Cream of NZ”s primary industries researchers and innovators honoured :
Teams and individuals whose talents and toil help New Zealand’s farmers, foresters and fishers thrive, and what they produce foot it in intensely competitive international marketplaces, were honoured at the 2023 Primary Industries New Zealand Awards tonight.
The awards evening is a highlight of the fifth annual PINZ Summit, with winners from 65 nominations across nine award categories announced at Tākina, Wellington’s new Convention and Exhibition Centre.
A mark of the fact that science and research so often underpins solutions to gnarly environmental, climate and production challenges is that AgResearch personnel took out three of the coveted trophies.
The Science & Research Award went to the AgResearch Endophyte Discovery Team for their world-leading development and commercialisation of strains of ryegrass with improved insect protection and plant persistence, coupled with fewer adverse effects on animal health. . .
Hunting for Tai Rāwhiti – “I don’t see deer, I see a food bag” – Sally Round :
It’s the crack of dawn just after the roar and three hunters and their dogs are sidling along a ridge on the edge of a forest.
Mist cloaks the valley below and in the distance is the sacred maunga, Hikurangi.
Lisa, Matt and 16-year-old Sam are stalking deer on Puketoro Station, one of Tairāwhiti’s landmark sheep and beef stations on the edge of the Raukumara Range.
They’re there not only for the thrill of the hunt but also to stock the region’s food banks which are under heavy demand in the cyclone-ravaged region. . .
Mitigating methane – one artificial lab cow at a time – Monique Steele :
While the government scrambles to develop methane-mitigating tools for farmers, the private sector is drumming up its own solutions.
New Zealand researchers are working to develop methane inhibitors and vaccines for cows, sheep and deer to reduce agricultural emissions.
It comes as the government announced at Fieldays a joint industry investment of $17.7 million to go towards the construction of a new purpose-built greenhouse gas testing facility.
But American animal health multinational Alltech is already years into its New Zealand study of how a cow’s diet impacts its methane output – with its yeast culture feed products being tested on 60 artificial cows in an Auckland laboratory. . .
Comparing (export) apples with apples – Dr Eric Crampton:
A little known law of demand in economics explains why countries export their best produce
Once you see it, you see it everywhere.
Married couples who’ve left the kids at home with a sitter go out to nicer restaurants than childless couples who have the same income.
If you’re travelling abroad and looking across the wine aisle, there’s a lot less price difference between top-tier and mid-tier wine than you’d find here at home. You might be more inclined to pay the smaller bit extra.
And the best New Zealand produce is often destined for export markets. . .
A second Green Revolution is needed to feed the planet – Bjorn Lomborg :
With just $5.5bn invested annually, agricultural R&D can reduce hunger and increase per capita incomes, making it one of the best investments humanity can make
One of humanity’s biggest achievements in the last century was a huge increase in food production. From 1900 to 2000, there was a six-fold increase in crop harvests, while the global population increased less than fourfold, meaning that on average, people today have about 50% more food available than their great, great grandparents.
Most of the increase in production came from farmers growing more food from each hectare of land. The extraordinary progress is due to the Green Revolution that turbocharged modern inputs for farming.
It has been estimated that Nobel peace prize-winning agronomist Norman Borlaug, who spearheaded the intensification of modern farming methods, saved more than 1-billion lives from hunger. As well as feeding people, the Green Revolution made societies far richer. And, as agriculture becomes more efficient, people are freed from back-breaking labour and are able to engage in a far broader range of productive activities.
The Green Revolution was an extraordinary achievement. However, the world needs a second Green Revolution to extend the benefits to the world’s poorest and reduce global hunger. . .
Cheese export values stretch to new highs :
Cheese exports rose $763 million (35 percent) in the 12 months to May 2023, compared with the previous year reaching $3.0 billion, according to figures released by Stats NZ.
Over the same period, cheese quantities exported rose 6.9 percent, and the average price per kilogram rose 26 percent.
“Cheese has become an even more valuable export for New Zealand over the last year, reflecting the higher prices that are being experienced globally,” international trade manager Al Allen said.
Cheddar cheese made up 43 percent of total cheese exported or $1.3 billion and was the top category of cheese exported in the year to May 2023. Fresh cheese (mainly mozzarella and cream cheese) made up 18 percent ($528 million), and grated or powdered cheese made up 15 percent ($456 million) of the total. . .
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