Developments

Hydroxsys and NIG Nutritionals generate clean water from waste products

Clean technology company Hydroxsys has partnered with an Auckland based dairy processor to deliver novel wastewater treatment capability that delivers clean water from the processing of milk and milk products. NIG Nutritionals has been working with Hydroxsys during the past 12 months to deliver this ‘world first’ technology, and since the start of 2021 has been trialling Hydroxsys equipment at its facility at Paerata, south of Auckland. The outcome has been the confirmation of the capability of Hydroxsys’ systems in providing a genuine, commercially effective solution to one of the big issues for food processors – management of wastewater from processing operations. Hydroxsys CEO Mark Hartstone says the company has developed proprietary “world first” filtration technology that challenges current clean in place (CIP) and waste treatment systems not only in dairy, but also wider food and beverage manufacturing and industries like wastewater and mining sectors. For now, he says, Hydroxsys is focusing on food and beverage (including dairy) manufacturing. Water is a key resource in the manufacturing of all food products and especially milk products. Hydroxsys comes from the same start-up technology space in Auckland where New Zealand technology champions LanzaTech, Rocket Lab and Mint Innovation found their feet. Now it is following their developmental path by building a commercial sized plant. The plant at NIG Nutritionals will be complete in about four months and will also be used to demonstrate Hydroxsys’ technology to potential customers. “Once that plant is operating, it will prove we have scaled our technology from laboratory to mobile demonstration plant and to a commercial operating plant – this one 10 times the capacity of the mobile units we built for field trials,” Mark Hartstone says. “Proving scalability is vital. Delivering this scale within a significantly reduced real-estate footprint is an extra bonus” Chris Macbeth, CEO […]

DairyNZ: winter grazing rules must be practical on-farm

Proposed changes to winter grazing regulations released by Government today appear to be a sensible step forward, but DairyNZ will review the fine print to help deliver rules that work on-farm. DairyNZ chief executive Dr Tim Mackle said when these regulations were introduced last year, DairyNZ, Beef + Lamb and Federated Farmers made it clear they were impractical for farmers. Recommended changes were made together, as part of the Southland Advisory Group. “We are pleased the Government heard us and will be consulting on significant changes as a result. From what we’ve seen, the confirmation of certified freshwater farm plans as an alternative regulatory pathway to meet the intensive winter grazing rules is good news,” said Dr Mackle. “This will see better outcomes for the environment and farmers. “There also appears to be positive changes to pugging, resowing and critical source area rules, based on primary sector feedback, but we need more detail to understand how these changes might work in practice. “It’s also good to see the proposed resowing date shift to ‘as soon as practicable’. This makes it possible for farmers to establish their crops well, in line with weather and managing environmental risk. “Farmers are proactively putting in place good practice for winter grazing and it’s vital the new regulations are practical, so good work continues.” Under the proposal, farmers will have three regulatory pathways – including a permitted activity via a freshwater farm plan. “Ultimate success here does depend on a robust certified freshwater farm plan process; this is yet to be landed,” said Dr Mackle. “The phasing in of freshwater farm plans will lead to a delay in this pathway being available for farmers – this is a concern for practical and flexible implementation of the regulations and we need this remedied.” The potential deferral of […]

Love bees? Plant trees (when you can)!

Beekeepers are calling on bee-lovers across New Zealand to take what actions they can to improve the health and resilience of Kiwi bee populations this September for Bee Aware Month. Apiculture New Zealand, the national body representing beekeepers and honey producers, is asking Kiwis to Feed the Bees by planting bee-friendly trees and plants this spring. “One of the best things Kiwi bee lovers can do for our bees is to grow bee-friendly trees, wildflowers or shrubs in their gardens or public spaces. This provides essential nutrition for our bee population ensuring they can be resilient in the face of the many challenges they face,” says Apiculture New Zealand chief executive Karin Kos. “We recognise that under Covid-19 Alert Level 4 bee-lovers might not be able to easily access bee-friendly plants right now, so instead we want to encourage Kiwis to get out into their gardens and find a spot for a bee tree. Once our alert levels have changed then you can get the tree in the ground,” she suggests. Throughout September, Apiculture NZ members and supporters will be sharing information about planting for bees. When choosing what to plant, Ms Kos recommends people visit the New Zealand Trees for Bees Research Trust website. “Trees for Bees has done extensive work on identifying the best plants for bees and has produced regional planting guides, individual profiles of star performing bee plants and advice on planting for home gardeners and rural property owners. They offer a wealth of knowledge to gardeners and bee lovers.” “Some of the best bee-friendly trees are many citrus and pip fruit trees, or native plants like harakeke or rewarewa. These offer bees excellent, ongoing sources of nutrition and well-nourished bees are better able to withstand threats like varroa, habitat loss, climate change and diseases.” she […]

Future-focused farmers encouraged to consider DairyNZ board

Dairy farmers with a strong interest in supporting the sector’s success are encouraged to apply for a position on DairyNZ’s board. Nominations are now open for one farmer to join the board. DairyNZ chair Jim van der Poel says the past year has presented its own set of challenges for farmers and the sector, including workforce shortages, regulatory change and extreme weather events. “Our farmers are currently the most sustainable milk producers in the world and have made significant progress to prepare for the future, but farmers are operating in a challenging climate,” says Mr van der Poel. “DairyNZ is in a unique position to support dairy farmers with leading research and science, and to advocate on behalf of farmers to influence future policy changes.” The DairyNZ board oversees DairyNZ’s strategy, which guides future investments into a range of programmes, including industry research and development; sustainable farming; promoting careers in dairy; advocating for farmers and monitoring the strategy’s delivery. “The DairyNZ team are dedicated to helping farmers face upcoming challenges and continue improving their businesses to prosper. Our board plays a key part in this, and we encourage farmers who are future-focused, have an interest in governance and supporting the sector’s success to consider joining the DairyNZ board,” says Mr van der Poel. Appointments to DairyNZ’s Board of Directors apply for three years, with directors retiring by rotation. This year, director Jacqueline Rowarth is retiring by rotation. DairyNZ is also inviting applications from farmers for one position on the Directors’ Remuneration Committee, which independently sets the directors’ fees. Both the board and the directors’ remuneration roles are open to current levy paying dairy farmers. Two current levy payers must nominate each candidate. Nominations must be received by the Returning Officer by 12 noon on Friday, 3 September 2021.

Peter Gordon partners with KiwiHarvest as new ambassador

Aotearoa’s largest food rescue organisation, KiwiHarvest, is teaming up with internationally renowned chef and restaurateur Peter Gordon to help raise further awareness of two of New Zealand’s largest problems, food insecurity and food waste. Gordon is KiwiHarvest’s first official ambassador, and will be partnering with the organisation on its mission to reduce food waste and build food secure communities around the country. New Zealand’s food industry generates more than 103,000 tonnes of food waste per year, and it is estimated that 60% of food going to landfill is edible. Meanwhile, one in five New Zealanders are living with low to moderate food insecurity each and every day, including up to 305,000 Kiwi children. Gordon says, “It’s an absolute pleasure to step on board as KiwiHarvest’s official ambassador to shine a light on the incredible work they’re doing, helping to address Aotearoa’s dual challenges of food insecurity and food waste. “The sad reality is many Kiwis are either going hungry, or not getting access to adequate nutrition, all while perfectly good food gets thrown away. It’s my view that all New Zealanders should be able to experience the powerful nourishing and connecting benefits of food, each and every day. “I look forward to partnering with KiwiHarvest on our shared mission working towards the health and wellbeing of our communities, and our environment,” adds Gordon. Deborah Manning, KiwiHarvest Founder and Director, says, “We are truly honoured to welcome Peter to the KiwiHarvest whānau. “Throughout his career, Peter has enriched and connected communities through food, championing sustainability in the food sector. We particularly admire the work he is doing at Homeland with local food suppliers and community groups – helping Kiwis cook nourishing meals and educating them on the nutritional benefit of food and the importance of buying locally grown produce. “Like KiwiHarvest, […]

NZ Food Network calls for food surplus to be donated to those in need

Following the extension of Alert Level 4 restrictions, many food, hospitality and event businesses will be facing further disruptions to their operations – potentially leaving them with significant food surplus now set to go to waste. At the same time, demand for food support has surged across the country with food charities and community groups working overtime to meet this heightened need. The New Zealand Food Network (NZFN) is calling for affected food producers, wholesalers and other businesses to donate any food surplus, so it can be redistributed to food hubs (food rescue organisations, iwi and charities) and communities in need across the country. NZFN CEO, Gavin Findlay says with unprecedented levels of demand during lockdown, food rescue organisations and community groups can struggle to keep up with requests for food. “Many food businesses throughout Aotearoa New Zealand may have been holding onto food in the hope that lockdown restrictions would be dropped, so the extension of Alert Level 4 means there will be significant volumes of waste as a result of the continued closure of food businesses and cancellation of events. “Lockdown puts significant pressure on food businesses and producers who have to close their doors, deal with the impact of cancelled orders and resulting losses in revenue. We know how incredibly difficult it is for these businesses that face these disruptions but we ask that this excess food does not get wasted or thrown into landfill. “With businesses closed, many New Zealanders face reduced working hours and in some cases redundancies. This puts enormous financial pressure on families to continue meeting bill payments and putting food on the table. Even prior to this most recent lockdown, New Zealand’s food insecurity levels were already heightened, so food hubs are struggling to keep up with the new surge in demand […]

Tractor and equipment sales continue to grow

The first half of 2021 has got off to a superb start for sales of farm equipment. Tractor and Machinery Association of New Zealand (TAMA) president Kyle Baxter said there had been substantial sales increases across all tractor horsepower segments and equipment compared with the same time last year. Mr Baxter said the big increases reflected a continuing catch up in on-farm vehicle investment as farmers looked again to the future. “It’s fantastic to see the confidence continue across all of the sectors, and in turn this confidence flowing into wider economy. “This significant increase isn’t an accidental one, nor a blip, it requires sustained customer and supplier confidence over a 12-month period in that the required product is ordered and arrives into the country to meet current demand.” The overall increase in actual units delivered across New Zealand was 35%. This represents an additional 450 tractor sales compared to the same period of 2020. Sales in the under lifestyle 50hp sector increased over 40% while sales numbers in the 60-80HP segment, which are predominately delivered into the horticulture sector, increased around 50%. “Not to be left out of the rising market, sales in 100-140HP segment are up more than 30%. Tractor deliveries into the larger end of the market, focused on 180-250HP cropping and contracting tractors, increased by more than 50%.” Whilst the market remained strong and looked set to remain so for the rest of 2021, there were several challenges impacting the market, Mr Baxter said. “We are hearing from our members that ongoing production stoppages in global factories due to Covid lockdowns and community outbreaks continue to affect manufacturing timeframes. Europe continues to be a rapidly changing space by the day, as one country announces a ‘return to normal’ date, another country announces new control measures to help stem the spread of the virus.” Global logistics dominated many of the discussions TAMA members were having with their suppliers and customers. With no relief in the short to medium term horizon, the increased shipping times looked set to continue well into 2022. “Almost every point of the logistics supply chain is affected. Delays of an extra 90 days in receiving a container load of equipment from Europe are not uncommon. Reduced air cargo space, due to fewer flights globally, is also adding to the cost of air freighting spare parts and causing delays in getting urgent spare parts into the country. “The cost of shipping a container here has increased drastically. This, coupled with importers of agricultural equipment generally only able to ship one to four machines per container due to their size, is driving up the freight cost of each item shipped.” Mr Baxter said while strong commodity pricing was fantastic for the New Zealand agriculture industry in terms of the export value of […]

DairyNZ supports next generation Overseer for farms and environment

Industry good organisation DairyNZ endorses further redevelopment of Overseer to continue its role helping optimise farm systems to protect water quality, farm viability and economy. DairyNZ strategy and investment leader Dr David Burger says science-based management and modelling reviews, such as the recent Government report into Overseer, helps improve nutrient management for the environment and farm businesses. “Overseer is vital in helping farmers, the sector and councils understand farm management, particularly nutrient and greenhouse gas losses to the environment. Therefore, we must have a high level of confidence in it as a tool,” says DairyNZ strategy and investment leader Dr David Burger. “It’s pleasing Government is committed to supporting Overseer and a re-development, while looking at other tools to improve nutrient management and on-farm outcomes.” Dr Burger said DairyNZ research shows nitrate leaching measurements from farm system experiments are generally well-aligned with Overseer predictions where actual climate data has been used on dairy land. “Along with this on-farm science, DairyNZ has contributed to improvements to the Overseer model, such as including plantain and updating the wetland and riparian modules. Our research and experience with farmers tells us Overseer is an important tool for helping dairy farmers manage nitrogen and reduce losses from farms. “Falling back on input controls or reliance on risk factors is not an adequate substitute for output modelling, especially when we have an increasingly sophisticated range of nitrogen management options that Overseer enables farmers to model,” says Dr Burger. “Farm systems are complex and there are a range of ways farmers can reduce their footprint. Overseer allows farmers to model different options in the context of their farm system – enabling innovation and flexibility. “Looking ahead, we support the Government’s commitment to examine a wider range of tools to support nutrient and sediment management at farm and […]

Dairy farmers celebrated on Farm Worker Appreciation Day

Today is Farm Worker Appreciation Day (August 6), where Kiwis are encouraged to pay tribute to the dedicated workers on our farms. DairyNZ general manager responsible dairy Jenny Cameron says Farm Worker Appreciation Day provides the opportunity to celebrate the success, dedication, and contribution of our farmers. “Our farmers undertake a lot of work on farms throughout the country, every day of the year. It’s not an easy job, but it’s an incredibly important and rewarding role our dairy farmers play for New Zealand – caring for animals and the environment, while providing around 140 countries with highly nutritious food,” says Ms Cameron. “This year they have also been faced with many challenges, including natural disasters, and a workforce shortage worsened due to COVID-19 border restrictions, while many of our international employees on farm continue to be separated from their families.” The on-farm success of our farmers results in around $20 billion in export value, while employing around 50,000 people on and off farm. Dairy farmers nationwide have also fenced waterways, 100 percent of stock crossing points have bridges and culverts, while thousands of farmers are carrying out extensive planting alongside waterways. “While our farmers are lucky to have a unique lifestyle and are supported by great communities, they also work in remote locations, with early starts, through all conditions to look after their animals, their people, and their land,” says Ms Cameron. “Their hard work and commitment provides us with safe, high quality, environmentally efficient products, while contributing to New Zealand’s local communities, and regional and national economies. “So, today, I encourage us all to thank the farmers that work on our farms. Let’s celebrate the work that they do every day of every year, especially during the extra challenges presented in the past 18 months.” Dairy sector statistics: […]

Lincoln gene lab trio recognised with Primary Industries award

The work of three members of Lincoln University’s Gene-Marker Laboratory to help breed healthier and more resilient, and ultimately superior livestock, has been recognised in this year’s Primary Industries Awards. Lab director, Professor Jon Hickford, principal researcher, Dr Huitong Zhou, and lab manager, Freeman Fang, were given the Science and Research Award at the ceremony on 6 July. The judges said they were impressed with the holistic approach of the Lincoln University team who brought a highly professional genetic approach to the business of farming. “Their genetic program was impressive as was their relationship with farmers. This guaranteed a practical result from a highly specialised scientific process.” The lab’s main research focus is genetic variation in ruminants, particularly in sheep but also cows, and its association with economically important traits. It has developed test for genes which underpin milk, meat and wool production, and make livestock resilient to disease and environmental challenges, identifying superior animals. It tests for diseases such as foot rot, environmental resilience traits such as cold tolerance as well as improved intra-muscular fat content in meat, and for A1 and A2 milk in dairy cattle. Professor Hickford has worked at Lincoln University since 1989, teaching science and agriculture degree programmes, and has delivered 11 commercial gene-marker tests to market. “With these technologies, we have instituted programmes for the eradication of dermatosparaxis in white Dorper sheep in Australia and NZ, for the eradication of Microphthalmia in Texel sheep in Australia and NZ, and for the eradication of Gaucher disease in Australian Southdown sheep,” he said. “I share my research findings about wool, genetics, and breeding with farming groups and sheep and cattle breeders in NZ and Australia and am committed to making my research accessible to the younger generation.” Lincoln University alumna Emma Boase, who holds a Bachelor […]

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