Business

Fonterra has today announced a significant increase in total payout for its farmer shareholders and a solid overall operating and financial performance, as part of its 2017 Annual Results. The Co-operative has confirmed a final Cash Payout of $6.52 for the 2016/2017 season for a 100% share-backed farmer. This is made up of a Farmgate Milk Price of $6.12 per kgMS and a dividend of 40 cents per share.  Revenue increased by 12% to $19.2 billion, with rising prices offsetting a 3% decline in volumes at 22.9 billion LME. Normalised EBIT of $1.2 billion was down 15% as a result of reduced margins across the business which also influenced net profit after tax, down 11% at $745 million. Chairman John Wilson said the Co-operative’s ability to maintain its forecast dividend despite the Milk Price increasing by 57% over the year and the impact of negative stream returns was an excellent result. “We will always need to manage variability across our Co-operative – both in global markets and in our local farming conditions. We’ve demonstrated our ability to deal with those conditions and deliver on our strategy again this year,” said Mr Wilson. “Over recent seasons, our farmers have made significant personal sacrifices to reduce costs through a sustained low milk price period. “As part of our continued business transformation, the Co-operative has also made a fundamental shift in the way it operates, continuing the strong focus on increased efficiency and developing new revenue streams. “Despite lower milk volumes due to poor weather in parts of the season, the business delivered a good result by prioritising higher value Advanced Ingredients and growing our sales of these in-demand and specialised products by 473 million LME this year.” Our Consumer and Foodservice business continues its strong performance. This year we sold more than […]

Hawkes Bay’s young fruit grower champion is set to battle it out in Christchurch next week for the national title of Young Grower of the Year 2017. Jordon James, 25, an orchard worker at Mr Apple in Whakatu, triumphed over seven other young fruit growers to take home the Hawkes Bay Young Grower of the Year title in July. On August 16 and 17, at the Sudima Airport Hotel in Christchurch, Jordon will test his horticultural skills and knowledge against the other finalists to compete for both the national title of Young Fruit Grower of the Year and the Young Grower of the Year 2017. The competition is run by industry representative Horticulture New Zealand and sponsored by the Horticentre Trust and is now in its 11th year. In the national competition, one vegetable grower is pitted against four fruit growers to vie for the Young Grower of the Year title. One of the four fruitgrowers is also named Young Fruit Grower of the Year. During the competition, Jordon will compete in a series of practical and theoretical challenges designed to test the skills needed to run a successful export-focused horticultural business. All finalists also take part in a leadership panel discussion, before delivering a speech in front of the judges at a dinner event, where the winner is announced. Horticulture New Zealand Chief Executive, Mike Chapman, said the aim of the competition was to foster excellence amongst young growers and future-proof what is a $5.6 billion industry that exports 60% of total production to about 124 countries. “The competition is an opportunity to celebrate the achievements of our exceptional young growers while also supporting them in their futures. Jordon is a great example of the young people who are passionate about the industry’s future and their role in it. […]

FAR’s Phil Rolston is officially a World Class New Zealander! Dr Rolston was one of six people from very different industries who were honoured at the 2017 World Class New Zealand Awards in Auckland. Judging panel chair Phil Veal said the awards showcased the very best of this country’s talent, and focused on how individual’s contributed to New Zealand’s global reputation, building global connections for New Zealand, and promoting the exchange of information, knowledge and skills. Phil’s citation referenced his scientific influence on the farming sector worldwide, from New Zealand to China. Phil has invested 42 years with DSIR Grasslands/AgResearch in forages and forage seed research and is currently employed by the Foundation for Arable Research. In 1996 he received China’s highest award to foreigners, the Friendship Medal, 1996. In 2005 he received the NZ Institute of Agriculture, and the Horticulture Technology Transfer Award. Phil was acknowledged as Researcher of the Year by the Foundation for Arable Research in 2008. He also received the China International Science and Technology Cooperation Award, 2015. The other 2017 winners are: Parris Goebel –  Choreographer & Founder of ReQuest, The Royal Family and The Palace Dance Studio Ian Wright –  Engineer & Founder of Wright Speed Dr Privahini Bradoo – Scientist, CEO and Founder of BlueOak Robert Oliver –  Chef, Author, Restaurateur Sir Rob Fenwick KNZM KStJ The World Class New Zealand Awards are New Zealand’s most prestigious individual achievement awards, acknowledging the country’s top international talent. Established in 2003, the awards recognise world-leading Kiwis whose inspiring achievements are defining New Zealand’s image internationally. There are plenty of Awards celebrating success in New Zealand – the key point of difference for these Awards is the celebration of global success often from Kiwis who have achieved outstanding and, in many cases, world-changing success offshore.  

Schneider Electric, the global specialist in energy management and automation, has announced the success achieved with WaterForce, a leading provider of water management and irrigation solutions in New Zealand. Schneider Electric worked with WaterForce to develop a cloud-based Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) mobile control solution, built on Microsoft Azure and Azure IoT technologies, which enables farmers to operate irrigation pivots with greater agility, efficiency and sustainability. Agriculture accounts for nearly 70 percent of the world’s water consumption. As global food demand grows, water use is expected to rise – making efficient irrigation critical. With Schneider Electric’s EcoStruxureTM architecture, WaterForce developed a cloud-based IIoT solution so farmers can monitor and control irrigation pumps and pivots from their computer, tablet or smartphone. EcoStruxure is Schneider Electric’s IoT-enabled, open and interoperable system architecture and platform. It delivers Innovation At Every Level across connected products, edge control, and apps, analytics, and services, and enables scalable design and operation of connected systems for increased operational efficiency. “Every day I adjust my pivots and pumps for a variety of reasons – shifts in the wind, rain levels, crop requirements or local regulations,” said Craig Blackburn, Director Farm Manager of Blackhills Farm, “Now I can monitor and control my irrigation system easily from my mobile phone, saving me hours of time not spent driving around the farm. With information at my fingertips, my farm is more productive, water and energy costs are lower and crop yields higher.” Unique to this solution is its ability to work with a farm’s existing equipment, such as irrigation and pump controllers. This means no significant capital investment is required before seeing benefits. “Most farms are not built to handle large software installations,” said Ron McFetridge, Director of WaterForce. “Using a lightweight, cloud solution with mobile capabilities has been key to […]

This year’s top Holstein Friesian cow has been found in Te Awamutu. Okawa Tony Serenity EX2 took out the 2017 Valden Cow of the Year at the Holstein Friesian New Zealand (HFNZ) Awards evening, held in Cromwell recently. Serenity, owned by Tim and Jo Barclay of Okawa Ltd, and sired by Tahora Talent Tony-ET, beat out five other finalists to claim the title. “We’re very proud to win Valden Cow of the Year with Serenity,” says Tim. “It is common knowledge at home that she’s an exceptional cow, and for her achievements to be recognised on a national platform as the top performing Holstein Friesian cow in New Zealand is really something,” he says. The Valden Cow of the Year title is awarded to any cow that has completed at least four lactations and is deemed to have contributed, or have the potential to contribute, to the breed on a continual basis.  “We’re happy to have a cow such as Okawa Tony Serenity represent the Holstein Friesian breed,” says HFNZ General Manager Cherilyn Watson. “She crosses the pedigree and commercial line nicely, with great conformation, while earning her keep on-farm and being successful in the show ring.” Serenity’s classification score of EX2 shows she is very close to ideal conformation, and her lactation records speak for themselves. She’s also had embryo transfer (ET) work done. Coming from the well-known Tahora T family, Serenity is in her sixth lactation, with her best production to date completed as a four-year-old. In this she produced 10,650 litres, 361kg (3.45) protein and 363kg (3.4%) fat over 304 days. Her current PW sits at 244 and LW 244. Since her four-year-old lactation, Serenity has been consistently achieved over 700kg of milk solids, with her best year as an eight-year-old – 9,819 litres, 327kg (3.33%) protein […]

The future of agriculture rests on the next generation of leaders understanding interactions among species, Associate Professor Adrian Paterson, Head of Department Pest-management and Conservation at Lincoln University, says. The newly formed Department, set-up in part to align with the external Biosecurity 2025 and Predator-Free-NZ 2050 initiatives, is offering an undergraduate 300 level course in Agroecology next semester. Agroecology is where agriculture meets life science. It is about using ecological knowledge to add value and to future-proof agricultural production systems. Improving soil health, nutrient and pest management, diversification of grazing systems and integration of agroforestry are the main topics of study. The new course considers the contribution ecosystem services can provide towards a clean, green, productive and sustainable future. Associate Professor Paterson said the course allows Lincoln to showcase research areas and teaching skills that are central to the University’s Faculty of Agriculture and Life Science. Students from across the University, including Bachelor of Agricultural Science and the Bachelor of Science, will benefit from the course. Faculty of Agriculture and Life Science Dean, Professor Grant Edwards, said Agroecology fits in well with Lincoln University aspirations to “feed the world, protect the future and live well”. Course examiner, Professor Nick Dickinson, said Agroecology explores the ideas, the science and technology, and the field evidence. “Our aim is to contribute new and workable options towards environmental improvement and a more sustainable agriculture”. Course contributor Professor Steve Wratten said there is a lot of global interest in the topic, with the amount of research in the area increasing over the last few decades, with nearly 8000 publications per year since 2010.    

Young Farmer 2017 winner Nigel Woodhead says his time at Lincoln University opened doors for him which contributed to his success. Nigel claimed the title in the Manawatu after three days of competition. He was awarded a Bachelor of Agricultural Science degree in 2009 by Lincoln University. The 28-year-old Milton sheep and beef farmer said his study has had a huge influence on his career since. “I chose Lincoln because it has a great reputation and graduates I had spoken to told me of the huge amount of fun that was had while studying. “Banks and fertiliser companies, and other businesses were screaming out for agriculture graduates, so I knew I wouldn’t have any issues finding a good job at the end of my studies,” Nigel said. His degree opened the door for him to work for Midlands Seed in Ashburton, firstly as a research assistant and then as a field consultant. “It came about as one of my lecturers in a Plant Science class mentioned there was a good job going at Midlands working for one of his former pupils, so I applied and got the job. “It gave me a great background understanding of all things agriculture and has allowed me to be in a great position to learn and understand new ideas.” He singled out the field trips he did while studying at Lincoln as particularly rewarding. “It was great to get out of the classroom and talk to actual farmers about actual farms and what goes on.  There is so much to be learnt from the farmers that the trips were always a highlight and a great learning experience. “The quality of lecturers was great too. I was lucky to have been taught by the likes of Dr Warwick Scott and Roger McLenaghen – those sort […]