Irrigation NZ restructures in response to sector’s needs:
Irrigation New Zealand is restructuring to put renewed focus on solving the tension between the fundamental need for irrigation in a post-COVID New Zealand, and the sector’s increasingly restricted licence to operate.
In addition, the loss of IrrigationNZ’s flagship conference due to lockdown meant the organisation experienced significant financial loss creating reason to review, reset and refocus.
As such, the Board of IrrigationNZ has restructured the organisation to reflect a new two-pronged approach to focus on advocacy at a national level, as well as deliver value ‘on the ground’ in the regions. The following changes have been made: . .
Rain fails to wash away problems – Colin Williscroft:
The drought might have been broken across most of Hawke’s Bay but many farmers are still dealing with its effects.
Jacqui Anderson, who with husband Wayne has farms at Waipukurau in Central Hawke’s Bay and Maraekakaho, west of Hastings, says the extended drought followed by plenty of rain over the past month has affected each property differently.
They couple have farmed at Waipukurau for 20 years, mainly trading bulls, and put plans in place early. They did a feed budget last year knowing the number of bulls they were likely to carry over winter so bought balage when it wasn’t too hard to get. . .
From drought to deluge, farmer loses 30 hectares of grass – Amy WIlliams:
A Northland swamp farmer has lost hectares of grass to flooding just months after a drought dried up pastures.
Evan Smeath has farmed a dairy herd on his 190 hectare farm at the top end of the Hikurangi Swamp just north of Whangārei for 42 years.
“This was some of the most intense rainfall I’ve seen in all the time we’ve been here but they’re not the biggest floods,” Smeath said.
“This one came so quick, so fast, it’s done a bit of damage to the fencing and drains. . .
Māori tech business creates app to streamline job matching for seasonal workers – Bonnie Flaws:
A new app that connects seasonal workers with horticultural employers promises to streamline the hiring process.
It was notoriously difficult for horticulture businesses to find and keep skilled staff, Jobloads founder Candice Pardy said.
As a persimmon orchard owner who has struggled to find workers when needed, Pardy said she knew first-hand the frustration of employers. . .
Want bacon but really prefer to eat lamb? Here’s the product for you – Bonnie Flaws:
Have you ever sat down to breakfast and thought: “I wish this bacon was really made of lamb?”
Auckland butcher Nadine Bates is stocking an unusual product on offer at her shop – lamb bacon. She says it’s a “mind-teasing” alternative to the traditional stuff.
And while you might think of bacon as something that solely comes from pigs, Bates says in fact it can be made from any meat. It’s the curing process that makes something bacon, not the fact that it’s pork, she says. . .
Cutting edge tech removing need for inspectors in meat plants – Shan Goodwin:
Beef and sheep meat processors are well down the road to removing the need for inspectors to come on-site to conduct audits, thanks to cutting-edge augmented reality smart glasses technology.
Australian immersive technology solution company Bondi Labs has been working for several years on wearable, artificial intelligence enabled hands-free technology that would allow for the remote seeing and assisting of tasks and operations within a meat processing facility in real-time.
The initial catalyst for the work was addressing supply chain transparency and quality assurance non-compliance issues in real time globally to build greater trust and confidence in those supply chains. . .
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