent and independently-audited 10 Star Certified Values that cover grass-fed, free-range, animal welfare, environmental sustainability and climate change mitigation criteria.

The 10 Star butter is exported and sold in high-end grocery stores including Whole Foods, Erewhon, Bristol Farms, and Central Markets across the USA where it is usually the most expensive butter. Lewis Road’s 10 Star Export butter is also available in Aotearoa New Zealand supermarkets, where it’s sold at a discount to domestic shoppers to reflect and promote its home provenance. . .

Holy guacamole where have all the avocados gone? :

It’s a favourite toast topper for Kiwis, but you may have noticed Avocados have become scarce from supermarket shelves of late. So, what’s the inside scoop behind the shortage and when we can expect to see them back to plentiful supply?

Foodstuffs North Island’s Produce Merchandise Manager Brigit Corson reveals there’s a few things at play.

“The main reason we’re seeing less Avocados on supermarket shelves is because the Avocado season has run short,” she says.

Primor’s Head of Domestic Avocado Sales Regan Booth, who supply most of the Avocados for Foodstuffs North Island’s PAK’nSAVE, New World and Four Square supermarkets adds that New Zealand is currently sitting between two seasons. . . 

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Rural round-up

13/05/2023

Government inaction costing Hawkes Bay horticulture more than $1m a day :

Failure by the Government to provide further direction in cyclone ravaged Hawke’s Bay is costing the local horticulture industry more than $1m a day.

‘Growers in the Hawke’s Bay are extremely frustrated by the lack of leadership from the Government,’ says HortNZ President, Barry O’Neil.

‘Hawkes Bay horticulture contributes more than $1.2 billion to the New Zealand economy and employs more than 6700 permanent workers. Growers are being forced to lay off people, which will have an immediate and significant flow on effect in the region, economically and socially.

‘This Government promised further direction in early April but here we are today, in early May, and we still don’t have the decisions needed on land use and infrastructure rebuild that our industry needs to move on and recover.’ . . 

Crunch time for farmers’ emission deadline – Gerald Piddock :

The government’s climate change legislation may have to be amended to give more time for a farmgate emissions pricing plan to get off the ground as it looks increasingly unlikely that it will be in place by 2025, a dairy industry leader says.

DairyNZ chair Jim van der Poel said there is a lot of pressure coming to meet that 2025 deadline – and if it’s not met, farming emissions are set to be folded into the ETS.

“There is legislation drafted at the moment that will have us in the ETS in 2025 and we have to get that changed,” he said.

That legislation – the Climate Change Response (Emissions Trading Reform) Amendment Bill – puts agriculture into the ETS at farm level for livestock emissions, and processor level for fertiliser emissions in 2025. . . 

Dive in log prices making harvesting uneconomic :

Logging exporters are being blamed for the current dive in log prices to a level where harvesting is uneconomic.

Between March and April log prices dropped 14 percent to $112 – $115 for an A-grade log.

Laurie Forestry managing director Allan Laurie said prices needed to be “north of $120” to be economic for harvesters.

Laurie said the situation, which had happened before, was incredibly frustrating because it was predictable and avoidable. . . 

Long serving rural nurse has three Budget wishes :

Auckland rural practice nurse and NZNO member Ros Gallagher is worried about the future of nursing in Aotearoa New Zealand but has made three wishes for Budget 2023 on 18 May.

Ms Gallagher has been a rural nurse for 29 years. She is concerned at the way nurses who work in Primary Health Care and in particular general practice continue to be treated.

Despite the best efforts of herself an others in the union, general and rural practice nurses have again been excluded from the Government’s payments to address Pay Parity and Gallagher said this has felt like another kick in the guts.

She feels angry, sad, disappointed, and personally very devalued, but says proper funding through the Budget would be a good start to appeasing nurses’ woes. . . 

Ballance and Fonterra join forces to streamline data sharing for farmers and growers :

Ballance Agri-Nutrients and Fonterra, two of New Zealand’s largest primary sector co-operatives are working together to streamline data sharing to make life easier for their joint customers.

Ballance, a farmer and grower owned co-operative has been supporting primary sector communities for over 70 years, contributing to New Zealand’s position as a leading global producer of premium sustainable food and fibre. Ballance actively works with its farmers to help them manage their nutrient usage and help them respond to new regulations.

“We are really pleased to announce that we have developed a solution that will help our customers who supply Fonterra save valuable time and effort,” says Jason Minkhorst, Ballance’s GM of Sales.

“We recognise that it can be frustrating to enter the same information into multiple systems for different reporting needs, which is why we have worked with Fonterra to create a solution that streamlines the sharing of data between our two Co-Operatives.” . . 

New hop varieties for New Zealand’s largest grower :

A new collaboration between Clayton Hops and Plant & Food Research will see new varieties of hops being grown in Aotearoa New Zealand, offering brewers worldwide exciting novel flavours.

Clayton Hops, New Zealand’s largest hop grower, have partnered with Plant & Food Research to evaluate a suite of advanced selections from the Plant & Food Research hop programme. These selections, chosen for their unique flavour and aroma characteristics, will offer Clayton Hops customers exclusive access to an enhanced portfolio of hop products designed with brewers in mind.

“Clayton Hops is excited to now be fully integrated right from new variety development through to processing, packaging and marketing,” says CEO Brian Clayton. “New Zealand hop varieties are known worldwide for their unique flavours and aromas and they are particularly valued by the growing craft brewing sector. This new partnership with Plant & Food Research is an opportunity to introduce unique varieties to the global market and ensure that New Zealand is regarded as truly innovative and competitive amongst the increasingly diverse and sophisticated global hop industry.”

Clayton Hops has four hop farms totalling 1,350 acres in the Tasman region at the top of New Zealand’s South Island. The family-owned company has fully integrated facilities, including modern harvesting systems and a new world-class processing, packing and storage facility which provides a platform for high volume and exceptional quality processing as well as exciting new, innovative product formats such as cryogenically made super-concentrated hop pellets which will be in production late this year. . . 

New Zealand persimmon season in great shape after a challenging start :

New Zealand’s short but sweet persimmon season is now underway with the 2023 crop of these vibrant orange, honey-flavoured fruit available in stores from May to July.

Persimmons are grown commercially across the top half of the North Island, so most of the country’s growers have felt the full force of both cyclones Hale and Gabrielle this season.

Ian Turk, Manager of the New Zealand Persimmon Industry Council says that the unprecedented weather will have an affect on the volume of fruit available this year.

“Fortunately, our orchards largely escaped structural or flood damage. However the wet and windy summer has presented a challenge to growers with our overall crop expected to be lower than normal and some shoppers may notice minor marks and blemishes from wind damage,” he says. . . 

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Rural round-up

05/05/2023

Westland Milk Products new investment blunts earlier criticism of Chinese takeover – Point of Order :

West Coasters will be celebrating the progress being made by one of its  biggest companies,Westland Milk Products, which has surged  back  into the black after  record sales. Now it is to invest $70m to expand its manufacturing of dairy protein lactoferrin.

Westland, which was  taken over by the Chinese giant  Yili, the world’s fifth biggest dairy company, in 2019 when it  was struggling to stay afloat plans to treble production of the protein at its Hokitika factory. In the process it will become one of the top producers in the world.

The investment is the second major outlay for Westland since Yili, rescued the business

Westland CEO Richard Wyeth said the new plant and expansion fitted its plan to concentrate on high-value consumer goods and specialised ingredients from its milk supply. . .

The Waka is sinking – Andy Loader:

I am sure most people would have heard the old saying regards “Nero fiddling while Rome Burnt”. Well this is in my opinion a classic case of the minister fiddling while the Coromandel Peninsula is rapidly dying. I believe his Waka (NZ Transport Agency – Waka Kotahi) is sinking.

The minister has announced that the Government will do all it can to re-open the road, yet Waka Kotahi (a large part of the minister’s portfolio of responsibilities) is telling us it will more than likely be after next Christmas before the road is opened and that a temporary access through this area is not an option.

This is just not true!!

One of New Zealand’s largest earthmoving contractors, which has completed many contracts both nationally and internationally, approached Waka Kotahi soon after the slip occurred, with a credible, viable and detailed proposal to put in a temporary access round the slip area and at the same time they would form a working platform to allow remedial works on the slip area to begin from that platform. . . 

Your next salad could be made using CRSPR and that’s a good thing – Juergen Eckhardt :

If I asked you to name some of your favorite natural treats, there’s a good chance you’d mention coffee, chocolate, or fruit. Now flip the script: think of a healthy veggie that you know you should eat more of, but the strong flavor deters you. Dark leafy greens may come to mind.

I’ve got bad news and good news about this little thought experiment, and these two disparate scenarios aren’t as different as they initially seem, thanks to a technological innovation that could revolutionize agriculture.

But first, the bad news: Some of our most beloved crops are currently under existential threat. Coffee, cacao, banana, and citrus fall into this unfortunate category. Arabica coffee, for example, is a notoriously finicky crop that requires a certain amount of rainfall and mild temperatures to grow. But weather volatility is forcing some farmers along the “Bean Belt” in equatorial regions to abandon coffee growing altogether.

Cacao, the tropical tree that produces the raw material of chocolate, suffers from narrow genetic diversity and is susceptible to fungal disease, which wipes out 20% to 30% of cocoa pods before they can be harvested. . .

Government needs to recognise and support SC more as a major contributor to NZ economy :

A new report has highlighted the significant importance of South Canterbury agriculture to New Zealand and makes a clear argument for more Government investment in the region.

The report, The contribution of primary sector exports from Timaru and South Canterbury to New Zealand, was commissioned from regional economist Benje Patterson by Economic Development Agency, Venture Timaru.

It shows that food and fibre exports from South Canterbury totalled $3.9 billion and, despite the region only having 1.2% of New Zealand’s population, accounted for approximately 7.3% of New Zealand’s total food and fibre exports.

Venture Timaru Chief Executive Nigel Davenport said that the research confirmed this region was contributing significantly to New Zealand’s export economy and this needs to be substantially better recognised and supported by central government than is currently the case. . . 

Agnition on a mission :

Ravensdown today has confirmed the establishment of a new commercialisation entity – Agnition.

A subsidiary of Ravensdown, Agnition’s mission is to ignite the industry with the innovations that farmers and growers need. It will build, grow and invest in world-leading Ag-IP and innovations, like EcoPond and ClearTech, and turn them into valued products and solutions that can be practically used on-farm to combat climate change, and engender enhanced productivity.

Garry Diack, Ravensdown CEO, said Agnition is a structural response to Ravensdown’s strategy – Smarter farming for a better New Zealand.

“Ravensdown has an impressive track-record of recognising, researching, and bringing to fruition technologies and services that enhance our shareholders’ abilities to interconnect precision-based performance with long-term sustainability. . . 

Alps to Ocean 5-day cycle tour – Blog the Globe:

. . . Day  2 Tekapo to Twizel – 55 km 

There are two suggested starting points for the Alps to Ocean ride.

Route one, starts at Mt Cook/ Aoraki where you ride south for a short distance, then helicopter across Lake Pukaki and continue onto Tekapo. The alternative is to start the ride in Tekapo.

Adventure South NZ, our guiding company, preferred the alternative option. So, on a blue-bird day, we started our Alps to Ocean bike ride. 

We left Tekapo destined for Twizel. The ride couldn’t have been more scenic. We rode along the hydro-canals, passing salmon farms before dropping down to the shores of Lake Pukaki. Beyond the still, reflective waters of the lake, we looked up to Aoraki /Mt Cook as the sun glistened on the peaks of New Zealand’s celebrated, highest mountain. After crossing the Pukaki Dam, the trail took us to the Pukaki Flats, accross the dry grasslands, characteristic of the Mackenzie landscape. Then, it was onto Twizel for the night.  . . 

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How much more do you want to pay for food?

05/05/2023

Foodbanks are feeding 165% more people than they were in 2020.

A bi-annual survey1 of food support agencies across the country found the demand for food has drastically increased since the start of the pandemic, with the rising cost of living stated as the top driver.

The New Zealand Food Network (NZFN), Aotearoa’s largest food support and distribution organisation, surveyed 51 of its registered food hubs2 about the current state of food support, and found that since Covid hit, there has been a 165% increase in the number of people receiving food support. Over two thirds (69%) of the food hubs surveyed are feeding more people than they were in 2020.

The food hubs rated their own ability to meet the current level of demand at 3.4/5 meaning there’s significant room for improvement and many more mouths to feed.

The cost of living crisis was reported to be the number one reason for recipients seeking kai relief (88%), closely followed by low individual / household income (70%), and unemployment (65%). Other top reasons were disability or sickness / injury, senior citizens living on low fixed income, and Covid-19 isolation. NZFN’s previous survey reported both Covid-19 isolation and lost employment due to Covid-19 in the top reasons for recipients seeking relief; Concerns have turned from Covid-19 to navigating the rising cost of living. . .

There’s only so long that Covid can be blamed for problems.

The government is to blame for a lot of the cost of living crisis and it will get worse if it carries on with its plan to tax agricultural emissions:

A new report released by BusinessNZ shows rural communities like Southland, Waimate, Wairoa and South Taranaki will be “devastated” by agricultural emissions pricing.

This just underlines why the Government needs to think very carefully about the timing, structure, and impact of any move to price agricultural emissions, Federated Farmers Vice-President Wayne Langford says.

“The cost of living and looming economic downturn are front of mind for most New Zealanders at the moment – and that includes farmers, who are really struggling with huge cost increases.

“There’s a lot of pressure on people with increased costs, declining incomes, staffing shortages and the ongoing impacts of Cyclone Gabrielle,” Langford says.

The Government’s own consultation document responding to He Waka Eke Noa suggested emissions pricing could cut dairy farm incomes by 6-7% and sheep & beef farm incomes by 18-24%.

BusinessNZ has assessed what the impact of those losses would be on both upstream industries that are “critically dependent” on farming like fertiliser, vets, and agricultural support services, and downstream meat and dairy processing industries.

The analysis estimates 54,607 jobs in the key upstream and downstream industries nationally are vulnerable if agricultural emissions become subject to pricing.

That doesn’t include vulnerable on-farm employment in sheep, beef, and dairy farming, which together employ a further 44,500 people.

BusinessNZ says there will be flow-on effects to other parts of local economies as incomes and spending power are lost. Some communities will be devasted, and some are likely to become unviable through employment and population loss.

“Before we even look at putting a price on agricultural emissions there needs to be a review of the current methane reduction targets to take into account the warming impact of methane,” Langford says.

“Our current targets aren’t grounded in science and go further and faster than is required. That’s what adds all the cost and puts our rural communities at risk.

“We need to make sure we get the settings right to protect the viability of our rural communities and our economy. If we don’t, we will just end up exporting jobs and emissions instead of meat and milk, and the planet will be no better off for it.”

People who question the climate change dogma are told to follow the science but far too much policy which aims to counter it does not follow the science.

The Dublin Declaration, signed by hundreds of scientists from around the world, says livestock systems are too precious to become the victim of simplification, reductionism or zealotry:

Livestock-derived foods provide a variety of essential nutrients and other health-promoting compounds, many of which are lacking in diets globally, even among those populations with higher incomes. Well-resourced individuals may be able to achieve adequate diets while heavily restricting meat, dairy and eggs. However, this approach should not be recommended for general populations, particularly not those with elevated needs, such as young children and adolescents, pregnant and lactating women, women of reproductive age, older adults, and the chronically ill. The highest standards of bio-evolutionary, anthropological, physiological, and epidemiological evidence underscore that the regular consumption of meat, dairy and eggs, as part of a well-balanced diet is advantageous for human beings.

Livestock and the Environment

Farmed and herded animals are irreplaceable for maintaining a circular flow of materials in agriculture, by recycling in various ways the large amounts of inedible biomass that are generated as by-products during the production of foods for the human diet. Livestock are optimally positioned to convert these materials back into the natural cycle and simultaneously produce high-quality food. Ruminants in particular are also capable of valorising marginal lands that are not suitable for direct human food production. Furthermore, well-managed livestock systems applying agro-ecological principles can generate many other benefits, including carbon sequestration, improved soil health, biodiversity, watershed protection and the provision of important ecosystem services. While the livestock sector faces several important challenges regarding natural resources utilization and climate change that require action, one-size-fits-all agendas, such as drastic reductions of livestock numbers, could actually incur environmental problems on a large scale.

Livestock and Socio-Economics

For millennia, livestock farming has provided humankind with food, clothing, power, manure, employment and income as well as assets, collateral, insurance and social status. Livestock-derived foods are the most readily available source of high quality proteins and several essential nutrients for the global consumer. Livestock ownership is also the most frequent form of private ownership of assets in the world and forms the basis of rural community financial capital. In some communities, livestock is one of the few assets that women can own, and is an entry point towards gender equality. Advances in animal sciences and related technologies are currently improving livestock performance along all above mentioned dimensions of health, environment and socio-economics faster than at any time in history.

Outlook for Livestock*

Human civilization has been built on livestock from initiating the bronze-age more than 5000 years ago towards being the bedrock of food security for modern societies today. Livestock is the millennial-long-proven method to create healthy nutrition and secure livelihoods, a wisdom deeply embedded in cultural values everywhere. Sustainable livestock will also provide solutions for the additional challenge of today, to stay within the safe operating zone of planet Earth’s boundaries, the only Earth we have. . . 

It won’t only be rural communities at risk.

The significant loss of export income will put the whole economy at risk.

It will also push up the cost of food.

People surveyed might say they want food with a low carbon footprint but when it comes to buying food most are motivated by price then quality.

When so many are already struggling to afford nutritious diets it would be an act of gross stupidity, and political suicide, to do anything which makes it more expensive.

Before the government formulates its emissions policy for agriculture it should ask people how much more they’d be prepared to pay for food. Few if any would say more.

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Rural round-up

03/05/2023

 Is the ETS an environmental ponzi scheme? –  Anne Salmond :

Treasury needs to conduct a value chain analysis of forestry companies and our Emission Trading Scheme to ensure they meet international sustainability standards, writes Anne Salmond

Opinion: Colin Jacobs, general manager for forestry company Drylandcarbon, writes in the NZ Herald : “In terms of government policy, the refusal to listen to rural communities and prohibit so-called ‘permanent’ pine forests is another potential long-term mistake.”

He adds, “There is inadequate science to reliably inform us as to how ‘permanent’ pine forests will behave when the trees all reach the end of their lives at roughly the same time. The notion that they will gradually transition to native forest is more hope than fact. Not to mention the value of the timber is foregone.”

That is fair comment. For all these reasons, rewarding carbon farming with pine trees is a long-term mistake. Not only is there inadequate science to tell us what will happen when all the trees in a pine plantation age and die at once, there is no guarantee that they will last that long in conditions of climate change, as the risks of fire, disease, intense rainfall and wind throw increase – as we’ve seen during Cyclone Gabrielle. . .

Median wage ‘too high’ to ease worker shortage with migrant labour – DairyNZ :

Heading into the busy winter calving season, the dairy sector is still short of thousands of workers.

Covid-19 border closures over the last two years left the sector grappling with farmers unable to access labour from overseas.

Dairy NZ spokesperson Jane Muir said the situation has improved, but they remain concerned.

“We’re hearing more and more that people, when they’re advertising jobs they’re getting a greater number of responses, but we’re still short. . .

Hawke’s Bay needs more financial assistance or faces ruin – report :

Preliminary findings of a new report show following Cyclone Gabrielle, Hawke’s Bay will have ongoing economic losses that could total $3.5 billion over the next 10 years if no government support arrives immediately.

The report, carried out by Boston Consulting Group (BCG), was commissioned by Horticulture New Zealand and apple company Rockit.

The projected loss comes on top of the horticulture sector’s own findings putting a $1.5b price tag on crop losses and re-establishment costs just for 2023.

The BCG report has yet to be fully released, but Rockit chair John Loughlin said post-Cyclone Gabrielle, Hawke’s Bay’s horticulture sector is at a fork in the road: One path leads to future growth and greater prosperity for the local economy, the other to shrinkage. . . 

Meet the ‘Spud King’: His business is worth $1b but he’s still farming – ‘it’s better than sex’ – Kurt Bayer :

Allan Pye left school at 14, leased two acres of land, and started growing potatoes. Now, seven decades later, the ‘Spud King’ is still going, with the family business estimated to be worth $1 billion. So, what does he do with all his money? Kurt Bayer meets a quiet self-made millionaire with few interests outside of farming and turning a profit.

Allan Pye hunches at his dusty dining room table and gazes out the window. Beyond, the jagged majesty of the Southern Alps. An early autumn snow dump has already melted. The high Canterbury sky is clear, creasing the old farmer’s eyes, and looking out, across the creaky wooden deck, with its flaky paint and rusty nails, the land around the basic modern farmhouse runs straight into a sprawling carrot patch. This is home – basic, functional, pragmatic – and there is no place Pye, the multi-millionaire Spud King would rather be.

And he really could be anywhere. The shores of Lake Wakatipu, Dubai’s tree-shaped Palm Jumeirah, a Parisien apartment on Place des Vosges, Barbados, Lake Como, Sydney Harbour…

But those places hold little attraction for Pye. And neither do flash cars (he drives a bog standard Hyundai), superyachts, designer clothes, or high society cocktail parties. . . 

Lisa Kendall crowned Northern FMG Young Farmer of the Year :

Franklin Young Farmers member Lisa Kendall has once again been crowned the Northern FMG Young Farmer of the Year, earning her the seventh and final spot at the Season 55 Grand Final in July.

Kendall, 31, is a third-time Regional Final winner and will be heading to the Grand Final in Timaru in two months’ time. The mother of two says she was relieved to get the win on Saturday night and to have another shot at the Grand Final, after Covid-19 restrictions cancelled the 2020 event. This was her last chance before she ages out of the New Zealand Young Farmers organisation.

“The last couple of years have been a bit frustrating – with 2020 being cancelled, coming third place in 2021 and then coming second in 2022 – I just wanted one last chance at Grand Final!”

Kendall was announced as the winner of the Northern FMG Young Farmer of the Year in Kaikohe on Saturday evening, after spending the weekend competing in a range of challenges at the Kaikohe A&P Showgrounds. . .

Commission’s test result show potential of satellite broadband for rural New Zealand :

The Commerce Commission’s latest Measuring Broadband New Zealand report shows the potential of low Earth orbit satellite (LEO) broadband internet as an option for the 13% of Kiwis who are not able to access fibre.

This report is the first in the new phase of the programme, launched in November 2022, which aims to cover more providers and technologies and expand analysis into rural and remote areas that don’t have access to the fibre network (UFB).

Early test results for Starlink – the LEO provider with the largest customer base – show peak hour download speeds are above 120 megabits per second (Mbps). This compares with an average of 9 Mbps for copper-based ADSL, 25 Mbps for 4G wireless broadband and 33 Mbps for copper-based VDSL in rural areas.

Telecommunications Commissioner, Tristan Gilbertson, says these results confirm that satellite technology is a step-change in performance for consumers in areas that don’t have access to fibre-to-the-home or to their business. . . 

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Rural round-up

02/05/2023

Why freshwater report can be an ‘own goal’ for NZ –  Jacqueline Rowarth :

There is more to the Our Freshwater 2023 report than alarming headlines suggest, Dr Jacqueline Rowarth writes.

Each year the EU launches a bathing water report for the previous season with a press release.

In June 2022 the headline read Zero Pollution: Large number of Europe’s bathing waters meet highest quality standards.

The text reported that in 2021 almost 85 per cent of Europe’s bathing water sites met the European Union’s most stringent “excellent” water quality standards. , , 

Three years of meat, milk and meals from Meat the Need  :

Meat the Need has been feeding hungry Kiwis for three years now, providing millions of nutritious protein-based meals to families.

The charity began in early 2020 with the support of its founding partner, Silver Fern Farms. 

First piloted in Canterbury, Meat the Need accepted donations of livestock from farmers. The meat was processed and packaged by Silver Fern Farms and sent to food banks in the region. 

“From there, it took off. We had an overwhelming response from farmers in other regions who also wanted to donate livestock,” co-founder Wayne Langford said.  . . 

Prickly pine problem in iconic landscape – Jill Herron :

Getting the right tree in the right place is no mean feat in Central Otago and some believe those needing to plant pines should do it somewhere else

Nor’westers scatter pine seed across Central Otago’s rugged terrain and millions of dollars are spent removing the resulting wilding trees.

Pines are losing favour in other parts of the South Island too because of environmental concerns.

Yet huge demand for conifer seedlings is outstripping supply. . . 

Contest is really a talent quest – Matthew Herbert :

The 2019 FMG Young Farmer of the Year grand final was the most tech and innovation-driven contest to date.  The gruelling three-day event in Hawke’s Bay tested competitors’ fencing and machinery skills but also challenged their tech-savviness, critical business thinking and asked how they would market food and innovate for the future. 

The focus on technology and agri-business skills has some farmers asking what’s happened to slugging it out with more traditional farming tasks and why contestants spend so much time on technical modules in a farming competition.

For people asking these questions I think it’s important to think about why the contest still exists and what it’s trying to achieve in 2019 and beyond.

Young Farmers membership is becoming increasingly diverse with clubs no longer being just on-farm workers but also agronomists, genetics experts, rural bankers, agricultural contractors and many other professions that make farming possible. . . 

Stock trading: Why NZ farmers import and export animals – Tom Kitchin :

New Zealand’s agricultural sector has an image to uphold – internationally, our farmers and livestock have a top-class reputation.

“The advantage we have is we maintain a very good disease-free status in our livestock,” Lincoln University professor of animal breeding and genetics Jon Hickford tells The Detail.

“Our sheep and our cows don’t have diseases seen commonly elsewhere in the world. That places a premium on our livestock.”

He says the basis of the livestock trade these days is genetics – to improve breeding, both within New Zealand and offshore. . . 

https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU2304/S00318/70m-west-coast-investment-to-secure-westland-as-global-dairy-leader.htm

$70m West Coast investment to secure Westland as global dairy leader :

A major investment by West Coast dairy company Westland Milk Products will secure the company as one of the world’s leading producers of highly prized bioactive ingredients.

The $NZ70 million investment to construct a new lactoferrin plant at Westland’s Hokitika facility was announced today by Westland’s resident director, Zhiqiang Li, and company CEO Richard Wyeth.

The investment, supported by Westland’s parent company, the Yili Group, the fifth largest dairy company in the world, will more than treble production capacity of the multifunctional protein at Hokitika.

The plant upgrade follows a $40m investment which doubled consumer butter production at Hokitika, increasing global sales of the prize-winning product upon . . .

 

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Rural round-up

01/05/2023

Reports champion animal protein in diet – Neal Wallace :

New international studies have reiterated the vital role of animal protein in human diets, the environment and society.

A series of nine research papers under the title The Societal Role of Meat – What the Science Says authored by international scientists and published in Animal Frontiers argues that in addition to the nutritional and environmental benefits, animal agriculture is also key to the challenges around climate change and global food security.

“Our papers … are much more than just important pieces of scientific works to be discussed among industry advocates,” said Dr Rod Polkinghorne, a leading innovator in the Australian red meat industry.

“We want this major new analysis to inform public policy and education around meat production and consumption globally.” . . 

Federated Farmers call out misinformation and scaremongering from Greenpeace :

Greenpeace is spreading harmful misinformation that there is a link between nitrates in water and colorectal cancer, Federated Farmers Vice President Wayne Langford says.

“This is a new low for Greenpeace, who are using misinformation about a human health issue to prey on people’s fear of cancer and to push an anti-farming agenda.

“Farmers and others in rural communities are drinking this water, so if there is a link then we want to know about it. But we will be taking our advice from health professionals, not environmental activists,” Langford said.

Greenpeace aren’t remotely qualified to be making those claims, and what they are saying is wildly at odds with what credible health professionals and organisations are saying on the issue. . . 

High supermarket prices driving demand for homekill meat – Leah Tebbutt :

Demand for homekill meat across the country is increasing, with businesses putting it down to the rising cost of food.

However, rules around homekill are pushing people to look at hobby farming, or at least owning one animal, to keep their costs down.

Waikato homekill service Wally Smith reported its business was up 30 percent compared to this time last year.

Wally Smith’s Barbara Lankow believes the cost of meat at supermarkets has forced customers to look for alternative options, despite having to up their own prices due to inflation. . . 

Will National make farming great again ? _ Rural News:

The National Party’s election pitch to farmers will likely bring much joy to a primary sector that feels drained by over-regulation, labour shortages, rising interest rates, inflation, and the terrible woes of a series of climatic disasters.

National’s agricultural policy ‘Getting Back to Farming’ announced last week is heavily targeted against the Wellington bureaucracy and their political masters.

“Get Wellington out of farming” is a phrase that will resonate with the whole of the primary sector who have been stunned by the expansion of government departments, such as the Ministry for the Environment.

The primary sector has long been critical of some dumb decisions and policies from Wellington which have been proved to be impractical to implement down on the farm. . . 

Arable excellence showcase expanded with three new awards :

New Zealand’s arable industry is once again gearing up to acknowledge and celebrate the innovators and leaders who drive progress in the sector.

“There’s a danger that with all the focus on costs and challenges our growers are grappling with, we lose sight of our significant success stories and all the hard mahi that underpins a sector that returns more than $1 billion in farm gate sales,” Federated Farmers arable chair Colin Hurst says.

“The NZ Arable Awards on August 10 at Wigram Air Force Museum in Christchurch is time for some celebration and fun. We’re calling for nominations of deserving people and organisations now.”

New Zealand’s arable sector is notching signification production gains, with 2.3 million tonnes of product sold in 2021 (a 31 percent increase since 2018), and within that seed production of 81,000 tonnes (a 41% increase since 2018). . . 

NZ deer velvet exporters promote new uses to buyers in China :

New Zealand deer velvet exporters are shifting their selling focus in China from traditional medicine buyers to retail food service outlets and health food companies.

Deer Industry New Zealand said when season started last October, health food companies were paying good prices and there was an expectation returns for 2022/2023 would be strong.

Those hopes were dashed once the health food buyers had enough supply, and more price-sensitive traditional medicine buyers were the only remaining players.

Marketing manager Rhys Griffths said total returns would be closer to $110 million, which was lower than the previous season’s $123m. . . 

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Rural round-up

26/04/2023

Farmy Army lightening spirits – and farmer workload – Simon Edwards :

“When we get people walking up the drive, legitimately offering their time and labour to help clean up the massive damage and mess that the cyclone left behind, it brings with it such a huge boost to our morale – that someone cares.  It lifts our spirits so much.”

They’re the words of Rob Wilson, who with his wife Hine owns an orchard and farm near Napier flooded out during Cyclone Gabrielle in February.  They’re over the moon with help they’ve received from Farmy Army and other volunteers.

One group that pitched in was in the Hawke’s Bay for a reunion.  Karen Smith lives in a city now but grew up on a dairy farm.  She says when she saw the images of farms coated in silt and fences wiped out “my heart just went out to them”.

Karen and seven other former flatmates and friends from Wellington now scattered around Whangarei, Hamilton, Auckland and the Capital had a weekend of socialising in the Hawke’s Bay all mapped out.  Karen’s suggestion they build in a couple of hours’ work on a damaged farm was taken up, and Federated Farmers co-ordinator Catherine Van der Meulan in conjunction with Kerry Goldsmith, a local community member who has submitted a request for support for her farm (and co ordinating work for 40 plus other farms), put them in touch with the Wilsons. . . 

Taxpayers should be hopping mad at $153,000 kill cost per wallaby in Otago :

The New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union can reveal that taxpayers and Otago Regional Council ratepayers have forked out $2.76 million and more than 26,000 hours of work for a wallaby control programme that killed just 18 wallabies.

The Otago component of the National Wallaby Eradication Programme administered by Biosecurity New Zealand cost an average of $153,422.72 per wallaby “destroyed” (terminology used by officials) and averaged 1,459 hours of human labour per kill. $341,894 was spent on aerial shooting, $34,089 on ground shooting, $71,028 on ground toxin and a staggering $2.3 million on surveillance.

By comparison, in Canterbury the cost per wallaby destroyed was $763.57 and just under 5 hours of human labour.

Taxpayers’ Union Executive Director, Jordan Williams, says: “This is a shocking waste of taxpayer money. It would have been cheaper to charter a private jet for each of these wallabies to send them back to Australia. . . 

Looking beyond Aussie and China for trade wins – Jo Moir :

The citizenship announcement in the late hours of Friday night left some New Zealand officials with the impression the Australian government was trying to quietly bury it. Now it has finally been put to rest, New Zealand can focus its diplomatic energy elsewhere, writes political editor Jo Moir.

Plans in Australia to drop the news late on Friday night that it was finally sorting out citizenship hurdles for Kiwis living across the ditch came as a surprise to New Zealand officials.

The Australian Government’s 10.30pm announcement (12.30am Saturday NZT) was in the dead of night and 12 hours ahead of Prime Minister Chris Hipkins even boarding his plane to Brisbane.

Officials from the Prime Minister’s office and the travelling delegation were under the impression citizenship changes would be announced in Brisbane at the weekend. . . 

Why fighting the cost of living crisis needs to start on the farm – Bryce McKenzie :

None of what I am about to write will be news to rural New Zealanders, but I’ll say it in the hopes that our message is heard a little farther afield.

When farmers and food producers suffer under an endless deluge of government regulations and policies, all Kiwis suffer.

When we struggle to keep our farms and businesses going under a Government that has slapped more costs on us than ever before, it costs more to produce the food for all of our families.

Grocery bills aren’t going up because farmers are making a huge margin and going on tropical holidays. In fact, food producers are receiving considerably less for their produce now than they were 12 months ago. . .

Maintaining milk production with fewer cows :

Fernside dairy farmer Julie Bradshaw has reduced her herd size by 15 cows while maintaining the same milk production levels using genomic information provided by Livestock Improvement Corporation (LIC) that enables her to make informed decisions about which animals to retain for long term genetic gain.

Julie is participating in Next Generation Farming; a project to help farmers meet tough nitrate caps while maintaining their viability. As part of this project, farmers like Julie are using innovation and demonstrating its productivity and environmental benefits to their neighbours in the region and beyond.

Waimakariri Landcare Trust (WLT) and Waimakariri Irrigation Limited (WIL) have partnered with the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) for the project, with support from MPI’s Sustainable Food and Fibre Futures fund along with Environment Canterbury, Ballance, and DairyNZ.

One of Julie’s key goals for the two-year innovation project is using genomic data to refine herd numbers. Her current herd sits at 400 cows after she reduced the herd by 15 cows earlier this year and she is comfortable with losing another 15 cows to further lower the herd size if she can still achieve the same milk production rates. . . 

Marlborough winemaker trials virtual supply in a New Zealand first :

In a first for the New Zealand electricity market, Rose Family Estate (RFE), the owner of the brand Wairau River, is now virtually powered by a new rooftop solar array owned by Energy Marlborough on the outskirts of Blenheim.

Initially the solar array is expected to supply about seven per cent of RFE’s electricity, which is then ‘sleeved’ into their regular electricity supply by their retailer, Mercury. Mercury tops up the supply when solar generation is low, as well as purchasing excess solar generation. RFE continues to receive a single bill from Mercury each month, which now includes the solar electricity from Energy Marlborough.

The trial was arranged by EVA Marketplace, New Zealand’s renewables marketplace, which brokers power purchase agreements (PPAs) between renewables developers and businesses, and facilitates PPA sleeving arrangements. . . 

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Rural round-up

20/04/2023

National’s getting back to farming :

National’s Getting back to Farming package will cut the mountain of red tape that has buried farmers since 2017, National Leader Christopher Luxon says.

“Labour has used regulation to declare war on farmers. National will end that war by cutting red tape.

“New Zealand has the worst current account deficit in the developed world. If we don’t earn more from overseas, there will be consequences – like lower wages and less money to spend on the public services we all want and need. 

“Farming is the backbone of our economy. Last year agriculture exports totalled $41 billion or 63 per cent of our goods exports. When farmers succeed, New Zealand succeeds. . .

Some movement in prices at latest Fonterra GDT auction, but there will need to be more – Point of Order :

At last, a glimmer of light for dairy farmers as prices rose  at the  latest Fonterra  GDT auction. It is the  first rise in more than two months.

The  question is whether the rise is  just a  flicker or  whether it will be sustained at subsequent auctions.

At the sale overnight  prices rose  an average 3.2%, reaching $US 3,362MT.

Winning  bidders  totalled 105 from a  total 158 with the  quantity sold  22,713MT. Wholemilk powder sold for $3089, up 1% and skimmilk powder,$2776, up 7%. Cheddar rose 5.7% to $4,411, butter 4.9% to $4,891, and anhydrous milkfat 4.7% to $4,981. . . 

 

Beef + Lamb wants changes to on-farm emissions plan :

Beef and Lamb New Zealand says farmers shouldn’t have to pay for on-farm emissions until a robust emissions measuring and reporting system is up and running.

Farmers are set to pay for their on-farm emissions from 2025 – with the government adopting a split-gas on-farm levy which was developed by industry partnership He Waka Eke Noa.

Beef + Lamb is part of the partnership, but chair Kate Acland said after feedback from farmers they wanted some changes.

“We’re calling for the staged implementation of an agricultural emissions framework, starting with the establishment of a robust emissions measuring and reporting system, with a price on emissions not introduced until outstanding issues are resolved. . . 

 

Pining for success: Pinoli takes home top honours at the 2023 Outstanding NZ Food Producer Awards  – Emma Rawson :

Extracting a delicate nut from within the fortress shell of a pinecone takes determination and skill. Amateur nut harvesters often abandon the quest empty-handed, despite signs of the struggle in crushed nuts and marked fingers. Marlborough’s Andy and Barb Wilshire of Marlborough have persevered and found establishing a business from pine nuts has been just as tough a nut to crack as the kernels themselves.

In 1998, Andy and Barb founded Pinoli Premium Pine Nuts in the Wairau Valley, planting their strange-looking pines on a former sheep and fodder farm. At the time, their neighbours were busy with row after row of sauvignon blanc vines.

Scientists thought only a bunch of nutters would plant pine nut trees. Neither viable nor economic declared a research paper of Pinus pinea, the umbrella-shaped pine that produces edible pine nuts and is also known as a stone pine. Pine nuts had no future as a food business for this country, said the scientists.

Andy read the report and planted 1000 Pinus pinea anyway, and the following year he and general manager Lee Paterson planted a further 40 hectares. . .

Farmlands, Federated Farmers & Stuff team up to re-fence cyclone-impacted regions :

With tens of thousands of kilometres of fencing needing to be replaced or repaired in the wake of Cyclone Gabrielle, Farmlands, Federated Farmers and Stuff are calling on Kiwis to ‘Post Your Support’ as part of their plan to help farmers and growers.

The goal is to help to re-build the kilometres of fencing lost in Northland, the East Coast and parts of the Central North Island after the cyclone by supplying the fencing materials needed and the person-power to build new fencing quickly and to a high standard. Post Your Support is encouraging Kiwi businesses and individuals to donate $20 fence posts – each of which represents about a metre of fencing that will help farmers and growers get back on their feet.

Farmlands brings its buying power and extensive supplier relationships as a rural supplies farmer owned co-op, Federated Farmers its ability to mobilise farmers from across the motu to help, and Stuff its reach to all Kiwis who want to help farmers and growers get their businesses back up and running.

Post Your Support is launching with around $650,000 of funds already available – which will support up to 25 kilometres of fence repairs or replacement. Many times this sum is going to be required, given the thousands of kilometres of new fencing estimated to be needed. . . 

Wanaka A&P Show donates 30,000 to North Island farming communities :

The Wānaka A&P Show has donated $30,000 towards ongoing support for Cyclone Gabrielle-affected farmers and rural communities.

The significant donation was raised through ticket sales from the 2023 Wānaka A&P Show, held in March. One dollar from every adult ticket sold and livestock entry contributed to the fund.

The Wānaka A&P Show’s governing body – the Upper Clutha A&P Society – donated the funds to the Rural Support Trust, an on-the-ground service supporting cyclone-impacted rural communities in New Zealand.

Upper Clutha A&P Society board chair Brenda King says the decision to donate was unanimous across the board and management team. . .

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Rural round-up

15/04/2023

Forestry firms should honour their promises – Dame Anne Salmond :

New Zealand’s forestry standards are weak, but the industry is already bound by international standards it is breaching routinely in Tairāwhiti, writes Dame Anne Salmond

In the wake of the devastation caused by forestry slash in Tairāwhiti during Cyclone Gabrielle, it is obvious to almost everyone that the Government’s National Environmental Standards for Plantation Forestry (NES – PF) are too permissive, and have to be rewritten.

While the forestry industry disagrees, this is disingenuous, because the major forestry companies have already signed up to a far more stringent set of standards, set by the Forestry Stewardship Council (FSC) in Bonn.

According to the FSC (NZ) Standard, for instance, “Forest operations [should be] structured and managed so as to be sufficiently profitable, without generating financial profit at the expense of the forest resource, the ecosystem, or affected communities.” (FSC Standard NZ, 2023:5) . . 

Dr Jacqueline Rowarth: Why productivity growth is the key to future wellbeing – NZ Herald – Jacqueline Rowarth :

Only through productivity gains will New Zealand be able to pay for everything it wants, Dr Jacqueline Rowarth writes.

Productivity growth is the key to future wellbeing.

Dr Bryce Wilkinson, Senior Fellow with The New Zealand Initiative explained clearly last week that “Nothing really compares to productivity growth for making the good things in life more affordable”.

Only through productivity gains will New Zealand be able to pay for everything it wants – not just the higher incomes that individuals desire, but also all the things that we need: infrastructure, education, health, law and order, science, culture, social welfare. . . 

There’s no bread and butter without Kiwi food producers Prime Minister :

“Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has repeatedly told New Zealanders that he is focused on the “Bread and Butter issues”, but his Government continues to put pressure on the very people who make New Zealand’s bread and butter. He has chucked a number of unpopular policies on his so-called ‘policy bonfire’, but farmers and food producers are being left out in the cold with the deluge of unworkable and expensive regulations seeming to be fireproof,” Groundswell NZ co-founder Bryce McKenzie says.

“Groundswell New Zealand have launched a new campaign to remind Chippy which side his bread is buttered on or come election time he’ll be toast. Along with our supporters, we will be reminding the Prime Minister that without New Zealand’s food producers, there is no bread and butter.

“Arguably the biggest issue facing New Zealand this election year is the Cost-of-Living crisis; especially the cost of food. We are calling for the Prime Minister to do the pragmatic thing and deal with the problem at source by alleviating the significant burden his Government has heaped on the people producing food in New Zealand. Chris Hipkins must throw the Farming Tax (Agricultural Emissions Tax proposal and He Waka Eke Noa) on his ‘policy bonfire’, and halt the other unworkable regulations restricting New Zealand’s food producers from being able to deliver the ‘bread and butter’ to Kiwis.

“Farmers and food producers are passionate about our environment and want to see policies for protecting it that work with them rather than against. We are calling for all the separate and silo’d environmental policies to be replaced with one comprehensive piece of environmental legislation that is holistic, has an integrated framework, avoids perverse outcomes, and has a focus on empowering people and communities to achieve positive environmental outcomes. . . 

 

Tell me I am wrong – Gravedogder :

The productive base production land for sheep and beef is being planted in pine forest to claim Carbon Credits for the land holders, many based off shore as such land use will outperform the traditional livestock income.

In around thirty years the unpruned forest will be of no further value to the owners by way of income and it will be abandoned.

A lightning strike or a pyromaniac will set the whole shebang alight and burn she will, no fire breaks, no water storage for firefighting, and no access tracks.
Who will pay the eye watering account for the fruitless attempt to extinguish, you guess.

By that time thirty years hence where will the demented anti-carbon dioxide brigade be standing as all that sequestered Carbon is incinerated and CO2 released back into the atmosphere .
Will China have decommissioned all the coal fired power generators, err no they will still be building tham as fast as they bloody can. The same for India. . . 

Forest owners back more trees for Tairawhiti :

The Forest Owners Association has told the Ministerial Inquiry into land use in Tairāwhiti, that the region’s future has to include more trees for land stability. But it appreciates forest practices also have to improve with increasing land use risks from climate change.

The FOA has just released its submission to the Inquiry, saying it’s looking to solutions to the wood and silt damage to downstream areas from Cyclones Hale and Gabrielle earlier in the year.

FOA President, Grant Dodson, says technical assessments show that the two cyclones shifted 100 million tonnes of soil in the region, with half of that then getting into waterways.

“Foresters lost areas of healthy growing trees up to ten years old in landslides. We’d not experienced that before. Climate change has altered the rules.” . . 

Rockit ready to rock offshore :

Innovative Kiwi apple brand, Rockit will deliver its biggest season yet, with record export volumes expected in 2023 and a new global marketing campaign kicking off in April.

This is despite the impact of the February cyclone on orchards in Hawke’s Bay and Gisborne.

Rockit Global chief executive Mark O’Donnell said even before Cyclone Gabrielle, Rockit was looking at a difficult season due to record early season rainfall.

“The cyclone then threw up new concerns but, with a concerted effort by hundreds of workers from mid-February, we were able to get apples off the trees and packed ready for export to Rockit into the 2023 season strong. We are so pleased and relieved that all our employees and RSE workers made it safely through the cyclone, and we are supporting a number of colleagues whose homes were damaged or destroyed. . . 

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Rural round-up

14/04/2023

Government delivers further blow to farmers as short-sighted livestock export ban looms :

Today, one of the final shipments of livestock [has departed/is departing] from the Port of Napier before the Government’s ban on live cattle export comes into effect at the end of the month. The livestock industry maintains its view that a ban is short- sighted.

Mark Willis, Chair of industry body Livestock Export New Zealand (LENZ), says “Animal welfare standards now well exceed international best practice. We’ve worked collaboratively with the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) to develop a superior set of standards to ensure that animals experience the highest levels of care during export.”

In the last three years the livestock export industry has developed a ‘Gold Standard’ animal welfare framework. Initially launched in 2020, it provides considerable protections over and above traditional live animal export standards. Since then, the Gold Standard has been further improved and the industry is moving to introduce vessel and destination farm approval processes to lift the level of care even further.

“Our animals already receive round the clock one-on-one care from experts such as veterinarians and stockmen during pre-departure and transportation. The additional measures would ensure that all transport vessels meet even stricter criteria to deliver the highest levels of care and animal wellbeing, and a new destination farm approval process would ensure animals go to farms that meet stricter and even more comprehensive standards of care.” . . 

Mackenzie solar bid shines light on a classic tension – David Williams :

Should a solar farm be allowed in the Mackenzie Basin, an outstanding natural landscape? David Williams reports

Much of the history of New Zealand power generation boils down to a classic tension: environment versus the environment.

Building hydro-electric dams involves flooding valleys, controlling river flows and building thousands of kilometres of transmission lines. But it means New Zealand can usually rely on hydro – not fossil fuels – to provide the bulk of our electricity.

The potential for environmental damage, or imposing industrial-scale developments in our precious landscapes, has sparked opposition that has eventually scuppered some large-scale renewable energy projects. . .

Minimum wage increases will hurt already reeling horticultural industry :

The minimum wage increase in April will cut into the New Zealand horticultural industry’s already tight margins and put increased financial pressure on a sector decimated by bad weather, not least the floods. Some small growers could go under as a result.

From April 1 this year, the adult minimum wage across New Zealand will rise to $22.70 per hour. The training and starting wage rates will increase from $16.96 to $18.16.

“We’re not say don’t pay fair wages for a fair day’s work—pickers should be suitably compensated for their labours,” Dataphyll CEO Christoph Kistler said today. “But this minimum wage increase will hurt not just small growers, but ultimately it will hit the consumer in the pocket and deprive Pasifika of employment opportunities.”

New Zealand orchard management company Dataphyll is a Kiwi tech start-up that uses radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology to create an efficient harvest system (Dataphyll Grow) that helps growers improve productivity, fruit quality, meet compliance obligations and measure picker performance down to the last berry. . . 

Kiwi cannabis flower to put Helius on world stage :

The country’s largest medicinal cannabis company has announced another New Zealand first. The Ministry of Health has awarded Helius Therapeutics GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) certification for the drying and finishing of medicinal cannabis flower.

“This latest certificate moves us closer to delivering New Zealand-grown flower to market. In fact, we’re hoping to have it available for local patients later this year,” says Helius Therapeutics chief executive, Carmen Doran.

Further afield, Helius is on track to be a global leader in the production and export of quality cannabis flower, with signed contracts for Helius flower already in place.

Locally, there are 13 dried flower products – for inhalation and tea – currently being imported into New Zealand with clinics reporting massive supply chain reliability issues, creating headaches for doctors and patients alike. . . 

Dairy statistics show continued focus on performance :

Despite a challenging 2021/22 season, the annual New Zealand Dairy Statistics report released today by DairyNZ and Livestock Improvement Corporation (LIC) shows an innovative dairy sector responding well during a changeable time.

In the 2021/22 season, 20.78 billion litres of milk containing 1.87 billion kilograms of milksolids was processed by dairy companies. After reaching a record milk production per herd and per cow in the previous 2020/21 season, production dropped back to 2019/20 levels as the impacts of Covid-19, climatic conditions on farm, inflationary pressures and supply chain issues presented a challenging year for the industry.

The trend of declining cow and herd numbers continued and was accompanied by a 4.3% decrease in litres and 4.1% decrease in kilograms of milksolids processed, compared to the previous season.

DairyNZ chief executive Dr Tim Mackle acknowledges that farmers’ achievements in the face of a range of challenges in recent years is positive. . . 

Finalists strive to win prestigious dairy industry awards :

The 30 finalists representing 11 regions in the 2023 New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards have been found.

“It was fantastic to attend the regional dinners and feel the excitement of the wins and see the journey each finalist has taken, both professionally and personally,” says Robin.

He observed women featured strongly in the dairy trainee category, with eight of the eleven regions won by females.

“Our finalists are farmers who are excited by the use of technology in the dairy industry and how it will benefit farming in the future. . . 

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Rural round-up

03/04/2023

Minimum wage rise ‘could have unwelcome knock-on effect’ for horticulture and dairy –  Gerhard Uys :

April’s minimum wage increase may have an unwelcome knock-on effect in the dairy and horticulture sector, industry participants are warning.

Employment relations spokesperson at Federated Farmers Richard McIntyre said the minimum wage increase itself was not a big concern in his sector because most farmers paid more than that.

But he said a bigger problem would be the increase’s effect on the median wage.

Employers who bring in immigrant workers under an Accredited Employer Work Visa must pay at least the median wage – currently $29.66 an hour. . .

A slice of Te Kupe: hairy sheep and drone mustering – Leah Tebbutt :

Taranaki sheep farmer Murray Jackson is looking forward to retiring his woolshed in a couple of years.

He’s phasing his family farm out of wool production to rear hardy and hairy Australian White sheep.

With their coarse hair coat, Australian White sheep don’t need shearing, crutching, dagging, or flystrike prevention – which currently costs around $6000 a year, Jackson says.

The fresh lambs also tend to have a faster growth and survival rate. . .

Stock walks 45km to be sold after N Canterbury roads washed out – Annette Scott :

After being postponed in February because of a major weather event, the Lakes Station on-farm sheep sale was eventually held last week.

Located near Hawarden in North Canterbury, Lakes Station had 20,000 sheep in holding paddocks waiting to be weaned for the annual sale when the access road was washed out the day before.

“It couldn’t have been worse timing,” Hazlett Rural livestock agent Alby Orchard said.

“It has taken six weeks to get the road back to allow truck and trailer units to navigate the washout area of the road, and finally we have held the sale.” . .

Acland ‘optimistic’ as she assumes BLNZ chair :

Northern South Island farmer director Kate Acland has been elected chair of the Beef + Lamb New Zealand board.

Acland, who is BLNZ’s first female chair, was elected by the board at the conclusion of BLNZ’s annual meeting in New Plymouth.

Previous chair Andrew Morrison’s term as a BLNZ director concluded at the end of the meeting, following the election of Geoffrey Young as the new Southern South Island farmer director.

Acland said she’s humbled to be appointed chair. . .

https://twitter.com/andrew_hoggard/status/1641879089262002176

 

Small scale wood lot owners have their say in Tairāwhiti land use inquiry :

The outgoing President of the Farm Forestry Association says it has been vital for farm foresters to directly address the Ministerial Inquiry into forestry and other land use in Tairāwhiti.

Graham West has told the New Zealand Farm Forestry Association annual conference, now underway in Timaru, that the Inquiry Panel was keen to hear verbal submissions from him and particularly the Gisborne East Coast Branch of Farm Forestry Association.

“All the media attention since the cyclones hit the region has been on harvest residue and the role of the larger forest growers . But there are farmers in the region, and also small institutional investors, who will want their local forest interests represented as well,” Graham West said.

“These would range from wanting to be consulted about any regulations which might be introduced, through to compensation for managed retreat.” . . 

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Rural round-up

31/03/2023

GHG just the start for global farm targets – Neal Wallace:

Global greenhouse gas emission reduction targets could be just the first of several goals that producers and processors will have to meet in the coming years.

Rabobank managing board member Berry Marttin told the Farm2Fork forum in Sydney there is a global move to extend targets for water, biodiversity and social standards that consumers will expect producers to meet.

These are being driven by a global group called Science-Based Targets initiative (SBTi), which so far has commitments from 4764 companies, of which 2431 have approved emission reduction targets.

In New Zealand, 29 companies have signed on, six of them rural. They are: Comvita, Fonterra, Silver Fern Farms, Synlait Milk, Timberline Australia and NZ and WoolWorks NZ. . . 

Soaring costs leave apple exporters unlikely to make profit :

For the second year in a row New Zealand apple growers are unlikely to make money from sales in their traditional export markets of Europe and the UK.

Soaring on-orchard costs, high freight charges because of distance to market, coupled with an unwillingness by key European countries to pay more money, is making exporting apples there financially unsustainable.

AgFirst horticulture consultant Ross Wilson said it has always been a challenge being at the bottom of the world, it costs a lot of money to get products shipped to the export destinations.

“That cost in itself does make us a high cost producer,” he said. . .

Feds: more time needed for the Land Use Inquiry to get it right :

With the resignation of Bill Bayfield and now the sacking of Stuart Nash there needs to be an urgent reset of the Ministerial inquiry into land use on the East Coast, Federated Farmers says.

“Forestry slash and other woody debris washed down in Cyclone Gabrielle caused major damage. Communities on the East Coast need to be given the respect they deserve after such a significant event,” Gisborne farmer and Feds Meat & Wool Chair Toby Williams says.

“Finding someone else to sit on the inquiry panel who has the level of experience and skills that Bill Bayfield brought to the table will be very difficult.”

The land use inquiry didn’t get underway until late February and its report is due April 30. Federated Farmers says this ridiculously short time frame needs to be extended so that the issues can be thoroughly considered and all relevant evidence can be collected and analysed. The panel then needs adequate time to consider the recommendations they will present back. . .

The best and worst of humanity – Colin Miller :

The great pics and stories continue as, of course, does the huge cleanup!

I can recommend the video clip farm suppliers Te Pari produced. If you haven’t seen it, it should come up for you if you Google ‘Te Pari Cyclone Video’.

The very best in people has come to light through all this. Total strangers turning up with shovels and wheelbarrows, putting in untold hours of the toil, helping people they had never previously met. We had a group of skilled guys from our area head across to the Hawke’s Bay for several days to assist, mainly with shearing and fencing repairs, I believe.

Aside from all the hands-on stuff, donations, mostly anonymous, have poured in from all over this great country of ours. Even the key farm-staff members, the working dogs, have not been forgotten, with dog tucker included with the donated support! . .

Aotearoa’s top cheeses named in 20th year of NZ Champions of Cheese Awards :

The country’s top cheeses have been recognised with 162 receiving medals following the 20th year of judging for the NZ Champions of Cheese Awards.

Medals are almost equally split with; 57 Gold, 55 Silver and 48 Bronze being awarded following two days of intensive judging at Wintec Te Pūkenga, Rotokauri Campus in early March.

Master Judge, Jason Tarrant, presided over the panel of 30 judges who came from throughout New Zealand and Australia. Judges are a mix of cheesemakers, cheese retailers, food technologists and food writers who sniffed, tasted a range of New Zealand-made cheese across 20 categories including; ewe milk, washed rind, blue cheese, Dutch style, fresh Italian style, Greek-Cypriot style and cheddar. Judges were supported by a further 20 stewards.

Jason Tarrant congratulated all the NZ Champions of Cheese medal winners saying this year’s competition was hotly contested and every medal awarded was hard won after being assessed by the judges who worked in panels of three. . .

Livestock farming mitigates climate change – Redazione :

New studies review emissions calculation and significantly reduce the environmental impacts of Italian farms.

Italian livestock farming contributes to combating global warming and mitigating climate change. This, in summary, is the result of an Italian researchers’ team who recalculated our country’s livestock sector emissions using a new metric proposed by a group of physicists of the Oxford atmosphere and published in Nature.

“The introduction of these new metrics due to the work of the English physicists is destined to change the frame of the debate on the sustainability of the livestock system,” said Giuseppe Pulina, president of Carni Sostenibili. For the first time, the Oxford study considered the difference in action on global warming between short-lived climate pollutants such as methane and long-lived climate pollutants such as carbon dioxide.

 THE NEW METRICS TAKE INTO ACCOUNT THE PERMANENCE OF GASES IN THE ATMOSPHERE

 The researchers have observed that if a greenhouse gas remains in the atmosphere for a short time, its effect on global warming is zero. If emissions remain constant every year, they are negative (the atmosphere cools down) if they decrease. This is because reducing its concentration also reduces its contribution to the greenhouse effect. But it is highly heating if emissions increase because this type of gas has a much more greenhouse effect than CO2. The new metrics, therefore, take into account this difference and, in particular, for how long a gas remains in the atmosphere, a substantial difference if we consider that methane after 50 years has practically disappeared, while carbon dioxide remains in the atmosphere for over a thousand years. . . 

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Rural round-up

22/03/2023

From ‘hatred and pain to ‘blessed’ life – Sally Rae:

At the tender age of 13, Toria Cummings was doing drugs.

Living in Auckland and in with the wrong crowd, her life was rapidly spiralling downhill. Her mother was barely around — she was in and out of hospital with Toria’s sister — and the teen was filled with “hatred and pain”.

A pivotal moment came when then Child, Youth and Family (CYF) gave an ultimatum that either another guardian be found — her father was given 12 hours to uplift her — or she would be put in CYF care.

So her father took her to Southland and, while in hindsight she was so grateful to him for doing that, she did not give him an easy ride. Angry and resentful, she was stealing and doing drugs — “just doing anything I could to just get myself back to Auckland”. . .

Ag safety advocate recognised for impact on sector – Sally Rae:

Southern farmer Harriet Bremner has been named co-winner of this year’s Zanda McDonald Award, which recognises young professionals in the primary sector.

Ms Bremner and Australian Mitch Highett were presented with the award at a function in Brisbane this week.

Newly married, Ms Bremner farms with her husband Ed Pinckney at Jericho Station, a 1400ha sheep, beef and grazing property at Manapouri.

She is a health, safety and wellbeing advocate for agriculture — particularly around keeping children safe on farms – and has written children’s books, including her most recent edition Wool’s the Word.

Ms Bremner received the Rural Women New Zealand: Rural Champion award in 2021. Mr Highett, of Orange, New South Wales, is the founder and managing director of Bullseye Ag. His farm management company works alongside farms across NSW and Queensland with an area totalling more than 202,000ha. . . .

It’s time for this old dog’s new trick – Steve Wyn-Harris :

Every dog has its day.

This dog’s day has finally come as I contemplate the end of my 40-year full-time farming career.

It has been brought on by an ageing and failing body with a long put-up with lower back injury that gives a bit of sciatica, a crook shoulder from my broken collar bone when I fell off the two-wheeler last year and a couple of arthritic hips. Plenty of people worse, I know, but with more stoicism than me.

Maybe only 64, but the novelty of feeling sore most working days has worn off. . .

Wood petrochemical substitutes one step closer – Andrew Bevin:

Futurity sees forestry waste as a promising source of high-value, sustainable chemicals.

Bio-refinery start-up Futurity is launching a $1.5 million commercialisation study into turning wood by-products into high-value chemicals.

The study will involve working to commercialise technology developed in Europe to turn lignin waste from Oji’s pulp and paper mills into replacements for traditionally fossil fuel-based materials used in automotive, electronics and construction.

Ministry for Primary Industries is putting in $600,000 from its Sustainable Food and Fibre Futures Fund towards the pilot, with Futurity, owned by co-founder and chairman Rupert Paterson’s venture capital firm Prospectors, putting up the remainder. . . .

First of New Zealand’s 2021 kiwifruit crop sets sail to Japan :

The first shipment of the 2023 New Zealand kiwifruit season has now departed the Port of Tauranga, carrying around 2,500 tonnes (more than 600,000 trays) of Zespri SunGold Kiwifruit to customers in Japan. 

The Southampton Star is expected to reach Tokyo in early April before sailing onto Kobe and is the first of 53 charter vessels Zespri will use this season to deliver around 145 million trays of Green, SunGold and RubyRed Kiwifruit to more than 50 countries. 

Charter vessels will be responsible for delivering around 72 million trays of this season’s New Zealand-grown fruit to Zespri’s global consumers. This season’s charter programme will include three services to Northern Europe, seven to the Mediterranean, two to North America’s West Coast and 41 to Asia, with a further 73 million trays to be shipped using container services. 

Zespri Acting Chief Global Supply Officer Jason Te Brake says that after a really challenging 2022 and a tough start to 2023 given adverse weather events including Cyclone Gabrielle’s impact in Hawke’s Bay and Gisborne – the start of the new season represented a reset for the industry.  . . .

Higher than expected demand for NAIT accreditation under the new standards :

OSPRI’s National Manager, Quality, Compliance and Assurance, Melissa Bailey, says the surge in demand came at the end of 2022 which created some challenges in processing all the audits, but overall, it was a good sign for industry that so many individuals/organisations were getting on board with the new accreditation programme.

“The impact of the programme is already being felt. Over 300 individuals have completed online education modules in NAIT legislation and obligations. This means that the industry is more confident in the advice they provide to farmers on how to meet their NAIT obligations, and there are less errors in the NAIT system. Since launching the education modules, errors made by accredited organisations in the NAIT system have reduced by two-thirds.”

Because the demand for audits surpassed our capacity at the end of the year there have been delays in completing the audit process so there are still organisations waiting to become accredited, said Ms Bailey. “We apologise for the delay but rest assured, nobody will lose their accreditation if they have started the accreditation process and completed their education modules. We will not penalise organisations for these delays. Our audit supplier is working as fast as possible to get through the backlog.” . .

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Rural round-up

01/02/2023

Road care and courtesy necessary at harvest time :

Harvest season is in full swing and Federated Farmers is urging motorists and the operators of agricultural machinery to show each other some care and understanding.

“Not everyone has appreciated the recent sweltering temperatures in some South Island districts but for arable farmers in the middle of harvesting, the golden weather is both a bonus and a race to get crops in before Mother Nature switches moods,” Feds Arable Industry chairperson and Waimate farmer Colin Hurst said.

New Zealand’s $2.2 billion arable industry is an important part of our export earnings, economy and employment – not to mention growers of wheat flour for your summer sourdough. During harvest, combine harvesters, large tractors towing implements and other over-size agricultural vehicles often need to use public roads to move between different parts of the farm and between farms.

“They’re bulky and of necessity – and by law – move at lower speeds than other motorists. . .

Call for NZ’s farmers to show city folk what they’re made of – Annette Scott :

The call is out for farmers to get involved with the Open Farms 2023 event.

Now in its third year, Open Farms is set for Sunday, March 12, with the day providing a platform for farmers to share their stories with urban Kiwis.

More than 7000 people have visited 82 farms throughout New Zealand in the past two years and Open Farms founder Daniel Eb is confident the initiative will continue to grow.

“There is no lack of interest to get on farm,” Eb said. . . 

A2 Milk selling infant formula in US could help improve its market performance  :

A2 Milk’s access to the United States infant formula market offers a lifeline to the company’s efforts to turn a profit in North America.

The company, along with several other big international competitors, wasrecently granted permission to sell infant formula in the US, to help offset a short supply in the domestic market, following a recall of products produced by Michigan-based Abbott Laboratories.

“We are supportive of the US entry as an earnings diversifier but the earnings benefit may only be minor,” Forsyth Barr said in a market report.

“The market is highly competitive, margins are structurally lower, and the market now offers limited ‘free’ near-term market share capture opportunities with the Abbott production shortage largely over.” . . 

Good quality and size a feature of 2023’s New Zealand export apple crop :

The New Zealand apple industry is expecting fruit of good quality and size as it heads into the 2023 export harvest season.

‘At the same time, we are estimating export volumes to be similar to last year’s, at an estimated 20.4 million TCEs-,’ says New Zealand Apples & Pears Incorporated (NZAPI) Chief Executive, Terry Meikle.

‘We are seeing a reduction in the volumes of European Union-bound traditional varieties such as Braeburn – which is expected to be down by 15 percent – as well as Pink Lady and Jazz. Some near market varieties like Fuji, NZ Queen and NZ Rose are also going to be down in volume.

‘However – and this bodes well for the industry’s future – we are seeing continued growth in trademarked varieties such as Rockit, Envy and Dazzle.’ . . 

Fedsvoice all your rural listening in one place :

Listen in for all the latest farming news and views – and voice your own thoughts.

That’s what’s on offer from the newly-updated Federated Farmers mobile phone app and website FEDSVoice.

The app enables farmers and growers to tap into audio recordings and podcasts from Federated Farmers, feeds from top country radio shows from around the world such as American Ag Today and the BBC, as well as a wide range of New Zealand farming shows and podcasts.

“What’s more, FEDSVoice enables farmers and growers to record their own thoughts on hot topics of the day, and we can use the best of that audio to share to a wider audience,” Federated Farmers CEO Terry Copeland says. . . 

Samuel Whitelock and Corteva Agriscience team up :

Corteva Agriscience is thrilled to announce they’re teaming up with New Zealand farmer and rugby player Samuel Whitelock. Though better known for his time spent on the rugby field than on an agricultural field, Samuel’s farming background makes him the perfect brand ambassador for Corteva Agriscience.

When Corteva, makers of Tordon™, Korvetto™, and many other great products were looking for a well-known New Zealander and farmer to voice their radio campaign last spring, they weren’t sure they could find the right combo. However, ad agency Harvey Cameron, the company who put Dan Carter in his Jockeys and Richie McCaw in a Versatile Home, suggested the famous farmer. Not only does Samuel have a Lincoln University degree in plant science and an 800-hectare farm in Hawke’s Bay, he also is a lifetime user of the Corteva brand.

After the successful radio campaign with Samuel in 2022, the relationship has developed into a full partnership, with Samuel becoming a Corteva Ambassador in January 2023. In addition to promoting Corteva products and attending events, his Hawke’s Bay farm will become a demo site.

“We are so excited and honoured to have Samuel as an official part of the Corteva team. We’re chuffed to have someone of Samuel’s calibre, a long-time customer, to talk about our product. This partnership has certainly put a cap on the year,” says Glen Surgenor, Corteva NZ Marketing Manager. . . 

 

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Rural round-up

31/01/2023

Farmers, growers face flooded fields, ruined crops after deluge – Sally Murphy :

Pastures are underwater, crops have been destroyed and culverts and valuable feed have been washed away due to heavy rainfall since Friday.

Auckland Federated Farmers president Alan Cole said farms were completely smashed because of the sheer volume of water.

“Some farms have lost all of their culverts, there’s a lot of fencing down and one dairy farm is under water so those cows had to be moved pretty quickly.

“It doesn’t matter how big your infrastructure is; nothing was prepared for that amount of water.” . . 

Auckland floods: Piles of fresh produce litter roadside, new hassle for growers, shoppers – John Weekes :

A fortune in fresh produce has been wiped out in the Auckland floods with piles of onions washed onto the roads and more food price inflation expected.

Fields with pumpkins, garlic, onions and other crops in Pukekohe were still partly flooded on Monday afternoon, nearly three days after the peak of the storm.

The community in the south of Auckland has some of the country’s best horticultural land. But roads and fields were damaged and crops washed into ditches and even residential suburbs.

Some people on Monday were scavenging onions at the side of the road. . . 

Camp reveals rising stars in dairy world – Tim Cronshaw :

A youth camp has helped young animal handlers perfect tricks of the trade. Tim Cronshaw takes a closer look.

Holly Powell is tucking away a few tricks of the trade for a major dairy event after picking them up at a skills camp in Rangiora.

The 19-year-old was among 21 young handlers to attend the World Wide Sires National All Dairy Breeds Youth Camp organised by Holstein Friesian New Zealand at the local A&P showgrounds.

“I’ve been to four camps now and every year you pick up little pieces and tricks to make the animals look as good as possible, just picking up tricks to do the the top line and the belly hair.” . . 

Food exports increase in 2022 :

Total exports saw a growth of $8.7 billion (14 percent) to $72.2 billion in the year ended December 2022 compared with 2021, Stats NZ said today.

Annual imports also rose sharply to $86.7 billion, up $16.1 billion (23 percent).

“Price inflation has been a topic of interest in 2022, and we’re seeing the results of it in these large increases,” international trade manager Alasdair Allen said.

“Many major export commodities eased in volume but saw price increases drive higher values across the year. . . 

Fonterra signs five-year contract with EROAD for 500+ tankers :

Transportation technology services company EROAD Limited (NZX/ASX: ERD) (EROAD) has today announced the acquisition of a significant enterprise customer in New Zealand.

The Fonterra Co-operative Group Limited (Fonterra) has signed a five-year contract to install EROAD fleet management hardware across its fleet of 500+ milk tankers.

Mark Heine, EROAD’s Chief Executive Officer says, “we’re incredibly excited to be partnering with such an iconic and important organisation here in New Zealand. Creating safer, more sustainable roads is at the very heart of what we do at EROAD, and it’s clear that Fonterra is equally committed to these goals.”

From Cape Reinga to Bluff, and almost everywhere in between, Fonterra’s milk collection operation spans the entire country. Through its fleet of 500+ milk collection tankers and 1600+ tanker operators, Fonterra completes an average of one farm collection every 15 seconds and collects around 16.5 billion litres of milk per year. . . 

Ag-drive partners with Agriacadamy to broaden training available to the agricultural sector :

Waikato’s largest agricultural vehicle training provider, Ag Drive, has signed an agreement with Agricademy to deliver its award-winning operator training to even more of the agriculture sector.

Agricademy provides training for new employees in a more affordable and effective way, leaving classrooms behind, to quickly improve staff productivity. Their innovative training model has been developed online and on-farm for the generation that gets its information online on their smartphones and connects on social media.

Agricademy Managing Director Alister Shennan says they’re excited to be working with Ag Drive, which has a great reputation for offering practical, tailored training in the machine and vehicle operation space.

“Agricademy training offers the practical and life skills employees need to do well at work, so it was a natural synergy for us to partner with Ag Drive, who are known for their practical training,” he says. . .

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Rural round-up

22/12/2022

Labour floundering on farming emissions :

Farmers are likely to be even more confused at Labour’s floundering approach to farming emissions following today’s announcement, National’s acting Agriculture spokesperson Todd Muller says.

“Labour is all over the show. Just a few months ago Labour were proposing to decimate sheep and beef farming by 20 per cent – now they are saying they want to work with the farming sector on how the pricing scheme will work and they will consider carbon sequestration.

“Labour’s process shows a complete disregard for farming realities, and the fact they have made this announcement four days before Christmas is cynical politics.

“Farmers have lost trust in Labour. This is too little, too late and doesn’t go far enough. . . 

Groundswell ‘disturbed’ by govt blinkers – Neal Wallace :

Leaders of the Groundswell ginger group say they are surprised at how little senior government ministers know about the impact of their policies on rural communities.

“Some of what we told them was new, which was disturbing,” the group’s co-founder, Bryce McKenzie, said after a top-level meeting this week.

McKenzie and fellow Groundswell founder Laurie Paterson met with Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor, associate Agriculture Minister Meka Whaitiri, Climate Change Minister James Shaw and associate Local Government Minister Kieran McAnulty to explain the concerns of their members.

He said they enjoyed the experience, with the scheduled 30-minute meeting lasting 70 minutes. . . 

Methane inhibitor bolus could reduce emissions by 70% :

A project to develop a sustained release methane inhibitor technology for grass-fed animals has received a funding boost from the Government.

Ruminant BioTech’s CALM (Cut Agricultural Livestock Methane) programme has secured nearly $8 million from the state. Ruminant BioTech investors will match the Crown’s cash injection.

The company aims to develop a commercially viable bolus by 2025 that delivers at least a 70% reduction in ruminant animals’ methane emissions over six months.

Ruminant BioTech chief executive George Reeves says the bolus has the potential to provide every dairy, sheep, and beef farmer in New Zealand with an effective, easy, “set and forget” methane reduction solution that is both highly effective and practical for grass-fed animal farming operations. . . 

Fonterra expects biotech products to drive future growth :

Fonterra’s global focus has shifted since the pandemic began, anticipating much of its future growth will stem from investment in high value growth in biotech products.

In response to the changing global market, the dairy co-operative has recently established a global markets business, headed up by long serving executive Judith Swales.

Her brief covers global consumer products, ingredients and food services businesses everywhere but China.

Swales said global dairy production was levelling off, given land constraints, climate change considerations and plateauing consumer demand for dairy products, such as milk, butter, cheese and yogurt. . . 

Why organic farming is not the way forward – Holger Kirchmann:

The aim of this article is to provide information about crop production data based on large-scale organic farming and to point toward major consequences. National statistics show lower organic yields than compiled in meta-analyses from farm- and plot-scale. Yields of organically cropped legumes were 20% and nonlegumes 40% lower than those of conventionally grown crops. Area estimates showed that almost two of three crops were legumes or legume mixtures in organic farming, whereas one of three crops was a legume in conventional cropping. Doubling land use for legumes in organic farming affected the type of food produced, being dominated by milk products and red meat. Over all crops, the organic yield gap was 35%. Since yields are lower under organic than conventional practices, more land is required to produce the same amount of agricultural crops. A 35% yield gap means that 50% more arable land is required. A demand for 50% more farmland imposes huge land use changes and makes one realize the wide-ranging environmental consequences that follow when converting to organic farming. In a relevant comparison between organic and conventional cropping systems, environmental consequences caused by land use change such as lost products (timber, fiber, energy, etc.) and lost ecosystem services (sequestered carbon in soil, wildlife, biodiversity, etc.) must be included. The concept of organic farming was founded on philosophical views about nature, not biological science. Natural means and methods were assumed to be superior. Verification of the reasoning and statements of the founders on why to abandon mineral fertilizers cannot be corroborated by science and is incorrect. Scientific evidence for the concept to abandon synthetic mineral fertilizers as nutrients for crops is lacking. The scientific community is obliged to follow rigorous scientific criteria—not biased views, prejudices, or beliefs. . . 

Wool and cotton outlook – Angus Jones :

International markets for wool and cotton have seen much volatility through the course of 2022 – with the lingering impacts of COVID and escalated geopolitical and economic uncertainty affecting the trade – and the year ahead could be equally turbulent, agribusiness banking specialist Rabobank says in a new industry podcast.

Speaking on the podcast, Turbulent 2022 for Cotton and Wool Prices, Rabobank associate analyst Edward McGeoch said local and global extreme weather events have significantly impacted cotton production while Australian wool production is on the rise.

Year in review – Cotton

There has been a lot of fluctuation with cotton prices through 2022, Mr McGeoch said.

“Cotton prices opened well off the back of strong performances in 2021 – kicking off the year with a local price of roughly $740 per bale. And we saw the price trend up significantly to an 11-year high, with rises of 29 per cent to achieve just under $1000 per bale. . . 

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