Young Farmer of the Year to undergo major overhaul:
New Zealand’s longest-running agricultural contest the FMG Young Farmer of the Year is set to undergo a major overhaul.
The revamp is designed to entice more women to enter the iconic contest and to help showcase the country’s food story.
As part of the significant changes, the TeenAg competition will be rebranded the FMG Junior Young Farmer of the Year. . .
Take care with kids and vehicles – Richard Loe:
MYTH 3: WorkSafe doesn’t want kids on farm vehicles.
My youngest is 25 now but it seems no time since I was stopping the truck so my kids could get out and pick the lambs up.
It’s natural to want your kids and grandkids to be involved on the farm and WorkSafe doesn’t want to change that.
However, farmers are responsible for ensuring other people, including children, are not put at risk.
Vehicles are the major factor in fatal accidents on farms and children are particularly vulnerable to that critical risk. . .
New campaign aims to reduce injuries in the woolshed :
The farming industry is trying to cut down on injuries in and around the woolshed with a new online injury prevention programme.
In 2017 there were 755 work-related injuries in wool harvesting, resulting in 9300 working days lost to the industry, according to ACC weekly compensation data.
See the Health and Safety Performance Wool Growers Leaderboard 2017 (PDF272KB)
The same year there were 4700 work-related injuries in wool growing, resulting in 35,000 days lost to the industry. . .
Independently nomianted candidates for Fonterra board of directors’ election announced:
Peter McBride, Jamie Tuuta and Ashley Waugh have been announced as the Independent Nomination Process candidates for the 2018 Fonterra Farmer Directors’ election.
The three candidates were nominated by the Fonterra Board after being recommended by the Independent Selection Panel. The process for their nomination was supported by the Shareholders’ Council has supported the candidacy of each candidate as part of the Independent Nomination Process. . .
Bull Breeding Worth shifts reflect increase in value of fat :
In what is the most significant change to global dairy trade in the last 20 years, milk fat will earn dairy farmers more than protein in the 2018/19 season.
“Fat has been a low value milk component but has seen a steady rise in recent seasons due to consumer-driven market value,” DairyNZ Strategy and Investment Leader Dr Bruce Thorrold says. “That’s a welcome change for New Zealand dairy farmers who are set to receive a strong 2018/19 milk price, buoyed by the value of milk fat.” . .
Government direction on transmission may be needed for dairy – Gavin Evans:
Government intervention in transmission will probably be required if the country is serious about electrifying dairy processing to reduce the country’s carbon emissions, Babbage Consultants associate Richard Stretton says.
Processors Synlait Milk and Fonterra Cooperative Group have committed to electrify small sites as part of a progreamme to reduce coal as a fuel source for processing capacity. . .
Fonterra ‘matchmaking’ service to transform workplace:
Fonterra employees will be able to spend up to a third of their time on projects outside their day jobs in what is believed to be a New Zealand-first initiative.
Fonterra’s ‘amp’, short for amplify, is an innovative new approach to working that is set to change the face of employment in the Co-op. Using a gig-economy type approach, employees will be empowered to work on internal projects outside their normal role, based on their individual skills or areas of interest. . .
a