Business

Farmers support additional efforts for wintering practices

New Zealand’s farming sector supports additional efforts to improve winter grazing practices on farms, with a particular focus on animal welfare. DairyNZ and Beef + Lamb New Zealand do not condone poor winter grazing and support building on the significant efforts already underway to eliminate practices which impact on the environment and animal welfare. “No-one accepts poor winter grazing practices. Our organisations are firm on this,” said DairyNZ strategy and investment leader, Dr Jenny Jago. “Dairy and beef sectors have a role to play in protecting our waterways and, therefore, ensuring good practice winter grazing on farms is crucial to support the environment and keep our animals healthy.” Dr Jago said much work has been taking place to address poor winter grazing practices and she was encouraged by the progress that was being made, but there was still work to be done. “The vast majority of farmers take great pride in caring for their animals and the environment. There’s been significant investment into on-farm initiatives which protect the environment and animal welfare, and we will continue to expand on that. “We have been working together, and with central and regional government, to review and improve the resources available for farmers, while also supporting improved crop grazing practices on farms and reinforcing compliance.” A pan-sector collaborative programme has included farmer-facing extension, which sets clear practice standards to protect the environment and support animal health and wellbeing. “In the last year, DairyNZ and Beef + Lamb New Zealand have had a particular focus on good management practices for winter cropping, through workshops and events with farmers,” said Beef + Lamb New Zealand GM for North Island, Matt Ward. The sector is looking to underpin this work through commitments by DairyNZ and Beef + Lamb New Zealand for all farms to report under farm […]

Food wastage and power quality

Food and beverage manufacturing is becoming a 24-hour production cycle. Because of this, production lines are now heavily automated; however, this increased reliance on sophisticated automation is making power quality issues more impactful, especially when it comes to food waste. Here Darcy Simonis, Vice President for ABB’s Food and Beverage segment, explains how fixing power quality can reduce food waste in an increasingly continuous production cycle. Food is delicate. Therefore, even slight power disruptions, from the grid, that interrupt production processes can lead to a lot of food wastage. Disruption of machines in food production and refrigeration can mean large quantities of food being burnt, spoiled or contaminated, meaning that, due to stringent health and safety regulations, must then be discarded. This can escalate fast in a continuous production system because if even one piece of equipment goes out of sync, and is not caught quickly, large quantity of products will go to waste. Disruptions from low power quality can cause machinery to shut down in an unsafe manner. Low power quality is when power supplies are disrupted and no longer power machinery properly, such as voltage drops. These are sudden increases in current that cause voltage to drop over the impedance of a supply network, causing the voltage to vary. These voltage drops result in damage to machinery that may require parts to be replaced or can lead to severe health and safety issues. For example, if a conveyor was to break down while feeding bread through an oven, it could lead to the loaves igniting, which would not only cause severe damage to the conveyor belt and oven, but the fire could then spread putting the whole plant at risk. Improper shutdowns for smart-machines can also damage internal systems, scrambling the data and leading to faults and loss […]

Digital transformation driving change in key industries

Digital transformation (DX) is permeating every vertical market, and industries are looking to evolve to better align with their customers’ changing requirements. The result is the development and integration of cutting edge technologies and a change of methodology to improve processes, according to Y Soft. Adam O’Neill, managing director, Y Soft, Australia and New Zealand, said, “DX is radically changing how organisations operate and is shaking up industries at speed. Organisations are increasingly launching initiatives to expand or build digital capabilities to deliver business efficiency or increase top-line revenue growth.” According to the 15 industries surveyed as part of the Gartner 2018 CIO Agenda Industry Insights report, 47 per cent of CEOs are being challenged to make progress in digital business, and 56 per cent of respondents reported that digital improvements have already improved their overall profits. The 2018 edition of The Hackett Group’s annual key issues study, The CIO Agenda: Driving Value from Transformation, found that the use of virtual assistants, chatbots and other cognitive technologies is anticipated to grow at least five-fold in overall adoption rates over the next few years. Unsurprisingly, 74 per cent of companies are expecting DX to disrupt their industry and 82 per cent expect it to fundamentally change the operating model of their business. Adam O’Neill said, “These findings show that every industry is either already participating in or ready to join in with digital transformation. This seismic impact prediction calls for immediate action, and many companies have already begun their DX journeys and are automating and streamlining business processes by investing in artificial intelligence (AI), specifically machine learning.” Digital transformation is already having a significant impact on four vertical industries: Legal. Traditionally, the pace of digital change within the legal industry has been slow, with the legal profession resisting many of […]

Heavy lifting in sports and active lifestyle pays off

Mars has signed an agreement to purchase a majority shareholding in German targeted nutrition business, foodspring and, as part of this transaction, Fonterra has sold its interest in foodspring’s parent Goodminton A.G, and will realise a gain on sale of $64 million. Fonterra’s Chief Operating Officer NZMP, Kelvin Wickham, says the partnership with foodspring has been an exciting early activity for Fonterra’s new Sports and Active Lifestyle business unit. “From day one both foodspring and ourselves could see how our two companies would complement each other to make the most of the fast-growing sports and active market. “foodspring had established a strong on-line sales channel and a digital nutrition and wellbeing coach, and we’re the protein innovators with a range of high value, advanced ingredients. “Both companies could see the growth opportunities within the targeted nutrition market. And that’s exactly what’s happened. Over the past 18 months foodspring has become the fastest growing targeted nutrition brand in Europe. “At the same time, the partnership gave us immediate and direct access to the fast-growing consumer Sports and Active Lifestyle segment. This is not just about professional athletes or bodybuilders anymore. Today it’s about everyday people taking more interest in their health and wellbeing, living longer and leading more active and healthier lives. “This continues to be a really attractive market for our dairy protein and dairy speciality ingredients and we will keep up the momentum in this market. We are excited about continuing our relationship with foodspring and its new owners Mars, who will remain a valued customer of our NZMP ingredients business,” says Mr Wickham. The Sports and Active Lifestyle market is one of the fastest growing categories within the food and beverage industry. It is helping people with their health and wellness needs and is estimated to be worth […]

Synlait celebrates high performing dairy farmers

Synlait celebrated their highest performing dairy farmers at their 2018/2019 Honours Awards ceremony. The ceremony took place at their annual supplier conference held in Christchurch on Thursday 11 July 2019. “This is the fourth year we’ve held the Synlait Dairy Honours Awards and the standard of performance continues to increase year-on-year.” says Leon Clement, CEO. The awards are open to all Synlait milk suppliers, and we’re thrilled to see that a significant number of our winners are Lead With Pride™* certified. Each of our award winners and their teams have gone significantly above and beyond requirements to showcase excellence in dairy,” says Mr Clement. “I would like to congratulate each of our winners, and in particular Kieran McCall of Golden Dairies Limited who won the ANZ Supreme Lead With Pride™ Award.” “We look forward to our Waikato dairy farmers participating in the 2019/2020 awards.” The panel of independent judges were impressed with finalists’ innovative approaches to driving best practices across their dairy businesses. 2018/2019 Dairy Honours Award Winners Lead With Pride Awards ANZ SUPREME LEAD WITH PRIDE AWARD 2018-2019, Kieran McCall, Golden Dairies Limited HILTON HAULAGE BEST NEW LEAD WITH PRIDE™ AWARD 2018-2019, Stephen and Kate Moorhead, Wilmoor Dairy Farm Limited MILK QUALITY AWARDS This award recognises suppliers who consistently supply excellent quality milk. DTS BEST MILK QUALITY AWARD 2018-2019, Ruurd and Rachel Lieuwes, Lieuwes Abbott Limited FarmIQ BEST MILK QUALITY AWARD 2018-2019, (weighted by farm size), Stuart and Margaret Holland, Holland Farming Limited DATAMARS LOWEST SCC AWARD 2019-2019, Stephen Overend, Theland Purata Farm Group Limited – Colosseum Dairies VODAFONE MOST IMPROVED MILK QUALITY AWARD 2018-2019, Phil and Jocelyn Everest, Flemington Farm Limited LEAD WITH PRIDE AWARDS (JUDGED) Independent third-party judges focussed on the way award finalists care for their animals, the environment in which they farm, and for the […]

DairyNZ: Government’s methane target must change

DairyNZ has released its submission on the Zero Carbon Bill and is calling on the Government to revise the methane target in the Bill to one that does not put at risk New Zealand’s world-leading dairy sector. Farm profit could go down by as much as 42 percent and have a huge effect on national and regional economies under the current proposed range. “Dairying in New Zealand is world-leading in producing low emissions milk. We have a reputation for sustainability, and we want to keep it that way,” says DairyNZ Chief Executive Tim Mackle. “We are committed to playing our part in the transition to a low-emissions economy alongside the rest of New Zealand, but it must be done fairly, and consider the science as well as the economic impacts. “DairyNZ supports much in this Bill. However, we still have strong concerns about the proposed 2050 methane reduction target range, and our continued support for the Bill is conditional on this changing” said Dr Mackle. The Bill contains a 2030 methane target and a 2050 methane target range. “While the 10% reduction by 2030 will be very challenging, we believe we can make a decent crack at it. Our modelling indicates an average annual cost could be up to $13,000 per farm between 2020 and 2030. That’s why we are advocating for the target to be checked by the Commission once they are established, and regularly reviewed. “However, the 2050 target is just not realistic and must be changed. ”The Government’s proposed 2050 target range of 24 – 47% is not soundly based in science in a New Zealand context and it is higher than official advice. “The economic modelling used to inform the Bill was also undercooked and did not include a robust analysis of the implications for dairy […]

Farmers Rise to Climate Challenge

DairyNZ chief executive Dr Tim Mackle is today joining with other primary sector leaders to launch a Primary Sector Climate Change Commitment: He Waka Eke Noa – our future in our hands to manage agricultural emissions. “This Commitment is an unprecedented sector-wide proposal to work constructively and collaboratively with Government, Maori and Iwi to make real and meaningful changes at the farm-level to reduce emissions. “What’s really positive about this proposal is it doesn’t just identify a problem – it provides a clear pathway forward and a way for the primary sector to work with the government rather than just impose regulations” said Dr Mackle. The proposal is being put forward in response to the Interim Climate Committee’s (ICCC) recommendation that agriculture be brought into the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) for a five-year period, until a farm-level pricing mechanism is constructed. “We and the ICCC both agree that a farm-based mechanism is the best way to address biological emissions, however, our views diverge when it comes to how we get there. “Bringing agriculture into the ETS at the processor level amounts to little more than a broad-based tax on farmers before we have the knowledge, support and tools to drive the practice change that will reduce emissions. “The stakes are high. New Zealand’s primary sector contributes one fifth of our GDP, generates 1 in 10 jobs and produce 75% of our merchandise exports. We want to avoid shocks like the 80s and make any changes in a stable and considered way. “As an alternative we have put forward a proposed five-year work programme to build an enduring farm-level emission reduction framework and work with farmers and the wider rural sector to provide real options to reduce their footprint. “While appropriate pricing mechanisms for incentivising emissions reductions at farm level can […]

Agricom wins Primary Industries NZ Innovation and Collaboration Award

A plantain that’s helping to solve one of New Zealand agriculture’s greatest challenges, nitrogen leaching and its effect on waterways, is winning awards for its developers. Agricom, a New Zealand based seed company, won the Primary Industries New Zealand, Innovation and Collaboration Award this week for its development of Ecotain®. Ecotain environmental plantain is a forage herb that can reduce nitrogen leaching on livestock farms by up to 89 per cent. It was also second in the Primary Industries Science and Research Award. Agricom, New Zealand Sales and Marketing Manager, Mark Brown, said it was extremely satisfying to have the fantastic collaboration around the development of Ecotain recognised. Plantain started life as a common roadside weed, but Agricom discovered specific lines of plantain which reduced nitrogen leaching from the urine patch of cattle. The company spent a decade on research and development and in 2015, with funding from Callaghan Innovation, established the Greener Pastures Project. The project brought together expertise from Agricom, Massey and Lincoln Universities and NZ Plant & Food Research to prove the results scientifically. “We would really like to acknowledge Plant & Food Research and Massey and Lincoln Universities. To find out how effective this product really is for mitigating nitrogen leaching is quite amazing,” Mr Brown said. “New Zealand has more than 6.5 million dairy cows, so managing nitrogen leaching, and the flow-on effect on waterways, is one of New Zealand’s major agricultural challenges,” he said. “Farmers need easy to implement environmental solutions to reduce nitrogen leaching on farms while maintaining productivity. Ecotain allows them to simply make a change to the composition of their pastures,” says Mr Brown As requirements are introduced for farmers to prepare farm environmental plans Mr Brown said Agricom’s next step was getting Ecotain recognised by Overseer, a farm nutrient measuring […]

Cooling tower optimisation

Food and beverage production requires a large range of temperatures. This means that plants must have effective cooling systems to deal with the excess heat. Removing the excess heat from the system requires a cooling tower, however, traditional designs require frequent maintenance. Food and beverage manufacturers understand that the industry is becoming a constant production environment, especially with the expansion of technologies like cold supply chains. Businesses, therefore, require equipment that can work constantly. However, when producing for long periods of time machines tend to overheat, meaning that to become a constantly working operation cooling systems must also work twenty-four hours a day. Heating, cooling and pasteurising are all common steps in food and beverage. Each one of these steps either directly or indirectly produces large quantities of heat. Managing this heat is a priority, because otherwise equipment may be damaged through overheating. As such, it is important to have a cooling system that is reliable, requires minimal maintenance and can extract heat at a sufficient rate. How to optimise cooling Traditional fans generally use 1500 rpm induction motors that connect to a driveshaft that connects to a gearbox, the gearbox then connects to the fan. This makes the system prone to breakdowns as there are many moving parts, also gearbox maintenance is time consuming and, due to the environment, oil leaks are common. To combat this, modern cooling fans need motors that can be mounted directly onto the fan, while being able to resist the conditions within the cooling tower. Many of these traditional motors can be replaced with more efficient permanent magnetic motors that can be directly installed onto the fan. This reduces the amount of parts in the system, limiting the risk of breakdowns. They are also compact compared to traditional cooling tower motors, reducing the space […]

Food waste initiative delivers potential for environmental advances

JJ Richards and Sons NSW/ACT Operations Manager Benjamin Martis, right, discusses the plant’s waste management 28-ton receiving tanks and processing tanks with CST Wastewater Solutions Engineer Peter Bambridge pICTURE:p Waste management leader JJ Richards & Sons is proving an environmental initiative in Sydney that eliminates landfill dumping of commercial and retail food waste by transforming it into valuable green energy and fertiliser. The company’s custom-engineered waste reception centre at Seven Hills – which its designers say has demonstrated potential to become a model for national use – processes pulped waste from its partner Pulpmaster’s collection tankers into an easily handled and valuable resource for use in agriculture, horticulture and fossil fuel replacement. The plant – which already handles bulk waste from major customers including supermarkets, food shops, hospitals, schools and catering facilities – uses CST Wastewater Solutions’ KDS multi-disc fine screening and compaction technology as part of its automated process that turns the pulped waste collected into a cake form that is more than 50 per cent lighter and dryer than the pulp and which can be transported to users for half the cost of heavier and less hygienic output. Waste producers using the system get monthly reports on how much they are saving on disposal costs, while simultaneously reducing their environmental impact. The material is used by farms and other agricultural enterprises as high potency fertiliser and for the production of biogas to reduce their environment footprints whilst simultaneously boosting their output with natural fertilisers and fossil fuel replacement green energy. The system not only disposes of an environmental headache and cost for responsible businesses – including high landfill costs and the high cost of transporting waste to somewhere remote, secure and non-harmful – but turns the problem into an environmental asset – and a cost saver. Businesses love getting […]

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