The chair of the organisation which represents all the New Zealand dairy companies has hit out at government politicians for failing to deliver a quality FTA with the EU for the dairy sector.
Malcolm Bailey, Dairy Companies Association of NZ (DCANZ), says the parameters the politicians finally set for the negotiations made it virtually impossible for our highly skilled trade negotiators to pull off a good deal for what he calls one of the big engine rooms of the NZ economy – the dairy industry.
“This is a lousy deal, a significantly missed opportunity and sets an awful precedent for any future trade negotiations,” he says.
Bailey, who was in Brussels when the final touches were being put on the deal, says he had a sleepless night when he heard that the message from the Government to the negotiators was ‘anything better than the status quo’. . .
People like me may not have farming in our blood, but we’re just as passionate about the industry as those born into it, writes Craig Hickman, better known online as DairymanNZ.
The classic Kiwi farmer is Fred Dagg. He’s Wal Footrot. He’s Barry Crump from the classic Toyota Hilux ads.
The classic Kiwi farmer may have gone to university and got a diploma in agriculture, but more likely they got a trade or travelled on their Big OE before returning to New Zealand. When they arrived home, they worked alongside their parents in preparation for taking over the family farm and implementing their new ideas.
Today they’re middle aged, white, conservative, weather beaten and set in their ways. When they get angry, they’ll drive their tractors to town to protest and they most definitely took to Facebook to complain about a recent episode of Country Calendar. . .
A Taupō based dairy company with a point of difference is looking for 40 new farmer suppliers.
Miraka which is owned by a group of Māori trusts uses renewable geothermal energy to power its factory at Mokai.
Company chief executive Karl Gradon said it sources milk from about 100 farms in the central North Island but demand for its products is growing.
“We simply can’t keep up, our products are in high demand at the moment. We’re moving faster into areas such as consumer goods with our partners using their brands and we’re privileged to work with some of the most known brands in China and other parts of the world. . .
A Southland initiative got a milky boost from the Government to help in its goal to become the main producer of oat milk in the country.
Economic and regional development minister Stuart Nash visited Invercargill yesterday where he announced the Government would invest up to $6million in New Zealand’s first and largest carbon neutral plant-based beverage processing facility — with oat milk the first product off the production line.
The project, carried by New Zealand Functional Foods, would bring the construction of a $50million factory in Makarewa to produce 80 million litres of oat milk annually and generate about 50 new jobs when operating by the end of next year.
New Zealand Functional Foods acting chief executive Roger Carruthers said half of the oats grown in the country come from Southland and its quality was among the best in the world. . .
An estimated 40% of food produced globally each year is wasted — totalling 2.5 billion tonnes.
New Zealand households account for more than 157,000 tonnes of it.
July 8 marked the release of Food Waste: A Global and Local Problem, a report by the Office of the Prime Minister’s Chief Science Advisor.
The first in a series of reports the OPMCSA will produce as part of a food waste project, it describes NZ’s wastage as ‘avoidable’ and explains why it’s such a huge problem — environmentally, socially and economically. . .
This is all that’s left…..after a year of hard work and beautiful crops….gone in 15 mins…..corn on the left, beans on the right. You don’t really believe how bad it is til it happens on your own farm….. pic.twitter.com/YzPN2HOZpa
— KochiaKrusher🌽🌾🌻 (@matt_zilverberg) July 7, 2022
Congratulations to Tahryn Mason from Villa Maria who became the 2022 Marlborough Corteva Young Viticulturist of the Year on 7 July at the competition held at Giesen House in Rapaura. He will now go through to the National Final which will also be held in Marlborough at the end of August.
Tahryn previously competed in the National Final in 2020 when he represented Auckland and was working for Villa Maria, as he was living there although still working for Villa Maria. Having moved to Marlborough a couple of year ago, he is delighted to now represent the region he now calls home.
It’s been a busy few months for Tahryn as not only has he been studying hard for the competition, but he recently became a father for the first time, making his win feel even more special.
Congratulations also goes to Jess Marston from Giesen Wines who came second and to Daniel Clearwater from Constellation Brands who came third. The other contestants Zac Howell from Villa Maria, Claudia Clark from Constellation Brands and Kris Godsall from Whitehaven all impressed the judges with their knowledge, skills and positive, professional attitude throughout the day. . .
In allowing spiralling costs and rampant inflation to hit New Zealand’s most productive sector, the Labour Government is biting the hand that literally feeds it, National’s Rural Communities spokesperson Nicola Grigg says.
“New Zealand’s agricultural sector is seeing a dramatic rise in input costs as farmers and growers grapple with the same cost of living crisis that is impacting us all.
“The increase in costs is being felt particularly badly by our farmers. In the last year, the cost of fuel has risen more than 44 per cent, fertiliser more than 28 per cent, stock feed and grazing more than six per cent, seeds six percent and power 21 per cent.
“If you want to go out and buy a new Toyota Hilux you’ll now be paying an extra $5175 in ‘ute tax’ when registering it – and Labour will soon be introducing legislation requiring employers pay a 1.4 per cent levy on employees’ salaries into a new ‘income insurance scheme’. . .
Meat works around the country are struggling to meet demand due to the Government’s failure to keep pace with a vital cog in the supply chain, National’s Agriculture spokesperson Barbara Kuriger says.
“Farmers are being forced to hold onto livestock longer as meat works across the country have wait times stretching up to six weeks. This adds even more pressure to our farmers, with some having to dip into their winter baleage supply early or buy in costly feed supplement alternatives.
“The Agriculture Minister and the Government made assurances that they would take steps to limit any disruption for our essential farming industry, but as predicted, they have failed to do this.
“Labour failed to deliver to bring in the necessary workers due to stringent immigration rules, and they failed to supply the meat works industry with rapid antigen test in a timely manner, causing disruptions to staff. . .
For Adam Thompson, establishing native flora on farmland goes beyond the obvious environmental and biodiversity benefits.
It gives farmers a sense of pride in seeing a piece of marginal, unproductive land transformed into something that complements and enhances their farming operation.
“A lot of farmers are proud of growing food. “We’re helping them do it in a more sustainable way,” Thompson said.
The 35-year-old Cambridge farmer and owner of Restore Native tree nursery wants all farmers to feel that pride by making it as easy and inexpensive as possible to plant and grow native trees on farmland not suited for livestock. . .
ANZ reports widespread autumn rain has devastated many arable and fruit crops, but has been welcomed by pastoral farmers.
Food commodities are in short supply globally. New Zealand will export less produce than normal this season as production of most export commodities is impacted for varying reasons including delays with the processing of livestock and the impacts of labour shortages.
So it was something of a surprise, but a welcome one, when Synlait Milk reported its net profit (excluding the sale of an Auckland property) had risen 128% to $14.5m in the first half.
The dairy processing company said it was also on the way to reporting previous levels of profitability in the 2023 financial year after posting a $28.5m loss in 2021. . .
A resurgence of Covid-19 within China is causing headaches for some primary sector exporters, with lockdown measures disrupting economic activity and slowing down distribution networks.
PGG Wrightson’s South Island wool manager Dave Burridge said demand for wool had dropped off because China’s manufacturing regions had been affected by the Covid-19 restrictions.
“It’s having a direct impact on bottom-line returns to woolgrowers, certainly there is quite a dramatic effect on [prices for] the types [of wool] the Chinese normally buy.” . .
The 🌧 we got 10 days ago has now kicked in . Although we need the follow up it’s start. Thankful that we got the first drop as so many have missed out throughout the both islands. Here’s hoping those who need it get something this week. Remember to ask for help if you need some. pic.twitter.com/CoSy4jCtKZ
Another ‘nutty’ idea could lead to a brand-new almond industry in New Zealand.
Plant & Food Research is embarking on a feasibility study to see if almonds can be grown sustainably in Hawke’s Bay. The project has backing from central and local government, alongside Picot Productions Limited – Kiwi producers of the Pic’s brand nut spreads.
“We’re already supporting peanut growing trials in Northland – now it’s almonds’ turn,” says Steve Penno, Ministry for Primary Industries’ (MPI) director of investment programmes.
“The first step is to see whether we can successfully produce almonds with a low carbon footprint at scale and for a competitive price in New Zealand.” . .
Increasing costs are putting a huge strain on vegetable growers, with some considering hanging up their tools.
Energy costs have almost doubled in the past year, the minimum wage has gone up and the price of on-farm audits are rising – making growing vegetables more expensive.
NZ Gourmet director of production Roelf Schreuder said the business needed to have audits for certification, water quality, chemical storage and health and safety, just to name a few.
“For certification for NZ Gap and Global Gap they come a couple of times a year and charge about $240 an hour to sit down and check the books, so growers are having to spend more time and money preparing for them as well as paying for the actual audit – it’s a big cost. . . .
After enduring COVID19 and isolating for 10 days, I was asked to give my opinion on how we managed the farm, family and staff. Regardless of how people think of COVID19, whether it’s a she’ll be right mentality or you have ordered a pallet of Vitamin C along with toilet roll, the reality is you’re going to get sick.
We were prepared with a COVID plan. We knew our legal obligations around milk pick up and we knew we needed to be a step ahead. The virus hit us pretty hard and happened within a day of first contact. Within those first 24hrs I had rung our neighbours, our 2IC, Fonterra (area manager and milk collection), our bank, school and thereafter kept everyone updated. We had a designated drop off point for food, medication and anything that was needed for the farm. We were able to work most of the days out of necessity and kept away from our 2IC. We had to amend our milking times to be able to use a relief milker. To put things in perspective, adults were double vaxed with boosters. Kids not vaccinated. We still caught the virus but certainly didn’t need any outside medical intervention or Hospitalisation. COVID will affect people differently.
We got very sick and it was tough watching the kids going through it. We lived on paracetamol, vitamins and electrolytes and we used my “My Food Bag”. We put the farm on sleep mode for about 5 days. We didn’t want to overwhelm staff with the extra workload so we kept the jobs to essential along with milking. I would suggest checking your calendar and canceling all your appointments. We had a shed inspection during COVID but all went well. In hindsight I would have cleared the calendar. We did have people call to the door and had to tell them our situation, most were thankful for our honesty, some were less than pleased. Public perception has shown me people are scared and nervous. At one point when the fever hit hard and the body ached and every orifice was evacuating someone drove into the driveway and I sure I heard, bring out your dead! But after day 6 we were on the mend. . .
Neighbours got a little tornado on his hands by the looks . Moving across freshly chopped maize ground . So cool to watch . pic.twitter.com/DMuTrmVCeC
Normalised Profit After Tax: NZ$364 million, down 13%
Total Group normalised EBIT: NZ$607 million, down 11%
Net Debt: NZ$5.6 billion, down 8%
Total Group normalised Gross Profit: NZ$1,607 million, down 7%
Total Group normalised Gross Margin: 14.9% down from 17.4%
Total Group Operating Expenditure: NZ$1,062 million, up 1%
Normalised Africa, Middle East, Europe, North Asia, Americas (AMENA) EBIT: NZ $250 million, up 25%
Normalised Greater China EBIT: NZ$236 million, down 20%
Normalised Asia Pacific (APAC) EBIT: NZ$158 million, down 33%
Full year forecast normalised earnings per share: 25 – 35 cents per share
Interim Dividend: 5 cents per share
Forecast Farmgate Milk Price range: NZ$9.30 – $9.90 per kgMS
Forecast milk collections: 1,480 million kgMS, down 3.8%
Fonterra Co-operative Group Limited today announced its 2022 Interim Results which show the Co-op has delivered a half year Profit After Tax of NZ$364 million, a Total Group normalised EBIT of NZ$607 million, and a decision to pay an interim dividend of 5 cents alongside a record high forecast Farmgate Milk Price.
Fonterra CEO Miles Hurrell says the Co-op’s results for the first half of the financial year show it is performing well, while creating the momentum needed to achieve its 2030 targets. . .
Chairman, Kingi Smiler has welcomed Mr Gradon’s appointment which followed an extensive search.
“We’re delighted to appoint Karl as our new CEO. He has solid credentials and international experience in business development and strategy across the dairy, agricultural and primary industry sectors.”
Karl spent nearly 20 years in the dairy industry with Fonterra and Kerry Ingredients holding Senior Management positions in Asia, Europe, Latin America and the USA.
Since returning home, he has taken up a range of governance roles and directorships in economic development and business. Karl was also CEO of New Zealand Mānuka Group helping that business grow its Mānuka honey and oil production.” . .
The proposals put forward under the He Waka Eke Noa Partnership are so unworkable that Groundswell NZ is proposing its own alternative, Groundswell NZ leader Bryce McKenzie said.
“None of the options are workable and, like the Emissions Trading Scheme, they will deliver worse outcomes for the environment, farmers, and our country.”
“We back Federated Farmers President Andrew Hoggard’s view, that none of the options are long term solutions and that an emissions tax, without affordable and practical new technologies, would kill off the farming sector.”
“Groundswell NZ’s alternative is an integrated environmental policy framework incentivising and enabling on the ground actions across all aspects of the environment, including freshwater, indigenous biodiversity, and emissions.” . .
Pressing the healthy oil out of Hemp seeds today for our @HempHopefield brand. It's satisfying sending products out directly to the consumer and is what keeps us in the game. Producing food isn't easy. pic.twitter.com/xh9fHPlsV6
We are currently witnessing the beginning of a global food crisis, driven by the knock-on effects of a pandemic and more recently the rise in fuel prices and the conflict in Ukraine. There were already clear logistical issues with moving grain and food around the globe, which will now be considerably worse as a result of the war. But a more subtle relationship sits with the link to the nutrients needed to drive high crop yields and quality worldwide.
Crops are the basis of our food system, whether feeding us or animals, and without secured supply in terms of volume and quality, our food system is bankrupt. Crops rely on a good supply of nutrients to deliver high yields and quality (as well as water, sunlight and a healthy soil), which in modern farming systems come from manufactured fertilisers. As you sit and read this article, the air you breath contains 78% nitrogen gas – this is the same source of nitrogen used in the production of most manufactured nitrogen fertilisers.
However, to take this gas from the air and into a bag of fertiliser takes a huge amount of energy. The Haber-Bosch process, which converts nitrogen and hydrogen into ammonia as a crucial step in creating fertilisers, uses between 1% and 2% of all energy generated globally by some estimates. Consequently, the cost of producing nitrogen fertiliser is directly linked to the cost of fuel. This is why the UK price of ammonium nitrate has climbed as high as £1,000 per tonne at the time of writing, compared to £650 a week ago.
Fertiliser inputs to farming systems represent one of the largest single variable costs of producing a crop. When investing in fertiliser, a farmer must balance the return on this investment through the price they receive at harvest. Adding more fertiliser, for a small improvement in yield, might not pay for itself at harvest. . .
Meat companies are warning farmers to be prepared to hold on to livestock for longer as the Omicron outbreak begins to cause processing delays.
Covid-19 case numbers have skyrocketed in the past week putting pressure on supply chains as more and more staff have to self-isolate.
Alliance Group – which operates four plants in the lower South Island – confirmed that none of its staff had been on site while infectious, but chief executive David Surveyor said it was inevitable that the communities where it operated would be affected by Covid.
Across its network, Alliance had rising levels of absenteeism as community levels of Covid saw “a number of” its staff staying home to isolate or look after children because schools were closed. . .
Another record-breaking kiwifruit harvest is expected this season but a crippling labour shortage combined with Omicron concerns have put growers, major packhouses and contractors on edge.
About 24,000 seasonal workers would be required to pickand pack the crop nationally and New Zealand Kiwifruit Growers Inc has forecast there could be a shortfall of 6,500 people. The Bay of Plenty needed 20,000 of those workers as it was the largest kiwifruit producing region.
Major packhouse leaders spoken to by NZME are in recruitment mode for Kiwis and were reliant on getting their full contingent of Recognised Seasonal Employer staff into the country as soon as possible.
Most were paying the living wage of $22.75 per hour or more as the start rate, with another $2 an hour for night shifts and eight per cent holiday pay. . .
Anna Boyd is on a mission to help New Zealand’s beef industry maximise profitability — in a sustainable way — through the uptake of good genetics. She talks to rural editor Sally Rae about her passion for cattle. Anna Boyd reckons she could work with cattle all day, every day.
It is a passion that stemmed from her exposure to livestock growing up on remote Haldon Station, on the northern shores of Lake Benmore, in the Mackenzie Country.
The 22,000ha property, which has been managed by her father Paddy for many years, is both diverse and innovative and she has had the opportunity to work with sheep, deer and cattle.
“I think I was allowed to kind of find my feet and find out what interested me the most and where my passions lay,” Ms Boyd said. . .
Happy to be back home after a couple of days off the farm fishing in Coromandel. Mother Nature treating us to a stunner of a sunset tonight as well . pic.twitter.com/PLUjTx6Z5q
After a blockbuster end to 2021 where Kaitaia born Shearer, Jovian Garcia-Cummins, 26, raised $337,426, from 220 investors, for his start-up Woolies Jeans, the company is set to launch and subsequently expand on ‘ideas from a woolshed’ at Fieldays 2022.
‘Right now, we’re getting our ducks aligned so that we are prepared to handle the orders we are anticipating. I have been overwhelmed by the amount of Kiwis wanting to give me a helping hand,’ says Garcia-Cummins, who is still juggling time between shearing and launching his new invention.
Woolies Jeans has been working with some big names in NZ fashion to bring the ideas to light. This includes collaborating with Award-Winning Designer Wynn Hamlyn, Sustainable Textile Agencies Ltd and NZ’s largest clothing producer Albion to take Garcia-Cummins and his ‘Mum’s ideas to a level of professional scalability.
The jeans themselves are unique to the market because they have a unique 100% merino lining interior and a high-quality sustainable denim exterior. This means that customers will be able to have 100% merino against their legs and hips but the denim exterior is used to protect the merino and look good. Woolies Jeans will also be NZ Made. . .
Strong demand for deer velvet has pushed up returns for farmers 20 percent higher than last season.
As well as farming for venison, many deer farmers harvest velvet and export it to Asian markets, where it’s believed to have healing properties.
Deer Industry New Zealand markets manager Rhys Griffiths said the pandemic has increased demand for health food products including velvet.
“It’s another season were we’ve seen some pretty good growth, in tonnage terms we are now just under a thousand tonnes so it’s doubled in the last 10 years. . .
18 hectares that has grown almost nothing in summer for as long as I can remember growing what’s shaping up as a cracker crop of swedes. pic.twitter.com/8NbucqqL2T
Farmers in Northern Ireland are ‘at end of their tether’ over inaction in tacking bovine TB in the region, the Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU) has warned.
It comes as farmers eagerly await an announcement by the Department of Agriculture (DAERA) on the intended route for bTB eradication following a consultation.
Possible new measures include new steps to tackle TB in wildlife, the testing of non-bovines for bTB, and the increased use of the interferon gamma blood test in cattle.
Farmers could also see changes to the level and rates on which compensation is paid out to those who lose cows to the disease. . .
Urgent national policy changes are required to ensure the increase in carbon farming to meet New Zealand’s climate change obligations does not come at the expense of the country’s rural communities, according to a discussion paper released today.
The Green Paper by former Hastings Mayor and MP Lawrence Yule, Managing Forestry Land-Use Under the Influence of Carbon, calls for a more strategic approach to planting trees and outlines policy areas for urgent investigation to address the issue.
It has been released ahead of a workshop next month involving a range of key stakeholders including Forestry Minister Stuart Nash, councils, forestry interests, Beef + Lamb New Zealand (B+LNZ) and Local Government New Zealand.
Mr Yule said the paper outlines the real risk that short-term land-use decisions will be made to the detriment of long-term land-use flexibility, rural communities and export returns. . .
Farmers and growers can rightly feel somewhat confused about the mixed messaging coming from the Government about the risks to the sector from Omicron.
On the one hand, last week Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor announced that the Government had allocated $400,000 to support primary producers for contingency planning and response if farmers or growers get Covid-19.
“The Government is committed to keeping vital workforces going. Primary producers have always been essential workers throughout the pandemic, but as Omicron reaches further into our communities, we are stepping up to ensure we can protect the wellbeing of our rural communities,” the Minister claimed.
“Contingency planning by farmers, growers and lifestyle block owners will minimise the risk of further Covid-19 related disruptions, which can occur anywhere along the supply chain.” . . .
Growing pressure on sheep farmers over welfare concerns and climate change are demanding some shifts in what defines the ideal sheep. Richard Rennie spoke to AgResearch animal genomics scientist Patricia Johnson about her team’s work in trying to redefine sheep genetics in a shifting world.
Patricia Johnson likens the recent review she headed on New Zealand sheep and the potential to improve them through genetics as something of a “genetic warrant of fitness” for the species here.
“The work has really been a chance to reflect on where we are going with our sheep in NZ. After generations of breeding for more production, the industry is having to consider the complexities of breeding now for climate change and its impact,” Johnson said.
She acknowledges the significant and world-leading advances made in identifying methane inhibiting genetics in sheep. . .
Multiple potential benefits from planting native shrubs for use as sheep fodder are being researched as part of the Hill Country Futures Programme.
The project, led by Dr James Millner, Academic Dean – Agriculture, at Massey University, was launched in 2019. It currently has three trial sites for a range of native shrubs, looking at palatability, digestibility, protein content and other nutritional charactersistics as well as the Mātauranga Māori (Māori knowledge) for a range of species.
Hill Country Futures is a long-term $8.1m programme focused on future proofing the profitability, sustainabiity and wellbeing of New Zealand’s hill country farmers, their farm systems, the environment and rural communities.
Overall, the research focuses include improving animal productivity, animal welfare, biodiversity and soil health, while mitigating soil eroision and climate change. . .
She’s seen things no other cows have seen. She is forever changed by the knowledge she gained this morning pic.twitter.com/F6hgmmDzma
ADOPTION of agtech that drives labour efficiency is fast becoming a necessity, rather than an option, in the cattle production business.
From drones doing water runs, fence checking and mustering to spraying weeds using artificial intelligence or remote devices removing the need for on-the-ground water and animal monitoring, the need for technology that replaces or improves labour has never been more intense.
Consultants and livestock agents say labour shortages are arguably the single largest issue producers are currently facing.
“It doesn’t matter whether you are in the rangelands or in a high rainfall area close to services – labour shortages are real,” said NSW farm business consultant John Francis, Agrista at Wagga Wagga. . . .
Farmers who test positive for Covid-19 may be able to continue working if they’re vaccinated and not in contact with others, Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor says.
The government is giving $400,000 to rural support trusts and other agencies to help farmers and growers prepare a contingency plan as Omicron reaches further into the community.
It is urging farmers, growers and lifestyle block owners to have a plan for who will help run their farm or feed livestock at short notice in the event they test positive for Covid-19.
People who test positive are required to self-isolate for at least 14 days and be symptom-free for 72 hours. . .
New regulations taking effect this weekend will give consumers more information about where their food comes from.
From 12 February 2022, businesses must comply with the new Consumer Information Standards (Origin of Food) Regulations that apply to certain fresh and thawed foods: fruit, vegetables, finfish, shellfish, and cured pork such as ham, bacon, and prosciutto. If these foods are frozen, they must state the country of origin from 12 May 2023.
“Mandatory country of origin information will let consumers know where certain food comes from, and help them make informed decisions when they are buying these products,” said General Manager Fair Trading Vanessa Horne.
Foods covered by the Regulations will need to state the country of origin on the packaging or on a sign nearby. . .
Kiwifruit growers have won their battle against Gisborne District Council over new rate hikes from producing the golden variety of the fruit.:
In December 2020, authorities in Gisborne decided licences to grow gold kiwifruit – which cost hundreds of thousands of dollars per hectare – constitute an increase in value to the land, warranting a rates increase.
Gisborne was the first region to adjust land valuation for growers of the golden variety based on the value of the growing licence.
But the decision received backlash from the industry, with NZ Kiwifruit Growers Incorporated (NZKGI) bringing a judicial review proceeding to the High Court, supporting an objection grower Tim Tietjen had before the Land Valuation Tribunal. . .
Our biggest mānuka honey company has had a presence in China for almost 20 years. Its experience offers a fascinating insight into selling health and food products in this vast, varied, and rapidly-changing market. | Content partnership
In the late 1990s, a health-conscious Chinese businessman called Zhu Guangping was on holiday in Hong Kong and browsing through a pharmacy when he discovered a New Zealand bee product brand he liked.
Comvita was finding a growing clientele among Chinese tourists who bought their mānuka honey, propolis and other bee products in Hong Kong and later, as China’s outgoing travel restrictions relaxed, in New Zealand.
They bought for themselves, for family and friends, even to sell when they got home – an early manifestation of what would become the multi-billion dollar ‘daigou’ personal shopper revolution. . .
Excitement is building for the FMG Young Farmer of the Year Contest Series Regional Finals, kicking off this Saturday in Waimumu.
The Otago Southland Contest Series Regional Final is going ahead under the red light Covid Protection Framework with a 100-person limit and My Vaccine Pass requirements.
New Zealand Young Farmers Chief Executive Lynda Coppersmith says it’s exciting to be able to continue to host events with clear Government guidelines in place.
“Over the last two years the Contest Series has been seriously impacted by COVID, but our teams have done an amazing job of pivoting with different alert levels, restrictions and all the different scenarios that have arisen,” she said. . .
Such a turn around in 3 days with 75mm of rain.The farm was a in similar position to most of the upper north island,lacking moisture and drying winds depleting feed reserves. Now there’s a green tinge and positive news in the @WeatherWatchNZ forecast for some follow up rain .😎👍 pic.twitter.com/fwoFhxLkPY
On learning that hundreds of litres of milk were not being bought by dealers in Kashmir’s Srinagar City, the dairy farmers in Ganderbal district emptied their cans of milk in drains, as a mark of protest, on Saturday, 31 January.
The dairy farmers of Lar area in the Ganderbal district are worried about losing their decade-old job, on which their entire livelihood is dependent.
My friend and I travelled to Lar in Ganderbal district and spoke to the people involved in the business.
Zamrooda Banu, 34, a dairy farmer from Repora in Central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district sold her gold bangles and other belongings to buy 20 cows. She hoped it would help her family. . .
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. . .
Ingka Group — one of 12 different groups of companies that own Swedish furniture and homeware giant IKEA — has got the green light to buy a 5500ha sheep and beef station in the Catlins for forestry development.
Following recent approval by the Overseas Investment Office, an area of 330ha at Wisp Hill , in the Owaka Valley, would soon be planted with radiata pine seedlings
The long-term plan was to have a total of 3000ha — more than three million seedlings — planted in the next five years and the remaining 2200ha would ‘‘naturally regenerate into native bush’’, a statement from the company said.
Ingka Group owns about 248,000ha of forestry in the United States, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Romania. Between September 2019 and August 2020, Ingka Group planted close to seven million seedlings. . .
It used to be the darling of the share market, racing from 75 cents before sales of its infant milk powder took off, peaking at more than $21 last year.
But the a2 Milk Company’s meteoric rise is now tumbling, struck by complications by Covid.
Today on The Detail Emile Donovan talks to Sam Dickie, a senior portfolio manager at Fisher Funds, to talk about the company’s roller coaster ride, and how one of its greatest strengths – its unusual distribution channel – has become its greatest weakness.
Between 2017 and 2020, a2 Milk’s share price rose more than 900 percent. But over the past 13 months it has fallen by nearly 75 percent. . .
It is much easier to say no to new ideas and just accept the status quo than it is to embrace change. Change can be scary.
Fonterra changed, it became more honest and transparent in its communication with farmers, and completely transformed the way it deals with the Government. It became better at articulating what it wants from suppliers.
Plenty of farmers don’t like this change, this new collaborative approach, and four years on they are still muttering that the dairy co-op is cosying up to the enemy.
Slowly but surely, with the odd hiccup along the way, farmer advocacy groups like Beef & Lamb, DairyNZ and Federated Farmers have adopted the same approach and given the same reasoning; it’s much more fruitful to work collaboratively with whoever is in power than to shout impotently from the sidelines. . .
On August 22, 1969, Gary Frazer from Swannanoa was crowned the inaugural Young Farmer of the Year, the same year that the first Fieldays event was launched at Te Rapa Racecourse.
Over 50 years later, the competition still stands as a staple event in the rural calendar and an opportunity for rural youth to come together and showcase their skills, knowledge, and stamina. The current and past Young Farmer of the Year, Jake Jarman and James Robertson, are young agri professionals trailblazing through the primary sector in their respective fields.
Jake Jarman gained the title, 53rd Young Farmer of the Year In July. A couple months later, Jake says the excitement surrounding his win has settled now, and he’s getting back to his normal routine, working as a Relationship Associate at ANZ in Ashburton.
“It was definitely a rollercoaster afterwards with lots of celebratory messages, interviews, emails, and what not, so now things have settled down I’ve got my life back a bit!” . .
An overseas food ingredients company is planning to build a dairy processing plant in Tokoroa in south Waikato.
Singapore-based Olam Foods International (OFI) said the plant would create 50 to 60 full time jobs when fully operational.
OFI expected the first stage of the new investment would be completed in the Spring of 2023. This would involve the construction of a spray dryer facility, capable of producing high-value dairy ingredient products.
OFI has dairy operations in Russia, Uruguay and Malaysia and also grows and sources cocoa, coffee, nuts and spices from other countries. . .
The Commerce Commission has today released its final report on Fonterra’s calculation of the base milk price it will pay farmers in the 2020/21 dairy season.
The Commission found that Fonterra’s forecast price of $7.45 – $7.65 per kilogram of milk solids for the season is calculated in a way that is likely to be consistent with the requirements of the milk price monitoring regime under the Dairy Industry Restructuring Act (DIRA).
The key areas of the Commission’s focus in this year’s review were two components of the cost of capital (the asset beta and specific risk premium), the appropriateness of provisions for asset stranding, and the inclusion of instantised milk powder as a reference product in the calculation of the base milk price. . .
Dairy farmers may be essential workers, but that doesn’t necessarily mean “business as usual” when it comes to mental health during lockdown. Waikato dairy farmer Sam Owen offers practical advice on how to look after family, friends, staff and yourself.
Murphy’s Law – after dodging a bit of a bullet in 2020, Covid has now reared its ugly head during one of the busiest times on farm.
Luckily, there are so many ways we can look after not only ourselves, but our staff and others in our rural communities as well.
We all know that keeping good mental health during the spring period is critical. But what does that actually look like in practice? . .
Keep connecting. That’s the message to farmers from the chair of the Rural Support Trust, Neil Bateup.
He told Dairy News that since lockdown the trust probably haven’t had as many requests as they normally get, but the trust is still there to help.
He says because of the Covid lockdown they won’t go out to a farm unless it’s an emergency but people can still do things by phone.
An issue that has cropped up, and one that is hard to deal with, is when farm staff change jobs and problems arise. Bateup says the best they can do is refer individuals to MPI or Federated Farmers, who can help deal with contractual matters. . .
Spring on Lochan Mor Farm, Southern Pastures, South Island, Aotearoa New Zealand pic.twitter.com/3lGRpvCQcU
”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.”
Donna, 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.
Donna says the experience has helped her understand more about her own leadership qualities. . .
While some people are attracted to the more solitary parts of a rural working life, many farming women seek out others going through the same experiences, according to Ravensdown shareholder Jo Hay.
“Farming can be a pretty lonely lifestyle. It’s important for women in agriculture to have a supportive group where they can discuss their experiences and bring their ideas to life.”
Jo Hay and husband Ross have operated a family sheep and beef farm in Herbert, 20 minutes south of Oamaru since 2006. Jo was a teacher in Oamaru for 6 years before returning to farm life after the birth of their first child.
That’s when she took part in the Agri-Women’s Development Trust (AWDT) “Understanding Your Farming Business” course. . .
Helping farmers find their “aha moments” was Steven Nichol’s reason for choosing to step away from the day-to-day rigours of running his own farm and set up a farm consultancy business.
Mr Nichol grew up on the family farm at Clarks Junction and, in 2007, he was able to farm a portion of the family property as a stand-alone economic unit.
“I reflect back on those early years; all the things I wish I knew then that I know now. The thing that always used to bug me was finding ways to create a farming system that would produce consistently good results.”
A season could be impacted in many ways and Mr Nichol said it was learning how to measure those variables in order to make “proactive decisions” rather than “reactive moves”. . .
Nicolette Hahn Niman was an environmental lawyer who became a cattle rancher, and didn’t eat meat for 33 years. For both the ecosystem and human health, she argues, it’s how animals are farmed that matters.
After refusing to eat meat for 33 years, Nicolette Hahn Niman bit tentatively into a beefburger two years ago. She had become a vegetarian because she was concerned about animal welfare and the environmental cost of meat. Unlike most vegetarians, she had experience of the dire conditions on factory farms during her career as an environmental lawyer campaigning against pollution caused by industrial meat production in the US. Then she married a farmer.
Hahn Niman’s journey from vegetarian activist to cattle rancher to writing a book called Defending Beef may be driven by love, but it is also informed by a lawyerly desire to stick up for small farmers besieged by the growing ethical and environmental clamour against meat. The burger turned out to be an unexpectedly delicious brief pleasure, but it was the 18 years working on the ranch alongside the man who grilled it – and raised the cow – her husband, Bill Niman, that inspired her. . .
In the wake of the report on the death of Dunback farmer Nadine Thomlinson and her son Angus, Alice Scott talks to Nadine’s mother, Ann Restieaux.
Even when Nadine Tomlinson was young, she relished the physical nature of farming. She was a down-to-earth Southern girl; shy as a youngster who came out of her shell when she went to boarding school.
Her mother, Ann Restieaux, recalled her and her sister drenching lambs for their dad, Alex, while still at primary school.
“Alex would just trickle the lambs up to them and they chipped away. Nadine loved it. She was full speed ahead, she set incredibly high standards for herself and as a mother she achieved so much in her day because she just got up earlier if she needed to.” . .
Through the Meat the Need charity, farmers have provided more than 408,783 meals from over 883 donations in just one year. Beef + Lamb New Zealand (B+LNZ) talks to co-founder Siobhan O’Malley to reflect on a successful year and what’s next for the charity.
Since its inception early last year, Meat the Need has provided over 408,783 meals from over 883 donations to vulnerable people. The charity is nationwide and works to supply foodbanks with much-needed meat which is donated by farmers and processed and packaged with the help of Silver Fern Farms.
The charity was founded by South Island based farmers, Siobhan O’Malley of Pukeko Pastures and Wayne Langford, also known as the YOLO farmer. Together they discovered that while there was a need for such as organisation, there was never anyone connecting willing farmers and community foodbank together to create a regular supply chain. . .
With few Māori in the winemaking industry, and even fewer Māori women, Jannine Rickards is a rare breed. Charlotte Muru-Lanning visits her in Wairarapa.
An eye-catching bone hei matau adorns Jannine Rickard’s neck.
A fishhook symbolic of journeys that are interwoven into journeys, it’s been worn for the last 20 years, since her parents gifted it to her on her 21st birthday.
Those unexpected twists and turns that have unfurled along the way have coloured her own journey, which has brought her to where she is now, making wine in the Wairarapa.
There are just a handful of female Māori winemakers in the country, so, like her own small-batch wine, Rickards is something of a rare breed. . .
Eric and Lois Muller have always loved timber and lace and the proof is in their home, which they completed themselves and which looks out on paddocks of tropical pasture. Here grows Santa Gertrudis/Hereford cross cattle, along the southern slopes of the Border Ranges at Rukenvale near Kyogle.
The interior glows with timber hues contrasted by velvet curtains backed by fine white lace and all up the presentation shows devotion to craft.
“As a kid I was self taught,” recalled 92 year Eric. “As a 12 year old I did woodwork one day a fortnight at the rural technology school at Boonah, Qld.
I went to lots of different schools in the depression. My father was a share farmer and worked wherever he could.” . .
“Farming could be a joy but really it’s a bloody nightmare.”
Jim Macdonald has been farming Mt Gowrie Station, at Clarks Junction, since 1970 and he has worked through difficult times.
What farmers were battling now had been “created by a government that does not understand and does not even want to understand,” he said.
On Friday, Mr Macdonald will take part in Howl of a Protest, a New Zealand-wide Groundswell NZ-organised event to show support for farmers and growers. . .
This Friday rural communities up and down New Zealand will stage a protest at the overbearing government interference in their businesses and lives, and National MPs will be right there supporting them, National’s Agriculture spokesperson David Bennett says.
The protests are organised by Groundswell, a community based group formed as a result of the unworkable Freshwater reforms in Southland. It has expanded nationwide and the recent Ute Tax announcement has seen urban communities become involved as well.
“Our rural communities worked hard to get New Zealand through the Covid-19 pandemic, they are the backbone of our economy,” Mr Bennett says. . .
They may have had one of their highest ever milk payouts but dairy farmers are anxious about the human toll of the looming calving season, as the industry grapples with an estimated shortage of 4000 workers.
Federated Farmers board member Chris Lewis says the industry’s reliance on immigrant workers will remain, at least until the Government changes to vocational training is completed, which could be several years.
He believes the Government’s recently announced plans to curb migrant workers is shortsighted and will hinder the country’s ability to utilise high international product prices and demand to repay debt, which is growing at over $80 million a day. . .
Border restrictions are putting a roadblock in the way of getting more veterinarians to New Zealand and some are even choosing to go to Australia instead, a recruitment consultant says.
Julie South, talent acquisition consultant with VetStaff, told Rural News that while many overseas vets are keen to work in New Zealand, some don’t mind where they end up.
She says prior to the Government’s announcement that 50 vets would be granted border class exceptions, she’d been working with vets who were considering both Australia and New Zealand as potential places to work in. “However, because the Australian government made it super-easy for them to work in Australia, that’s where they opted to go,” she says. . .
The poultry industry is in a state of shock and companies are facing huge financial hits following the detection of Salmonella Enteritidis.
Poultry Industry Association and the Egg Producers Federation executive director Michael Brooks said it had been detected in three flocks of meat chickens and on three egg farms in the North Island with some linked to a hatchery in the Auckland area.
None of the affected eggs or meat had entered the market for human consumption, but it was a blow to the industry, he said.
“We’ve never had Salmonella Enteritidis before in this country in our poultry industry. This has been a real shock to the industry but we are meeting the concerns and we will be putting place through a mandated government scheme – which we agree with – to ensure testing is of the highest level and consumers are protected.” . .
The first half of 2021 has got off to a superb start for sales of farm equipment.
Tractor and Machinery Association of New Zealand (TAMA) president Kyle Baxter said there had been substantial sales increases across all tractor horsepower segments and equipment compared with the same time last year.
Mr Baxter said the big increases reflected a continuing catch up in on-farm vehicle investment as farmers looked again to the future.
“It’s fantastic to see the confidence continue across all of the sectors, and in turn this confidence flowing into wider economy. . .
Time is ticking for high country farmers rebuilding access infrastructure to get stock off their properties before the snow sets in.
Ravaged by the Canterbury flood event, three weeks on and high country farmers are grappling with greater than usual isolation as they wait for washed out roads and bridges to be repaired.
The biggest concern being to get stock out before the snow sets in.
“Usually in the first three weeks of June we would have had our first decent snow dump,” Erewhon Station farmer Colin Drummond said. . .
Farmers around the country will vote soon on whether or not Beef+Lamb NZ will retain its right to continue to levy them and fund its operations.
However, BLNZ is facing a battle as it fights against typical farmer apathy when it comes to such votes, and a growing level of discontent among its levy payer about the industry organisation’s performance. David Anderson looks into the issues…
The powerbrokers at Beef+Lamb NZ may very well have a feeling of déjà vu with the organisation facing growing intensitities of farmer disgruntlement as its levy vote fast approaches. . .
Intensive sheep farms have been squeezed by dairy and are now drifting to beef with wool right out of the money
This is the third article in a series investigating New Zealand’s pastoral sheep and beef farms. The first one was an overview of New Zealand’s 9200 commercial sheep and beef farms, and how the pastoral-farming area has declined over the last 30 years. The second article focused on the North Island hill and hard-hill country, now comprising approximately 4000 of these 9200 commercial farms. On those hill farms, key issues are land-use competition between pastoralism and production forestry, combined with retirement of the tougher country for carbon farming.
This time my focus is on the 4400 intensive farms spanning both North and South Islands.They are classified by Beef+Lamb as Classes 5-8, with Class 5 being the in the North Island and Classes 6-8 being in the South Island. That leaves 200 high-country and 600 South Island hill-country farms that need their own analysis, but that will have to wait. . .
TIN’s second annual Agritech Insights Report offers significant analysis of New Zealand’s Agricultural Technology export sector
Technology Investment Network (TIN) has released its second annual NZ Agritech Insights Report, providing compelling analysis of the size and scope of New Zealand’s leading agritech export companies, and the pipeline of promising Early Stage agritech companies.
Launched at Fieldays yesterday, the report provides a closer look into NZ’s agricultural technology sector based on data from TIN’s 2020 survey results, including size and significance, key export markets, investment challenges and opportunities, along with a comprehensive directory of over 110 early stage Agritech companies currently developing their own IP in New Zealand.
The Agritech Insights Report was first commissioned in 2020 to provide a baseline of data on New Zealand’s growing agritech export sector as the New Zealand Government launched its Agritech Industry Transformation Plan (ITP). . .
In the early 2000s, demand for infant formula skyrocketed. New Zealand has enjoyed a new export revenue stream since. Peaked in 2013, export value was over $700m a year for New Zealand and over 200 brands were entered the market to compete for limited manufacturing capacity.
The playing field was late restricted largely to few big players, especially these with own factories, following policy changes in China. Despite of the restrictions, New Zealand still enjoys steady export revenue in infant formula today.
Could pet milk formula be the next gold mine for New Zealand? “Yes, it’s entirely possible. “, said James Gu, one of the founders of PetNZ Ltd and creators of the PetNZC brand. . .
North Otago has produced two of the eight finalists in an Australasian sustainable agriculture competition.
Farmers Nick and Kate Webster and Brock and Gemma Hamilton have been shortlisted from a slew of entrants on both sides of the Tasman for the Zimmatic Sustainable Irrigation Awards.
The contest aims to celebrate irrigation excellence and encourage farmers to share water management ideas.
The Websters run Totara Fields and Hillbrook Dairies – mixed beef finishing/cropping and dairy operations on a total of 700ha, 550 of them irrigated. . .
A large Hawke’s Bay fruit grower fears for the well being of Pacific Island workers still unable to return home and says Tongan authorities must help out.
Some 487 workers from Tonga and 763 from Vanuatu are registered as requiring urgent repatriation.
There are hundreds of others urgently wanting to get back to other countries including Samoa, the Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea and Kiribati.
A flight to Tonga yesterday was suspended until further notice because of Auckland’s Covid alert level 3 status. . .
North Otago farmers are feeling the effects of a dry winter, Federated Farmers provincial president Jared Ross says.
“We’re 100mm behind in rainfall,” he said of his Duntroon dairy-support farm.
Local contractors had sold out of their feed supplement supplies in the lead-in to winter, and one had been bringing in feed from Central Otago and Southland.
One of New Zealand’s most historic sheep stations – White Rock – has a new lease of life thanks to family members who wanted to preserve the property for future generations. Peter Burke reports.
White Rock Station, way out on the isolated south Wairarapa Coast, is the epitome of rugged beauty that typifies much of NZ’s East Coast.
It’s named after a stunning white rock formation, which dominates the shoreline where the hills rise steeply from the relentlessly pounding surf. The property is about an hour’s drive from Martinborough, along a winding – mainly gravel – road.
Tim Ritchie, who earlier this year retired as the chief executive of the Meat Industry Association, is the great, great grandson of the original owner, Richard Barton who acquired the land in 1843. . .
𝐍𝐎𝐓 𝐀𝐋𝐋 𝐈𝐑𝐎𝐍 𝐈𝐒 𝐂𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐃 𝐄𝐐𝐔𝐀𝐋.
Did you know that the haem iron found in animal foods is absorbed better than the non-haem iron found in things like plant-based foods?
New digital campaign by OverseerFM thanks Kiwi farmers and lets them know they have choices when it comes to managing sustainable impact
From propping up our economy, to feeding the world, and overcoming numerous challenges along the way, Kiwi farmers play a vital role in keeping our nation, and its people happy and healthy.
Now, more than ever, it’s time to say thanks. It’s time to reassure those in the agricultural sector that we are there for them – every step of the way.
That sentiment is echoed in a new digital campaign for agricultural management tool OverseerFM fronted by rugby legend Buck Shelford, Dame Lynda Topp (Ken the farmer), TV presenter Toni Street, fishing legend Geoff Thomas and cricketing icon Sir Richard Hadlee. . .
DairyNZ chief executive Dr Tim Mackle says the joint decision three years ago to eradicate Mycoplamsa bovis was a difficult call. However, Mackle says the 10-year eradication plan, while difficult, was the best option for farmers and the economy. He made the comments to mark three years since the bacterial disease was first detected in New Zealand. The discovery shocked the industry and triggered one of New Zealand’s largest ever biosecurity responses. . .
Ineffective regulation is leading to farmers and growers missing out on products that will increase their productivity and be safer to use.
The Government launched a bold plan to boost primary sector export earnings by $44 billion over the next decade, while protecting the environment and growing jobs.
The plan, launched last month, involves a 10-year roadmap to unlock greater value for a sector vital to New Zealand’s economic recovery.
As the Minister of Agriculture Damien O’Connor pointed out, there is huge potential in the roadmap, but it can only be achieved through a close government partnership with industry and Māori. . .
South Island lamb supply is tight but while seasonal procurement pressure may be enough to see marginal price lifts in some regions, weak export markets are keeping a cap on prices.
Alliance Group key account manager Murray Behrent said while procurement pressure may appear to be at fever pitch around the saleyards, the difference in pricing is the weight of the lambs.
Agents around Canterbury saleyards are reporting strong demand is driving prime lamb values with top prices at Temuka and Coalgate this week, fetching $194 and $198 respectively. . .
Hawke’s Bay Regional Council is actively investigating freshwater storage sites to carry excess winter water through to dry periods in summer.
It’s part of a four-pronged regional water security programme, supported by the Provincial Growth Fund, which includes a region-wide freshwater assessment, a 3D aquifer mapping project, and exploring viable locations for small-scale community storage schemes in the Central Hawke’s Bay (Tukituki River) and Heretaunga (Ngaruroro River) catchments.
Council acting manager regional water security Tom Skerman says the regional water assessment is analysing water supply and demand across the region to 2050. . . .
Before international airports became the talk of Tarras, farming was the district’s main preoccupation. In all its guises, farming has stamped its mark on the district and its people over 162 years. Mark Price takes a look at what has happened to Tarras in the days since its potential for farming was first realised.
Christchurch International Airport Ltd caught plenty of flak for the way it bought up land at Tarras for an airport.
Its agents, while making offers to landowners, did not disclose who they were working for, or why the land was wanted.
The airport’s chief executive, Malcolm Johns, was the man who orchestrated the purchase of 750ha for an airport, at a cost of $45 million.
He saw the potential, acted swiftly and quietly and came up last month, holding the deeds to the various farming properties. . .
Reinforcing farmers’ perceptions the Rural Fire Service is a Sydney-centric bureaucracy, northern NSW broadacre farmers are scratching their heads at the declaration of a bushfire danger period on August 1.
Grass burns poorly in winter, so most of us are waiting for warmer weather.
We can get a permit to burn, but that only adds to our daily mountain of red tape.
Given recent megafires you’d think the RFS would make it easier to conduct controlled burns. . .
Waikato dairy farmer Sam Owen has learned from experience about the importance of looking after his mental health. Sam shares his story and his tips for maintaining wellbeing.
An overwhelming sense of joy or happiness doesn’t sound like depression or anxiety, but to me this is one of my triggers. That’s because I know it will usually be followed by an impending sense of ‘the only way is down from here’.
My wife Jacqui and I are 50:50 sharemilkers. We live on-farm with our kids Abbie (13) and Rhys (11). We’re milking 260 cows on 70ha (effective), on the W and T van de Pas farm at Eureka, just east of Hamilton.
I’m a DairyNZ Dairy Environment Leader (DEL), and a board member for the Port Waikato School Camp. I’m very focused on getting young people into the sector. Jacqui is also a qualified lawyer who contributes time to the Rural Support Trust. Both of us are passionate ambassadors for mental health and wellbeing. . .
South Otago sheep and beef farmer Amy Blaikie has been “absolutely blown away” by the response to her wool petition.
In June, Mrs Blaikie launched a petition calling on the House of Representatives to ensure all publicly funded buildings and KiwiBuild homes were built or refurbished with New Zealand wool carpet and insulation.
Tomorrow, Mrs Blaikie, her husband Victor and their children are due to head to Wellington, where she has asked New Zealand First list MP and Lawrence farmer Mark Patterson to present the petition, which has been signed by more than 14,000 people.
She said she was not only overwhelmed by the number of signatures but also by the phone calls and communication she had received. . .
Didn't scan this year. Thought post drought ewe condition was going to impact result heavily. How wrong I was! End of 1st cycle and there are lambs every where. Ewe condition picked up heaps too! Grass growing well at #Greenhill. pic.twitter.com/BVNaDt7PVc
Regenerative agriculture is in vogue as a concept but what does it really mean?
I often get asked my opinion about regenerative agriculture. My standard rejoinder is to ask what does the questioner mean by ‘regenerative agriculture’? That typically gets a response that it is somewhat of a mystery to them, but it is a term they keep hearing, and supposedly it is the way we need to act to save the planet. My next rejoinder is that I too am struggling to know what it means.
Then some two weeks ago I was asked to join a focus group for a research project looking into what regenerative agriculture means specifically in the New Zealand context. The project has considerable backing, including from the Government-funded ‘Our Land & Water National Science Challenge’.
I was unable to participate in the focus group on account of another commitment. But it did make me think it was time for me to do my own research and find out what the term actually stood for. . .
Being mentored by some of the greatest leaders in the Australasian agriculture industry might sound appealing, but how about travelling by private jet as part of the experience? This very opportunity will be available to one young Kiwi or Aussie again next year, when they take out the 2021 Zanda McDonald Award.
The search is once again on for talented young individuals across Australia and New Zealand, with registrations opening for the annual award today.
Now in its seventh year, the award recognises those who are passionate about agriculture, wanting to make a difference in their sector, and looking to take their career to the next level. There’s an impressive prize package up for grabs, that will put the winner in the passenger seat with some of the biggest and best agriculture operators across both countries, through the Platinum Primary Producers (PPP) network. . .
Dougal Rillstone’s new book, Upstream in the Mataura details his 70-year fascination for the Mataura River from his childhood in Gore through until the present day.
Rillstone said he became fascinated by the river when he was still a child and at that time it was a place of recreation for swimming and picnicking.
He said one particular incident is imprinted in his memory.
“A memory of swimming in the river, a place we called the bend just on the north side of Gore, on a flat calm pool into the evening, sun dropping and my father was swimming near me because I couldn’t really swim properly, but I was in the river up to my shoulders and trout started to rise all around us and I was totally mesmerised by it – it’s what I later came to realise is called the ‘mad Mataura rise’.” . .
Biosecurity is high on most New Zealanders’ minds this year, thanks largely to Covid-19 and the need to keep it firmly on the country’s border edges to avoid it spreading throughout the community. For New Zealand farmers there is another disease that does not affect humans which can, also with good biosecurity, be avoided.
Estimates are about 80% of this country’s dairy and beef herds have been exposed to Bovine Viral Diarrhoea (BVD). Over the past decade as more herds have cleared it, they have again become susceptible, or “naïve”. This leaves them with no resistance to a disease that can account for a variety of undiagnosed ailments.
Greg Chambers, Zoetis veterinary operations manager says comprehensive control of BVD relies upon three key planks in any farm campaign – testing/culling, vaccination, and biosecurity. . .
New Zealand is looking to, and counting on, the primary sector to underpin our economy. The sector provides opportunities for thousands of kiwis every day.
Owned by 19,000 farming families, Ballance Agri-Nutrients is well positioned to support the sector to drive the prosperity of NZ with a strong balance sheet and another year of consistent farmer and grower rebates. Leading into 2021, the Ballance team continues their unrelenting focus on nutrient leadership and leading by science.
“I want to acknowledge all the individuals that come together to form the Ballance team, we are fortunate to have an extremely talented and passionate group focused on delivering value for our shareholders, customers and all kiwis,” says Ballance Chairman, David Peacocke. . .
Like many in the pork industry, North Otago pig farmer Ian Carter is dependent on experienced and skilled migrant workers to run his 318ha, 2000 pig, 700 cattle operation.
If farmers cannot access migrant workers with the needed skill sets and experience, including from the Philippines where there are large commercial pork operations, he predicts a “massive drop in productivity” within the industry.
As a result of Covid-19, workers who would ordinarily be arriving to work here on three-year visas had been unable to fly into the country.
Although the former New Zealand Pork chairman was pleased to see the recent visa extensions introduced by the Government, he did not think those changes would be enough to meet the needs of the industry. . .
The number of properties infected with Mycoplasma bovis has dropped to an all-time low, triggering a wave of confidence that the plan to eradicate the cattle disease from New Zealand is on-track.
Three years on since the disease was first confirmed in NZ, industry leaders are confident the world-first attempt to eradicate the disease is making positive gains towards eradication being within reach in the coming seven years.
As of July 22, the M bovis programme had just four confirmed active properties on its books.
Of these, two are dairy and one beef in the North Island, with one beef property in Canterbury. . .
A former Trade Minister is hopeful he can play his part convincing Britain to open its farmers up to increased competition from New Zealand and other rival producers once it leaves the European Union.
Lockwood Smith credited his appointment to a new commission advising the British government on trade agreements and agriculture to his long experience as a farmer and former trade and agriculture minister, as well as his knowledge of the British farming and political scene as a recent High Commissioner to London.
“There is a realisation that (British) agriculture needs to move forward and this is an attempt to find a consensus on how best to do that,” Smith said. . .
Dairy effluent is being used to power an Isla Bank milking shed and mitigate methane emissions at the same time.
Dairy Green and Scandrett Rural owner and consultant John Scandrett has been overseeing a biogas conversion project at Glenarlea Farm, Isla Bank, since November 2016.
Glenarlea Farm, which is owned by the Fortuna Group and managed by Brendon and Lorelai Santos, milks about 900 cows at peak.
Bacteria convert effluent solids into biogas, of which methane and carbon dioxide are the main constituents.
The methane fuelled a converted diesel motor, which drove a generator to make electricity, Mr Scandrett said. . .
WHILE the agricultural industry has made great progress in advancing women in the workforce, little work has looked into shifting traditional patterns of patrilineal farm succession, which act as gender barriers for daughters growing up on farms.
That’s according to a new report by 2017 Nuffield scholar and Morawa farmer, Katrina Sasse, who investigated the position of daughter successors in United States, Canada, the Netherlands, Germany and Denmark – a study that was motivated by her own keen interest as a daughter successor and desire to help women in Australia find a pathway back to the family farm.
It’s an unfortunate fact that in rural communities some people continue to view daughter successors differently to sons and more needs to be done to empower young Women to remain in family farming operations. . .
“Extreme” drought conditions in Northland are being called the worst for decades and have left farms with no stock food and with their water sources drying up.
“There is quite a lot of stress out there,” she said.
Many Northland farmers have already used all of their winter supplementary feed and alternatives, like palm kernel, are expensive and hard to source. . .
Tight feed supplies and ongoing drought are forcing some dairy farmers across the country to dry off earlier than usual.
Fonterra Farm Source director Richard Allen estimates that about 13 percent of farmers have dried off by mid-April compared to 8 percent at the same time last season.
Last month, Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor declared a large-scale adverse event in the North Island, parts of the South Island and the Chathams. The worst-hit region, Northland is still holding out for decent rainfall. . .
IrrigationNZ commends the work that has gone into the Freshwater 2020 report released today, and recognises this data helps towards providing certainty of where we need to head.
IrrigationNZ chief executive Elizabeth Soal says, “Freshwater and related ecosystems are very complex, and as the report says, data gaps do remain. However, it is helpful for farmers to see where their improvements are working, and where further work is required.”
IrrigationNZ notes some positive trends emerging from the report for example: . .
Managed to dodge the showers to lock the girls away tonight . Autumn and some decent rainfall has finally arrived. Hope it spreads itself around so everyone gets some this week. pic.twitter.com/xWhir9QEZv
Puketoro Station, inland from Tokomaru Bay, has been in lockdown for three weeks now under the Covid-19 rules, and it’s the same as every other farm in New Zealand — business as usual.
But what makes Puketoro slightly different from most farms is that there are 19 people in the station “bubble”.
So the McNeil Farming operation is a tiny village on its own, and in typical village fashion, the residents range in age from four months to Goldcard-holders.
The bulk of the shepherds are under 25 years old, so it’s been somewhat of a tough call for them to stay put for four weekends in a row. . .
HOLTVILLE, Calif. (Reuters) – There should be tractors rumbling across Jack Vessey’s ranch, pulling wagons full of fresh-cut romaine lettuce to be packed and shipped to restaurants and grocery stores across the United States.
Instead, as the coronavirus outbreak upends the nation’s food distribution network, a tractor and plow destroyed rows and rows of green produce on Wednesday.
“You put your blood, sweat and tears into a crop,” said Vessey, president of Holtville, California-based Vessey and Company, Inc. “To just disc it into the ground: It’s painful.” . .
We live and we die, this is the truth that we can only face alone. No one can help us, not even the Buddha. So consider carefully, what prevents you from living the way you want to live your life? (Dalai Lama)
Northland farmers are embracing the digital age as they respond to the dual challenge of the Covid-19 lockdown and the region’s severe drought conditions.
Extension 350 (E350), Northland Inc’s award-winning farmer-led and farmer-focused programme, is driving a digital initiative, which includes pilot video interviews with farmers, called “What’s on your mind?”, accessible via the programme’s YouTube channel.
The interview format encourages the farmers to share their thoughts on issues impacting their businesses, what specifically prompted these thoughts, and the process they expect to follow in developing and implementing responses to protect or enhance their businesses. . .
Houston – or more correctly Wellington – we have a problem.
And that problem is a shortage of workers right across New Zealand’s primary sector.
The latest example is the apple sector (click here for the story), which is facing a potential $80 million loss in the coming season because of a looming labour shortage.
Apples and Pears NZ chief executive Alan Pollard told Rural News that the main reason for this is the Government’s decision not to allow the numbers of overseas workers required under the RSE (recognised seasonal employer) scheme to meet the needs. . .
The groundswell supporting the restoring powers of regenerative agriculture is mostly based on examples from overseas.
The big question should be, do the examples stack up in New Zealand? If yes, no problem. If no, what might happen? Would there be any unintended consequences?
Answering these and similar questions is the goal of scientific research.
The foundation for advancing knowledge is laid by identifying the problem and then analysing what has gone before . . .
Key changes made by Waikato dairy farmers Sam and Jacqui Owen have laid their on-farm groundwork for 2020 and beyond. They’re also focused on growing dairying’s next generation.
The Owens stepped up to 50:50 sharemilking in the 2014/15 season at Walton – then the milk price more than halved. That’s when Sam became chair for MP3, a DairyNZ-supported three-year project focusing on ‘profit, planet and people’, starting with 35 Matamata-Piako farms.
“I wanted to help others make their way through that price drop. MP3 also enabled us to grow our budgeting and financial skills to work out that doing that would be profitable for us. . .
Zespri expects it will take two years before it can meet demand for its new red, berry-flavoured kiwifruit.
The company has been trialling the fruit in New Zealand and Singapore, and chief executive Dan Matheson said it had sold well even when priced at 25 percent above green and gold varieties.
“The response has been quite exciting. We’ve had incredible feedback from our consumers who have been buying the fruit at the supermarket shelf.
“In fact we’ve just had letters coming in from consumers both here in New Zealand and Singapore asking for more of that and ‘why it was only available on the shelf for such short period of time’.” . .
Waimate sheep and beef farmer David Gardner is “gobsmacked” a government policy might see his property sold to an overseas investor and converted into pine trees.
Having reached retirement age, Gardner is looking to sell his 800-hectare Melford Hills farm, about 50 kilometres south of Timaru. He would prefer it remains as it is, but the likely buyer is a forest investor.
In fact he’s already spurned an offer that would see some of the property continue as a farm, and the balance as forestry. . .
Scott Technology revenues have jumped in the last year but its automated equipment for meat processing plants played a lesser role.
Revenue from meat processing work for the year ended August 31 was $34.5 million, down from $45m a year earlier, as total revenue from the world-wide activities rose to $225m from $181.8m.
Some of the bigger overseas projects have been challenging and while the operating earnings were higher, at $20m from $19.3m, the after-tax profit fell to $8.6m from $10.77m.
Dunedin-based Scott Tech warned of those challenges in early July and chairman Stuart McLauchlan and managing director Chris Hopkins said the projects are now nearing completion. . .
Kea attacks on sheep have been measured for the first time.
About 0.5 per cent of sheep at five South Island high country farms were attacked by the alpine parrots, according to just published research by wildlife scientist and kea specialist Clio Reid and colleagues.
It was the first time “kea strike”, as these attacks are known, has been quantified, she said.
“This study showed that kea strike on sheep was occurring at a low prevalence on the high country farms surveyed. The wounds identified were survivable.” . .
Cawthron is proud to be running the 2019 New Zealand River Awards. As part of the celebration, the River Story Award category sponsored by the Ministry for the Environment recognises interesting and compelling stories about individuals, businesses and communities working to improve the health of our rivers.
Each year Cawthron receives River Story entries that are representative of our collective desire to improve New Zealand waterways. The stories are inspirational projects that involve community collaboration, science and innovative ways to address freshwater-related challenges.
This year, eight stories were selected as finalists and from these, the judges have selected the top three. The work being done to restore Rere’s Wharekopae River catchment is our second story. . .
A quiet revolution is growing on New Zealand farms. As debates on water and emissions grind on, a new group of farmers are showing us the way forward – regenerating the land, and themselves, writes Daniel Eb.
Mum has a saying: when you’re boxed into a corner, move the walls. It’s a reference to the two-sided nature of crisis – that in difficulty lies opportunity.
New Zealand agriculture is not in a crisis, but we all feel the tension rising. They’re a tough bunch, our farmers, but this wave of anger and pain in response to new freshwater and emissions proposals is a clear indication that they’re hurting. A recent morning radio show turned into a public, cathartic release for many Kiwi farmers who just wanted to be heard.
There’s a pervading sense that farming as we know it is under threat – that the walls are closing in. This is a global issue. Australian farmers are losing the fight against historic drought. American farmers are struggling, battling record flooding, reckless trade policy and the breakdown of the family farm way of life. Dutch farmers recently blocked motorways in protest against environmental reforms; some Kiwi farmers have called for the same. . .
A NARRANDERA grower has turned his harvest prospects around and retrieved up to 2.5 tonnes a hectare from his barley crop thanks largely to a water saving organic fertiliser.
Nathan Heckendorf, Top Reeds, Sandigo, was very skeptical when he heard about a product that could hold twice its weight in water and eliminate loss of water to a crop from evaporation or frosts.
Operating a 1600 hectare property, Mr Heckendorf planted 150ha of canola from April 20, 200ha of barley from May 10 and 1000ha of wheat from May 15, along with a summer crop of 70ha of maize. . .
He might not have ended up pursuing a hands-on farming or shearing career but Guy Blundell has still forged a profession in agriculture.
Mr Blundell is managing director of Compass Agribusiness, an agribusiness advisory, agri asset management and client partnership specialist.
Established a decade ago, it has head offices in both Arrowtown – where he lives – and Melbourne, where his business partner former Otago local Nigel Pannett leads the team, and has just opened a Dunedin office. . .
Hundreds of angry farmers have confronted government officials at an environment roadshow.
The Government’s freshwater policy reforms consultation event hit Waikato on Monday with over 500 people packing out the venue at Mystery Creek.
What officials heard was mistrust, cynicism and anger about the proposals from the largely rural audience. . .
Hope this is not an omen for today’s MFE meeting at mystery creek. 12-2 at Mystery Creek. Dust off your town gumboots and get there! pic.twitter.com/pKTtsxz7gv
A heartfelt social media post from Hawke’s Bay farmer Sam Stoddart has gone viral. In it he points out the strong connections New Zealand farmers have with the communities around them.
Stoddart told The Country he was surprised by the strong reaction to his post, which has had nearly 6000 reactions and nearly 3000 shares.
“For a vent to mates out of frustration on Facebook it certainly has gained some momentum.
I can’t believe the positive feedback though. For over 700 comments only about five are negative. Maybe the rural urban divide isn’t as big as we think. . .
Fonterra chairman John Monaghan says he is due to retire next year and will work with the board to plan succession, but the company says he has not made up his mind about whether he will leave.
Monaghan was due to retire by rotation at next year’s annual meeting, at the end of his three-year term.
“Having seen through the introduction of our new strategy, operating model, and with our divestment and debt reduction efforts well progressed, I will be working with the board in 2020 to facilitate chair succession. The timeline for that succession will be agreed by the board nearer to the time,” Monaghan said on Friday. . .
Augustines of Central founder and Food Award finalist Gus Hayden, of Wanaka, is bottling “nostalgia”.
He was delighted and “pretty surprised” when he found out his preserved apricots in riesling and sugar syrup was one of 20 finalists in the Cuisine Artisan section of the New Zealand Food Awards.
Mr Hayden, who is a chef with Cardrona Terraces, Wanaka, uses spray-free apricots from two suppliers on Burn Cottage Rd, Cromwell, and Earnscleugh, near Alexandra. . .
Discounting destroys value and has always been a clear signal you’ve run out of ideas. So you end up pulling the crude cord called discounting.
Discounting is rife in Ag because it sometimes seems like it’s the only strategy we have left to compete which is always a race to the bottom.
We haven’t been very smart.
Discounting is disastrous for profits because the profit you didn’t make on that sale has to be replaced by the profit on the next sale. Worse, you condition your customers into lower prices and devalue your market positioning in the process. It also robs your business of the capital it needs to invest and grow in itself. . .
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