Business

Fixing farmers water woes will support reduction of agricultural emissions

Jase Keen, Senior Sales Engineer – Water Utility & Country Director, New Zealand, Grundfos Grundfos is supporting the agricultural industry with reducing its carbon footprint by providing farmers with tools and technology to reduce unnecessary water use along with encouraging energy efficiency through solar pump solutions. Why are agricultural emissions such a problem? Agricultural emissions are an ongoing problem because they directly impact the environment and global warming. As global temperatures rise, New Zealand will continue to be divided by weather extremes – rain battering the west and south, and high temperatures bringing drought and fires to the north. The country’s water supply and quality are also at risk of deterioration due to the growth of polluting activities. Currently, 50 per cent of New Zealand’s gross emissions are made up of agricultural emissions, and although methane emissions from livestock make up the largest portion, this is not the only source. There are other energy intensive practices on farms that are contributing to the mix. For example, the amount of water used, and the energy needed to run irrigation pumps are among some of the most significant expenditures in agriculture. Agricultural irrigation is an intensive operation – lifting and moving water around farms with pumping systems consumes plenty of energy, and many existing water pumps rely on fossil fuel to power their systems. Worn or improperly sized pumps and fittings can also cause irrigation systems to use up more energy than necessary, for example, it is estimated that 26% of stock drinking water is lost as leakage.[1] There is a growing need for intelligent technologies that reduce water usage and energy consumption, manage the water source, and make irrigation more efficient across the board. What is the bigger picture? Supporting the reduction of emissions over the long term requires the […]

SFF Futures Sustainability Snippets

The Ministry for Primary Industries’ Sustainable Food and Fibre Futures (SFF Futures) fund supports problem-solving and innovation in New Zealand’s food and fibre sector by co-investing in initiatives that make a positive and lasting difference. Here are examples of three recent projects. Hot-house approach to greenhouse gases A new project has kicked off with the help of MPI to see if we can make commercial horticulture glasshouses carbon-neutral. Near Taupo, Hot Lime Labs is converting crop and wood waste from glasshouses into char – a solid, high- carbon material that acts as a chemical ‘sponge’ to clean up substances such as nitrates. The char is buried in the soil to create biochar, which has the potential to lock up carbon in the ground for hundreds of years.  Hot Lime Labs is receiving $707,360 over two years from MPI’s SFF Futures fund towards the $1.76 million project. The project will also use existing technology developed by Hot Lime Labs, which turns waste biomass into clean CO2. CO2 gas produced from fossil fuels is already used to boost crop yields by up to 30 percent but creating it from waste could be a game-changer for New Zealand’s mission to tackle greenhouse gases. Contact: Tijs Robinson, Chief Growth Officer,  t.robinson@hotlimelabs.co.nz, phone 021 411 466 World-first electric sprayer made in NZ Forest Lodge Orchard (FLO) could well be the world’s first fully electric, zero fossil fuel farm. Now the orchard is developing yet another world first – an electric foliage sprayer. The Otago-based cherry orchard is receiving $37,198 from MPI’s SFF Futures fund to help fast-track development and testing of the sprayer. With the help of TRS Wholesale Ltd in Blenheim, they’ve developed a prototype, which FLO is putting through its paces on New Zealand’s only electric tractor. FLO has ordered a larger electric […]

Government action needed on farmer feedback

New Zealand: DairyNZ recommends the Government makes significant changes to its emissions pricing proposal – taking on board the feedback of farmers and their representatives. In its submission, now available online, DairyNZ stands by the He Waka Eke Noa recommendations developed by the primary sector, in partnership with Government officials. The industry-good organisation does not accept the Government’s pricing proposal, Te tatai utu o nga tukunga ahuwhenua, which DairyNZ chair Jim van der Poel says undermines the balance and equity He Waka Eke Noa aims to achieve. “It is unacceptable for farmers, who have made their thoughts very clear on this issue. The Government needs to take this feedback on board,” says Mr van der Poel. “DairyNZ recommends the Government adopts the He Waka Eke Noa recommendations, which represent more than two years of collaboration, including extensive negotiation with Government partners. The Government must ensure any agricultural pricing is fair and equitable for farmers. “The sector could not support any other solution.” Over the past six weeks of Government consultation, DairyNZ held 14 in-person events and 10 webinars, engaging with over 1000 dairy farmers. “Farmers expressed deep concern about the impacts of the Government’s proposal on the sector and New Zealand’s economy. Areas of concern were significant and wide-ranging, including price-setting, collectives, sequestration, reward and recognition for on-farm planting, and governance,” says Mr van der Poel. “The Government’s response to He Waka Eke Noa has missed the mark on many of these criteria. It places a financial burden on the farming community and removes the ability for agriculture to have a say in its own sustainable future.” Of the farmers DairyNZ engaged with, 99 percent think more on-farm planting should be recognised. Ninety-five percent see governance representation as important or extremely important, while 94 percent believe additional criteria should […]

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Trans-Tasman non-alcoholic beverage producers experience surge in downtime

Research from OFS shows a 12.5% reduction in non-alcoholic drinks production in Australia from April to June The impact of unplanned downtime has surged and accounted for 37% of production time The average producer made 5,550 units of drinks per hour, compared to a potential 10,413 Waste efficiency continued to improve, with just 1.32% of units lost between the start and end of production Manufacturing performance software company, OFS, today announced findings from its quarterly Non-Alcoholic Beverage Benchmark Report, which provides insights into how data can be used to improve production efficiency in the non-alcoholic beverages industry. The report analysed the production of millions of litres of kombucha, coconut water, dairy drinks and soft drinks by Australian, New Zealand, and U.S. producers between April and June this year to determine a view of ‘what good looks like’. It includes key performance benchmark data and explains why knowing overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) can make a significant impact on a producer’s bottom line. The data shows that non-alcoholic beverage production decreased by 12.5 per cent between April and June compared with the previous three months, as producers were thwarted by unplanned downtime. All up, filling lines spent 37 per cent of operational time in unplanned downtime, a rise of more than a third from the previous quarter, leaving producers with just over half of the possible yield achievable. “This might seem like grim reading, but demand for non-alcoholic beverages overall has shot up quite dramatically so it’s not too surprising to see teething issues in production,” said James Magee, CEO of OFS. “Really, this is an opportunity to double down on that demand and meet it in a smart, sustainable way. With this kind of data in hand, non-alcoholic producers can not only capitalise on the market opportunities, but potentially avoid totally […]

Fonterra appoints new managing director

Fonterra has appointed Emma Parsons as its Managing Director Strategy and Optimisation, effective from 1 August 2022. The newly developed role will have ownership and oversee the implementation of Fonterra’s strategy and plans to achieve Fonterra’s Long Term Aspirations. It will also bring a new level of focus on demand choices, and portfolio and asset management using analytics to inform decision making. Fonterra CEO Miles Hurrell says “Emma has a strong track record of delivering results. We’ve seen this most recently in her role as GM Capital Strategy where she led the development of the new capital structure for the Co-operative, which received overwhelming support. “Emma is passionate about Fonterra and has had a long career with us, which began working at the local factory in her summer holidays and has spanned many different parts of the Co-operative.” Prior to her role as GM Capital Strategy, Emma was CEO of Agrigate, a JV between Fonterra and Livestock Improvement Corporation (LIC), before the GM Responsible Dairying and roles in Brazil and Argentina where she developed the Co-operative’s export relationships and supply chain integration across Latin America. Emma has an MBA with first class honours from Massey University, a Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Commerce from Victoria University of Wellington.

Ellen Ballentine of Rainbow Park Nurseries in Drury, Auckland NZF

New Zealand’s young plant producers compete for national title

Five of the country’s most successful young plant producers are taking part in the 2022 Young Achiever competition in Christchurch from this Wednesday, vying to be named Aotearoa’s best. The competition, organised by NZ Plant Producers (NZPPI), hosted by IPPS (International Plant Propogators’ Society) and supported by the Horticentre Charitable Trust, tests competitors on the skills needed to run a successful plant production business including finance, biosecurity and health & safety. It is the chance for young plant producers from nurseries around the country to receive an invaluable boost of experience, industry insight and mentorship, plus the chance to win a $4000 fund to advance their career. The winner also gains automatic entry to the Young Horticulturalist of the Year award where they will compete against finalists from the entire horticulture sector, vying for a prize pool worth more than $20,000. Since 2016, Young Achiever winners have placed first or second in the Young Hort competition. “The Young Achiever competition showcases our industry’s most talented young plant producers. We’re proud to support the development of our industry’s future leaders and see them putting their knowledge and skills to the test,” says NZPPI People Capability Advisor Alice Schofield. “Every year the standard increases and we’re looking forward to seeing who among our five competitors takes home the winning trophy.” The Young Achiever Challenge Day is being held at Lincoln University this Wednesday (July 27th) followed by a Business Breakfast in the CBD on Thursday where the finalists will present their speeches before judges decide on then announce the winner. This is the first year Young Achiever is being held at Lincoln University. “We very much appreciate the opportunity to host at Lincoln, as it’s the perfect venue in which to encourage young people to further their career through professional development.” The […]

NZ Food Network receives Government funding to reduce business food waste

Aotearoa’s food rescue coordinator, the New Zealand Food Network (NZFN) has been awarded $440,000 in Government funding to install more chillers and freezers in its storage facilities, increasing the capacity to handle surplus and donated food. The extra storage space will allow NZFN to divert an additional 1,100 tonnes of edible food from landfill and into communities in need. The expansion is supported by The Waste Minimisation Fund, which is administered by the Ministry for the Environment. Additional support is from pre-approved Ministry of Social Development funding. Gavin Findlay, NZFN CEO, says “Vast amounts of edible chilled and frozen food products are sent to landfill every year by food organisations and producers across the country. There are lots of reasons for this, but the primary reason is that there’s no single entity that can handle these large quantities. “Many businesses are willing to donate this surplus food to communities in need but it’s simply too complex and time consuming to find homes for these products, so it’s sent to landfill.” “The New Zealand Food Network was set up to provide the food production and manufacturing industry with a solution for surplus edible food. This support from the Ministry for the Environment will provide real progress to reducing New Zealand’s commercial food waste and our overall carbon footprint. At the same time, it will improve food security by rediverting this surplus food into our vulnerable communities.” The NZFN currently supports 61 food hubs (food rescue organisations, iwi, foodbanks and charities). Through this expansion, the NZFN aims to support an additional 10-15 food hubs throughout the country. “Increasing our storage capacity will allow us to target a broader range of food items, especially within the protein sector, which is highly valued by our food hubs,” adds Findlay. Since its launch in July […]

HMPS Produces an Industry-First

The intricate merging of two processes spells significant savings and prospects for the packaging industry at-large. Proudly Australian machine builders HMPS Group (HMPS) began in 1980 and have since evolved into specialists in the Design and Manufacture of Automated Processing and Packaging Solutions. Over the years, the company has solved complex packaging challenges and their most recent success story was no exception. In a recent industry-first, HMPS designed and developed a case packer and sleever in one footprint for Real Dairy. Real Dairy is a 100% Australian owned and operated company, employing more than 250 people across Queensland, New South Wales, and Victoria. The company produces their own speciality cheese products and supplies these to retailers across the country. How it Works Adam Read, Sales Manager at HMPS Group explains that this first-of-a-kind machine offers a small footprint, enhanced efficiencies, and long-term cost savings. “This system – the HMPS5000 – can handle pre-glued sleeves in 2, 3 and 4 cell trays at up to 180 tray/minute for the 2 cell trays. With minimal change over it can also operate as an end load cartoner erecting, loading and hotmelt sealing primary cartons.” HMPS supplied two complete units for this project, allowing Real Dairy to handle up to 360 trays/minute. “Our team developed and commissioned this machine within a 32-week period. Combining two machines into one is extremely complex but rewarding – particularly for the end-user”. Speaking to the process, he explains that products are transferred onto HMPS’s specially designed merge system from preceding processes, where two lines of product are merged into one line for loading into the HMPS 5000 sleever/ cartoner. “Generally, these tasks would be handled by two different style machines, and in this case, we had to figure out how to fit four machines into two machines.” Upon […]

Fonterra, NZX and EEX confirm GDT strategic partnership

Fonterra has confirmed the finalisation of the strategic partnership with New Zealand’s Exchange (NZX) and the European Energy Exchange (EEX) to each take ownership stakes in Global Dairy Trade (GDT) alongside the Co-op. As announced in February 2022, the partnership was subject to the approval of Boards, clearance from relevant competition law authorities, and finalisation of transaction documentation. With those approvals now received, Fonterra, NZX and EEX each hold an equal one-third (33.33%) shareholding in the global dairy auction platform GDT as of 30 June 2022. CFO Marc Rivers says the confirmation of the strategic partnership is an important milestone for Fonterra and global dairy participants. “The move to a broader ownership structure marks the next step in the evolution of GDT – giving it a presence in prominent international dairy producing regions, with greater participation expected at GDT events. “It will bring more participants and transactions, stimulating further growth of risk management contracts available on financial trading platforms. “This creates opportunities for the growth of financial tools to better manage price volatility – which is something many industry participants, from farmers through to customers, are exposed to,” says Mr Rivers. GDT Chief Executive Dr Eric Hansen said: “The GDT team is looking forward to working with EEX and NZX as strategic partners with strong interests in dairy and established reputations as regulated exchanges to enhance GDT’s role as an independent, neutral and transparent price discovery platform.” NZX Chief Executive Mark Peterson says the strategic partnership will strengthen GDT’s market reach benefiting New Zealand dairy farmers and customers. “At a time of geopolitical and macroeconomic instability, GDT’s vision to expand its global reach and provide better transparency in dairy commodity prices, is more important than ever for dairy market stakeholders,” says Mr […]

NZ’s apiculture industry honours outstanding achievements

New Zealand’s best honey producers have been named at the Apiculture New Zealand National Honey Competition as part of the industry’s annual conference in Christchurch. The conference hosted more than 750 delegates from the apiculture industry at the Te Pae Convention Centre, Christchurch on 30 June and 1 July. The National Honey Competition, held the day before the conference, featured products across a range of honey categories from creamed honey to chunky honey and cut honeycomb. The 2022 Supreme Award winner was Timaru-based Jarved Allan of The Mānuka Collective, who took away the award for the second year in a row. “There was consistently high quality across the board,” said head judge Maureen Conquer. She said the judges were impressed with the quality of honey, that is improving every year, and it was very difficult to choose the winners. The honeydew honeys, in particular, were of much higher quality this year, said Maureen Conquer. All entries were blind tasted, and an international scale of points was used to determine the winners across 12 main categories. For the first time the honey tasting was opened up to conference attendees and a People’s Choice award given. This section boasted an interesting range of flavours including thyme, pumpkin and lavender-infused honeys. Hawkes Bay beekeeper Robyn Gichard’s liquid honey proved to be the favourite in this category. The Apiculture New Zealand Conference also was an opportunity to celebrate other successes within the industry with awards presented to those making outstanding achievements in apiculture science, innovation, sustainability and photography. Dr Linda Newstrom-Lloyd (and the Trees for Bees team) was awarded the Peter Molan trophy for exceptional contribution to apiculture science for their work on strategic plantations of bee feed that will maximise bee health and survival. Canterbury-based family-owned business Heathstock Apiaries received the ApiNZ Sustainability […]

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