Business

Government comes to the party on R&D for agriculture emissions

DairyNZ says the Government’s R&D commitment of $339m to reduce agricultural greenhouse gas emissions will help Kiwi dairy farmers remain high-performing. The Government funding announced includes the establishment of the new Centre for Climate Action on Agricultural Emissions. “Additional funding and the new Centre will add to the significant investment already being made by the sector into R&D – so, collectively, it will accelerate the development of technology and tools to really drive further emissions reductions by the ag sector,” says DairyNZ chief executive Dr Tim Mackle (pictured). “Because Kiwi dairy farmers are already so efficient, there’s no silver bullet. We need new high-impact technologies and to accelerate their uptake to continue reducing our environmental footprint, while enabling farmers run successful businesses.” DairyNZ has worked consistently with the Government to ensure they understand the scale of the climate change challenge affecting farmers, and the opportunity to remain world-leading sustainable dairy producers. “DairyNZ has advocated strongly for Government to invest significantly more in supporting the sector to play its part to address climate change. So it’s great to see our work on behalf of farmers coming to fruition,” says Dr Mackle. Today’s announcement is a step in the right direction to accelerate the development of new technology needed on-farm as soon as possible, and support farmers to adopt these tools. “We’ll continue to advocate for how this R&D funding is invested, as new solutions develop. This will bring the best outcomes for farmers and New Zealand into the future,” said Dr Mackle. Kiwi dairy farmers already have the world’s lowest carbon footprint for on-farm milk production and want to retain that competitive advantage – to continue contributing for their families, the economy and local communities. “We already have a world-leading position with low carbon dairy and a world-first emissions reduction plan […]

Demand surges as KiwiHarvest celebrates a decade of doing good

New Zealand’s largest food rescue organisation, KiwiHarvest, is celebrating 10 years of operation this year, having distributed 7.5 million kgs of food to communities in need (the equivalent to 21.6 million meals) and diverted 20 million kgs C02-equivalent from landfill, since its inception. Across its five branches, it has 276 active food donors, and services 227 recipient organisations, providing food support to over 33,500 individuals per week. Achieving that level of scale and substance has been no easy task. KiwiHarvest was established in Dunedin in 2012, initially as FoodShare by Deborah Manning, when she was inspired by two articles in her local newspaper – one about dumpster diving and the other about food insecurity. “I’m profoundly grateful to everyone who has joined our journey over the last ten years. Our story shows what can be achieved when people share a common goal. We can make people’s lives shine a bit brighter through the power and mana of nutritious kai and treating and respecting our land as taonga,” says Manning. The demand for KiwiHarvest’s services has grown exponentially due to the pandemic. In the past 24 months alone, KiwiHarvest rescued 3.9 million kgs of food, nearly half (47%) of its total 10 year volume. Gavin Findlay, KiwiHarvest CEO, says, “At the start of each lockdown, many food businesses chose to donate food that could no longer be sold. Donations from events companies, caterers and retail organisations provided much-needed support to those struggling in the wake of the pandemic. “Although we saw an increase of food donations in 2020, this has since declined due to supply chain issues and less food in circulation. The demand from our recipient agencies, however, also continues to increase, and we still have a waiting list of organisations wishing to become a recipient. There are still areas […]

Outstanding start for Agricultural equipment deliveries in 2022

2022 agricultural equipment deliveries have kicked off to fantastic start. This, coupled with many machines that are already on order as customers begin to gear up for spring / summer 2022, is driving the current performance. TAMA president Kyle Baxter said, “he was seeing and hearing first-hand how strengthened commodity prices are giving farmers and rural contractors the confidence to invest in new equipment”. The flow of equipment into New Zealand has increased dramatically, and this has offered much welcomed relief for customers who are requiring a new piece of equipment, which is then being put to work straight away when it arrives. Overall tractor sales are up more than 25 percent for the year to date compared to 2021 (which was already an increase on 2020 by around 19%) and this trend looks set to continue with confidence in the agri-sector remaining strong”, according to the Tractor and Machinery Association. There have been consistent increases across every horsepower sector, with some standout results in certain sectors such as a 20% increase in the sub 40HP sector, coupled with over a 30% increase in the 100-150HP plus sector which is predominantly used in the dairy segment. Regional performance which has a strong diary influence such as Northland, Waikato, Taranaki, and Southland, have also experienced significant growth. Lastly, in 40Hp – 100HP sector significant growth of 27% has been achieved, with this category predominately focused on horticulture and some dairy segments in regions such as Bay of Plenty, Hawkes Bay and Nelson. Again, strong commodity prices are driving and providing buyer confidence. The 2022 year recorded a superb start, and that, coupled with increasing imports of Ag equipment, is a trend that will likely remain strong all the way through to summer 2022. Many of our members are also turning their eyes to beyond 2022, as they look […]

Cheaper food comes with other costs – why cutting GST isn’t the answer

–Allan Renwick, Professor of Agricultural Economics, Lincoln University, New Zealand. As New Zealand considers the removal of the goods and services tax (GST) from food to reduce costs for low income households, advocates need to consider the impact cheap food has on the environment and whether there are better options to help struggling families. Globally, we have become used to an abundant, season defying food supply. For decades, the price of our food was on a sustained downward trajectory before prices began to rise again in the mid-2000s. In many developed countries the proportion of income that we spend on food has declined to around 10%. However, the price we have been paying for our food does not represent its true cost to the planet and to our health. Nowhere is this more obvious than in New Zealand. We have the third highest adult obesity rate in the OECD, at an estimated cost of NZ$2 billion in healthcare services each year. Our agricultural sector accounts for nearly half of our greenhouse gas emissions, and has been associated with declining water quality and biodiversity loss. The issue is that many of these costs don’t just come from the food we eat, but also from the food that is lost or wasted. The cost of waste Globally, it’s estimated between 20% and 40% of food is lost or wasted each year and New Zealand is just as guilty as other countries. Food loss occurs throughout the supply chain due to factors such as harvest losses and poor storage. It mainly occurs in developing economies. Food waste occurs at the point of sale (retailing or food service, for example) and in the home, and is more of an issue in developed economies. All this lost and wasted food is a serious environmental issue. If food loss and waste was a country it would be the third largest global […]

Enhancing NZ’s pasture-to-plate Story: FarmIQ earns FernMark distinction

FarmIQ has been accepted into the FernMark Licence Programme for both FarmIQ and Farmaxproducts, becoming the first New Zealand agricultural technology (Agritech) company to earn the distinction. Achieving the FernMark is a milestone in the FarmIQ and Farmax story, adding mana to the brand and its products. The recognition also helps strengthen New Zealand’s agricultural offering by adding another chapter to its pasture-to-plate story through our innovative use of technology. FernMark is formal government recognition of a product’s connection to New Zealand and communicates the country of origin to consumers around the globe. New Zealand depends on its great reputation to thrive in key export markets and international consumers are willing to pay more if they can be assured that a product came from New Zealand. “Having an iconic Kiwi Agritech company like FarmIQ telling their story to the world enhances the perceptions of New Zealand – we are a country that creates innovation because we care about the land and the people. FarmIQ is a great demonstration of that ingenuity and care, and we welcome them to the FernMark programme” says New Zealand Story CEO, David Downs. FarmIQ is map-based farm management software that keeps farmers’ everyday information in one place. It helps drive better decisions, improved performance and provides peace of mind ahead of audit time. “FarmIQ and FARMAX products are proudly designed, built and supported in New Zealand for pastoral farming operations. We’re passionate about the agricultural industry, and it’s great for agri-technology like ours to be recognised as contributing to our industry and representing a different kind of Kiwi ingenuity,” says FarmIQ CEO, Will Noble. Adding to the excitement is the inclusion of the FARMAX products under the licence. Last year, FarmIQ and Crown Research Institute (CRI), AgResearch, formed a strategic […]

Eitan-Dan-of-CropX-and-MetService-CEO-Stephen-Hunt-1-NZF

CropX and MetService to provide rural sector with specific weather data

Farmers will now be able to access high quality and site specific weather forecasts and data from their smartphones in a new partnership between global farm-management company CropX, and MetService, New Zealand’s national weather authority. MetService will provide weather data for CropX to share via its cloud based platform direct to an app on the farmer’s phone. The data will be backed by science, based on modelling as well as from local observations from specific weather stations in farming hubs. “This partnership means that as well as farmers having access to the data our soil monitors provide, they will have further and fuller information on the weather in order to make good water and nutrient management decisions to ensure the best outcomes for the pasture in the growing cycle, with minimal water and fertilizer inputs,” says Eitan Dan, Managing Director of CropX New Zealand. The agreement will see CropX using MetService weather data on their farm-management platform, with MetService now a licensed reseller of CropX’s technology. “No business could be more at the mercy of weather than farming,” says Eitan. “New Zealand farmers make important and costly decisions based on the weather multiple times a day – so accuracy and ease of accessing weather information is essential. We want to provide this to our CropX customers to supplement the data they receive from our soil sensors.” MetService rigorously evaluated CropX technology, and were impressed by the consistency and accuracy of the data and the seamless setup and operation. “MetService is thrilled to partner with CropX, who provide a great service to New Zealand farmers and growers,” says Peter Fisher, Business Development Manager at MetService. “We employ over 100 meteorologists in New Zealand, and operate the most in-depth weather observation network in the country, including New Zealand’s weather radar,” says Peter. “We […]

Fruit packing technology dramatically cuts packhouse labour needs

An intelligent robotic fruit packing machine that automates the most labour intensive job in the packhouse is proving to be a game-changer for post-harvest operators around the globe. Global Pac Technologies has officially unveiled the Aporo II robotic produce packaging machine which builds on the proven technology of the original Aporo I Produce Packer, first developed in 2018. The latest model can now accommodate twice the throughput, packing 240 fruit per minute, saving between two and four labour units per double packing belt. “Aporo II can be retrofitted across two packing belts instead of one, so it has effectively doubled the throughput and the labour saving that Aporo I could deliver,” explains Cameron McInness, Director of Jenkins Group – a New Zealand-based company which co-founded Global Pac Technologies with US-based Van Doren Sales Inc. “We have been rolling out this new machine with some key customers globally and the results have been dramatic. One of our Australian customers built a new packhouse and installed three of our Aporo II’s. That increased their packhouse production by 30-40 percent and reduced their labour by 50 percent. “Automating the process of placing fruit into trays then allows post-harvest operators to redeploy their scarce labour resources to areas where they can add more value.” McInness says Aporo II’s dual robotic heads are more consistent and reliable than human packers. The technology is now being used in France, the UK, Sweden, Belgium, the US, Australia and New Zealand – primarily to pack apples, and now stone fruit like peaches and nectarines. Work is underway to extend its use to other fruit varieties in the near future. “What’s unique about Aporo I and Aporo II is they are designed for really simple autonomous packing. The machine is very intelligent. It looks at the fruit, […]

Pumping particles is no problem

By Matt Hale, International Sales & Marketing Director, HRS Heat Exchangers Pumps are an integral part of many food processing facilities, but care must be taken to select the correct pump for both the product being moved and the process requirements. Physical damage to the product, as well as the influence of factors such as pressure and shear stress must all be taken into account. When you wish to pump large solid items, such as fruit and vegetables, these challenges become even greater. There are many types of pump on the market, including rotary lobe, rotary piston, reciprocating positive displacement, progressing cavity, peristaltic hose and air-operated double diaphragm designs. However, not all of them are capable of maintaining product quality at a reasonable cost while keeping the required pressure in the system (in particular, progressive cavity pumps can break the product, while double diaphragm pumps result in a low pressure drop). Furthermore, traditional pumps can be expensive to maintain while lobe pumps have low flow rates. To overcome these difficulties, HRS developed the BP Series of hygienic reciprocating, positive-displacement pumps, which are suitable for a wide range of difficult to handle food products, including whole peppers, strawberries and baby carrots, as well as sauces, dips, fruit purées, and many others. Positive displacement pumps have an expanding cavity on the suction side of the pump and a decreasing cavity on the discharge side. Liquid flows into the pump as the cavity on the suction side expands and is forced out of the discharge side as the cavity collapses. The HRS BP Series Piston Pump is operated either hydraulically or pneumatically (depending on available air supply pressure), and incorporates a separator fitted between the piston and the hydraulic chamber to ensure that there is no contact between the product chamber and the […]

Roadmap to put uniquely Australian protein onto global menu

A new roadmap by CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, shows how Australia can serve up a wider range of high-quality protein products to feed the world’s growing population and help capture a $13 billion market opportunity for all types of protein. The report ‘Protein: A roadmap for unlocking technology-led growth opportunities for Australia’ also outlines how Australia could create up to 10,000 jobs and become a global leader. With an expected two billion extra people on the planet to feed by 2050, coupled with changing tastes and dietary preferences, the world is going to need to produce more protein, more sustainably and from more sources. Growth opportunities include new plant-based products, turning lesser cuts of red meat into value-added protein powders and nutraceuticals, developing higher-protein and better tasting legume crops, creating a new sustainable industry in Australian white-flesh fish, and exploring non-traditional forms of protein like cultivated meat and edible insects. CSIRO Chief Executive, Dr Larry Marshall, said Australia’s strong history and global reputation in agriculture and food present a big opportunity for future growth. “As protein demand grows and new consumer trends emerge, solutions from science can help create new markets and complement our existing, globally competitive traditional markets. This will help shift Australia’s reputation from being the world’s food bowl of commodities to becoming a global delicatessen of unique higher value exports,” Dr Marshall said. “CSIRO’s Future Protein Mission recognises the scale of this challenge and brings together a wide network of partners with the latest innovative technology to seize this opportunity for a resilient and sustainable food system. “We can supercharge growth in our traditional protein industries by harnessing technologies like digital traceability and integrity systems that enhance the premium status of Australian red meat, and grow new complementary protein markets through techniques like precision fermentation to […]

Human activity driving global plant evolution

Urbanisation is changing the evolution of plants in cities worldwide, new research shows. Global Urban Evolution Project (GLUE), a ground-breaking study involving Lincoln University ecology senior lecturer William Godsoe, has found the clearest evidence yet that white clover is frequently evolving in cities all over the planet as a direct response to environmental changes caused by human activity. Humans constantly re-shape the environments where they live, dramatically altering ecosystems, with cities being among the most profoundly transformed environments on Earth. The collaborative project, led by evolutionary biologists at Canada’s University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM), can be used to help better conserve rare species and allow them to adapt to urban conditions, while preventing pests and diseases from adapting to the same environments. The scientists chose to study white clover, as it is one of the few organisms present in almost every city in the world, providing a tool to understand how urban environments influence evolution. However, the implications reach far beyond the humble clover plant. Dr Godsoe said Christchurch was one of 160 cities surveyed by the scientists to understand how urbanisation shaped the evolution of clover. “In a global sense, the study showed that environmental conditions in cities tend to be more similar to each other than to nearby rural habitats, and Christchurch was no exception. “White clover typically produces hydrogen cyanide, both as a defence mechanism against grazing animals and to increase its tolerance to water stress. “However, when it grows in cities, it typically produces less of it, due to repeated adaptation to urban environments and the lack of herbivores and water stress in these areas.” In that regard, downtown Christchurch could be deemed more comparable to downtown Tokyo than to surrounding Canterbury farmland and forests. Dr Godsoe surveyed 40 sites between Moorhouse Ave and the […]

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