Dear Consumer: They tell me not to get angry. But If I am honest, sometimes I do. – Uptown Girl:
Dear Concerned Consumer,
The marketing research tells me that I should focus on the positive when I address you. I shouldn’t talk about the environment, or the health of my soil – they say you do not care about those things.
They tell me not to discuss the challenge of feeding the world. I should not detail the challenges of feeding my own family on a farmer’s income, with ever rising input costs, unpredictable weather patterns and buyer preferences that change with the direction of the wind. They tell me this doesn’t register with you. . .
Dairy downturn costs NZ economy $4.8 billion – Gerald Piddock:
The full scale of the dairy downturn nationally has been revealed after new statistics showed a $4.9 billion fall in dairy-related income from the 2014-15 season.
The statistics from DairyNZ showed the value of milk production to the national economy dropped from $18.1b in 2013-14 to $13.2b in 2014-15.
Waikato has taken a $1.8b loss in dairy revenue, from $4.2b to $2.4b over the same period. . .
Good practice – good farm – Andrew Hoggard:
The Sustainable Dairying: Workplace Action Plan launched last week at Lincoln is the roadmap to achieving the dairy industry’s work environment objectives.
It is part of an original initiative developed in 2013 by Federated Farmers and DairyNZ and aims to encourage good employment practice by dairy farmers
Whether we like it or not the dairy industry suffers from a perception problem when it comes to employment practices.
Some of that perception is based on the fact that it’s a dirty job and you need to get up early. We can’t do much to change that. . .
Charlotte Hilgendorf, left, Prue Frost, Jane von Dadelszen, and Henrietta Scott, a granddaughter and three great-granddaughters of pioneering New Zealand plant scientist, Lincoln University’s Professor Frederick William Hilgendorf, were given the plaque from the campus building named after him which is being demolished, at a lunch last week at the University.
Some of the history and architectural features of the building was presented to the family members, as well as some stories from those who worked in it. . .
Ongoing wine research by Dr Wendy Parr of Lincoln University indicates that while minerality is not a figment of tasters’ sensorial imagination, the source of the perception remains a mystery, and the description should be used with caution in formal wine tasting and judging situations.
‘Minerality’ is used by wine professionals to describe the character of certain wines, with vague references made to wet stones, crushed rock and soil. Regarded variously as a taste, a smell, a trigeminal (mouth-feel) sensation, or all three, until now there’s been little agreement on what is actually meant by this common but enigmatic term, or whether it even exists.
Intrigued by the lack of scientific knowledge and the plethora of anecdotal evidence around minerality, Dr Parr collaborated with scientists in France and at Plant and Food Research in New Zealand to investigate what the concept means in Sauvignon Blanc wines, and whether there are cultural differences in perceptions of minerality. . .
A rat has invaded predator-free Ulva Island/Te Wharawhara off the coast of Stewart Island, the Department of Conservation says.
Rat prints were first detected on a tracking card near the Post Office Bay houses as part of a routine tracking card and trap check.
Rodent detecting dog Gadget and her handler Sandy King found signs of a rat in two areas after checking the island. . .
Rural city living in Gore – Tracy Hicks:
In late 2013 Gore district councillors, still feeling pretty chuffed with the results from the local body elections, gathered for the traditional post-election retreat.
With our three-year term stretching ahead of us, little did anyone realise that what we were about to hear would significantly impact on our decision making.
A talk by leading demographer Prof Natalie Jackson was the catalyst we needed to stop talking about what we could do to make a difference to our future, and actually start doing something. . . .
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Homepaddock 