Redone foods not so satisfying – Anna Campbell:
Some years ago, I heard Honest Tea co-founder Seth Goldman speak. He is a vegan and had invested in Beyond Meats, where he was the chairman from 2013-20. He is now on to another venture, the PLNT Burger — a quick-serve animal-free chain, with their most popular menu item being “Cripsy Chick N Funguy Sandwich”.
When I heard him speak, he spoke of two key food trends — “undone” and “redone”. Undone being going back to basics. What our grandmothers cooked, simple, additive free, “naked food”. Redone representing plant-based and cellular meats, cellular eggs — basically anything you can imagine, reimagined.
The redone food category is an investment darling internationally, it attracted $US3.1billion ($NZ4.47billion) of investment in 2020, more than three times investment in the previous year. According to Boston Consulting Group, by 2035, alternate proteins could account for 11% of the protein we eat. This is a far cry from reports published and commentators’ opinions of less than five years ago, where there was a belief no-one would be eating animal-based protein within a decade.
Have you tried an Impossible Burger, or Beyond Meat burger? If you haven’t, you can buy Beyond Meat burgers at local supermarkets in the frozen section for the price of $12.50 for two patties. My husband does most of our supermarket shopping and when I asked him to bring some home, he point-blank refused, based on principle and price . He can be a stubborn fellow, so I had to make a special trip in the name of “market research”. . .
Nutrient claims are crap! – Jacqueline Rowarth:
A debate has emerged in nutrient management and fertiliser advice, brought to a head by the hype about regenerative agriculture.
Proponents of the latter are telling farmers that the soil has thousands of years of nutrients and synthetic fertiliser isn’t required. The theory is that animals, including worms and other organisms, will make the nutrients available in their excreta.
The opposite approach from soil scientists is that to maintain soil quality, what is removed in animal and plant harvest (or lost to the environment) must be replaced. If improvements in soil quality are required (development), more nutrients than removed will be required. This maintenance or development approach was pioneered in New Zealand by soil scientists in the 1970s and 1980s. They initiated the Computerised Fertiliser Advisory Service with soil tests investigated, chosen for appropriateness for New Zealand soils and then calibrated for New Zealand conditions rather than those of the northern hemisphere.
New B+LNZ role a challenge and an opportunity – Colin Williscroft:
Kit Arkwright was recently appointed chief executive of Beef + Lamb NZ Inc, taking over from Rod Slater, who retired after 27 years in the role. Colin Williscroft reports.
Following in the footsteps of someone like Rod Slater can be something of a double-edged sword.
On the one hand you’re inheriting an organisation and brand that’s in good heart and a household name, while on the other, there’s some big shoes to fill.
For Kit Arkwright, he sees challenge as well as opportunity. . .
Record low number of sheep measles cases detected :
The amount of sheep measles being detected across the country is at a record low of 0.44 percent.
Tapeworms in dogs produce eggs, which when passed to pasture in their faeces, are ingested by sheep.
The resulting parasitic infection doesn’t make sheep sick but causes cysts on the meat, affecting its quality.
Ovis Management, owned by New Zealand meat companies, sheep measles and educates farmers on how to minimise it. . .
Canterbury sheep Burt is more popular than ewe – Maja Burry:
A Canterbury sheep called Burt has shot to TikTok fame, with one of the two-year old Romney’s latest videos amassing over seven million views.
Burt lives on a farm in Port Levy on the Banks Peninsula, where owner Naomi Abraham started posting funny videos of him during lockdown last year.
Abraham said Burt was a very special sheep whom she had raised since he was a lamb.
“My partner Tom works on the farm we live on and he brought him [Burt] to me one day because he had lost his mum and all the other lambs had already left the farm and there was this little newborn just floating around with no home to go to,” Abraham said. . .
Defra unveils payment rates for Sustainable Farming Incentive :
The government has announced the payment rates for the UK’s new Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI), which will pay farmers to deliver environmental goals.
Defra Secretary George Eustice set out more information on the SFI on Thursday, which is being introduced as part of a post-Brexit reform of farmers’ subsidies.
The SFI – the first of the UK’s new environmental land management schemes replacing the EU’s Common Agriculture Policy – will be rolled out next year.
The reform is the most significant change to UK farming and land management in over five decades. . .
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