Business

Advisory boards can offer guidance for farmers during a period of uncertainty

As the agricultural sector grapples with high levels of dairy debt and increased volatility, Crowe Horwath’s Head of Agribusiness, Neil McAra, says farmers need to look at getting sound governance support. McAra is a strong advocate for advisory boards which can assist farmers with the ability to make better decisions and can help improve business governance. The value, scale and complexity of New Zealand farming operations have increased significantly over the last two decades. McAra reports that this, coupled with an increase in borrowing particularly in the dairy sector, has in many cases left mum dad farming units managing multimillion dollar businesses carrying high levels of debt. Unlike a board of directors, advisory boards are non-binding and have no legal definition. This allows value to be added to the company through forming an appropriate mix of people who can be open and have free-flowing discussions. The structure can be flexible and adaptable to the surrounding environment. “Advisory boards are sounding platforms that can help mollify the pressure business owners are faced with”, McAra comments. “As farming operations expand from small family operations, into a larger scale we need to ensure their governance develops with them.” Ensuring good governance of farms is becoming more important especially since it was reported earlier this year that dairy farm debt in New Zealand is sitting at $38 billion. “The volatility of the market has business owners in the rural sector looking for help. Good advisory boards can give fresh insights and high-quality objective advice to issues and problems that arise,” McAra said. Introducing an advisory board at the very least ensures the farmer or business owner spends time on their business rather than in their business. “With mounting pressure and heavy workloads sometimes it’s hard for farmers to get their head out of the […]

Over $3.5 million a year to grow primary industries talent

Young Kiwis with an interest in the primary industries can apply for over $3.5 million in study assistance each year, says Andy Somerville of GrowingNZ. GrowingNZ is representing the primary industries at the upcoming national Career Expo series. GrowingNZ’s new online directory presents more than 150 types of scholarship offered by a wide range of organisations. These are targeted at secondary-level students to help them in their next step, or to students on tertiary courses. “This adds up to nearly 1000 individual scholarships being handed out each year. “The common factor is that all these scholarships are for young people with an interest in helping take quality food and fibre to the world, or working with water, land, plants or animals – which is what the primary industries are about. “We have many challenges and opportunities – such as reducing our environmental footprint. We are looking to young people to help shape the future of these important industries, which earn about 70% of New Zealand’s export income each year. “The roles range from water scientists and robotics engineers to food safety specialists and the farmers of the future who will work with sophisticated technologies. “And the scholarships focus on different personal strengths or subject areas, so every young person should have a look to see what could be there for them. “For students and their families wanting to know more about the primary industries, we will be at the Career Expos coming up in Christchurch, Auckland, Hamilton and Wellington in May and June.” The scholarships directory is on the GrowingNZ website www.growingnz.org.nz GrowingNZ is an initiative of the Primary Industry Capability Alliance, a membership organisation. The members are: DairyNZ, Beef+Lamb NZ, Ministry for Primary Industries, NZ Young Farmers, Primary ITO, Lincoln University, Taratahi Agricultural Training Centre, Ara Institute of Canterbury, Foundation for Arable […]

New Zealand Food Awards opening for 2016

Entries open for the 2016 New Zealand Food Awards today, calling for all local food and beverage producers to showcase the success and innovation of their products and businesses. The New Zealand Food Awards, in association with Massey University, provides the food and beverage industry with the opportunity to boost their profile and achieve recognition for their brands and businesses, and this year has seen some changes to the award categories to provide more opportunities for businesses to enter. Entrants have the opportunity to put forward their products to an expert judging panel, receive feedback, and benchmark themselves against industry peers which provides valuable insights for future development and approaches. Winning products are able to feature the New Zealand Food Awards “Quality Mark” to highlight the superiority of their products to both consumers and industry, and boost sales and distribution both here and abroad. The awards are aimed at both small and large food and beverage manufacturers, primary food producers, food service providers and ingredient supply companies. Massey University Vice-Chancellor Steve Maharey says the New Zealand Food Awards are an opportunity for passionate food and beverage producers to test their wares, come together and celebrate industry innovation and excellence. “The awards celebrate the best in New Zealand for food and beverage production manufacturing, nutrition, enterprise and food safety. It is an opportunity for companies to generate recognition for their brands in an industry that makes up New Zealand’s largest export earner,” Mr Maharey says. Last year, Waikato’s Magills Butchery Ltd proved the ultimate champion, taking out the 2015 New Zealand Food Awards Massey University Supreme Award with its Magills Slow-Cooked Pulled Hereford Beef. This was a great feat, as the competition was particularly tough last year with entries up 40 per cent compared to the previous year, with almost 150 […]

Contractors must do their bit

Agricultural contractors around the country must play their part in helping to prevent the spread of the invasive weed velvetleaf, says Rural Contractors NZ (RCNZ) president Steve Levet. Mr Levet is reminding contractors about the importance of biosecurity and machinery hygiene practices on, and between farms, in controlling the spread velvetleaf and says rural contractors have an important role to play in this. “Contractors need to be conscious of the potential of spreading velvetleaf when moving between properties, or between areas of the same property, and to take responsibility in managing these risks,” he says. Velvetleaf plant seeds can be spread by the movement of vehicles, machinery, feed or stock. It can also spread to new areas of the same property, between neighbouring properties, or even between regions. Mr Levet says by implementing some simple biosecurity practices rural contractors can help protect the spread of unwanted pest plants such as velvetleaf. “Farmers and other professional operators in the rural sector like contractors need to pull together to help protect our agricultural sector from the spread of velvetleaf and other pests. I just want to remind rural contractors to stay vigilant and keep up sound biosecurity practices.” Mr Levet says RCNZ has worked with national pest agencies to produce guidelines for machinery hygiene to prevent the spread of pests and weeds, which includes a hygiene logbook: http://ecan.govt.nz/publications/General/keepitclean.pdf Tips for contractors – Before entering a property, check with the landowner for any known pest infestations. Treat any infested areas with extra caution and plan for a thorough decontamination before leaving the infested area. – Machinery hygiene should be practised whenever a machine is moved between properties. – For farms with velvetleaf, ideally machinery wash-down should occur on the property before movement off the farm, containing any seed at source and avoiding soil […]

EU meat producers launch Farm-to-Fork initiative for NZ consumers

A new initiative from European Beef and Pork has been launched to help give New Zealand consumers transparency over the food safety and ethical standards of the imported products. In an age of growing consumer awareness about the way our food is produced, a production concept that assures animal welfare and safe preparation is being championed by the EU meat industry. The European Union’s new farm-to-fork programme was created to assure the public that beef and pork has met high safety requirements and environmental and ethical manufacturing standards. The main philosophy behind the concept is that consumers need to be able to easily trace where the meat on their plate came from. Ensuring animals have healthy lives, which significantly improves the quality of their meat, is another primary concern. In a bid to reduce animal stress, the concept regulates transport as well as density, temperature and humidity, noise level and air circulation where animals are kept. Imports of European pork into New Zealand resumed last year after an 11-year ban. Reassuringly for New Zealand families, the use of hormones, growth stimulants and antibiotics is banned in EU beef and pork. The farm-to-fork concept also protects consumer health, requiring the farming of pigs and cattle in the territory of the EU to be supervised by veterinary institutions. The health of animals is monitored, and the meat of animals is also subject to veterinary checks. Further ensuring the safety of EU beef and pork, sanitary packaging processes are strictly regulated. Polystyrene trays with stretch foil, modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) and vacuum packaging effectively prevent meat from drying. These measures also prevent bacterial growth, guaranteeing the freshness and proper colour of the meat. In its most innovative measure, the concept requires all EU beef and pork products to be labelled with the name […]

Pukekohe grower named NZ’s best young vegetable grower

Andrew Hutchinson from Pukekohe has beaten off tough competition from three other entrants to be crowned NZ Young Vegetable Grower of 2016. The day-long competition in Christchurch yesterday saw competitors battle it out in a series of practical and theoretical challenges designed to test the skills needed to run a successful vegetable growing business. Andrew (28), works at AS Wilcox & Sons as a technical advisor for the company’s potato supply team. As well as taking out the title of Young Vegetable Grower, Andrew received the awards for “Best Business” and “Best Practical” after scoring top marks for these activities. Andrew’s prize includes a professional development tour to Australia to learn about its horticulture industry valued at $2,500, a cash prize of $1,500 and an all-expenses paid trip to compete for the national 2016 Young Grower of the Year title in July. “Winning the competition was really unexpected and this year’s competition had some of the best young growers I’ve met,” said Mr Hutchinson. “I’m looking forward to competing at the national final and will be stepping up my preparation over the next few months.” Second place went to the youngest competitor in the history of the competition, Lincoln Roper (16) from Roper & Son in Canterbury. Pukekohe grower Amrik Singh (19) from Purewal Growers came third and won the prize for the evening’s best speech. Kirsty de Jong, Horticulture New Zealand’s manager of the Young Grower competition, said: “We thoroughly enjoy putting this competition together and seeing talented, highly skilled young growers like Andrew and Lincoln doing so well. “Our industry is increasingly attracting young University-qualified scientists like Andrew, who completed a Bachelor of Applied Science majoring in Horticulture before entering the industry. We need these people to help horticulture businesses increase yield and protect crops from disease.”

Future Direction for Sustainable Sourcing?

http://www.sustainablefoodssummit.com Sustainable sourcing has become fashionable in the food industry, with a growing number of companies making such commitments. However, the increasing number of sustainability schemes raises questions about long-term developments. Coffee, the most traded agricultural commodity, has the highest market share. It is estimated that almost 20% of all coffee is now sourced according to some sustainability scheme. Apart from adopting third party labelling schemes, companies like Nestlé and Starbucks have developed their own sourcing programmes. Almost all of Starbucks coffee is now ethically sourced, most according to its CAFÉ (Coffee and Farm Equity) scheme, totalling over 0.2 million tonnes of coffee beans per year. The market share of sustainable cocoa and tea is also rising. The Fairtrade mark is highly visible on confectionary products containing fairtrade cocoa, whilst the ‘green frog’ displays Rainforest Alliance-certified tea. New initiatives, such as the Union for Ethical BioTrade (UEBT) standard for sustainable herbal teas, are also becoming popular. As will be shown at the Sustainable Foods Summit www.sustainablefoodssummit.com, other sustainable sourcing programmes are gaining traction because of traceability. The Non-GMO Project Verified scheme is the fastest growing in North America because of consumer opposition to genetically modified crops. The market for certified products has grown from nothing to US $16 billion within 7 years. In Europe, sustainability schemes such as Danube Soya and ProTerra are being adopted by companies wanting to verify their supply chains as GMO-free. A recent development is the increasing number of sustainability schemes for single ingredients. The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) was initially launched to halt deforestation in South-East Asia. By highlighting the opaqueness of global supply chains, the RSPO has encouraged related schemes for sustainable soya and beef. Backed by the United Nations, the Sustainable Rice Platform was launched in October 2015 as the first […]

FWF after lucrative Japanese market

In the picture: David Musgrave managing director. From Regional Manufacturing a section of NZ Manufacturer www.nzmanufacturer.co.nz Eve Johnson sits on the board of Functional Wholesale Products and has come back into the company as Development Manager. Eve has worked with FWF for 11 years now and was formally CEO. She shares with NZ Manufacturer plans for the future. Functional Whole Foods Limited, based in Geraldine, South Canterbury, New Zealand specialises in the production of high quality, cold pressed flax seed oil and seed meal. The Company formulates these products with other natural extracts to produce and market a range of products with particular health benefits. The products are sold widely throughout New Zealand and a number of countries overseas. All products are made from New Zealand raw materials that are certified organic and are from sustainable production. The Company has established and built the flax seed oil market over the past 20 years and remains the market leader in New Zealand. Functional Wholesale Products is in partnership with The Herb Farm developing and producing a range of healing cosmetics that are building momentum. What area(s) of the business are currently being developed? Our partnership with Japan – we are exploring new avenues and revenue streams in this lucrative market for Flax Seed Oil. New routes to market in New Zealand with opportunities to expand the concept overseas. Does the company place much emphasis on R & D? Yes we do and have worked extensively in the past with Massey University and Crop and Food, Canterbury. More recently with Lincoln University through Charles Brennon. We have found the use of students an excellent R&D find! Where do you export to and where are future opportunities? Japan, Australia, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and the Czech Republic. Future opportunities in the UK and Europe, […]

Foreign investment essential for New Zealand

Foreign investment is needed to grow New Zealand exports and jobs, according to a new report. Foreign Direct Investment in New Zealand, commissioned by ExportNZ and authored by economic consultancy NZIER, says foreign investment is essential to help New Zealand businesses maintain and improve their international competitiveness. The report says more, not less, foreign investment is needed for economic growth, regional development and job opportunities. ExportNZ Executive Director Catherine Beard said more foreign direct investment (FDI) was required to support distribution channels into new markets to enable New Zealand businesses to remain connected to international supply chains. Catherine Beard said foreign investment was also important for job growth. “Today one in five New Zealanders works in a firm that is part-funded by FDI. New Zealand firms part-funded by foreign investment tend to grow faster and pay higher wages than firms with no foreign investment.” NZIER Deputy Chief Executive John Ballingall said foreign investment helped unlock business opportunities and encouraged productivity improvements. “Maintaining an open foreign investment regime is crucial for New Zealand in a global marketplace that competes aggressively for funds. “By being connected and integrated with other economies through FDI flows and sending positive signals that New Zealand is open for business under a sensible investment regime, we can reduce the risk premium associated with investing in New Zealand.” The report shows that most foreign investment in New Zealand comes from long-term trading partners. Currently 52 percent comes from Australia, 8 percent from the US, 5 percent from the UK, and 0.7 percent from China. The report includes case studies of two New Zealand businesses that have been able to grow profits and jobs through business development funded by foreign investment. Foreign Direct Investment in New Zealand can be downloaded from www.exportnz.org.nz and www.nzier.org.nz

MPI imposes tough restrictions on imported seed

The Ministry for Primary Industries has imposed tough new border restrictions to stop contaminated seed from entering New Zealand. The move follows the discovery of velvet leaf in fodder beet seeds imported from Europe. MPI, industry bodies and regional councils are currently responding to an outbreak of the invasive weed in farm properties across the country. “We already have strong border controls in place to stop contaminated seed from entering New Zealand. The new interim measures will provide another layer of biosecurity until we know exactly how the contaminated fodder beet seeds entered the country,” says Stephen Butcher, MPI Manager Import and Export Plants. The new, strengthened interim measures are: An import ban on all fodder beet seed lines known to be contaminated with velvetleaf. The requirement for sign-off by one of MPI’s two chief technical officers before all other fodder beet seed can be released at the border. Subjecting all pelleted seed imports (not just fodder beet) to laboratory testing for contaminants, rather than solely using visual inspection by quarantine officers. “The measures will result in the increased scrutiny of seed imports. And they will ensure this scrutiny takes place at the highest level of MPI, based on specialist advice,” says Mr Butcher. MPI will also visit fodder beet-growing regions in Europe during the coming growing season to inform future decisions about New Zealand import requirements. “We want to review the certification systems that countries use to assure New Zealand that imported seed is free of contaminants,” says Mr Butcher. He says that permanent changes to New Zealand’s seed importing requirements will be introduced following further investigation of the velvetleaf outbreak and consultation with industry.

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