Baa humbug! Demand for sheep milk is “booming” but taxpayers are being milked to help a Maori collective invest in the industry – Point of Order:
As Minister of Agriculture, Damien O’Connor has dipped into one of the troughs in his bailiwick to nurture a Maori sheep-milk enterprise. As Minister of Rural Affairs, he has declared a medium-scale adverse event in cyclone-battered bits of the North Island.
This declaration (he announced) enabled the government to dip into other troughs to provide support for farmers and growers hit by the storms.
For starters, a modest – almost trifling – sum of $200,000 was made available for local Rural Support Trusts and Mayoral Relief Funds to use to help recovery efforts in Taranaki, Wairarapa, and the Waitomo district.
Damien O’Connor popped up again to announce state support for Māori landowners to invest in New Zealand’s rapidly growing sheep milk industry. . .
Council-farmer bond important – Jessica Marshall:
The relationship between council and farmers is important, says outgoing Environment Southland chief executive Rob Phillips.
“I’ve always had a clear view that… we’ve got some regulatory responsibilities but actually we are focused on improving outcomes, we can’t do that without a good relationship with farmers,” Phillips told Dairy News after announcing that he will retire from the role in May.
That relationship hasn’t been without its tensions with some farmers, he says, but overall it’s been a positive one.
“I think if you look at some of the things we’ve done, we’ve changed our compliance activities, putting some emphasis on shed talks and those types of things.” . . .
‘We desperately need a bigger harvest in 2022’ – NZ Winegrowers :
The first grapes of the 2022 vintage have been picked and winegrowers are hoping for good yields as they try to replenish their cellars.
Last year’s harvest was 20 percent smaller than the previous year, forcing wineries to draw down on stocks to maintain their place in overseas markets.
New Zealand Winegrowers chief executive Philip Gregan said its members were feeling nervous heading into this crucial time of the year.
“This stock drawdown highlights that we desperately need a bigger harvest in 2022, to replenish cellars, and help satisfy international demand,” he said. . .
Stonefruit picked for food banks – Tracie Barrett :
The saying goes that when life hands you lemons, you should make lemonade, but for orchardist Lars Molving, the fruit in question would be apricots.
Mr Molving’s main fruit crop is cherries, but he also has 100 to 120 Nevis apricot trees, which in the past have been picked by staff from Jackson Orchards and sold at their roadside stall.
Bumper crops this year meant the apricots were not needed by Jackson’s, so Mr Molving’s wife, Felicity Pugh, looked at who might be able to take them for foodbanks.
The couple contacted the Salvation Army in Alexandra, the Cromwell Foodbank and KiwiHarvest, a logistics and distribution agency that collects food that might otherwise go to waste and delivers it to foodbanks and service agencies. . . .
Blackcurrant molecule packs brain-boosting punch – Richard Rennie:
New Zealand blackcurrants are proving to hold a secret ingredient that helps maintain healthy brains and deliver significantly increased values to the country’s small group of growers. Richard Rennie spoke to Canterbury agronomist Jim Grierson about the brain boost delivered by blackberries.
Almost 30 years ago, Auckland University health researcher Dr Jian Guan identified the molecule cyclic Glycine-Proline (cGP) as a key brain nutrient that normalises a hormone known as IGF-1, essential for body health.
She found its presence contributed to improved health outcomes for people suffering from a number of age-related neurological diseases, including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and dementia. Keeping IGF-1 levels maintained through old age can help retain cognitive function.
Unknown to her, but about the same time blackcurrant growers were researching the key health compounds in their crop. . .
NZ seed exports holding up 22 February 2022 :
Despite ongoing COVID pandemic complications and shipping challenges, New Zealand’s seed exports are holding up well.
Over 55,000 tonnes or the equivalent of around 2750 shipping containers of high quality specialty seed was sent to over 70 international markets, worth more than $236m (FoB) in calendar year 2021, according to latest StatsNZ’s Overseas Trade Statistics.
Export revenue for the year ended December 2021 was 5% lower than a year earlier.
Around half of NZ seed exports by value go to the Netherlands (22%), Australia (11%), Germany (10%), and USA (8%). . .
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