Sheep farming is under serious threat from incentives to grow trees and more crops, retired Federated Farmers meat and wool chairman Miles Anderson says.
In his six years on the national executive, the past three as section chairman, Anderson said the biggest single frustration has been wool.
“We have got a product we have selectively bred for generations and generations, it ticks all the environmental boxes and many of us are dumping crutchings, bellies and pieces on-farm because it costs more to get them to the woolstore than you get for it – it’s ridiculous.
“If there was ever a time for the wool industry to get its act together and work collaboratively to improve the fortunes of everyone in the industry, now is the time. . .
New Federated Farmers dairy chairman Wayne Langford says the next few years will be critical for the industry as it navigates freshwater reform, climate change and Mycoplasma bovis.
The Golden Bay dairy farmer takes over from Chris Lewis, having served as his vice-president for the past three years.
“I think with the state of the Government and potentially them doing another term, I think these are all going to start to come to a head.
“They have made their intentions pretty clear on that so I think these next three years are pretty crucial in that, making sure our farming sector, where we are still profitable and where there are still vibrant communities and a bunch of young farmers still on the ground.” . .
Does this count as spring calving?? That's north island cattle for ya! They look bigger if you take the picture from down low….. 😂 #1 for 2020 pic.twitter.com/HoTsz11zMe
The Government wants to accelerate improvements to production and sustainability on the land to greatly increase export earnings over the next decade. But big change will be needed, Tim Murphy reports.
A new package to grow our agriculture, food and fibre industries, improve the environment and stimulate jobs has a huge financial target and an even bigger set of challenges for farmers and growers.
The final report of the Primary Sector Council – Fit for a Better World – sets an ambitious agenda to ‘transform’ farm and forestry practices sustainably and in keeping with Te Taiao (the natural world) to address the climate crisis, while finding new $1 billion export products and saving and developing free trade for our products.
After a long period of consultation and research, the council’s vision for New Zealand’s primary industries is all encompassing: “We are committed to meeting the greatest challenge humanity faces: rapidly moving to a low carbon emissions society, restoring the health of our water, reversing the decline in biodiversity and, at the same time, feeding our people.” . .
A whole generation of farmers don’t seem to know about the advantages of feeding NZ-grown grain to livestock, claims Jeremy Talbot.
Talbot is a South Canterbury arable farmer and long-time proponent of farmers using more NZ-grown grain to feed their livestock.
believes the current drought in many parts of the country, and the resulting shortage of hay and baleage, is an ideal time for the practice of grain feeding livestock to be highlighted. . .
The New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union is sceptical that 61% of taxpayer funding for waterway clean-up just happens to be focused on the Northland electorate.
Union spokesperson Louis Houlbrooke says: “The Government has announced that $162 million of taxpayers’ money will be spent on cleaning our waterways. There are 23 projects, but one will receive $100 million, 61% of the total allocation. It is also the only project set to run more than one year.”
“The Kaipara Moana Remediation programme is predicted to create 1,094 jobs over the six-year life of the project surrounding the Kaipara Harbour, most of which sits within the key electorate of Northland. . .
School day for Big Mac. He’s almost 6mths old, time to get the hang of quad riding. He needs to learn to stay on while I open gates and untangle lambs. And improve his balance a bit! #workingdogs#pupdatepic.twitter.com/RhHrcqM3KF
Aerial fire management is helping save the Carpentaria grasswren in North West Queensland.
The project at Calton Hills at Gunpowder, north of Mount Isa has been running for three years replicating land management that used to be done for centuries before Europeans arrived and a new video produced by Southern Gulf NRM is showing how it is working.
Michael Blackman, a fire management consultant with Friendly Fire Ecological Consultants said the aerial burns was carried out in older age spinifex.
“This country here has a lot of large wildfires come through in 2011 and 2012 and the main reason for doing this project is to assist in the recovery of the Carpentaria grasswren which lives in the old age spinifex,” Mr Blackman said. . .
Crossbred wool prices have plummeted to new record low levels in the wake of Covid-19, with some farmers receiving less than a dollar a kilogram for their wool.
Coarse wool makes up about 85 percent of New Zealand’s total wool clip, but prices have been low for years.
South Canterbury sheep farmer and former Federated Farmers meat and wool chair, Miles Anderson, said the problems facing the sector had been exacerbated further by the coronavirus.
Miles Anderson said at the moment returns to farmers didn’t even come close to covering the costs of shearing and in some cases, it wasn’t even worth sending the wool off farm. . .
New Zealand’s largest outdoor recreation retailer, Hunting & Fishing New Zealand, today called on the Government to get back around the table and genuinely work with the hunting community to develop a pragmatic and long-term solution for the management of the South Island’s tahr population.
Hunting & Fishing New Zealand Chief Executive Darren Jacobs says it is extremely disappointing that a lack of consultation has once again required legal action, with the Tahr Foundation seeking an injunction this week in the High Court to stop a widespread cull due to start on 1 July.
“This is the second time in less than two years that hunting groups have had to take court action to stop plans for an extreme tahr cull and force the Government back around the table to talk with hunting groups, and other interested parties, to develop a collaborative approach to managing the tahr population,” says Jacobs. . .
The Tahr Foundation is condemning the Department of Conservation for what it describes as DOC’s “sham consultation” over plans to kill thousands of Himalayan tahr.
DOC’s kill operation is due to start today but the final version of its plan was only released just before midnight, minutes before it came into force. The plan confirms that DOC aims to exterminate tahr from national parks and kill thousands more through the Southern Alps.
The Tahr Foundation says that is outrageous and confirms that the already suspect consultation process was a farce.
Foundation spokesperson Willie Duley says DOC’s tactics are cynical. . .
LIC has strengthened its support for growing the next generation of primary sector leaders with the signing of a three-year agreement with Rural Leaders which runs the highly-respected Nuffield Farming Scholarship and Kellogg Rural Leadership programmes.
Farmer owned co-operative LIC is committed to further enabling rural business professionals and farmers to flourish at a time when career opportunities on and around farms are strong says LIC Chief Executive Wayne McNee.
“We’re proud to have strengthened our partnership with Rural Leaders having previously had an association for five years,” he explains. “We’re excited to further cement our support for the future leaders our sector needs to retain and grow if we are to maintain global status as a world-class provider of agritech, food and products. We need leaders with passion and depth to navigate the challenges and opportunities being faced. Like Rural Leaders, LIC is focused on empowering people to grow and we’re delighted to be working with Rural Leaders to support more talented Kiwis to embark on forthcoming Nuffield and Kellogg programmes.” . .
CALLOUT to any experienced tractor and machine operators! Due to the current immigration situation we are on the lookout for drivers with experience for our upcoming season. Even if its 3 days a week, we will take what we can get for experience. October – March/April 1/3 pic.twitter.com/jk4AhO2AjZ
— Jeremy Hughes – DTC 🚜🚜🚜 (@travelingfixer) June 26, 2020
Growers have overwhelmingly supported the continuation of the Non-Proprietary and Uncertified Herbage Seeds Levy order for another six years.
“In fact, from 82 percent in favour at the last levy vote in 2014, support shown during the vote last November had risen to 91 percent,” Federated Farmers Herbage Seedgrowers Subsection Chairperson Hugh Wigley says.
Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor and the rest of Cabinet have approved continuation of the levy, and it will be gazetted this week.
“Grasses and clovers are vital to our sector but contracts for growing from proprietary seed are not always available and are more expensive. This levy safeguards supply of non-proprietary and uncertified seeds and provides different options to our farmers,” Hugh says. . .
Three institutions offering wine and viticulture courses have signed an agreement that will see them collaborate on research and student learning with the Marlborough Research Centre and Marlborough-based Bragato Research Institute.
The Memorandum of Understanding brings together tutors and students from Eastern Institute of Technology in Hawkes Bay, Otago Polytechnic, the Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology, whose Budge St campus also houses Bragato’s research winery, as well as the Marlborough Research Centre.
MRC Chief Executive Gerald Hope says the MOU is another milestone towards the development of the campus as the national centre for wine-making and viticulture, following on from the opening of the Bragato research winery in February. . .
Clarification of what hunting will be permitted after we move to COVID-19 Alert 3 is helpful, Federated Farmers says, but it is essential the hunters get permission to access private land.
“It’s good to have clarity on the rules that will apply, and that the government is continuing to strike a good balance between a planned return to where we were while keeping the risk of spread of the virus to a minimum,” Feds rural security and firearms spokesperson Miles Anderson said.
The government announced today that recreational hunting for big and small game will be allowed under Level 3 on private land only. But, as has always been the case, hunters must gain the landowner’s permission. . .
New Zealand venison farmers are being caught out by the Chinese government’s moves to clamp down on the trade of wild meat.
The confusion has prompted some processors here to hold off shipping venison to the country.
China has been tightening its rules on the trade of wild meat in the wake of the Coronavirus outbreak, which is thought to have originated in a wild-animal market in Wuhan.
Silver Fern Farms chief executive Simon Limmer said despite the venison it processes and exports being a farmed product, not a wild one, there had been some clearance issues for shipments to the country. . .
Paddocks around New Zealand have been peppered with giant poppies as the country prepares for a very different Anzac Day.
With official services cancelled due to coronavirus restrictions, Kiwis are coming up with new ways to salute the fallen from the safety of their bubbles.
In rural areas, the humble hay bale has taken a starring role in commemorations, with oversized poppies springing up on farms across the country.
Southland farmer David Johnston said his family had been attending Anzac Day commemorations for years. . .
Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor eschewed the words “Gypsy Day”, in a press statement yesterday that addressed dairy farmers’ concerns about what would happen on June 1. He preferred “Moving Day” and said Moving Day will go ahead as planned this year, but with strict controls to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Reporting this news, Farmers Weekly explained that Moving Day is also known as Gypsy Day and occurs on June 1 each year when many dairy farming families, sharemilkers, contract milkers and employees move to new farms to start new jobs and milking contracts.
Vineyard owners and winemakers are predicting this year’s vintage will be a ‘‘stunner’, which could be the silver lining to a harvest like no other.
Almost all the 170 vineyards represented by the Central Otago Winegrowers Association have started picking their grapes, but this year the pickers have had to abide by Alert Level 4 restrictions.
Maude Wines winemakers Dan and Sarah-Kate Dineen, of Wanaka, said it had made the harvest a more expensive and sombre affair.
‘‘Usually, it is a time to celebrate — we feed our crew well and they all dine together — but we have to change all that because of social distancing,’’ Mr Dineen said. . .
Woodhaven Gardens, the 2020 Regional Supreme Winner at the Horizons Ballance Farm Environment Awards, are fans of how New Zealand Good Agriculture Practice’s (NZGAP) Environmental Management System (EMS) ‘add-on’ makes compliance more straight forward.
‘I see the EMS process as the way of the future. After going through the process, it is very clear that this is the path for the industry to go,’ says Woodhaven Gardens’ Jay Clarke.
The EMS ‘add-on’ complements a grower’s regular NZGAP audit, by including Farm Environment Plans (FEPs) in the suite of tools that NZGAP offers. FEPs are a way for growers to map their property and identify hazards to calculate their environmental footprint, and record improvements over time. . .
Wattie’s completed its 24/7 pea and bean harvesting and processing season last Friday under conditions not previously experienced in its 50 year history of operating in Hornby, due to the restrictions imposed by COVID-19 protocols.
Like every other business operating essential services, Wattie’s field and factory staff based in Christchurch had to adapt quickly to the strict protocols developed in response to the Ministry of Primary Industry’s requirements.
Graham Broom, the Site Manager for Wattie’s in Hornby, said without question, everyone understood the reasons for the changes in our operations, but the new work practices added significantly to people’s workloads during an already busy time, particularly in the factory. . .
The director of a South Island honey company is donating 21,000 jars of manuka honey to food banks – and he wants other companies to follow his example, writes Bonnie Sumner.
It’s only money, honey.
At least, that’s how Steve Lyttle of 100% Pure New Zealand Honey in Timaru is looking at it.
Due to a labelling mistake, ten tonnes’ worth of his company’s manuka honey mixed with blueberry cannot be exported as planned. . .
The wool industry hopes for some lifting of COVID-19 restrictions limiting shearing and crutching to animal welfare reasons only.
“The shearing and crutching that is happening is taking place in the sheds where the contractors are helping to introduce social distancinghttps://www.stuff.co.nz/national/121104102/coronavirus-will-the-duckshooting-season-go-ahead? protocols,” says Federated Farmers meat and fibre chairman Miles Anderson.
“The staff are all 2m away from each other and that sort of thing. So, the shearing and crutching that is happening on farm is taking a bit longer.
“Any wool that has been shorn in the last several weeks is being stored on farm.” . .
Overseas dairy farmers are pouring millions of litres of milk down the drain every day but it is business as usual for their Kiwi counterparts.
With pubs, cafes and restaurants closed due to the coronavirus outbreak, farmers in Britain are dumping up to 5 million litres a week, the Financial Times reported.
In the United States, up to 14 million litres of milk is going down the drain each day, according to the Dairy Farmers of America co-operative. . .
The duck-shooting season is due to start in two weeks, but there are still big questions about whether it will even be possible
The Covid-19 website initially said no to hunting under level three, but then changed to say they are re-looking at this and would provide an update soon.
The New Zealand Fish & Game Council held an online meeting on Friday to discuss an options paper about the ways forward, a spokesperson said.
“We appreciate that everyone wants some certainty around what we know is a national tradition. . .
With 45mm of rain over the last month, we are just starting to move on from what was a dire situation at #MangaRa Station. Let’s hope for a nice, long autumn. pic.twitter.com/cnlVkMa1Lk
The outbreak of COVID-19 is weighing on global market sentiment and the 2020 outlook.
The underlying assumption is that many of the disruptions in China will normalize by the end of Q2 2020.
Rabobank believes there has been a shift in the global market fundamentals. A material reduction in China’s 1H 2020 import requirements looms over the global market balance. Chinese dairy import volume is forecast to fall 19% in 2020. . .
Since the 1960’s the Blackwell’s have farmed on Mangaotea Station, taking pride in the high-quality cattle they produce. These days Rob, Jaqueline and Zarrah farm three separate cattle studs on the property, with an obvious family rivalry pushing them to breed the best they possibly can.
Traceable, trusted and safe food will be more important than ever before in post-lockdown society but consumer behaviour has changed and New Zealand food producers must adapt quickly, KPMG agribusiness global head Ian Proudfoot says.
An understanding of food’s importance in peoples’ lives is greater today than it has been in decades, probably since the 1940s, he told an AgriTech webinar.
“We’ve always assumed food will be there but now there is an awareness we could face food insecurity.
“Now we recognise food supply is not certain. Food availability will no longer be taken for granted.” . .
An effective recovery from COVID-19 requires on the ground investment in projects that will bring immediate employment benefits and lasting environmental benefits.
Federated Farmer has written to Ministers outlining a range of practical, on the ground initiatives that could provide employment and environmental benefits post COVID19, building on existing work.
“We need efficient and effective investment which provides both immediate benefits but also lasting environmental outcomes,” Feds environment spokesperson Chris Allen says.
“Our approach to improving the environment needs to recognise the importance of a robust and strong recovery from COVID-19, to mitigate the economic and social impacts.
“The situation has changed significantly since regulatory proposals in respect to freshwater, biodiversity and climate change were released. Our responses to these challenges need to reflect this new reality.” . .
Forest Owners Association President Phil Taylor says a harvest of just about any forest will produce higher grade logs for domestic construction, some logs for export and some lower value wood which is only suitable for domestic chipping.
“We just can’t go in and cut down some parts of a tree to cater to one market without harvesting the whole tree for other markets too. That was clearly shown up when forest companies were unable to export earlier in the year and how difficult it physically was to keep our local mills supplied,” Phil Taylor says.
“It’s not true either that we send all our logs overseas. In most years, the majority of the export value of our forest products comes from added value categories, such as sawn timber and pulp and paper.” . .
Firstly, let me introduce myself. My name is Adrian. I am an employee in the forestry industry, a Future Forester, a graduate of Canterbury University and, albeit very small, a forest owner.
Since starting out in the forestry industry 4 years ago I have been lucky enough to experience your leadership first-hand and hear your passionate encouragement of the forest industry and forest owners within it. During this time, I’ve been fortunate enough to have had the opportunity to speak at the beehive and describe the amazing opportunities for people involved with forestry. For me the forestry industry represents a world of incredible opportunities, amazing people and is an industry that I am extremely proud to be a part of. . .
Kiwifruit growers are aggrieved by today’s Court of Appeal decision that finds the Government was responsible for the 2009 PSA outbreak that devastated the industry but is not liable for the losses. The Kiwifruit Claim have confirmed they will appeal the decision in the Supreme Court.
“The Court of Appeal held that MPI was negligent in allowing a high-risk shipment of pollen anthers infected with PSA from China into New Zealand. But they found the Government does not owe a duty of care to ordinary New Zealanders and can’t be held liable for its actions, simply because it’s the Government,” said John Cameron, Kiwifruit Claim Chairman. . .
With shearing gangs mostly stood down under the level 4 lockdown, farmers face some challenges, reports Jill Herron.
Shearers and wool-handlers across the country are “very keen” to get back to work once Covid 19 restrictions ease – and farmers will be pretty pleased to see them.
As Federated Farmers Meat and Wool Industry Group Chairperson Miles Anderson points out, a trained shearer could crutch around 600 or 700 sheep a day, but the untrained far fewer. And he’s not relishing having to do his own crutching at his Timaru property.
“It’s not impossible for some farmers to do their own but with feeding out and lots going on at this time of year it could be difficult and could lead to some very long days. Myself, if I had to do a full belly crutch I’d probably do 200 the first day but only about 50 the next. It’s something you have to get fit to.” . .
NFU and NFU Cymru are urging retailers and processors to support British beef and sheep farmers by promoting cuts of meat such as steaks and roasting joints in stores, which are now in high supply due to the complete loss of the food service market.
In an open letter, NFU livestock board chairman Richard Findlay and vice-chairman Wyn Evans said that the supply chain has a moral responsibility to act in the interests of both consumers and farmers.
They reiterated that British beef and lamb is in plentiful supply but warned that ongoing high demand for products such as mince would soon become unsustainable. . .
Water is one of our nation’s critical strategic assets, perhaps second only behind our people. Therefore water storage is essential for ensuring we have a thriving primary sector for years to come, writes National’s Agriculture spokesman Todd Muller.
Water will be the currency of success in the next century.
In the 19th century it was coal, in the 20th century it was oil and in my view in the 21st century it is water.
We are a tradeable economy and water is a critical strategic asset in developing our commodities. The ability to store it will be a key infrastructural necessity if we are to leverage the value of water over the next few decades. . .
Federated Farmers is dismayed by reports that at least two businesses which process meat from wild rabbits are being strangled by compliance costs.
“It’s tough times on farms at the moment, with rising rabbit numbers in dry conditions. With all the focus on predator-free and biodiversity, surely we should be working with and encouraging the commercial use of pest species, not making it harder for operators,” Feds Meat & Wool Chairperson Miles Anderson says.
Radio NZ has reported that the owner of a business supplying wild rabbits to high end restaurants, and for pet food, is spending up to 40 hours a week on paperwork, never mind growing MPI audit fees at $176 an hour. As with another Canterbury-based processor, he told Radio NZ he was thinking of closing down. . .
Dairy farmers have many reasons for optimism though three out of four say the returns are not worth the effort, DairyNZ strategy and investment leader Bruce Thorrold says.
Many farmers are asking themselves why they still bother dairying and his task is to help clear the fog and rekindle motivation, he told the DairyNZ Northland farmers forum.
Farmers are worried about environmental, banking, farm value, alternative food, drought and disease pressures. . .
Check out these stunning new season #RoyalGala apples ready to be picked, packed and presented to you
Hats off to you, Wairarapa. In the words of another Kiwi who achieved a world-first, “we knocked the bastard off”.
Okay, eradicating the region’s pea weevil incursion isn’t as grand as Ed Hillary and Tensing Norgay climbing Everest but in terms of biosecurity, and protecting an industry that earns us $50 million in domestic sales and $84 million in exports, it is a big deal. It’s also another bug we don’t have to spray for.
As far as we know, no other country has successfully combatted this pest after an incursion.
It’s taken a region-wide and government agency effort to get where we are – that’s growers/farmers, home gardeners, Federated Farmers, local councils, Greater Wellington, local MPs, MPI, Biosecurity NZ, the Foundation for Arable Research, Assure Quality…a big thank-you to you all for your perseverance, flexibility and understanding. . .
A long-term plan is being developed to control Himalayan tahr in the South Island.
The Department of Conservation (DOC) said the large goat-like animals, introduced to New Zealand during the early days of European settlement, posed a threat to the country’s native alpine plants.
To combat the loss of native vegetation, DOC said it had been working with ecological experts to start a new monitoring system.
The long-term control plan is led by DOC and Ngāi Tahu. . .
Harper Adams University has said it will never ban beef from its campus menus as it criticises other institutions for their ‘knee-jerk reactions’ to the climate crisis.
In recent years, and even more so in recent months, several UK universities have attracted significant media attention for voting motions to ban beef.
Earlier this month, thousands of students at Edinburgh University rejected proposals to ban the meat in all student union run outlets. . .
New Zealand’s waterways are mostly pretty good in terms of being safe to swim in.
Certainly, I know of no deaths or even serious illness directly or indirectly attributed to swimming in a NZ river because of contamination from industrial, agricultural or municipal causes.
The discussion has largely been about contamination from dairy farms and that was driven by Fish and Game, possibly to divert attention from the fact that E coli contamination from water fowl, eg game birds, is very high in some locations. . .
Serena Lyders, of Tokanui, comes from five generations of shearers, grew up among shearers, is married to a sheep and beef farmer, her three sons are shearers and her 2-year-old granddaughter already has her own miniature woolshed broom.
As a result, Mrs Lyders is passionate about the woolharvesting industry and the health and wellbeing of its workers.
She is a Manukura navigator leader and mentor, working for Te Putahitanga o Te Waipounamu, which is the Whanau Ora commissioning agency for the South Island . .
Tomorrow we will start A.I on our heifers. Today we have applied a estrotect to all of them for easy heat detection. They will be A.I'd to jersey bulls then go straight out with Murray Grey bulls. We will A.I them for 3 weeks (a complete cycle) then 5 weeks with the bulls. pic.twitter.com/jurvQxXWv7
Farmers are ramping up their campaign to change new firearm laws to allow some of them to use otherwise banned firearms for pest control on their properties.
The legislation as proposed will compromise the ability of landowners with significant pest problems to do control so Government officials were invited to hear the concerns from some affected Central Otago farmers, Federated Farmers board member Miles Anderson says.
The federation wants an exemption for a small number of farmers who need semi-automatic firearms with large capacity magazines, of the type the bill will outlaw. . .
The world’s first sheep facial recognition software, developed in Dunedin, is set to be prototyped this year.
Sheep NN, a project created by artificial intelligence and machine learning company Iris Data Science, has received a $40,000 grant from Callaghan Innovation towards the $100,000 project that will take the model to prototype by the end of the year.
Iris Data Science was co-founded by Greg Peyroux and Benoit Auvray, who have been working on the project to cheaply re-identify sheep, potentially removing the need for ear-tags while also solving other farm management and broader issues. . .
Research has become a bigger part of Zespri’s marketing mix as it reverts to basics to increase sales in the United States.
The US is a comparatively recent market for Zespri, which has previously looked to China and Japan for growth. The kiwifruit marketer opened a pan-American office in 2017.
Last year US sales reached almost $100 million, an annual increase of 50% and Zespri chief grower David Courtney says this season will see even more fruit sold. . .
A group of Hawke’s Bay women have organised a shearing competition among themselves to raise awareness about mental health in rural communities.
The catch is that none of them – an accountant, a dental therapist, an optical technician, a police officer and a rural insurance manager – have ever shorn before.
The Women and Wool Farmstrong Fundraiser is the brainchild of shearing contractor Colin Watson-Paul who worked alongside rural insurance manager Harriet Partridge and other women in the community to organise it. . .
I grew up with a family in the restaurant business and as a kid, loved everything about hanging out in our local, downtown business. So, when my husband climbed on board with the idea of running a small agritourism business on our farm, I jumped in. During that time, it’s become clear a few things people can do to support small-town businesses.
1. Shout the good out and whisper the bad in. This is the complete opposite of how we normally behave, and I am just as guilty as anyone. Think about the last time you had a bad meal in a restaurant. The server comes by and says, “How is everything?” Most people respond, “Fine.” Then, when they walk out, they literally tell everyone how awful the meal was… everyone except the one person who needs to know in order to change it – the business owner!
On the flip, when someone has a good experience, they will often rave to the business owner and then forget about it shortly after leaving. According to Andrew Thomas on Inc.com, a dissatisfied customer will tell 9 to 15 people. Only one out of every 10 satisfied customers will share about their experience. . .
Some of you may be wondering why I have been absent on here for the past few months. A few of you even messaged me to check I was okay. I am thank you.
The short answer is I’m tired.
Among other things, this year has been our first year in business, taking over the lease of our family dry stock farm.
It’s been hard. The days are long and often lonely. My husband has worked 12 hour plus days, in the rain, wind and cold. . .
When the debate on a Capital Gains Tax was in full swing, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern was widely quoted as assuring farmers and small business owners that if a CGT were to be introduced, they had nothing to fear.
The productive sector and indeed most New Zealanders, quickly saw through this disingenuous claim and made their views known. The Ardern-led government quickly dropped that proposal-at least for now.
It seems the Ardern-led government learned nothing in the process.
New Zealand must export goods and services to exist financially, yet it seems this government is hell-bent on dumping on those very businesses which produce our wealth- which is then, via taxation, redistributed to fund such basics as health, education, welfare and housing. . .
Federated Farmers president Katie Milne says the two-week extension for submitting on the freshwater discussion document is a start.
But Milne says the Government should show “a sign of good faith” by granting a bigger extension. The Government has extended the deadline for submitting on its freshwater discussion document: farmers say the two-week extension isn’t enough.
“It would be a good sign of good faith if it was substantially lengthened – six months would be optimal, but three months would at least be more reasonable,” she told Rural News online. . .
DairyNZ Chief Executive Dr Tim Mackle is welcoming this afternoon’s announcement that consultation on Essential Freshwater has been extended by two weeks – but is calling on the Minister to go further.
“A two-week extension is a step in the right direction, but our concerns remain the same. Farmers still need more time to consider the Government’s proposal and to carefully weigh up the impact it may have on their farms, families, and communities” Dr Mackle said. . .
Federated Farmers presented to the Primary Production Select Committee on the proposed changes to NAIT legislation.
“Implementation and education on NAIT are lacking, we know a system that actually works would mitigate most of the non-compliance issues that currently exist in the NAIT system,” says Federated Farmers Meat and Wool spokesperson Miles Anderson.
“We do not believe that farmers deliberately set out to be non-compliant, and our members have been very vocal of their concerns with the system”.
These concerns include the usability of a system that is clunky and hard to navigate, requires technology which is expensive, and the reliance on connectivity that often fails or is nonexistent in rural areas. . .
More than 30 Horowhenua vegetable growers are signing up to audited farm environment plans to prove that they care for the environment and freshwater.
At a meeting in Levin last night, Tararua Growers President, Terry Olsen told the growers that now is the time to act to prove to central and regional government that they follow best practice.
‘We need to put our energy into ensuring the Government’s freshwater proposals result in positive outcomes,’ said Mr Olsen. . .
Enjoying junior shepherd job back on farm & no rain drops for 2 days! After tripping around the country in last 2 weeks. Grass growing, boys growing, 3/4 way through lambing. pic.twitter.com/h9JgC6CcRA
EU animal feed import demands pressures crop producing nations
European based environmental organizations were some of the first organizations to publicly advocate against the commercial introduction of genetically modified (GM) crops over 20 years ago. Since this time, these environmental groups have intensively lobbied to have GM crop production banned in the EU. Today, they’ve been successful in that effort, as Portugal and Spain are the only two GM crop producing countries in the EU, with less than 200,000 hectares of GM corn.
Why do GM crops matter in relation to the Brazilian forest fires?
The answer is trade and land. Corn and soy are two vital inputs required to feed livestock. . .
The fable of Stone Soup tells the tale of a weary stranger arriving at a village. He convinces the villagers to each contribute an ingredient in order to make a meal for everyone to enjoy. The weary stranger elaborately makes use of a simple stone as the key ingredient, to start creating the soup, as a catalyst for the village coming together. As the stranger leaves, the villagers plead for the soup recipe. It is at this point the stranger reveals they have always had the recipe. Simply put, it took each of them making a small contribution which ultimately provided a significant result.
The moral of the story is that there is value in collaboration to achieve a better outcome. The question is – can we make Stone Soup for Rural Wellbeing? Mental health and wellbeing is a wicked problem for New Zealand. This report serves to explore if there is sufficient interest within the agricultural sector to pursue a working arrangement, commercial interest’s aside, in collaborating for the betterment of rural wellbeing. . .
A Canterbury farmer is quitting a top land and water post, fearing lowland agriculture is being regulated out of existence.
Rangiora dairy farmer and farm management consultant Dave Ashby is chairman of the Waimakariri zone committee, which recommended policy to Environment Canterbury for a local land and water plan change. The proposed plan change 7 is now up for public submissions.
Ashby is meantime stepping down as zone committee chairman.
“I need to concentrate on my farm and business. Over 80 meetings and workshops over two years is a large commitment and it’s now time to stick to the knitting,” he said.
He will remain on the zone committee at this stage but is very concerned about the direction the plan is taking. . .
The Government must step up and help the Southern District Health Board as Central Otago’s chronic midwife shortage worsens, Waitaki MP Jacqui Dean says.
“The board is struggling to fill staffing gaps, with a shortage of relief midwifes affecting Charlotte Jean Maternity, in Alexandra, midwives in Wanaka and the Lakes District Hospital Maternity Unit, in Queenstown.
“I understand board staff are currently working day to day to ensure rosters are filled and that they are really struggling to find staff across the region. . .
The practicality and cost of a firearms register will be a waste of money and resources, Federated Farmers says.
The second tranche of proposed Arms Act amendments features a range of tighter controls on firearms ownership and licensing, some of which beg serious questioning. Federated Farmers rural security spokesman Miles Anderson said.
Feds has previously opposed the compulsory registration of all firearms based on the complexity and cost of the process, questionable safety benefits and the likelihood of success.
“We haven’t had a firearms register in New Zealand for almost 40 years.
“The successful re-establishment of one now would require a considerable investment, both economically and socially,” Anderson said. . .
150 years ago, much of the Midwest was still covered with chest-deep prairie grassland, providing valuable food and habitat for billions of plant and animal species, including millions of elk, bison and deer. These lands also supported natural environmental processes like carbon sequestration and seasonal flood control.
When Americans first settled the Midwestern prairies, they killed off the natural bison and other ruminants that lived there and began to farm highly fertile, virgin soil that was about 10 percent organic matter. . .
Misgivings about the practicality and cost of a firearms register is likely to dominate feedback from rural areas on the second round of proposed Arms Act amendments, Federated Farmers says.
The proposals feature a range of tighter controls on firearms ownership and licensing and Federated Farmers rural security spokesperson Miles Anderson anticipates support for many aspects of the changes.
“When firearms are used irresponsibly or illegally in New Zealand, it is often farmers who suffer the consequences through the theft of livestock, poaching of wild animals or the risks of dangerous behaviour. Hopefully some of these proposed changes will help to prevent that,” Anderson said. . .
Running a big station with 3500 owners is a big challenge. But Parengarega Station’s new farm manager Kathryne Easton is adding to the task, with her vision of starting with the environment then working back to the farm with her best-use-of-land philosophy at the same time as coping with pest, pasture and weather issues. She told Andrew Stewart her environmental and biosecurity plans include not just the farm but the entire Far North.
It’s fair to say many Kiwis forget how far the country stretches north past Auckland.
The reality is they can travel another six hours before reaching the tip of New Zealand at Cape Reinga and the further north they go the more diverse and challenging the land becomes.
Just half an hour south of the Cape lies Parengarenga Station, a diverse, nearly 6000-hectare operation that stretches between both coasts of the country. . .
Farm sales are at their lowest in the last four to six years, Real Estate Institute figures show.
Turnover for the three months to the end of June was down 24.6% on the corresponding period a year earlier and down 15.3% on the three-month period to the end of May.
The latest June tally was 322, compared with 380 in the May period and 427 for June last year.
The non-dairy farming sector is holding value more strongly than the dairy sector, the institute’s rural spokesman Brian Peacocke said.
Its All Farm Price Index showed a 2.4% rise from May to June and for the year the gain was 7.3%. . .
Livestock Improvement Corporation (NZX: LIC) (LIC) announces its financial results for the year ending 31 May 2019.
Reporting a significant increase in profitability, as well as new records in strength of balance sheet, operating cash flow, and total revenue, the co-op will return $15.6 million in dividend to shareholders. This fully imputed dividend equates to 10.98 cents per share and represents a yield of 12.2% based on the current share price of 90 cents. This dividend is up from 1.71 cents last year and is the largest dividend the co-op has paid since 2013.
Board chair Murray King said the result was in line with expectations and reflects a turnaround in the co-operative’s performance and profitability. . .
1500 riparian plants ready to plant this week, at $4500 it’s about the same in tax we will pay every year for our beef GHG emissions , I wonder which is going to have more of an effect on our farms footprint…. pic.twitter.com/bSxriNKIiB
Like it or not, genetic modification is going to be an important tool to feed the planet’s growing population.
If we want to feed 10 billion people by 2050, in a world beset by rising temperatures and scarcer water supplies, we will need to dramatically change the way we produce food. Increased public investment in technologies like genetic engineering is a vital piece of that, according to a report published Wednesday by the World Resources Institute.
Not only must crops be more productive, but the agricultural challenges of climate change—including disease, pests and periods of both drought and flooding—mean they must be more resilient as well. . .
After delaying the vote and criticising the policy, federal Labor has provided the necessary support to pass the federal government’s Future Drought Fund through parliament.
The Bill to enact the the Coalition’s rural showpiece policy made its way through the Lower House last night, and today Labor has agreed to approve the legislation in the Senate.
With seed funding of $3.9 billion, the drought fund would grow to $5b by 2030. . .
Westland Milk’s biggest shareholder, Southern Pastures, said it would abstain on the vote called to decide on whether the co-operative can be sold to China’s Yili.
Southern – an investment fund – said the move would allow West Coast farmer-shareholders to decide its future.
Hokitika-based Westland said in March that it had signed a conditional agreement for the sale of the co-op, which will see the Chinese dairy giant pay farmer-suppliers $3.41 a share. The deal is worth $588 million. . .
(BusinessDesk) – Kiwifruit marketer Zespri is forecasting annual profit growth of up to 7 percent.
The firm, which markets kiwifruit on behalf of 2,500 New Zealand growers and another 1,200 in Italy, Japan, Korea and France, is expecting net profit of $182-$192 million in the current year, including licence release income.
That is up from the $179.8 million net profit reported for the year ended March, which was a 77 percent increase from the year before as the firm shipped more fruit for better prices. Total trays sold climbed 21 percent to 167.2 million last year – 85 percent of which was New Zealand-grown green or gold kiwifruit. . .
A new Federated Farmers dairy-farming leader hopes to be a voice for farmers.
Karl Dean was elected as the federation’s North Canterbury dairy chairman during the provincial annual meeting at Oxford in April, replacing Michael Woodward, who bought a farm in the North Island.
”It was sprung on me a little bit when Woody got a good opportunity up north.
”But I see it as a good way to get more involved and tackle some of the issues which are going to arise with climate change and make sure farmers are aware of the legislation, and that Feds are fighting it.’ . .
The firearms buy-back process for what are now prohibited semi-automatic firearms must work for rural firearms owners, Federated Farmers says.
The process will require farmers to travel to collection points to hand over firearms and agree on the value of the surrendered firearm. A member survey showed that at least twenty percent of Feds members had a firearm impacted by the new regulations, and these owners will be looking for good access and a smooth process for the hand-over of firearms and payment of fair compensation.
“The sooner the details of the process, including the number and geographical spread of collection points/events, are clear the better,’’ Federated Farmers Rural Security Spokesperson Miles Anderson says. . .
Mitch Daniels, a Post contributing columnist, is president of Purdue University and a former governor of Indiana.
Along with the rise of women and the expansion of civil rights, the most important social transformation of America’s first quarter-millennium has been the triumph of modern agriculture over famine and the ceaseless, backbreaking effort simply to feed one’s self that had been the dominant fact of human life throughout history. Most of those who preceded us lived their entire lives on the farm. A little more than a century ago, a third of all Americans were farmers.
Successive revolutions in mechanization, horticulture and biotechnology have been an enormous blessing, enabling a tiny percentage of Americans — today fewer than 2 percent— to feed the rest of us and much of the world. Incalculable human talent has been liberated to invent all the other miracles we enjoy. We spend less of our income on food than any society ever. . .
Unless further changes are made to the Arms Amendment Bill, pests will be the winners and the environment will be the losers.
Federated Farmers says the Government has failed to deliver on its commitment to farmers and other major landowners that they would continue to have access to the firearms they need for effective animal pest control.
“Labour has the opportunity to fix the Bill over the next few days – otherwise Federated Farmers will feel duped by this process,” Feds Rural Security spokesperson Miles Anderson says. . .
The Mycoplasma bovis eradication effort is on track but there is still a lot of hard work to get done, programme director Geoff Gwyn says.
The Ministry for Primary Industries, Adorns and Beef + Lamb New Zealand recently released the 2019 Mycoplasma bovis National Plan.
The plan set out three goals: to eradicate the disease from New Zealand, to reduce the effect of the disease and the eradication programme for everyone affected, and to leave New Zealand’s biosecurity system stronger. . .
That has been the way of it for vineyard owners and workers over the past few days.
Every frost-fighting method available was in action on Saturday night as temperatures in some parts of the Cromwell Basin, along Lake Dunstan, dropped to -3deg C or lower.
New Central Otago Winegrowers Association president Nick Paulin, of Lowburn, said yesterday conditions were “brutal”. . .
Land Information New Zealand is urging New Zealanders to have their say on the future management of the South Island high country. Public consultation on the Government’s proposed changes to the management of Crown pastoral land closes on Friday 12th April 2019.
Stretching from Marlborough to Southland, the land covers around 1.2 million hectares, nearly five percent of New Zealand.
“It’s important that people take this opportunity to tell us what they think of the proposed changes,” says Jamie Kerr, Acting Deputy Chief Executive Policy and Overseas Investment. . .
With multiple companies offering disease and pest management solutions, farmers can be guaranteed that products purchased from an Agcarm member are safe, sustainable and of high quality. Agcarm is a not-for-profit trade association, representing over 60 companies that manufacture, distribute, research and sell projects to keep animals healthy and crops thriving.
For over 70 years, Agcarm has taken a lead role in managing issues of importance to the crop protection and animal medicines industries. . .
There is nothing in the story that says that. The headline was a complete misquote of what Feds spokesman Miles Anderson did say.
Feds were alerted to the headline but an email to members from chief executive Terry Copeland says the story stayed on the website for three hours and that it took intense pressure from the Feds comms team to get it altered.
The email says a phone call and an explanation from a Stuff Editor-in-Chief. Stuff has added its ‘regret’ about the misreporting at the bottom of the story.
That the mistake was made in the first place was at best careless, that it took three hours and intense pressure to get it corrected is appalling.
It is particularly disappointing when emotions are heightened in the wake of the mass murders in Christchurch and the need for quiet reason and facts on the issue of gun control are essential.
The email from Feds gives the questions and answers emailed from and to the reporter:
What do most farmers use guns for?
Mainly pest control (rabbits, possums, Canada geese and feral pigs) and humanely euthanizing livestock. Also recreational hunting and target shooting.
On average how many guns would one farmer own? Most farmers own a 0.22 for shooting rabbits and possums, a shotgun for ducks and geese and rabbit control, and a centrefire rifle for deer and pigs, and euthanizing large animals such as cattle.
Generally, what types of guns do farmers use? As above. Farmers use the right firearm for the right job. Quite a lot of the firearms farmers use for pest control are semiautomatic, such as 0.22 rifles and shotguns. These are used to target small fast moving pest species such as rabbits, hares, wallabies and Canada geese. For these species there are often only very limited opportunities to shoot at them and they are commonly found in groups. For Canada geese, for example, hunters may sit in a crop paddock all day for only a few opportunities to shoot at a mob of geese, which may arrive in a mob of up to 100 birds. Four geese eat as much as one sheep and shooting is the only way to control them.
Does the farming community support gun reform? Should the government make it harder for individuals to get gun licences?
Federated Farmers will participate in any process that reviews the law.
What is Fed Farmers’ opinion on military style semi-automatic guns for farming. How common are they? How necessary are they?
Military style semi-automatic rifles are not in common use by farmers. There is no need for general public sales of detachable, high-capacity semi-automatic rifle magazines.
For the record:
My farmer bought an air rifle (for which no licence is needed if you are aged over 18) a couple of years ago when rabbits started invading the lawn and garden. Neither of us owns any other firearm.
Some of our staff own rifles and shotguns which they use for controlling rabbits, possums, ducks, geese, deer and pigs, for recreational hunting and for the mercifully rare occasions when it’s necessary to euthanise cattle.
None own military style arms nor would they have any need to.
With almost half of New Zealand’s land area committed to pasture and crops it would be easy to think that despite our growing population there is still plenty of land to spare.
But in the past two decades some of the country’s highest quality land has gone under cement and tarmac for urban development. Despite having a population the size of Melbourne in a land area the size of Britain some people are starting to question whether a country that earns its living off its soils can afford to keep paving over its key resource to support population growth.
The loss of productive soils to housing is a subject economist Shamubeel Eaqub has given considerable thought. . .
Sheep and beef farmers James and Sarah Glenn are fuelling the intergenerational Sheep and beef farmers James and Sarah Glenn are fuelling the intergenerational transfer of their farming business with a rare mix of bulls, sheep and tepees. Luke Chivers reports.
On a coastal slice of rural New Zealand a young couple are combining their passion for family with farming and tepees.
Te Akau sheep and beef farmers James and Sarah Glenn have a longstanding connection with the primary sector.
Otago woman Elizabeth Graham (21) has won a national stock judging competition in Christchurch.
She is a member of the Strath Taieri Young Farmers Club, and while at the New Zealand Young Farmers Conference in Christchurch earlier this month, won the stock judging competition.
The competition attracted the young farmers teams from throughout the country.
”It was a huge honour to take out the overall title,” she said.
”This year’s competition included alpacas, which made things a little interesting.” . .
The recipient of New Zealand’s top sustainable farming award says she’d like to see more kiwifruit orchardists provide full-time employment for their staff.
Organic kiwifruit grower Catriona White and her husband Mark are the first horticulturists to win the Gordon Stephenson trophy, which is awarded to one of the 11 regional winners in the annual Farm Environment Awards.
Catriona says she and Mark pay two staff on their Opotiki orchard for a 40-hour week regardless of whether the weather allows them to work the hours or not.
“You look after your staff and your staff look after you.” . .
#MangaRa Station takes on its beach-like appearance (very dry!). Some rain would be great – so far all the forecast rain over the last few days had vanished. pic.twitter.com/2YIFE8ASMN
The Federated Farmers Meat & Wool Council is calling for compulsory regulation of the stock agent industry.
“No-one likes more rules and regulation but to protect all parties in the sale of livestock we believe it is the best way forward,” Feds’ Meat & Wool chairperson Miles Anderson says.
“Discussions about this topic have run hot and cold for years. We need some finality.”
The NZ Stock and Station Agents Association has created a code of conduct and set up an independent body that can adjudicate on complaints about the actions of stock agents. . .
Cows and bulls searching for “moo love” now have a mobile app to help their breeders.
A U.K. farming startup introduced a Tinder-style app, called Tudder, that lets farmers find breeding matches by viewing pictures of cattle with details of their age, location and owner. Users hear a mooing sound as they swipe — right to show they’re interested or left to reject possible matches.
Hectare, which designed the app, says it “seeks to unite sheepish farm animals with their soulmates.” Selling animals using social media can speed up a process that often involves transporting animals long distances for breeding. . .
John Nicholls of Canterbury and Jamie Tuuta of Taranaki and Wellington will contest the rerun of the Fonterra director election to fill the one remaining vacancy.
One-term director Ashley Waugh has decided not to run again though he came within a whisker of being re-elected in the first round of voting.
Fonterra Shareholders’ Council chairman Duncan Coull sent an email to all farmer-shareholders explaining the rerun process and the council’s reasons for not opening it up to new candidates.
The rerun was necessary because only two of five candidates for three seats received the required 50% approval of farmers, Peter McBride at 80% and Leonie Guiney at 63%.
Farm sales across the country for the year to October were down more than 10%, while dairy farm per-hectare prices have pulled back almost 30% during the past year.
In Otago and Southland, there was strong activity in finishing, grazing and arable properties, but dairy farm purchases in both provinces were affected, with restricted supply of capital.
Real Estate Institute of New Zealand rural spokesman Brian Peacocke said for the three months to October there were 263 sales, just two more than a year ago.
Across the country for the year to October 1475 farms were sold, a 10.5% decline on the same period last year. Dairy farm sales were down 7.7%, grazing farms fell 5.6%, finishing was down 13.2% and there were 22.5% fewer arable farms. . .
Synonymous with the South Island high country, merino sheep may be farmed more widely as farmers are lured by high fine wool prices and genetic improvements.
Merino woolgrower Bill Sutherland, of Benmore Station near Omarama, said it was boom times for the New Zealand merino industry.
“In a time when strong wool prices are at a historical low, the prices for merino wool have rarely been better,” he told the New Zealand Grassland Association conference in Twizel. . .
Farmers delivered a stern message to new director-general of primary industries Ray Smith at a meeting in Ashburton on Wednesday – they want to be top of his list.
He attended the meeting, facilitated by Mid Canterbury Federated Farmers in response to desperate calls for help from local farmers affected by the cattle disease Mycoplasma bovi, off his own bat.
Farming leaders from across the country including national dairy chairman Chris Lewis and meat and wool chairman Miles Anderson also attended the closed session.
“This meeting was organised so these national leaders could hear from affected farmers and get their stories straight from the horse’s mouth,” Mid Canterbury dairy chairman Chris Ford said. . .
McKenzie Smith grasps every opportunity to learn new skills.
Mckenzie (17), a year 13 pupil at Southland Girls’ High School, is chairwoman of the school’s TeenAg club.
TeenAg — which comes under the umbrella of New Zealand Young Farmers — is aimed at introducing and promoting a positive picture of agriculture and agricultural careers to pupils from an early age. The club has organised an AgriKidsNZ competition at Southland Girls’ High School on Thursday, for years 7-8 pupils, and team numbers have more than doubled from last year. . .
Each dairy cattle breed has its perks and its quirks, and Jerseys are no exception. On our Hoard’s Dairyman Farm, we certainly notice differences in personality and behavior between our Jerseys and Guernseys.
These breed differences are what led the American Jersey Cattle Association and National All Jersey Inc. to partner with university and industry experts to create a webinar series focused on the Jersey breed. One of their webinar topics was feeding the lactating cow, and the presenters were Bill Weiss and Maurice Eastridge from The Ohio State University.
The pair of professors pointed out that much of the research in the field of nutrition has been done on Holsteins. While many of these recommendations can fit other breeds, there are a few ways that Jerseys are unique. . .
“Overwhelming” is how Elle Perriam describes the public response to the rural mental health awareness campaign Will to Live.
Targeting young rural men and women, it was launched following the death of Miss Perriam’s boyfriend, Will Gregory, in December last year.
Her target for a PledgeMe crowdfunding campaign to cover the expenses of a regional Speak Up tour in country pubs next year was $15,000.
But with a bit more than $18,000 raised through that, and more sponsors coming on board, she reckoned the amount raised was now around $20,000. That meant the number of events throughout the country could be extended from 10 to 14. Financial contributions had also been matched by “kind affirmations” about the initiative. . .
A week-old proposal by the University of Otago and other providers to create a virtual school for rural health remains very much alive despite the Government killing off an alternative school of rural medicine this week.
The lead article in last week’s edition of the New Zealand Medical Journal featured a proposal, driven by the University of Otago, University of Auckland and Auckland University of Technology (AUT), for a virtual rural health campus.
On Wednesday, Health Minister David Clark announced the Government would not support a Waikato University initiative — which dated from the term of the previous National-led government — to establish a $300 million school of rural medicine. . .
Calves asking “ what you got today “ Bit of hay and clover and sunshine @ Tekopae pic.twitter.com/2qiEdU48b2
It was once jokingly said that the next most-important job after the All Blacks coach is the head of the Ministry for Primary Industries.
Joking aside, there is some truth in this because MPI plays a largely unsung, yet critical, role in the lives of every New Zealander.
With the prospect of a world war unlikely, the next most-serious threat to NZ is in biosecurity, food safety, trade and people’s perception of how the precious land we live on is farmed. . .
Cavalier Corp says it is well-placed to take advantage of a growing consumer shift away from plastics.
That trend fits well with the carpet maker’s renewed focus on its high-quality wool products, particularly higher-margin, niche opportunities and the potential of major markets like the United States and United Kingdom, chief executive Paul Alston said.
“Investment in research and development and creating ranges that command a premium is a priority and critical for our success,” he said in notes for the company’s annual meeting. . .
Farmers, dairy product manufacturers and trade representatives in Uruguay and Argentina are hearing a New Zealand take on current agricultural issues this week.
Federated Farmers of NZ President Katie Milne is engaged in a busy schedule of speaking and meeting engagements in Montevideo and Buenos Aires in a programme put together by the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and New Zealand’s Ambassador to Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay, Raylene Liufalani. . .
Farmlands’ shareholders have voted two new Shareholder Directors on to the Farmlands Board.
Dawn Sangster and Gray Baldwin join re-elected Director Rob Hewett on the rural supplies and services co-operative’s Board of Directors.
Farmlands Chairman, Lachie Johnstone congratulated the new arrivals to the Board of Directors, as well as thanking the other candidates who put themselves forward for election. . .
However, Federated Farmers said SAFE did not really care about animal welfare and said their goal was to end all animal farming.
“SAFE’s agenda is to get rid of farmed animals. Animal welfare is a secondary concern for them,” Miles Anderson, Federated Farmers meat and wool chairman, told RNZ.
“They are vegan fundamentalists. I take most of what they say with a grain of salt. It would do them a world of good to have a nice leg of lamb.” . . .
If there are genuine environmental or animal welfare concerns they should be reported to the relevant authorities – the regional council or MPI.
But SAFE tends to be more interested in making headlines based on their agenda than presenting fact-based evidence.
One of SAFE’s complaints was that the animals don’t have shade. I’ve been to feedlots in Australia and Argentina in the middle of summer where the cattle could have been in the shade and they were choosing to stay in the sun.
I’ve been to the feedlot in question twice, both times on hot days in late summer, and saw nothing to give me any concern about animal welfarre.
The people in SAFE won’t credit farmers with concern for animal welfare for its own sake but they can’t ignore the monetary reward.
Only happy, healthy animals produce well which gives a very real financial incentive for looking after them.
Growing grass is New Zealand’s natural advantage and a very good marketing tool for our produce.
But there are niche markets for the fat-marbled steak which comes from grain-fed stock and providing they are managed well there should be no animal welfare concerns.
It’s not the way most New Zealand farmers choose to raise stock, but there’s nothing wrong with doing it that way when it’s done well.
SAFE’s campaign is yet another that is long on emotion and very, very short on facts.
Environmentalists should be encouraging NZ’s development of ryegrass with the potential to substantially increase farm production, reduce water demand and decrease methane emissions.
We are told the grass has been shown in AgResearch’s Palmerston North laboratories to grow up to 50 per cent faster than conventional ryegrass, to be able to store more energy for better animal growth, to be more resistant to drought, and to produce up to 23 per cent less methane (the largest single contributor to New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions) from livestock. . .
Confidence in sheep is at an all-time high with demand at the Temuka in-lamb ewe fair providing the real proof of industry positivity.
With record processing prices for mutton the sale was always going to be the real test for the market, PGG Wrightson livestock manager Joe Higgins said.
With just 6000 ewes offered and close to 100 registered buyers it was a sellers’ market with clearly not enough sheep to go around. . .
Key players in New Zealand’s wool industry are to form a new coordinating group to better tell wool’s story, says Federated Farmers.
At this week’s Wool Summit in Wellington there was a real sense of urgency to get cooperation and momentum, says Miles Anderson, Federated Farmers Meat & Wool Industry Group Chairperson.
New Zealand wool producers have been under pressure, particularly in the last two years as prices for strong wool hit record lows. . .
Stock transport is high on the animal welfare agenda as new regulations come into force.
Inspectors will be especially alert to badly lame stock being carted to meatworks, Ministry for Primary Industries compliance team manager Peter Hyde told a Beef + Lamb New Zealand meeting in North Canterbury.
“Using the meat companies to sort out your lameness issues is not acceptable,” he said. . .
25% of our WMP sold in Middle East and Africa. Awesome team. Good margins and working in some tough environments. Starting to push the Fonterra Trusted Goodness and grass fed. #grassfedpic.twitter.com/UAHiH2UcbW
Kiwifruit exports, valued at $1.86 billion, remains New Zealand’s most valuable horticulture export.
It’s closely followed by the value of wine exports, at $1.72b, though they were less than half the value of the kiwifruit exports in 2004.
The latest forecasts by the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) predict the kiwifruit export industry will grow in value at a slightly faster pace than the wine industry over the next four years. . .
Farmlands Cooperative has been named the New Zealand winner of KPMG’s prestigious Global Customer Experience Excellence (CEE) Award.
New Zealand’s largest rural supplies and services cooperative was presented with the award at a ceremony hosted by KPMG in Auckland this morning.
Farmlands joins 13 other winners of the award world-wide, including Singapore Airlines (Australia), Apple Store (Italy), Alipay (China) and Emirates (UAE). Following Farmlands in the top five for New Zealand were Air New Zealand, Kiwibank, New World and ASB Bank. . .
The United States has amassed its largest stockpile of cheese in the 100 years since regulators began keeping tabs, the result of booming domestic production of milk and consumers’ waning interest in the dairy beverage.
The 1.39 billion-pound stockpile, tallied by the Agriculture Department last week, represents a 6 percent increase over this time last year and a 16 percent increase since an earlier surplus prompted a federal cheese buy-up in 2016. . .
It’s been a long time coming but sheep farming is where it should be, Federated Farmers meat and fibre chairman Miles Anderson says.
With winter schedules knocking on the door of $8, global markets largely continuing to track along at the solid pace of recent months and global inventories remaining low it’s a good time to be a sheep farmer, he said.
Confidence at the farmgate in sheep is strongest since 2011. . .
More than 150 farmers at a Mycoplasma bovis meeting in Dargaville were told to choose their breeder rather than their bull.
“You need to ask some very strong questions,” Chris Biddles, who established Te Atarangi Angus stud on the nearby Pouto Peninsula over 30 years ago, said.
Firstly, farmers looking for service bulls for their herds should choose a breeder with a registered herd. . .
Tractor and machinery sales could hit a record high by the end of the year, even though rural customers are exercising caution, says an industry body.
Sales of tractors are up more than 25 per cent on this time last year and all sectors are showing buoyancy, said new NZ Tractor and Machinery Association president John Tulloch.
Year-to-date figures to the end of June showed a total of 1876 sales across all HP categories compared with 1448 in 2017: a total increase of 26.1 per cent. . .
[With the re-organisation of the New Zealand rural media and the demise of NZ Farmer for which I previously wrote, this is the first of a new series of fortnightly articles I will be writing for Farmers Weekly and also published at http://www.interest.co.nz. Whereas my articles in Stuff (online and in their hardcopy newspapers ) are about rural issues, but largely for an urban audience, the Farmers Weekly articles are primarily for farmers and those more directly involved in rural matters.]
A key message from the Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI) has been “generally prolonged or repeated contact with infected animals is required for the disease to be transmitted” (MPI website). Another key message has been that the disease has only been here since the end of 2015. . . .
Farmers have just one week left to submit their opinions on the Zero Carbon Bill. Climate change ambassadors for the dairy sector are urging farmers to have their say on the new 2050 emissions target the bill will set in place.
The government is asking for public feedback on three possible 2050 emission reduction targets.
DairyNZ and many other primary sector organisations are supportive of a new target which will reduce carbon emissions to net zero, and stabilise methane emissions. This is an option dairy farmers can support by submitting online. . .
The Motor Industry Association (MIA) is calling for mandatory safety rules for the use of quad bikes and small utility vehicles in the workplace, after several coronial inquests.
The inquests revealed new rules would reduce serious injuries and fatalities, which prompted the call to the Minister of Workplace Relations and Safety for compulsory regulations.
The association called for helmets to be made compulsory, children under 16 to be forbidden from riding adult size quad bikes and passengers to be banned from single seat bikes.
Association chief executive David Crawford said the safe use of small vehicles, farm bikes, ATV (All-Terrain Vehicles) and side-by-side vehicles is “of paramount importance to manufacturers, distributors, dealerships and their customers“. . .
A leading dairy figure is warning the Australian industry needs to address underlying issues affecting farm profitability, rather than fixating on milk prices.
The man who has headed up some of the largest dairy companies in the southern hemisphere said the trend of decreasing farm profitability in Australia had been emerging well before the dairy crisis. . .
If you believe all the headlines, in a few short years or even less time, the way meat is grown will radically change. Brewing like tanks full of dividing cells will replace farms and factory farms raising livestock, thus no more animals will be slaughtered, all environmental issues- including climate change and water scarcity- will be resolved, world hunger will no longer exist, and deforestation will no longer be necessary. Plus best of all there will be meat a plenty that even die-hard vegans can consume with a clear conscience.
Okay, maybe this representation is a little bit of an exaggeration, but not by much. A lot of hyped up marketing spin is involved and has been expended to “position” lab meat, including re-branding it as “clean meat” (in vitro meat, cell meat, and cultured meat also didn’t do so good in the marketing surveys). That hype involves creating a market for a product line that might otherwise only have a very limited audience and appeal. To build a market, consumers have to be dissuaded from consuming real meat. So to build an audience a whole litany of out of context statistics are repeated about water footprints, land use, feed efficiency, deforestation, greenhouse gases, health concerns, and animal welfare. . .
Federated Farmers is puzzled why our national carrier is making a song and dance about an overseas-produced plant protein burger but not the Kiwi company that supplies them with world-leading transportation fabrics.
“Air New Zealand has been offering vegetarian options on their in-flight menus for a long time. The Impossible Burger available on Business Premier flights between Los Angeles and Auckland for a few months is just another option,” Federated Farmers Meat and Wool Chairperson Miles Anderson says.
“Other dishes feature New Zealand-made produce and farmers are confident passengers will always make a place on their plate, and in their heart, for our natural tasting, grass-fed beef and lamb. People come back to their tried and true favourites.”
Air New Zealand prides itself on being innovative, and like to partner with like-minded enterprises.
“Farmers understand that – we do it ourselves. But why would our national carrier build an advertising campaign around a foreign product and not a cutting edge Kiwi firm supplying a key component made from a natural, sustainable New Zealand product?”
Inter-weave Ltd is a New Zealand owned and operated bespoke wool upholstery and home wares manufacturer. They combine leading design and technology with luxurious naturally-grown, New Zealand wool fibres to produce high quality, clean, anti-static, ethical textiles sold around the world.
The transportation fabrics Inter-weave supplies to Air New Zealand meet the highest flame retardant criteria. They are accredited with the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and have Enviromark NZ diamond accreditation, the highest achievable in this programme.
“Typical of products made from wool, the fabrics are beautiful, have excellent durability and will perform exceedingly well under constant wear. Wool fibres have elasticity that allow them to recover to their original shape even after being stretched over 30%.”
It’s a great advertisement for New Zealand natural products, our farmers and an industry that is the lifeblood of rural communities, delivering a livelihood for thousands of Kiwi families.
“Seated in nature, and a Kiwi product flying high. Sounds like a great basis for one of those cheeky and fun Air New Zealand advertising campaigns to me,” Miles says.
I sometimes choose vegetarian options and I’m open to genetic modification so I don’t have a problem with the airline offering fake meat.
But MIles has got it right, our national airline would have been better publicising our cutting-edge wool rather than the USA’s fake meat.
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Posted by homepaddock 
But in the past two decades some of the country’s highest quality land has gone under cement and tarmac for urban development. Despite having a population the size of Melbourne in a land area the size of Britain some people are starting to question whether a country that earns its living off its soils can afford to keep paving over its key resource to support population growth. 
