Ideologically-based beliefs are preventing consumers from experiencing the benefits that gene editing in agriculture can bring, Dr Jacqueline Rowarth writes.
It is over two decades since the Royal Commission on genetic modification (GM) responded to the task of evaluating the technology within the context of New Zealand.
The major theme of the 473-page report was self-described as “preserving opportunities”.
The authors went to considerable lengths to explain the different concerns and perspectives of New Zealanders who, by and large, were comfortable with GM for medical purposes, but were less so in food production. . .
Plant-based beverages are expensive and provide only a small fraction of the nutritional goodness of cow’s milk.
These are the findings of a new study, published in the Frontiers in Nutrition journal (August 8), which assessed the nutritional profiles of a range of plant-based beverages – such as soy, oat, coconut, almond or rice drinks – and compared them to standard bovine milk.
Researchers collected 103 plant-based products from supermarkets in Palmerston North, New Zealand. These drinks were found to have much lower quantities of the 20 nutrients measured – such as calcium and protein – and were significantly more costly than cow’s milk.
The study was carried out by Riddet Institute scientists, from Massey University, in Palmerston North. The Riddet Institute is a Centre of Research Excellence (CoRE), hosted by Massey University. . .
It’s that time of the year when the black pussy willow is colouring up with pollen. Happy bees. pic.twitter.com/X0YZu3aUkV
The National Policy Statement for Highly Productive Land will provide protection for the country’s best land and soil so it can be used to produce food.
‘Covid has taught us that we can’t take for granted that there’ll always be New Zealand grown vegetables and fruit on our retailers’ shelves,’ says HortNZ Chief Executive, Nadine Tunley.
‘HortNZ has advocated for nearly a decade for government policy that recognises the importance of our best soils, and ensures that they are prioritised for what they are best for – producing healthy vegetables and fruit.
‘All along, we have said that with good planning, New Zealand can have fresh vegetables and fruit, and houses.’ . .
Otago Regional Council (ORC) has upgraded its online consent mapping site in a move designed to make the service more farmer-friendly.
The map, Consents in Otago, now includes a property-by-address, legal description or consent number search function, satellite imagery similar to Google Maps, plus named waterways, a polygon/draw tool and also a print button, says Alexandra King, ORC team leader consents.
“It’s now much more user friendly for farmers who’re working through the mapping part of their applications, specifically intensive winter grazing plans,” she says.
King says the tool allows farmers to easily identify and measure blocks throughout their farms, and help them in identifying risk areas/sensitive receptors on-farm such as critical source areas, waterways, wetlands or water bores. . .
Mossop’s Honey and Apiculture New Zealand are looking for the next Ron Mossop Youth Scholarship recipient to get a boost into the apiculture industry.
The scholarship was set up five years ago as a way of giving young people the best possible start in the apiculture industry. It includes $2000 to be put towards best-practice training or set-up costs, membership of industry body Apiculture New Zealand for a year, attendance at the industry’s national conference in the year of the award and an accommodation allowance for Conference.
Last year’s recipient, Alyssa Wilson from Canterbury, is currently finishing off a Primary ITO course the scholarship helped pay for. The course involves writing about and photographing her practical experience working at Gowanleagold with beekeeper James Corson, where she says she is “learning heaps”.
While attending the Apiculture New Zealand Conference in Christchurch this year, Alyssa says she particularly enjoyed listening to Dr Sammy Ramsey, one of the international speakers from the United States. . .
Rest easy ma’am.
Thank you for your service and support to British Agriculture over the years 🖤🤍 pic.twitter.com/J5uMu6BCJm
Rosie Bradford arrived from the UK in November 2019 on a working holiday visa ready to trade in some of her youthful energy for the chance to enjoy the Aussie sun for an extra year or two.
“The only reason I went to do it [farm work] was obviously to get my second and third year. I was so focused on that but after doing it, I would definitely say I would have still done it,” she said.
“I absolutely do not regret doing farm work at all. I learned a lot from those experiences. And I met so many amazing people. But to be honest [without the compulsion] I probably wouldn’t have done … I probably wouldn’t have been that interested.”
Bradford would end up spending three years working in parts of the country where most Australian workers do not venture. Picking bananas in Tully, oranges and mandarins in Gayndah, grafting in Tasmania, and even working on a fishing boat in Darwin. Like many of her compatriots, she helped fill a gap in a workforce stretched thin in a vast, but highly urbanised, country. . .
Last week’s letter from Minister Shaw and Nash is baffling.
“While we consulted on options to prevent exotic forests from registering in the permanent forest category by the end of the year, we have now decided to take more time to fully consider options for the future direction of the ETS permanent forest category. …this means it is unlikely that we will propose closing the permanent category to exotics on 1 January 2023”
This backflip which we can only conclude has come about on the back of opposition advocacy but with no context for doubling down is unbelievably odd, given last week’s CCC urgency around limits to offsetting with exotic pine. If Māori concerns were what has driven this backflip those concerns could have been dealt with through an exemption’s regime. Now we are left with no plan, no certainty and even less faith of any decent plan to manage climate change and pollution from industries who have shown little urgency around change while they can merrily plant our food producing hill country in an exotic that will never be harvested and therefore provide no economic benefit to New Zealand.
At least that proposal was something to work with and plan around. . .
In January farmer confidence was at the lowest level recorded in biannual surveys that Federated Farmers has been running since 2009. Last month’s survey found it had dropped even further.
More than 1200 farmers from around New Zealand responded to the July survey and a net 47.8% of them considered current economic conditions to be bad, down 55.6 points from January when a net 7.8% considered conditions to be good.
“That’s a huge drop in six months, Federated Farmers President and trade/economy spokesperson Andrew Hoggard said.
“Obviously inflation and supply chain disruption fallout from COVID and Russia’s invasion of the Ukraine are part of it, but continued concern over the pace and direction of government reform and regulation, not to mention staff shortages, are also contributing to uncertainty and gloom,” he said. . . .
More farmers making positive environmental improvements on farm by planting trees. This a @SpringSheepMilk supplier retiring this steep country leading in to sensitive water catchment. 14,000 native plants in the ground @duck_willypic.twitter.com/9xLbf1bytL
Wallaby hunters are turning to helicopters, drones and thermal cameras in a bid to eradicate the pests from Otago.
The Otago Regional Council predicted the cost to the South Island economy would escalate to about $67 million a year within a decade if action wasn’t taken now.
The pests cause serious damage to the environment, deplete forest understories, prevent native forest regeneration, compete with livestock for food, foul pastures, and damage crops and fences.
The council is part of the government’s national wallaby eradication programme. . .
Fonterra has today announced it will be closing the milk powder plant at its Brightwater site near Nelson in April 2023. However, milk collection and associated activities will continue at Brightwater as Fonterra moves its milk transfer activities there from Tuamarina.
The small aging plant processes about 0.25% of the Co-operative’s overall milk supply into whole milk powder. Fonterra Chief Operating Officer Fraser Whineray says the move, which will instead see the milk being processed at Fonterra’s Darfield site, is in line with Fonterra’s long-term strategy.
“We know milk supply is declining over time, flat at best, so we need to make sure we’re getting the most out of every drop of milk and optimising our plants to match both consumer demand and available milk supply.
“Part of our long-term strategy is to direct more milk into our Foodservice and Consumer business, less into Ingredients, and in some cases, to divert product away from the Global Dairy Trade auctions. This, along with forecast capital and maintenance costs, means we’ve made the tough decision to close our milk powder plant at Brightwater. . .
When you purchase locally grown fruit, vegetables, or plants from your favourite retailer they will have been grown in compost or potting mix which usually contains a highly sought-after ingredient called peat which boosts production, retains nutrients, and holds water.
An estimated 60,000 cubic metres of growing media (compost, garden/potting mixes etc) is used each year within the horticultural and agricultural industries in New Zealand and much of it contains peat.
There is a small amount of peat extracted here in New Zealand but as peat bogs are regulated in the same way as the likes of coal mines their days are numbered.
Most of the peat contained in compost and other growing media used by New Zealand growers is imported from Canada or Eastern Europe. . .
Beef + Lamb New Zealand’s (B+LNZ) Generation Next programme is well underway.
The programme targets emerging farming leaders, building their technical skills while widening their network.
Participants attend three workshops over a six-month period to upskill in key farm management areas with topics spanning from understanding financial and management basics to technology and genetics as well as mental health and wellbeing.
The first North Island intake graduated last week after completing module three. . . .
Industry groups now need to decide how to manage the HWEN stand-off with the risk of being left outside the tent
Big decisions are now required, both by rural industry groups and Government, following the Climate Change Commission advice on the He Waka Eke Noa proposals (HWEN). The Climate Change Commission, chaired by Rod Carr, has supported some aspects of the HWEN proposals put forward by industry, but has poured cold reality on other aspects.
Beef+ Lamb and DairyNZ have responded by suggesting that it is all or nothing. However, that is not going to wash with Government. Once again, the rural industry groups have challenging decisions to make as to whether they are inside the tent or outside the tent.
First, there is a key area of agreement which needs to be celebrated. The Climate Change Commission supports the split-gas approach, with this being fundamental to keeping methane away from the Emission Trading Scheme. Given this support, the Government can now be expected to align firmly with this. But there is still a lot of hard work to be done on sorting out the pricing mechanism for methane. . .
A government agency has been instructed to crack down on an out-of-control rabbit population decimating lakeside land
Government-managed land in Central Otago with an “exploding” uncontrolled rabbit population is finally getting attention after the Otago Regional Council stepped in.
Toitū Te Whenua Land Information New Zealand (LINZ) has confirmed the council inspected land it manages near Cromwell and Lake Dunstan and found it has “unacceptable levels” of rabbits.
The agency, along with a number of land-holders, has received a council “request for work” letter as part of a reinvigorated effort to push back the tide of rabbits decimating lifestyle blocks, farms and crown land. . .
Farmers who are intensively grazing forage crops are being encouraged to consider planting a catch crop to make use of the nutrients left in the paddock once grazing has finished.
Farmers who are intensively grazing forage crops are being encouraged to consider planting a catch crop to make use of the nutrients left in the paddock once grazing has finished.
Heather McKay, Beef + Lamb New Zealand’s Environmental Policy Manager, says farm-scale trials has shown that catch crops can reduce nutrient losses from the soil by up to 40% in some soil types.
“Sown as soon as ground conditions allow, catch crops such as oats or rye corn can be really effective at capturing nutrients and turning them into valuable drymatter.”
Trial work carried out by Plant & Food Research has shown oats to be an ideal catch crop in that they are cold tolerant and germinate at five degrees and above. They reduce water in the soil and capture soil nitrogen (N) left in the wake of winter grazing. . .
A New Zealand-designed frost fighting machine that looks like a giant hair dryer could become hot property in France.
Hamilton engineer Fred Phillips, along with two colleagues, started working on the machine, called the Heat Ranger ten years ago.
It is a five-metre tall machine that heats up to between 300 and 600 degrees Celsius, and pushes out air that is 35 degrees C, protecting 15 hectares of grape vines.
In 2020 one machine was used in Blenheim and one in France. . . .
A Christchurch manufacturer of woollen calf covers says his newest product should find favour with the dairy farmers of Southland – even though his main market is the beef ranchers of North America.
David Brown is promoting his Fit N Forget calf covers, made of hessian-reinforced wool. They are sized for the typical American black Angus beef calf, at 85kg liveweight and with leg holes more closely spaced than a dairy calf cover, to match their stockier build.
Selling online, his main market is in the northern states of Montana, Wyoming, and North Dakota, with their particularly harsh winters.
But Brown also sees a market for them in New Zealand, even on dairy farms, whenever a farmer is not seeking dairy replacements but is using beef genetics to enhance the value of his calves. . .
Three outstanding women have taken out first, second and third place with Laura Schultz from Trevelyans named Bay of Plenty’s Young Grower for 2022 at an awards dinner in Tauranga last night.
The competition took place yesterday, 20 July, at Mount Maunganui College, where eight competitors tested their skills and ability to run a successful horticulture business in a series of challenges. These were followed by a speech competition titled ‘What I’ll be growing in 2050’, at a gala dinner last night.
Laura excelled in the individual challenges, and impressed judges with her speech on providing the best quality produce by adapting to climate change to grow crops which meet the changing environment. Yanika Reiter came in second place, while Emily Woods was third.
Laura’s prize includes an all-expenses paid trip to Wellington to compete for the title of National Young Grower of the Year 2022, in September, as well as $1,500 cash. . .
Predictions that NZ’s farming sector is in for a bumper year need to be put into context.
While many primary sectors – including dairy, horticulture and red meat – are experiencing record commodity prices, a number of factors are leading to some even bigger cost increases, which will mean less on-farm profitability.
As Rabobank NZ’s analyst Emma Higgins recently opined, “Rocketing input costs and crimped production in some regions will not translate into new benchmark profits”.
This is due to a number of reasons: the ongoing impact of Covid, the war in the Ukraine, growing inflation and the imposition of government-imposed regulations – to name just a few.
Even though NZ is reaping record prices for its primary exports, the country’s current account deficit “exploded” (the BNZ’s word for it) in calendar year 2021 to the equivalent of 5.8% of GDP, or $20bn. The previous year the annual deficit had been only 0.8% of GDP.
Economist Cameron Bagrie said the current account deficit didn’t get the attention it deserved. The BNZ’s economists, noting there had been a very big change in a short space of time, said the deficit is the largest since 2009.
“It continues a rapid widening of the external deficit that we have been warning of for quite some time. The deficit is now getting to a level that some in the market and/or rating agencies might start paying attention to.”
Whether the government, preoccupied with Covid and rising inflation, is paying any attention isn’t clear — but it should be. Some insiders believe it is beavering away on climate change measures that could have a damaging effect on farming morale—particularly if the government goes ahead with measures as proposed by the Climate Change Commission to reduce methane emissions by cutting cow herds by 15%. . .
Autumn seeding has begun, OSR going in the ground today, for cooking oil in your kitchen next year. pic.twitter.com/MVEIBfnOyg
When the rabbits spill off Otago’s land and on to its sea lion, seal and penguin-populated beaches, you know there’s a serious pest-control problem
For the first time in years – so many no one wants to put a number on it – non-compliance notices have been served on Otago landowners for letting rabbits run amok on their land.
A further 40 notices ordering immediate action or costly consequences are set to follow, as a shake-up in the pest department at the Otago Regional Council (ORC) last year starts to bear fruit.
Environmental implementation manager Andrea Howard, who has been in the role less than two years, concedes the ORC has had a “less than active stance” on the rabbit front and that this would have contributed to current numbers. . .
Two global leaders in agriculture are helping advance world-first pasture technology designed, tested and made in New Zealand.
Investment from Gallagher and the Royal Barenbrug Group will fund wider farm roll-out and faster development for Christchurch-based Farmote Systems, company founder Richard Barton says.
Launched in Canterbury last spring, the Farmote System is a unique new way of automatically recording precise, consistent and reliable pasture data, 24/7. It now covers over 6000 hectares of farmland.
Fast forward
“We’re excited to have attracted new investment from Gallagher, as well as further investment from Barenbrug,” Richard Barton says. . .
When your land is office planned And fed with streams of ink And ploughed by men with fountain pen What shall we eat and drink?
A poem by a fenland farmer, written over 100 years ago.
A Kiwi company has secured a US export contract to supply one of New York’s tallest skyscrapers with its wool flooring product.
The $1.1 billion Brooklyn Tower will be home to hundreds of the city’s elite and will stand at 327 metres when it opens later this year, making it one of the world’s tallest residential buildings.
The new contract will see Bremworth supply over 3,000sqm of wool carpet for the 93 storey, supertall skyscraper and is one of the company’s largest ever installations of its natural fibre product in the US.[1]
The North American deal is the highest profile commercial contract for the company since Bremworth’s wool carpets were used in the refurbishment of dozens of US retail outlets owned by Cartier, the luxury French jewellery maker. . .
When Covid-19 first arrived in New Zealand, PM Jacinda Ardern made great play of the fact that it would be the primary sector – and that means rural NZ – would be the saviour of the economy.
Agriculture and the supporting processing and supply chain workers and farmers were deemed essential, and to their great credit these people have delivered 100% and more.
But if perchance, or maybe out of morbid curiosity, you tune into Jacinda’s daily sermons from the Beehive, you would struggle to hear the word ‘rural’ mentioned these days.
The vaccine roll-out has been urban driven with percentage rates in Auckland hailed and glorified. It seems to be all about high population numbers, which also means votes, or is that being too cynical? . .
A plague of rabbits has destroyed thousands of grape vines, chewed through fence posts and rose gardens and left properties in Central Otago potted with holes, costing landowners thousands of dollars.
The trail of destruction has driven some to take up arms – despite never having owned a gun before – and shoot them from their front lawns.
The local authority says the responsibility for dealing with the pests lies with homeowners – a stance which has infuriated some, who say the buck should stop with the council, not them.
In recent months the Otago Regional Council (ORC) has visited more than 300 properties across the rabbit-prone areas of Lake Hayes, Morven Hill, Dalefield, Gibbston Valley and Hawea, and has now emailed hundreds of letters to landowners asking them to come up with their own compliance plan to get rid of rabbits. . .
The chief executive of Rabobank was so determined its new Hamilton HQ would have wool carpet he arranged for it to be craned in.
Todd Charteris says it was suggested synthetic carpet squares would be more appropriate because rolls of carpet were too big to be carried in the lift.
He wasn’t having a bar of it.
Rabobank specialises in rural banking and is relocating its head office from Wellington to the third and fourth floors of a central Hamilton building. . .
A Waikato farming couple will be hanging up their tennis racquets this year after transforming the farm’s tennis court into a native plant nursery.
Dave Swney and Alice Trevelyan started The Native Dairy Farmer and spent the latest Waikato lockdown potting up 22,000 plants now neatly lined up on the court.
Alice estimates they moved about 16 cubic metres of compost.
“Heaps of shovelling,” says Dave. “Some of us farmers have fatter fingers and probably aren’t as good on some of the more delicate jobs but we can get on the end of a shovel and shove a bit of compost.” . .
Maddison Airey, a 23-year-old first year Bachelor of Viticulture and Wine Science (BVWSci) student from EIT, has won the Hawke’s Bay A&P Society & Craggy Range Young Vintners Scholarship for 2021.
Maddison received her award at the Hawke’s Bay A&P Bayleys Wine Awards dinner last night.
As part of the scholarship, Maddison wins $2,000 funding from the Hawke’s Bay A&P Society and a vintage position at Craggy Range Winery for the harvest season of ’22, and she will also be an associate judge for the Hawke’s Bay A&P Bayleys Wine Awards next year.
Maddison says she is excited about the scholarship and the opportunities it will offer her. . .
Had to go on a sheep rescue mission this afternoon! It's a different world up there. (Zoom in for sheep) pic.twitter.com/MhumgJgtEE
The world is facing the prospect of a dramatic shortfall in food production as rising energy prices cascade through global agriculture, the CEO of Norwegian fertilizer giant Yara International says.
“I want to say this loud and clear right now, that we risk a very low crop in the next harvest,” said Svein Tore Holsether, the CEO and president of the Oslo-based company. “I’m afraid we’re going to have a food crisis.”
Speaking to Fortune on the sidelines of the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow, Holsether said that the sharp rise in energy prices this summer and autumn had already resulted in fertilizer prices roughly tripling.
In Europe, the natural-gas benchmark hit an all-time high in September, with the price more than tripling from June to October alone. Yara is a major producer of ammonia, a key ingredient in synthetic fertilizer, which increases crop yields. The process of creating ammonia currently relies on hydropower or natural gas. . .
A disappointed Otago farming sector says it has been left in the lurch by the Environment Court’s interim decision on the Otago Regional Council’s water permits plan change.
The court decision said interim consents to replace expiring water permits should be limited to a term of six years.
Otago Federated Farmers president Mark Patterson said as a result farmers would have trouble getting financial backing for supporting infrastructure due to the uncertainty short-term consents created.
‘‘The farmers are going to be left in absolute limbo,’’ he said. . .
Fonterra has been talking up value-add as a way to add value for shareholders for a decade, to little effect. Could this time be any different? Business editor Nikki Mandow pores over a decade of Fonterra annual reports.
“We have clear aspirations,” trumpets Fonterra in its 2016 annual report, alongside a soft-focus photo of a nice-looking cream cake. “By 2023, our foodservice operations [a jewel in the Fonterra value-add crown] will be a $5 billion business, supplying over five billion LME [liquid milk equivalent] of dairy products to customers around the world.”
How Fonterra’s foodstuffs business was going to grow from a less than $2 billion operation to $5 billion wasn’t at all clear in that 2016 report, but who cared? There would be New Zealand mozzarella for the world’s pizza chefs, butter for the bakers, cream for the cake makers, and money for the farmers and shareholders. Hurrah!
United Flower Growers (UFG) have teamed up with florists across New Zealand and the NZ Peony Society to campaign for mental health funds.
The Peonies with a Purpose campaign for 2021 will see $1 from purchases of bouquets of Peonies made at selected retailers go to the Mental Health Foundation.
“We have teamed up with a number of influencers to help spread the word,” says a spokesperson for UFG.
“Looking after the mental health of Kiwis is important to us and anything we can do to support this amazing cause with our beautiful blooms, we are happy to do so,” they told Rural News. . .
A series of life experiences have come to fruition for a North Otago farming mother.
The result has been a one-of-a-kind online business, one which she hopes, might at the very least start a “what if” conversation for those in the rural sector.
Mother-of-two Paige Wills farms sheep and deer with her husband Richard in the Waitaki Valley.
She recently launched a business called My Peace of Mind; a comprehensive in-case-of-emergency document designed to help people organise all their essential information in case someone experiences an illness, injury or death so their family will have all the important information clearly laid out and all in one place. . .
Congratulations to Ben McNab, Assistant Winemaker at Palliser in Martinborough, who came became the 2021 Tonnellerie de Mercurey North Island Young Winemaker of the Year. The competition was held on 27th October at EIT in Hawke’s Bay.
As the 2020 winner of the North Island competition Ben says “Defending the title added a bit more pressure so I was very relieved to come out on top again this year, especially as the calibre of the other contestants was so high.” He is thrilled to go through to the National Final and looking forward to competing against Jordan Moores from Valli and Peter Russell from Matua as he knows them both quite well. “It’s going to be a great competition. It will be tough, but with a real buzz. I can’t wait!”
Congratulations also goes to Kaitlin Bond from Indevin in Gisborne who came second and to Douw Grobler from Trinity Hill in Hawke’s Bay who came third. . .
Birch Hill Station’s proximity to Wellington means it offers an exciting range of options from its traditional pastoral sheep and beef base.
The 1,579ha (1,320ha effective) property sits only 10 minutes southeast of Martinborough in picturesque southern Wairarapa, offering a good mix of flat, rolling and steeper country that includes some attractive terraced land.
Bayleys Wairarapa salesperson Lindsay Watts says properties of Birch Hill’s expanse and quality are rare to the market, typically held intergenerationally by families.
Treating the station as his own, long-time manager Stuart Ross has overseen a high standard of farming, with exceptional land stewardship and stock. . .
The dairy sector has a simple message for the Government – please take our plight seriously.
Frustration is rife among farmers because the Government seems to be paying lip service to a crucial sector that has kept the company’s economy buzzing for the past 18 months.
Like most primary producers, dairy farmers have been crying out for more overseas workers. However, it’s becoming clear that the Government isn’t genuine about helping dairy farmers.
In June, the Government announced that it will grant border exceptions for 200 dairy farm workers and their families, comprising 150 herd managers or assistant farm managers and 50 farm assistants for critical-need areas only. Within that announcement they specified that herd managers be paid a salary of $79,500 and assistant managers a salary of $92,000 per annum. . .
Numbers of pests and game animals are rapidly increasing in parts of the country, regional councils report.
Successive mild seasons, reduced hunter pressure and growing resistance to rabbit haemorrhagic disease (RHD), is leading to increased numbers of deer, goats, wallabies and rabbits in many areas.
The Otago Regional Council’s (ORC) environmental implementation manager Andrea Howard says rabbit density differs across the region, but remains high in parts of Central Otago.
“Several factors influence rabbit populations, including lack of consistent control – and secondary control – by landowners, the naturally reducing impact of introduced viruses, climate change, land-use change, urban spread into historically rabbit-prone rural land and associated reduction in available control tools,” Howard said. . .
Is this lamb being retained for its genetic ability to make me smile? Yes, yes it is. pic.twitter.com/NIrJM353bM
To be a good leader, you have to first know your ‘why’, says Ravensdown shareholder and Agri-Women’s Development Trust (AWDT) Escalator programme graduate Donna Cram.
“For me it is to connect people across agricultural communities using values-based communication to empower collaboration.”
Cram, a dairy farmer at Wylan Dene farm near Awatuna in South Taranaki, was one of 14 women chosen by AWDT to take part in their annual Escalator programme. It gives women in the food and fibre sector “the mindsets, skills and connections to lead, govern and inspire”.
Cram says the experience has helped her understand more about her own leadership qualities. . .
A business was born when some West Otago dairy farmers were floored by a problem.
White River Holstein Friesians owners Paul and Kyllee Henton struggled to find suitable flooring for their 600-cow wintering shed on their 171ha farm in Kelso.
The fruitless search motivated them to research, develop and manufacture their own flooring solution of heavy duty interlocking rubber mats.
They run their mat company Agri-Tech Imports alongside their 580-cow herd operation.
Mrs Henton, a registered veterinarian, said they had run the farm for 15 years after entering an equity partnership with her parents to buy the property. . .
Plucked from the lab and picked for his first production supervisor’s role in his early 20s, Richard Gray has been saying cheese for 23 years.
From test tubes to testing himself in leadership, Fonterra’s general manager of operations for the lower South Island is helping steer the dairy giant through perilous pandemic times.
Based at Edendale in Southland, Mr Gray said it had more or less been business as usual through the alert levels.
‘‘From the supply chain point of view there has been disruption with delays or longer lead time to deliver, but we’re still exporting well. But it’s the timing, having to adjust some of the production planning processes to allow for that longer lead time.’’ . .
Old 6 stand shearing shed at Mandora station. Last sheep was shorn here in 1983! Cyclones have wiped most of it out but you can still see how the sheep would have flowed through the shed and yards 🐑 I can’t be the only one who gets a kick out of this?! pic.twitter.com/sC6KfxWELP
Rural Australians have reacted with alarm over a fine dished out to a Queensland man for carrying a pocket knife.
Wayne McLennan, aged 75, was last week fined $100 for unlawful possession of a weapon because of a small pocket knife he carried in a pouch on his belt.
Many country people right around Australia wear the same, either a knife or a multi-tool, not for self-defence but for the hundreds of daily chores they may be called on to do while remote on their properties.
As one farmer said on social media last night, strapping his Leatherman to his belt in the morning was as automatic as pulling on his boots. . .
The departure of migrant workers thwarted by visa frustrations offshore is adding sting to mid Canterbury’s depleted rural sector.
Growing uncertainty amid stalled immigration settings for migrant workers was forcing New Zealand resident hopefuls to keep their options open with Australia’s agricultural sector dangling the carrot.
Ashburton immigration advisor Maria Jimenez said several Filipino workers had joined the worker exodus to Australia and many more had signalled an interest.
But closed borders to travellers has still cut off supply to a third of the industry’s workforce.
Central Otago cherry farms have been some of the hardest-hit by the labour shortages.
The region, like many in horticulture and agriculture, has relied on a workforce heavily dominated by foreign workers.
While last week’s announcement that one-way quarantine-free travel corridor for vaccinated workers under the Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) scheme would commence from October brought some relief, growers in the region were continuing to face challenges with filling up roles. . .
The bird’s-eye views that winter grazing monitoring flights give Otago Regional Council staff have revealed no major breaches on Otago farms this year.
The farm monitoring flights, over three months this year, resulted in 140 follow-ups scheduled by compliance staff, council compliance manager Tami Sargeant said.
But the majority of the potential breaches identified were not related to current rules, but to new winter grazing standards, which had not yet taken effect, she said.
“In those cases, our aim is to help educate landowners about the upcoming rules and ensure they will be compliant when the rules come into force,” she said.
Ms Sargeant said staff were pleased with the level of compliance. . .
The answer to both of these questions is yes — and doing so could help us address issues of water contamination and climate change. Cattle urine is high in nitrogen, and this contributes to a range of environmental problems.
When cows are kept mainly outdoors, as they are in New Zealand and Australia, the nitrogen from their urine breaks down in the soil. This produces two problematic substances: nitrate and nitrous oxide.
Nitrate from urine patches leaches into lakes, rivers and aquifers (underground pools of water contained by rock) where it pollutes the water and contributes to the excessive growth of weeds and algae. . .
The strong wool sector is setting its hopes on the development of new products that could be used in building and manufacturing to increase income for farmers.
While the merino wool market continued to perform, the strong wool sector was in crisis due to competition from synthetic fibres, said The Campaign for Wool New Zealand chairman Tom O’Sullivan.
The price of strong wool was about $2.50 a kilogram. The cost of shearing sheep was now higher than the value of the wool, O’Sullivan said.
But his hope was that the price of strong wool could eventually be on par with merino, which sold for between $15 and $20 a kilogram. At the very least farmers needed to break even, he said. . .
Northland kiwifruit growers will be delivered a stronger service following the proposed amalgamation of Kerikeri-based Orangewood Limited with a wholly owned subsidiary of Seeka Limited.
In a conditional agreement announced 14 September 2021, Orangewood shareholders are being offered 0.6630 new Seeka shares and $1.35 in cash for every Orangewood share.
Seeka chief executive Michael Franks says the deal will further expand Seeka’s operations in the key Northland growth region and deliver a great service to growers. . .
Meat byproducts such as tallow, collagen and blood are increasingly earning money for farmers; last year $1.6 billion worth of byproducts were exported, 17 per cent of the value of total meat exports, figures from the Meat Industry Association show.
Typically, animals are cut into four quarters for butchery of prime and secondary cuts. But it is what is known in the industry as the “fifth quarter” that has become a new focus for the sector.
Farmer co-operative Alliance Group global sales manager Derek Ramsey is responsible for extracting maximum value from the carcass and making sure every part is used.
Byproducts of the meat industry such as animal fat (tallow) are marketed as ‘‘specialty ingredients and materials’’. . .
Wallaby control efforts in Otago are being ramped up this month.
With funding from the $27 million national wallaby eradication programme, the Otago Regional Council is targeting the Kakanui Mountains, the Shag River (between Kyburn and Dunback), the Dunstan Mountains and from the Lindis Pass to Lake Hawea, using ground and aerial-based contractors to collect data on where wallabies are present, and destroy those sighted.
ORC biosecurity manager and rural liaison Andrea Howard said the long-term goal was eradication — and the council was optimistic it could be achieved.
“We’re in the privileged position of collecting information about the extent of the problem, rather than having to try and contain the problem,” Ms Howard said. . .
What a day on the big jobs. 10 mobs shifted over 3 farms. It's easy on days like this. pic.twitter.com/MN2bgozBnF
The Waitaki mayor wants the government to change the rules on where carbon farming is allowed.
This week, more than 150 people attended a public meeting in Oamaru to hear about what the council can do about new proposals for carbon farming.
That is the practice of keeping the greenhouse gas out of the atmosphere and instead sequestering (or capturing and storing) it in, for example, pine plantations.. .
This season’s steer and heifer kill has been off the chart, with the latest slaughter statistics (current to May 8) showing over 776,000 slaughtered throughout New Zealand since the season started in October. Compare this with last year’s record-high of 649,000hd for the same period or the five-year average of 618,000.
Depending on how you slice it, there has been an extra 127,000-158,000 of prime cattle in the supply chain this season. This is in spite of a very high prime kill last season, which probably tidied up most of the drought-affected cattle from last spring.
A boost in supply will always negatively impact farm gate beef prices. But, this season’s oversupply coincided with a major slump in processor demand driven by the shuttering of most of the world’s restaurants and by major disruptions in international shipping. This is why farm gate beef prices were struggling to surpass last year’s lockdown prices for much of the season. . .
One year on from its inception, Meat the Need has donated more than 400,000 red meat meals to food banks throughout New Zealand.
Meat the Need became a nationwide charity after being successfully piloted in Christchurch amid the covid-19 crisis.
The charity, created by YOLO Farmer Wayne Langford and Siobhan O’Malley of Pukeko Pastures, enables farmers to help feed Kiwi families in need by providing the means for them to donate livestock through its charitable supply chain.
Langford says the high level of support from the farming community, alongside the support from meat processor Silver Fern Farms (SFF), has been key to the charity’s success. . .
New research has shown how beef from temperate grassland systems provides key nutrients for human health – and how this data could help reassess the meat’s green impact.
The study examined the three pasture systems most regularly used in temperate regions – permanent pasture, grass and white clover and a short-term monoculture grass ley.
Researchers then analysed datasets from each to determine the levels of key nutrients in beef each system will provide.
Results suggest that each temperate system analysed is broadly comparable, which means temperate pasture-based beef could be treated as a single commodity in future impact considerations. . .
Court costs for water plan changes at the Environment Court could easily run into the millions and should be paid from Otago Regional Council reserves, Federated Farmers says.
The farmer group also slammed rates increases proposed by the council yesterday.
Regional councillors heard submissions on their 2021-31 long-term plan in Dunedin, Queenstown, and via videoconferencing in the first day of two days of scheduled hearings yesterday.
About 560 submissions were received, and about 100 people and organisations wanted to deliver their submission verbally. . .
As part of B+LNZ’s commitment to attracting talented and motivated young people into the red meat sector, we co- funded the Leaving School magazine received by senior school students in every secondary school throughout the country. In this story, young and eager farm worker, Alex De’Lay shares his passion for farming and advice to school leavers.
This story was published in the Leaving School magazine which gets distributed for free to senior school students in every secondary school throughout New Zealand.
Working on a farm in Southland has been a positive change of lifestyle for English-born Alex De’Lay.
He arrived from his home in Northumberland, England in October 2017 on a working holiday.
It seems nothing can stop his commitment to farming and learning as much as he can about the industry – not even losing an eye in an accident involving a firework just three weeks after he arrived in New Zealand. . .
A big and diverse week of cattle work, this week at Morrison Farming. Winter is almost here. But, before that, we have 20 fantastic stud cows and 20 exciting in-calf heifers, for sale, in the Feilding Cow Fair, this Thursday, May 20. Then we can all set-in for winter. pic.twitter.com/Zxv0Tgc7Vz
— William Morrison (@MorrisonFarming) May 18, 2021
Southern students considering careers in the red meat processing and exporting sector were among the Meat Industry Association scholarship recipients for 2021. In a series, reporter Shawn McAvinue asks them about their study and their future plans. This week, he speaks to Otago University student Dominic Morrison (18), of Queenstown.
University of Otago student Dominic Morrison is targeting a career in agribusiness — in between “jumping and twirling” in an all-male ballet troupe.
The first-year law and economics student used his $5000 Meat Industry Association scholarship to pay for his stay at residential hall Selwyn College on campus in Dunedin.
The price to stay in the hall includes the cost of a ballet uniform. . .
Agricultural organisations are often at the pointy end of criticism.
We exist to act in the best interests of our farmers – as individuals and the sector’s future as a collective. That can be a hard balancing act. To secure a future where the sector thrives and supports our communities and the New Zealand economy, we have to advocate with government.
We all know dairy, sheep and beef sectors have seen their fair share of regulatory changes in recent times. That’s tough and we all know it brings challenges which are confronting and not always welcome.
In the face of significant proposed change, we have advocated clearly for policies that work on the farm. Are we going to win them all? No. And have the outcomes been perfect? No.
Man’s best friend has been battling through rain, wind and snow to get the job done at the national Sheep Dog Trial Championships in Southland this week.
More than 500 dogs and 300 trainers were vying for the top spot at the almost week-long trials, hosted on a farm north of Gore by the Greenvale club.
Southland Dog Trial Association spokesperson Maria Hurrell said, despite some rough conditions, everyone had been having fun.
As the worst mouse plague in decades continues to ravage farms across New South Wales and southern Queensland, large numbers of mice are travelling south and making their way into Victoria.
Don Hearn owns a beef cattle farm and vineyard just east of Barham, in New South Wales near the Victorian border.
He said over the past three to four weeks, mice numbers had increased on his property and were causing damage.
“It’s certainly not as bad as a little further north, but with most plagues, they start in the north and work their way south.” . .
Our dairy provinces are reverberating to the news that prices soared at the latest Fonterra GDT auction. The prosperity this brings to the regions will provide a significant counterbalance to the loss of earning power in the tourism sector because of the pandemic.
The average price at the auction climbed 15% to $US4,231 a tonne but, more importantly, the price for wholemilk powder, which is the key to the payout to farmers,rose an astonishing 21% to $US4,364 a tonne. Butter was up sharply to $US5,826 a tonne, or 13.7%.
Overall, the increase compares with a 3% rise at the previous auction two weeks ago. . .
Reducing cow numbers isn’t the ‘silver bullet’ to lowering greenhouse gas emissions in New Zealand, says Northland farmer and entrepreneur Tom Pow.
With the Government facing calls to slash cow numbers as part of its climate change action plan, Pow, the founder of HerdHomes, says a knee-jerk reaction to reduce cow numbers would be naïve.
He suggests looking at other options including reducing the number of hours cows spend in paddocks. “Balanced feed can lead to less greenhouse gasses (GHG) or effectively a smaller herd mis-managed could produce even more GHG,” he told Dairy News. . .
Good start to the day. Chardonnay is on its way. Will hand pick two tonne for ourselves on the weekend. pic.twitter.com/AiSLZvzsf1
A 50/50 sharemilker at an award-winning Maori farming enterprise has been selected as one of two associate directors at DairyNZ for the coming year.
Carlos Delos Santo works for the Onuku Maori Lands Trust which runs a number of dairy farms near Rotorua as well as a sheep milking operation and other businesses. The other new associate director is Cameron Henderson who farms in Canterbury with his partner Sarah.
Delos Santo says he’s really excited to be selected for this role, as it allows him the chance to gain knowledge on what occurs at DairyNZ board meetings and contribute to important sector discussions. . .
Mike Carr has had a calling to be a farmer since he was 8 years old; old enough to drive a tractor and help out on farm.
By the age of 25 he’d travelled overseas and had a mechanic’s qualification under his belt before returning to the family farm to work alongside his parents, Ian and Sue.
Then he took over.
He loves farming — and being outdoors.
“You’re your own boss. It’s great — you don’t answer to anyone else,” he said. . .
A frustrated West Taieri farmer is calling for the Otago Regional Council to do better so he can achieve his dream of building a shed to keep his cattle warm and dry.
The council says it will seek ways to improve its service.
Fred Doherty, of Outram, said he had expected the process to get the consents required to build a wintering shed in the middle of his 90ha sheep and beef farm to be “simple and basic” but it had been “frustrating” and made considerably more expensive by red tape.
“It’s been a dream of mine to be able to put my stock inside for winter and to know that whatever nature throws at them, they are safe, warm and dry and your farm is getting looked after.” . .
With The America’s Cup due to start in a few days’ time, innovators from a very different sphere have been wondering how long it could be before New Zealand could be competing in a boat entirely built from hemp, with the crew eating high-energy, nutritious hemp-infused foods and wearing high-performance hemp kit?
Industrial hemp (iHemp) is from the same family as cannabis, but from different cultivars and without the psychoactive effects. Having historically fallen out of favour, it’s rapidly finding its place in the world again, due primarily to its environmental and health benefits.
Hemp has a wide range of uses driven by its unique characteristics. Hemp textiles are naturally anti-fungerial, antic static, antibacterial and antimicrobial and can stop 95% of the UV light. Used in construction materials, it is fire resistant, breathable and strong; one sixth of the weight of concrete and continues to sequester carbon throughout its life. . .
For central and western parts of the lower South Island, a La Niña summer means drier conditions and a higher risk of drought.
The Otago Regional Council (ORC) is encouraging irrigators and other water users to be mindful of these conditions as New Zealand enters a La Niña summer, characterised by warmer and drier conditions than usual.
ORC general manager regulatory Richard Saunders said people need to be responsible about their water use.
“Dry weather means less water in rivers and races, so anyone taking water needs to be mindful of their consent conditions and responsibilities and to actively monitor how much water they are taking. . .
There is a need to re-orientate New Zealanders into working in the primary sector, according to the director general of the Ministry for Primary Industries.
Smith’s comments come as widespread concern is expressed, right across the agricultural sector – especially in horticulture, about the lack of people to harvest crops and work in various jobs.
He believes part of the problem is that the benefits of working in the primary sector haven’t been marketed as effectively as they could have been. Smith says while there are some tough-end jobs that don’t pay well, there are actually a huge number of highly-paid jobs in the sector and that will grow. . .
Living Water – seven facts for seven years:In the seven years that Fonterra and the Department of Conservation (DOC) have been working together through Living Water, important advancements have been made to help regenerate New Zealand’s precious natural resources.
Launched in 2013, the 10-year partnership is focussed on finding game-changing and scalable solutions that will enable farming, freshwater and healthy ecosystems to thrive side-by-side.
What does that look like in practise? It means working alongside communities in five selected catchments to test different tools, approaches and ways of working that will help improve water quality and freshwater environments. . .
The plaintiff in a court case – aiming block the use of 1080 to control possums blamed for the spread of Bovine tuberculosis in Hawke’s Bay – is denying science, the defence says.
Possums on the land, Tataraakina, have been blamed for the spread of Bovine tuberculosis into farms in the region.
Half of all New Zealand’s herds that have the disease are in this area.
Tataraakina is a 14,000-hectare block in inland Hawke’s Bay, near the highway between Napier and Taupō. . ..
Dr. Richard Teague might be considered a cowboy of a different kind. He’s not rounding up stray cattle, but rather wrangling the best management practices on ranches to help the cattle and their owners.
Teague, a Texas A&M AgriLife Research ecologist at Vernon, grew up on a farm and knows firsthand there are some unintended consequences from traditional long-standing agricultural practices that might not readily be seen.
“I’m an ecologist and know that for an adequately functioning ecosystem, you have to have good soil function,” Teague said. “Many things we do in industrial agriculture break down the function of soil. The ranchers and farmers we are working with have demonstrated how to increase productivity by improving soil health, manage for decreased inputs, improve the health of their cattle and increase profits.” . .
Labour cares so little for rural communities that the word ‘rural’ doesn’t even appear in their health policy, National’s Health spokesperson Dr Shane Reti says.
“For all of their talk there is no kindness to rural communities or recognition of their special health needs.
“New Zealand’s rural communities are an essential part of New Zealand and face unique health challenges.
“Labour is failing to even acknowledge the rural communities that are so important to New Zealand and their distinct health issues. . .
After two terms on the Fonterra Shareholders’ Council, Emma Hammond is stepping down from what she says has been an “interesting journey” and a “unique role”.
She and husband Peter and their three children, Ferguson (10), Nicholas (12) and Annalise (15), have a 164ha dairy farm near Winton and run about 500 cows, with a production of 450kg of milk solids/cow.
Mrs Hammond has served two three-year terms and steps down at the annual meeting next month.
“There has been a lot of change during the past six years and it has been an interesting time to be involved. . .
Improvements made to rabbit control measures by the Otago Regional Council are expected to better meet community expectations.
In an update for the council’s implementation committee meeting tomorrow, manager biosecurity and rural liaison Andrea Howard said its biosecurity activities were undergoing a ‘‘transformation’’.
The biosecurity team was at present resourced to deliver only a ‘‘light touch’’ response to implement the regional pest management plan, which affected the council’s ability to meet community expectations, she said.
A fresh approach was now being made, and improvements included the recruitment of three additional fixed-term positions within the biosecurity team, two of which would focus exclusively on the pest programme, Ms Howard said. . .
Dairy giant Fonterra has lifted the mid-point of its forecast farmgate milk price range to $6.80kg/MS, up from $6.40,while retaining its current +/-50c per kgMS range.
It’s a shot in the arm not just for the co-op’s farmer-suppliers and the country’s rural regions but also for the national economy as it strives to recover from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
At a $6.80 milk price more than $10bn will flow into regional NZ. . .
Shareholders of Livestock Improvement Corporation (LIC) today voted to update and streamline the governance of the co-operative, including changes to the Board and the role and structure of the Shareholder Council.
A comprehensive two-year review of LIC’s governance and representation structures and processes was undertaken by a working group of directors and shareholder councillors, which made a number of recommendations including replacing the current 21-member Shareholder Council with a smaller, more focused 12-member Shareholder Reference Group. It also proposed a smaller Board, equal weighting of directors across North and South Islands, and streamlined elections so that all elections are held at the Annual Meeting.
The results of voting on these special resolutions was announced following LIC’s Annual Meeting today which was held virtually in light of the restrictions imposed on New Zealand to date under various alert levels as a result of COVID-19. The changes required 75 per cent support from voting shareholders. . .
A South Waikato dry stock property offers investors and farmers alike the opportunity to own a high-quality pastoral property central to some of the North Island’s key attractions and cities.
Located in the Tapapa district and nestled against the Kaimai-north Mamaku ranges, the 270ha Pakaraka Road property has been a household name in Romney breeding circles for its intensive breeding programme, run by owner Ross Alexander.
“The Alexander family are certainly well respected in sheep breeding circles and are leaders in Romney breeding on properties exhibiting the highest standards of farming. Ross’s property certainly highlights this,” says Bayleys Waikato salesperson Neville Jacques. . .
Council chairwoman Marian Hobbs said yesterday that since New Zealand entered a Covid-19 lockdown on March 26 — and seven councillors called for a 12-month re-evaluation of the council’s policy and finances, including the withdrawal and suspension of plan changes in progress and a review of its Regional Policy Statement — the council had been divided.
“It has been war,” Ms Hobbs said yesterday, confirming she believed some councillors wanted her out as chairwoman at the council.
“If I sound angry, I am. And I’m really not speaking as a chair — I’m speaking as a human being. Because watch this space, love, I’m liable to lose my position as the chair,” she said. . .
The March 26 letter to Ms Hobbs was signed by Crs Michael Laws, Hilary Calvert, Carmen Hope, Gary Kelliher, Kevin Malcolm, Andrew Noone and Kate Wilson.
Several days later Ms Hobbs wrote to Environment Minister David Parker about issues arising from the letter.
When her communication was discovered through an Official Information Act request, what she wrote raised the ire of Federated Farmers, which responded. . .
I was worried when she was elected chair and my worries have increased since then.
She appears to be acting on behalf of the government rather than ratepayers, many of whom agree with the seven councillors who have called for a 12-month pause.
Federated Farmers’ national body took issue in a statement this week with the council’s consultation process, saying the “actions taken by [the regional council] over the lockdown period were at best an inept attempt to ‘tick off’ to the minister that they had sufficiently completed appropriate public consultation on its proposed plan changes”.
Federated Farmers Otago president Simon Davies expressed “real concern” with the content of the letter and said the organisation was “assessing our options”.
There was a lack of governance at the council at present, he said, which was problematic.
“It’s not the ‘staff’ giving direction or strategy, it’s the governance. And the governance needs to be strong about that, and at the same time that strategy needs to be Otago focused and driven — not other people’s,” he said. . .
The Council must carry out its statutory roles but councillors are elected to represent the people, not the government.
Cr Calvert yesterday said she was concerned that Ms Hobbs was substituting her interpretation of the views of the Government “for the views of our Otago ratepayers”.
“She is prepared to attempt to overthrow the representation of the people of Otago by asking whether the minister would consider putting in a commissioner if the vote doesn’t go her way.
“Those who elected us deserve better than that.”
Asked to comment on Ms Hobbs’ assertion there were councillors who wanted her out as chairwoman, Cr Calvert said the “crucial question” was how many councillors that was.
“At the end of the day, if you don’t retain the confidence of the majority of your fellow councillors, it’s time for somebody else to take a crack at being the chair.”
Some former MPs can make the transition to local body office and put partisan politics aside.
From what has been reported, Hobbs has not and it would be better for the council, and the region, if councilors succeed in replacing her.
Dr Jacqueline Rowarth on how the agriculture and horticulture sectors are supporting New Zealand through the COVID-19 pandemic.
OPINION: New Zealanders have been urged to order food from outlets that don’t use Uber, and to be extremely careful using Tinder.
The first is because of expenditure (Uber apparently takes 35% of the bill). The second is because of COVID-19 and potential to transmit the virus. (NRL players have been forbidden to use the app and the difficulty of maintaining 2m distance must be acknowledged.)
It is probable that rural dwellers will find it easier to comply with these requests than those who live in urban districts. It is possible that rural dwellers have never used either of the two services. It is also possible that rural dwellers are wondering about how much money is evaporated on services that make it easier to spend more money on services. . .
As if there wasn’t already enough stress and economic hurdles facing the region, the Otago Regional Council has added to the uncertainty.
The submission period closed on the ORC’s Proposed Plan Change 7 on water permits on Monday. However, because Council notified the plan change, and then asked the government to call it in, there’ll be another whole round of submissions once the Environmental Protection Authority renotifies it, which is frustrating to impacted resource users.
Federated Farmers – like most, if not all, other rural representatives – has opposed PC7.
“We said in our submission that it fails on tests of cost-effectiveness, fairness, adequate consultation, and consistency with existing policies,” Federated Farmers Otago President Simon Davies says. . .
It is great to be a farmer; it certainly has not been an easy autumn, but we are lucky to be still in charge of our businesses. And a farm is a perfect backyard for kids to be in throughout lockdown. Our consideration must go to those people with uncertain job prospects, and the many local small business owners who provide an invaluable service to the farming sector. I encourage farmers to think of what work, whether servicing or projects that we can bring forward to help these businesses get back on their feet.
This season was always shaping up to be memorable. In December it was shaping up to be one of the best, with good feed levels matched with an $8 floor to the lamb schedule, mid $7 and $6 for dairy and beef, respectively.
If we were feeling comfortable, the impact of Covid-19 and a lingering widespread drought put pay to that. For farmers, the drought is having a more immediate financial impact. There is plenty of uncertainty looking forward, with how the looming global recession will impact demand and prices for meat and dairy.
The drought has put significant pressure on farmers, with stock water being a real issue and now with low feed covers going into late autumn. Getting killing space for all stock classes has been difficult since December, with prime cattle being terribly slow. Farmers’ loyalty to their meat company has generally been well rewarded, but I am interested where that often-discussed meat industry overcapacity is hiding. It could be a long tough winter with low feed covers, please keep an eye on our fellow farmers’ welfare along with that of our animals. . .
The Environment Court’s decision to allow more time for the filing of appeals on Waikato Regional Council’s Plan Change 1 has Federated Farmers breathing a sigh of relief.
All three of the Federated Farmers provinces affected by this plan change are delighted and somewhat relieved with this decision.
Federated Farmers Waikato president Jacqui Hahn says this means individual farmers and growers have 70 working days from 11 May to file appeals. . .
The Covid-19 crisis could be a big setback to progress on eliminating plastics, a rural expert has warned.
Ian Proudfoot, global head of agribusiness for KPMG, told a webinar the desire for health and hygiene could easily trump environmental worries about plastics.
His comments follow a steady pushback against plastics overseas and in New Zealand, where it led to a ban on single use plastic bags in many parts of the economy with the aim of reducing pollution and reliance on fossil fuels, which are a raw ingredient for many plastics.
Proudfoot warned however that people could easily come to view plastic-packaged foodstuffs as clean and safe and could start to insist on it, leading to a revival in the use of plastics. . .
New Zealand farming has over the last couple of years under the current government has been berated, belittled & blamed for almost all of the pollution problems that we are facing as a country.
This coalition government has produced many polices aimed at the farmers of New Zealand that are supposedly going to fix all of the problems that we have with pollution of our land & waterways and protection of our national indigenous biodiversity.
Yet now they state that farming is privileged to be working, the same farmers that this current coalition government has made to feel like they are the cause of all the country’s problems in relation to pollution particularly of our waterways. . .
Farming advocates have expressed anger over the “rushed” pace of consultation on a core Otago Regional Council policy document.
The council held a series of public Regional Policy Statement (RPS) meetings across Otago recently.
The statement will shape ORC policy on ecosystems and biodiversity; energy and infrastructure; hazards and risks; historical and cultural values; natural features and landscapes; and urban form and development for the next 10 years. . .
Arable farmer Matt McEvedy said not much had changed in the day-to-day operation of his farm at Southbridge, on the Canterbury Plains.
“The only real change is in daily interactions among ourselves, just taking a bit more care and making a few policy changes around that sort of thing,” he says. . .
Andrew Hoggard elaborates on his tweet from last week where he urged people to “be a good bugger, don’t be a dick”.
Last week I sent out a Covid-19 Alert Level 4-related tweet that got a bit of attention – “be a good bugger, don’t be a dick”. This is the longer version.
These are not “business” as usual times.
In the last week Italy has lost more people from Covid-19 than live in Balclutha or Hokitika or Raglan or Greytown. In the past month more Italians have died from the virus than live in Te Puke, Morrinsville, Kerikeri or Otaki. . .
Farmers tasked with keeping the nation fed are migrating to an online auction to ensure they can continue to trade livestock through the coronavirus lockdown and beyond.
Sale yards around the country have closed forcing farmers and their stock agents to look at more innovative ways to do business.
Many are taking up a virtual livestock trading platform called bidr, developed by PGG Wrightson Livestock at the Ruakura Research Centre in Hamilton. . .
A tale of early life on a remote sheep station can teach us a lot about isolation.
“Road not recommended,” read the sign. It wasn’t bloody joking. Beyond its plain, wry warning was a narrow, unrelenting snake of a road, a thing of gravel and grief that wound for 32 long kilometres through Skippers Canyon above Otago’s Upper Shotover River.
In spring, there would be washouts and landslips. In winter, there was ice and snow and flooding. For months of the year, it could be impassable. And all year around there were dizzying hairpins, step climbs, slippery turns and precipitous drops. It made drivers tough, and it broke some, too. More than one who’d made it from Queenstown to the end of the Skippers Rd refused to drive back.
But at its end, on a high country sheep station, between the Richardson and Harris mountain ranges, a young family lived remote from the rest of the world in a solitude that’s hard to imagine in 21st-century New Zealand. It was in this isolated place, at the end of the country’s worst road, that Terri Macnicol and her husband, Archie, made a family and a life of hard yakka leavened by homely pleasures. . . .
When Roddy Kidd proposed having a shearing competition at the Oxford A&P Show back in 1971, he was told it would never catch on.
But he went ahead anyway and Oxford shearers were due to celebrate 50 years of shearing at the show on April 4, before it was cancelled because of the coronavirus pandemic.
‘‘We struggled to get it going. The then-president was a farmer, but he wasn’t keen. He said, ‘It won’t do any good’.
‘‘But we finally got him round to it and there was a lot of help from the Oxford community to get it going.’’ . .
Some wool factories have reopened in China while others have lost orders from buyers in the United States, Australian Wool Innovation chairman Colette Garnsey has told growers.
“The Italian factories remain shut and it is unclear when life and industry will return to normal there, (along with) the United Kingdom or the United States.
“For the next six months overall consumer demand for wool in those three markets will be weak. . .
While his friends dreamed of glamorous sporting careers Mihaka Beckham dreamed of working the land and being a dairy farmer. Charlie Williamson reports.
While his primary school friends were talking about how they would be the up and coming All Blacks stars when they grew up young Mihaka Beckham was saying he would one day be a dairy farmer.
And with the help of a few mentors and his ability to seize any opportunity he could find along the way Mihaka, now 23, is living his childhood dream.
Mihaka works as herd manager on a Taupo dairy farm milking 440 Jersey-Friesian cows on 170ha effective for Bryan and Tesha Gibson. . .
Federated Farmers says back-to-back annual rates increases from the Otago Regional Council should come with a more detailed plan of what benefits would come from farmers’ money.
The ORC yesterday announced it would push rates up by 9.1% as part of overall spending of $75.5million, including expenditure on reworking water plans, increasing consent processing staff and capacity for environmental incident response.
Federated Farmers South Island regional policy manager Kim Reilly said the second consecutive year of rates rises had come without firm detail as to how the rate adjustments might be packaged. . .
Mark Neill says he likes a challenge, and admits he’s got one on his hands.
Mr Neill, a veterinarian, is the lead epidemiologist in the Mycoplasma bovis eradication programme. He was one of the speakers at the Ministry for Primary Industries’ public update meeting in Oamaru last week.
Since September, Mr Neill has been seconded by the ministry from Ospri’s TBfree programme, where he has worked since 2002. . .
Sioned Jones used to adore the landscape and wildlife of her adopted home in Bantry, a bucolic region in west Cork on Ireland’s Atlantic coast. She planted vegetables and herbs, foraged for nuts and berries and observed birds, insects, frogs and lizards.
Then, on land above her house, the state-owned forestry company Coillte planted a forest of Sitka spruce, a non-native species that Jones considered a dark, dank threat to biodiversity.
The Welsh grandmother got a chainsaw and started cutting – and cutting. A few trees at first, then dozens, then hundreds. In their place she planted native broadleaf trees – birch, hazel, oak, alder, crab apple and rowan – a guerrilla rewilding campaign that lasted more than 20 years. . .
Scores of irrigators have told the Otago Regional Council the direction of its deemed permit overhaul will ‘‘destroy rural New Zealand’’.
They are at odds with environmentalists who are pleading that the status quo should not continue.
Twenty-one groups spoke at the council’s public forum yesterday about changes to its deemed permits process, which it has been instructed to undertake by Environment Minister David Parker.
Deemed permit irrigators have been working towards next year’s deadline to replace mining water privileges with consents. . .
Bega Cheese’s shares fell 9.3 per cent to $3.92 on Monday, as the company and its dairy providers started to assess the damage caused by fires that have raged around the towns of Bega and Cobargo.
About 30 to 40 farmers had been affected in the area, said Shaughn Morgan, chief executive of the industry group Dairy Connect, with some reporting they had lost the bulk of their livestock.
Other farmers without power were struggling to milk their cows, while others were spilling their milk because dairy processors including Bega were unable to access roads to collect their produce. . .
Agribusiness banking specialist Rabobank has announced extended support measures for bushfire impacted clients, following further widespread fire activity in recent days.
Rabobank Australia CEO Peter Knoblanche said the bank’s staff in bushfire-affected regions were continuing to contact clients to check on their safety and welfare and offer assistance where required.
“Unprecedented fire activity has impacted a significant number of communities across the country, with loss and damage to agricultural land, livestock, houses and infrastructure and most tragically, lives. Although it is still too early to assess the full extent of the damage, the impact of the fires on farming businesses has been compounded by ongoing drought with many holding very limited reserves of feed, fodder and water,” he said. . .
An application from the country’s largest salmon farming company to start farming fish in the “open ocean” has divided opinion, with some calling it an “innovative milestone”, but others labelling it “premature”.
New Zealand King Salmon wants to set up a farm as large as Kāpiti Island in the waters off Marlborough and eventually farm 8000 tonnes of king salmon a year in the colder waters.
It lodged a resource consent with the Marlborough District Council last July asking to build the farm within a 1792-hectare site in the ocean – a New Zealand first. The company says the farming operation will take up a small fraction of the site, 7km north of Cape Lambert. . .
Veganuary will be countered with a co-ordinated message using expert speakers and social media influencers to promote healthy meat-based meals and combat misinformation about the UK farming industry.
Farmers are the most trusted link in the food supply chain, with only six per cent disagreeing and 62 per cent of consumers feeling positive about British agriculture, a survey by AHDB ahead of Veganuary has revealed.
AHDB, which has joined forced with Quality Meat Scotland (QMS) and Hybu Cig Cymru (HCC), to turbocharge the promotion of red meat and its benefits for human health and the environment throughout January, said the industry should be proud to ‘hold its head up high’. . .
The New Zealand Rural Leadership Trust is pleased to announce the appointment of Chris Parsons, MNZM, DSD as their new Chief Executive Officer. Chris Parsons will replace Anne Hindson on 04 May 2020, following her stepping down as General Manager at end of April.
“We were thrilled by the quality field of candidates and consider ourselves fortunate to have someone of Chris Parsons calibre and experience step up to lead New Zealand Rural Leaders through its next stage of growth,” said Andrew Watters, Chair of the Board of Trustees.
Hailing from the Far North, Chris Parsons has a sheep and beef background and co-owns Ashgrove Genetics Ltd. He is also a decorated Army Officer, Certified Member of the Institute of Directors and holds master’s degrees in management and in strategy. . .
Went out and did some rut monitoring in the @nzapples Smart Tools for Orchard Drainage project. Some treatments have definitely been holding up better than others – just doing a deep rip after harvest has not been effective at removing excess water from the block. pic.twitter.com/NMINXdS4nJ
South Island rural service trader Ruralco says its chairman Alister Body has signalled his intention to step down from his role and pursue broader agribusiness interests.
Body chaired the Ruralco board for the past two years and served as a director since 2011.
Body has agreed to continue to support the business until June 30 when he will retire from the board. . .
The man who investigated the Otago Regional Council admits a planning overhaul will put deemed permit irrigators in a ‘‘holding pattern’’, but says it is the only way to ultimately improve things.
The council yesterday adopted a raft of recommendations from Environment Minister David Parker regarding its planning framework, which is the outcome of a ministry investigation into the council.
The investigator, Prof Peter Skelton, was questioned by councillors at a meeting in Dunedin yesterday.
The adopted recommendations include a plan change to create short-term up-to-five-year consents for water permits while the council reviews its policy plans.
Farmers have raised concerns these create uncertainty, and are too short to get banks to lend any money for necessary improvements.
When asked yesterday if this would put farmers in a ‘‘holding pattern’’, Prof Skelton said it would. . .
New Zealanders scooped the pool in the annual Rabobank Leadership Awards for agribusiness.
Volker Kuntzsch, the chief executive officer of New Zealand’s largest seafood company Sanford, was announced as the winner of 2019 Rabobank Leadership Award.
Mat Hocken, the director of Manawatu dairy company Grassmere Dairy, received the Rabobank Emerging Leader Award.
The awards are held annually recognising the contribution of leaders from across New Zealand and Australia’s food and agribusiness sector. . .
Multi species pasture starting to fill with flowers, mustard and diakon radish into it and phacilia about to also. Don’t think the sunflowers will before we graze it. It could definitely do with a drink and may have to graze sooner as bit of spurrey and fathen in places pic.twitter.com/heU7HnfRvl
A well-known Bay of Islands family from China with a thriving strawberry business are facing deportation – a plight that has spurred support from the local community.
The Jia family – Peter and Lina andtheir 10-year-old daughter Cici – have been ordered by Immigration New Zealand to leave the country.
The date of departure was set by Immigration NZ as today and comes after a years-long battle to stay in the country failed.
The Bay of Islands community have put 600 signatures to a petition showing huge support and highlighting the family’s concerns for their wellbeing if they return to China, where they say they suffered religious and economic persecution. . .
The legacy of a historic South Island homestead will live on, as the “heart of the Molesworth” reopened this week.
Farm manager Jim Ward had lived in the Molesworth Homestead, south of Blenheim, with his wife Tracey for 15 years when the earthquake struck in November 2016.
“We’re in open country so we heard the thing coming,” he said.
“We just took a door each and rode it out for a while. We knew there was significant damage but the beauty of it was that no one was hurt on the station.” . .
Grazing sheep and cattle systems can play a vital role in combating climate change and have wrongly been labelled as causing global warming.
Researchers working with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) based in Oxford University have discovered that methane from grazing animals in the UK is not to blame for global warming.
“A focus on the emissions themselves is misleading – instead it’s the warming impact of those emissions that actually matters. Currently global warming from UK agricultural methane is less than zero,” the report summarises. . .
Some Otago farmers could be left with “unbankable” irrigation schemes as the Government recommends an overhaul of the Otago Regional Council’s planning processes.
Environment Minister David Parker yesterday released a raft of recommendations for the council after an investigation into its management of freshwater.
It said the council was not equipped to transfer hundreds of century-old water rights into resource consents by 2021, and regardless it should not do so because they would be processed under its current “inadequate” water plan.
On top of the rewriting of council plans already in progress, it recommended an interim plan change to transfer the permits into consents in the meantime.
They would be for a maximum of five years, which some farmers say is too short to ensure future security. . .
New Zealand shouldn’t become a ‘toilet bowl’ of trees for other countries’ carbon dioxide commitments, explains John Jackson.
By the time this is published, a group representing everything good about provincial NZ will have marched on Parliament under the 5New Zealand shouldn’t become a ‘toilet bowl’ of trees for other countries’ carbon dioxide commitments, explains John Jackson. OPINION: By the time this is published, a group representing everything good about provincial NZ will have marched on Parliament under the 50 Shades of Green banner. I’ve never had much interest in trees. I have always enjoyed their ‘fruit’ – whether a physical product I could eat, a picture of might or magnificence in a singular or landscape perspective, or simply shade or shelter. banner.
I’ve never had much interest in trees. I have always enjoyed their ‘fruit’ – whether a physical product I could eat, a picture of might or magnificence in a singular or landscape perspective, or simply shade or shelter. . .
Quick Sunday evening check-in at Greenhill. Weaned ewes soon be shorn, calves marked last week and cows soon to take the bull, maize looking to be the best we’ve had in 7 seasons. Everything settled. The team’s done awesome things, season lining up well ✅👍 pic.twitter.com/Tia0riWxNX
There’s no time to slacken off over the next year if the , programme is to limit the disease, M bovis governance group chairman Kelvan Smith says.
The M bovis governance group, made up of Ministry for Primary Industries director-general Ray Smith, DairyNZ chief executive Tim Mackle, Beef + Lamb chief executive Sam McIvor and independently chaired by Smith, meets monthly to discuss and review the eradication programme.
Smith said the group is focused on strategic planning to ensure the programme builds on progress made to date and continues towards eradication.
“To date the programme has found 207 infected properties, stopping further spread of the disease and clearing the infection from these properties,” he said. . .
A ‘model’ sheep and beef farm in North Canterbury is away and running, its founders say.
The North Canterbury Future Farm, set up by Beef + Lamb NZ in partnership with local famers, has had an “OK” first full year of operation, said the organisers of its 2019 Open Day.
BLNZ’s partner is Lanercost Farming Ltd, formed by the landowner, Julia Whelan, with locals Simon Lee and Carl Forrester. . .
Think about it why would you put all these chemicals together to make something? Taste like something real pic.twitter.com/CXJauwEUT7
Dogs of every shape and size, miniature ponies, cats, lambs and guinea pigs put aside their differences and got together for Fairton School’s annual pet day last week.
Fairton School principal Mike Hill said, ”We are a little country school and pet days are a national tradition, and a lot of fun.”
The majority of the pupils had pets at home, so it was good to recognise the way they cared for their animals, he said.
It was also a great chance for parents, and visiting preschoolers from Stepping Stones @ Braebrook, to come to the school and be involved. . .
RT @JudithCollinsMP: There’s something really wrong here… 3 pages of convictions, and she’s a schoolteacher? How does that work? Teacher… 1 hour ago
RT @fasc1nate: An amazing timelapse of the Earth rising over the Moon filmed by the Japanese lunar orbiter spacecraft Kaguya. Credit: JAXA/… 2 hours ago
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