Agriculture

Government right to signal need for change in NZ agriculture

A Lincoln University expert says Environment Minister David Parker is right to signal New Zealand agriculture cannot continue with business as usual. Senior lecturer in Agribusiness Management, Dr Nic Lees, said intensive dairying is currently profitable only because it is not bearing the full costs of its production systems. “It is not paying the cost to the environment of its production. We are all picking up the tab, and especially our children for the impact on our waterways and climate,” he said. “Currently intensive dairy farming is addicted to high production per cow. This means adding in concentrated feed such as palm kernel and high levels of nitrogen fertiliser. This increases costs, which means these systems are only profitable with high production and high commodity prices.” Dr Lees said this shows New Zealand’s future is not in maintaining our position as the lowest cost producer of meat and dairy products. “The longer that the beef and dairy industries hold on to a commodity model based on increasing output and lowering costs the greater will be the future farmer pain. “I think we need to have conversations around “peak cow” and the future of our animal production industries.” He said the Labour Government is clearly signalling New Zealand’s future is not in commodities. “Facing up to “peak cows” will benefit New Zealand and farmers in the long term. It is either some pain now or a lot of pain later. “If not, alternative proteins will take out our commodity agricultural products in the same way nylon took out wool as a fibre.” Minister Parker has said there is potential to change towards cropping, horticulture, which are high-value land uses, Dr Lees said. “He is right to say there are too many cows, however the potential for cropping and horticulture to replace […]

Blockchain to Build a Sustainable Food Industry?

Blockchain is taking off, with a growing number of food companies and retailers experimenting with this new technology. Ecovia Intelligence (formerly Organic Monitor) sees blockchain bringing many sustainability benefits to the food industry. A few weeks ago, Carrefour became the first European retailer to introduce blockchain for food products. Initially launched for free-range Carrefour Quality line Auvergne chickens, the technology is being expanded to eggs, cheese, milk, ground beef steak, salmon, oranges and tomatoes. A key part of its 2022 transformation plan, Carrefour believes blockchain technology will revolutionise its supply chains. Its new strategy focuses on food quality and transparency, with it setting an ambitious target to generate EUR 5 billion sales from organic foods by 2022. As will be presented at the Sustainable Foods Summit (http://www.sustainablefoodssummit.com), blockchain has many advantages. It provides transparency and openness to food companies, retailers, and consumers. Described as an ‘open ledger’ for transactions, blockchain gives a secure way to track and transfer assets through supply chains. It has the potential to transform the often opaque and diffuse supply networks for food products. Blockchain helps mitigate risks of food fraud and safety. It is estimated that one in ten food products are adulterated or mislabelled. Tampered products can be easily identified and isolated, preventing expensive product recalls. By pinpointing contaminated batches, safe products can be kept on store shelves and not sent to landfill. The amount of food waste can therefore be reduced. Walmart is working with Nestle, Dole Food, Unilever and Tyson Foods on blockchain pilot projects. The retailer says a 1 percent reduction in food-borne illnesses in the US could generate an additional US $700 million in increased productivity. Walmart believes blockchain will do for transparency what the internet has done for communication. In one of its blockchain projects, it took 2.2 seconds […]

Two high yielding wheat cultivars due on the market in 2018

Syngenta New Zealand signals its entry into the New Zealand wheat seed market with the commercialisation of two very high yielding wheat cultivars – Graham wheat and Reflection wheat, which represent a significant lift in yield potential. Developed by Syngenta NZ in conjunction with New Zealand head licensee Cropmark Seeds, the two new wheat cultivars are being commercialised this autumn and are the result of an intensive joint breeding and selection programme by the two companies. The breeding programme is already well known for the quality of its barley cultivars which have been at the forefront of the New Zealand barley seed industry for the last 20 years. Graham wheat is the first of the Syngenta-bred wheats to be marketed in New Zealand and will be available in full commercial quantities from this autumn. Graham wheat has impressive yield and agronomic qualities and has already created significant interest from within the arable farming sector. Graham is very high yielding as evidenced by its very high yields in the cereal seed industry’s CPT trials in 2016/7. CPT Wheat Cultivar Evaluation Trials – average yield results (tonnes per hectare) North Island Canterbury Southland Graham 10.1 13.9 13 Wakanui 8.9 13.3 11.2 Starfire 6.8 12.9 11.8 Inferno 5.1 13.2 11.3 Ignite 8.5 13.7 11.9 Source: Foundation For Arable Research booklet 2016/17 Graham has a wide sowing window from April through to June and is a robust variety that yields well across a range of environments and responds well to inputs. On top of this Graham has excellent disease profile, good resistance to Septoria, leaf and stripe rusts. Graham wheat seed will be available through licensed agents Advance Agriculture in Gore, Cates Grain and Seed in Ashburton and PGG Wrightson from autumn 2018. Being released alongside Graham is Reflection wheat, being another high […]

Government and agricultural leaders gather at Parliament to celebrate 50 years of Fieldays

Town and country came together in New Zealand’s capital last night to mark the 50th anniversary of New Zealand Agricultural Fieldays, which was first held in Hamilton in 1969. Leaders from government, agriculture and business gathered in the Grand Hall in Wellington’s Parliament for the function, which included speeches from Director-General of Ministry for Primary Industries, Martyn Dunne, and New Zealand National Fieldays Society CEO Peter Nation. Fieldays is recognised as the largest agricultural event in the Southern Hemisphere. The official launch at Parliament is 90 days out from the 50th anniversary of Fieldays, which will be held 13-16 June at Mystery Creek near Hamilton. Mr Nation said it was an honour to be hosted at Parliament’s Grand Hall, which is a privilege only offered to non-profit organisations and community groups. “Parliament is the powerhouse of New Zealand, and the opportunity to have our 50th anniversary launch event there indicates the significance of Fieldays to the country,” said Mr Nation. “Fieldays is important to New Zealand’s primary industries. For 50 years we’ve been bringing urban and rural communities together and working to advance agriculture through technology, education, innovation and internationalisation.” The New Zealand National Fieldays Society board, and its president Peter Carr, also attended last night’s event, along with representatives from top New Zealand agricultural organisations and businesses. In addition, a large group of MPs attended, as well as senior officials from Ministry of Primary Industries and Callaghan Innovation, which demonstrated the strength of connections between Wellington and Mystery Creek, said Mr Nation. “We really value the support we’ve had over the years from local government and central government,” said Mr Nation. “Fieldays has always been a place that prime ministers and MPs have come to talk to farmers and take the pulse of the industry. Fieldays is a place […]

Massey University announced as partner of the New Zealand National Fieldays Society

In the picture:Massey University’s Vice Chancellor, Professor Jane Thomas, signing an agreement with New Zealand National Fieldays Society CEO Peter Nation. New Zealand National Fieldays Society, owner of the iconic Fieldays event in June, has a new partner in the form of Massey University. The university and Society signed the three-year initial term agreement earlier this month, ahead of the first Society board meeting to be held offsite since incorporation. Fieldays celebrates its 50th anniversary this year during the 13-16 June event at Mystery Creek near Hamilton. Nick Dromgool, GM Commercial for the Society, believes Massey University’s strong focus on the agricultural and health sectors makes it a strong partner for the Society and the Fieldays event. “Fieldays has been bringing rural and urban audiences together for 50 years, and we are very pleased about this connection with Massey University. Fieldays is a truly New Zealand event and we feel Massey’s ethos of being an accessible university through its many campuses and its distance learning is an excellent fit.” Massey University is well-known for agri-related study and research, and also has top equine, vet and food programmes. It has a strong focus on health and has many other unique schools within its campuses. The university was recently recognised in the 2018 QS World University Rankings, placing 22nd in the world’s universities for agriculture and forestry, and 23rd for veterinary science. College of Sciences Pro Vice-Chancellor Professor Ray Geor says Massey is excited about connecting with the Society at a partnership level. “We are a strong supporter of Fieldays and have always had a large presence at the event. This year we are very pleased to be able to really cement that relationship,” he says. “Fieldays is a premier event, recognised in world agribusiness,” adds Professor Geor. “It’s an excellent fit […]

Lincoln part of Australian horticultural innovation

Lincoln University is extending its expertise offshore as part of a unique Australian programme cultivating its next horticultural industry leaders. Its Faculty of Agribusiness and Commerce is involved in teaching the Masterclass in Horticultural Business course at the University of Tasmania. Lincoln’s role is led by Professor Alison Bailey and includes collaborating with the world’s top agricultural university, despite mostly staying put in New Zealand. Professor Bailey made the trip to Australia to be part of the course’s first year in 2017 and envisages more Lincoln staff making the journey this year. “It’s an exciting development to be part of,” she said. The course is the first of its kind in Australia for the horticulture industry and is specifically designed for upcoming leaders in the industry. It is being developed in Tasmania in partnership with international leaders in horticulture – Horticulture Innovation Australia, Wageningen Academy (part of Wageningen University, ranked number one globally in Agriculture) and Lincoln University. Professor Alison Bailey said Modules which Lincoln experts contribute to include horticultural management, financial management, horticultural marketing, global trends and international business, innovation and entrepreneurship, and business development and strategy. The course is offered through flexible online delivery, with three face to face intensives, or workshops, and students are tasked with developing a strategic plan for their own company. Students go online to listen to pre-recorded mini lectures of between 8-15 minutes duration. The lectures are supported by guided reading material, online mini-quizzes, and assignments to be completed by the student usually offline and then sent in electronically The course reflects Lincoln University’s focus on collaborating with other institutions.

Environment and agriculture can both benefit from trade agreement

The Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTTP) trade agreement has the potential to transform the agricultural sector and at the same time benefit the environment, agribusiness expert Dr. Nic Lees of Lincoln University says. However, he added, the public needed to be convinced of that. The CPTTP is the re-negotiated Trans Pacific Partnership after the USA withdrew, and is a free trade agreement between Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam. Negotiations have concluded between the countries but it is yet to be ratified by New Zealand. The TTP had met some public and political opposition. The CPTTP could change the sector from relying on low cost commodities to a focus on high value exports intimately connected to a pristine environment, Dr. Lees said. “Where New Zealand producers are exporting high value branded products we see an associated increase in concern for the environment. These producers know that they need to meet consumers demand for products to be produced ethically and sustainably.” He said tariffs on New Zealand beef exports to Japan will drop from 38.5% to 9%, saving the industry $25 million. “This reduction in tariffs will give New Zealand and Australia a competitive advantage over the USA beef in the high value Japanese market. “It will encourage New Zealand beef farmers to target high value beef cuts in the Japanese market rather than export commodity hamburger beef to the USA,” Dr. Lees added. Tariffs on kiwifruit exports to Japan, the largest importer of New Zealand kiwifruit, will be eliminated. Tariffs on wine exports to New Zealand’s fourth largest market Canada will also be removed. Overall the CPTPP could provide approximately $222m of tariff savings each year. However, he said, the public need to be convinced of these benefits. “There is […]

Farm machinery sales back to 2014 levels

Sales of tractors in 2017 increased markedly, just topping the previous highest recorded levels of 2014, says NZ Tractor and Machinery Association (TAMA) General Manager, Ron Gall. Mr Gall said the association recognised that some farmers in both islands were currently experiencing hardship with the very hot and dry conditions. The challenging drought conditions may affect sales in the coming months but it was hoped changing weather would provide some relief. Mr Gall said in 2017, a total of 4079 tractors were sold. This is up 13% on 2016, up 14% on 2015 and even slightly up on the boom dairy year of 2014, which had 4062 sales. Sales were particularly strong in the dairy areas of Waikato, Taranaki, Manawatu, Canterbury and Southland and in the horticulture, viticulture and arable areas of Northland, Hawkes Bay, Nelson and Marlborough. Otago, home to dairy and horticulture and viticulture, experienced particularly impressive growth, with a 28% increase on 2016. The biggest increase on last year’s sales was Taranaki with 214 sales in 2017 compared to 158 in 2016, representing a 35% boost. Combined, the areas of North, Mid and South Canterbury had a 22% increase on 2016. Mr Gall said the increased sales reflected the improved dairy forecast payout along with steady growth in horticulture and viticulture. According to TAMA’s biennual industry value and employment survey, the total number of people employed in the tractor and farm machinery sales and servicing sector had also increased. There has been a 14% increase since 2015 – from 2492 to 2846 roles. Nearly 40% of those employed earned salaries of more than $75,000. Of respondents to the survey, 57% said they had difficulties hiring staff and 19% had hired migrants. “The machinery/technology sector offers innovative and well-paid jobs with a strong career pathway, including senior roles in […]

Emerging aliens threaten New Zealand’s environment

New Zealand’s environment and primary industries are under threat from pests we don’t even know about yet. That’s the message from Professor Philip Hulme of the Bio-Protection Research Centre, based at Lincoln University. Professor Hulme was part of a large international collaboration of scientists that analysed 46,000 recorded sightings of invasive animal and plant species around the world. Their research* showed that one in every four new pest incursions were from species that had never before been recorded as being invasive. “We looked at patterns over the last five centuries to see whether there was any evidence of a slowdown in the number of new pests and weeds emerging around the world, but there wasn’t,” said Prof Hulme. “Just as many new pests are emerging now as in previous centuries. “If we look at the pests and weeds already in New Zealand, most have come from Europe, Australia or North America, our traditional trade partners and sources of immigration. However, Asia is now becoming more important to both trade and immigration, and this is where many new pests and weeds appear to be coming from.” Prof Hulme says we may be entering a new era for biosecurity as we face an increasing wave of unknown emerging pest species. “We need to make sure our biosecurity system is sufficiently flexible and well-resourced to deal with unexpected incursions by species we probably will know nothing about,” says Professor Hulme. “The responsibility rests with all of us: government, industry, the public, and every tourist who crosses our borders,” says Prof Hulme. “We all need to be vigilant, understand the risks and all act in a way that minimises the chances of any new pest or disease making its way to our shores.” *Seebens, H., Blackburn TM, Dyer EE, Genovesi P, Hulme PE et […]

Research to use bacteria in revolutionary ways

A new Lincoln Agritech research programme will find revolutionary ways of using naturally-occurring bacteria and fungi to increase the availability of nitrogen to plants and improve plants’ tolerance to stress. A second programme will work towards naturally removing ‘off’ flavours in wine. Lincoln Agritech is an independent multidisciplinary research and development company owned by Lincoln University. Biotechnology Team Manager Dr Richard Weld, who is leading the research, says the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment has awarded the programmes a combined $8.2m. “This is a notable achievement for a small organisation.” The first of the two projects will benefit the forestry and pastoral sectors by allowing pine trees and grasses to convert atmospheric nitrogen into plant-available mineral nitrogen in the same way that legumes such as clover do, and by improving the plants’ tolerance to stress. Dr Weld says this can be achieved by optimising the natural microbial communities associated with the plants, thereby creating new symbioses between plants, bacteria and fungi. “We will select bacteria that fix nitrogen and that enhance plant tolerance to stress,” says Dr Weld. “These bacteria will then be combined in symbiotic association with two fungi which naturally live within plants. “After this, the fungal-bacterial hybrids can be introduced to pine trees and perennial ryegrass. The combination will make the plants more resistant to stress and more able take up nitrogen.” Dr Weld says the five-year programme is world-leading, as no other researchers have attempted a triple symbiosis between fungi, bacteria and these plants. The research team from Lincoln Agritech, Lincoln University, Scion and AgResearch includes scientists who have been instrumental in developing fungal biocontrol endophytes. The team will work with commercial companies which are already producing and licensing fungal endophytes. The new fungal-bacterial hybrids will be added to their product lines. The second research […]

«‹ 18 19 20 21 ›

News Ticker

Agriculture