Developments

Sustainable farming across the Horizons Region has been highlighted at the Ballance Farm Environmental Awards (BFEAs) this month. The BFEAs are an annual awards programme which recognise and celebrate farm practices that promote sustainable land management in 11 regions throughout the country. Horizons Regional Council sponsors an award at the BFEAs each year as they align well with the Council’s land management goals. “On behalf of Horizons I’d like to congratulate all of the farmers who achieved awards in their respective categories,” says Grant Cooper, Horizons land manager. “As a member of the judging panel I’m always impressed with the standard of applicants. It’s really satisfying to see so many landowners thinking about how they can apply sustainable practices that benefit not only the environment, but also their production.” Horizons councillor Pat Kelly presented the Horizons Regional Council Award for the Integration of Trees on the night. This was won by Ross Collier of Pentwyn Farms, Rangiwaea. “This award recognises a farmer who has planted trees to improve the sustainability of their property and encompasses soil erosion prevention, biodiversity, stock well-being, and aesthetics,” says Cr Kelly. “The judges were impressed with Ross’ awareness of soil types, conservation and erosion risk. His acknowledgement of these possible environmental impacts has lead to an extensive pole planting and riparian fencing programme to protect water quality.” Ross Collier says he considers soil and people to be “the two most important assets” on his farm. “My parents started planting when they moved here not long after I was born and I’ve just carried on. It’s a harsh climate at times but planning ahead, such as planting crops to combat zero winter growth, minimises soil damage and maximises production possibility.” The BFEAs were held on 16 March in Palmerston North and Pongaroa sheep and beef farmers […]

Open markets encourage investment, increase competitiveness, and allow for more consumer choice and product innovation in the dairy industry, said Fonterra’s Trade Strategy and Stakeholder Affairs Manager, Dr Francis Reid. This was the message he delivered to an audience at the Semex Dairy Conference in Glasgow, ahead of Brexit – or the formal triggering of the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union, in March. He said that Fonterra and New Zealand were examples of the success of open market policy. His talk came amid warnings of a growing protectionist movement globally. Dr. Reid spoke to New Zealand’s economic prosperity that has emerged over a period of economic liberalisation. He noted that in the early twentieth century the UK was NZ’s largest trading partner and the main market for NZ’s dairy exports. This changed when the UK joined the European Economic Community (EEC), also known as the Common Market, in 1973, which resulted in New Zealand losing its preferential access to the UK. Dr. Reid told the audience that following the end of that close trading relationship, NZ suffered severe economic shock. Initially, to counter that, New Zealand adopted protectionist trade policies, including coupled subsidy payments for farmers and a highly controlled economy, to manage the risks that this change brought. He said that eventually New Zealand opted to deregulate its economy, open its industries up to competition, remove subsidies, and pursue a policy of free trade. These policies have laid the foundations of New Zealand’s current economic prosperity and growth. The message for a post-Brexit Britain, Dr. Reid told the audience, was that open markets and pro-competition policies drive economic growth. He said if New Zealand and the UK could establish an open trading and economic relationship post-Brexit, then both countries could build upon the relative strengths of each market, […]

Waikato dairy farmer Bill Aubrey believes Agrigate, the new online tool, will be revolutionary in helping farmers improve their farm performance. Developed by Fonterra Farm Source and LIC, Agrigate combines all the key data farmers need to make faster and smarter decisions on one, easy to use online dashboard. LIC Chief Executive and Agrigate Chairman Wayne McNee says “having data in one place and working in real time makes it easier to make comparisons, see trends and make better management decisions. A key outcome will be enabling farmers to make the most efficient use of their resources – which is important in both tough and better times.” Fonterra Farm Source Chief Operating Officer Miles Hurrell says “the ultimate goal of this project is to support our farmers by giving them a tool to help maximise their on-farm performance, productivity and profitability. As a simple, easy-to-use tool Agrigate is a great example of dairy industry innovation. It allows farmers to identify areas of their business where they are performing well and areas where improvements can be made.” Agrigate has been designed to help farmers plan ahead, using existing data to assess the interaction between different on-farm factors, such as weather conditions, animal health, milk production, financials, pasture cover and fertiliser applications. Agrigate will help farmers track what effect each factor has on the others so that they can plan accordingly. For example, farmers will be able to see what impact factors like herd size; milking frequency and fertiliser use have on pasture cover, milk volume and quality, and milk solids production per hectare. Agrigate will also allow farmers to benchmark these farm factors on a scale that they haven’t been able to in the past, a feature that has impressed Bill Aubrey. “I can compare past and present, regional and national […]

And creates a market-leading food manufacturing group across Australia and New Zealand. Patties Foods Limited (“Patties”), an iconic Australian food manufacturer, has announced the acquisition of Leader Products (“Leader”), a manufacturer of quick, easy, delicious frozen convenience food products based in New Zealand. Leader was established by Tony Peterson and Richard Crabb in 1998 and over the last 18 years the business has emerged as the market leader in New Zealand in addition to exporting to Australia and Asia. The company is growing strongly and has doubled revenue in the past five years. Mr. Peterson will continue to drive the company’s growth strategy in his role as Managing Director and will maintain a stake in the combined business. Leader’s product range includes meatballs, burger patties, toppas, finger foods and meal solutions under the brands Leader, Tony’s Tucka and Kauri Coast. Leader supplies grocery retailers, distributors, sporting stadiums, convenience stores, cafes, hotels, restaurants and caterers in New Zealand, Australia and Asia. The company is the market leader in innovation and new product development in the frozen food product sector. Paul Hitchcock, CEO of Patties, said that Patties and Leader were natural partners – both focused on manufacturing high quality frozen foods known and loved by customers. Iconic brands in the Patties portfolio include Four’n Twenty, Patties, Herbert Adams, Nanna’s and Chef’s Pride. Mr. Hitchcock said: “We are delighted to be joining forces with the Leader team. We believe the combination of Patties and Leader will provide significant growth opportunities for both companies given our complementary savoury meals and snack products, manufacturing operations and sales footprints. This deal will create a market-leading food business across Australia and New Zealand. “Leader is a great New Zealand success story and we are very keen to support the team in their continued growth. For example, […]

The summit (www.sustainablefoodssummit.com) is taking place on 18-20th January 2017 in San Francisco for the seventh consecutive year. Agriculture is often cited as the cause and victim of many of the environmental and social issues facing the planet: from climate change, biodiversity loss, water scarcity to social inequality and economic migration. The opening session will highlight the role of sustainable food systems in helping resolve some of these major issues. The Regenerative Design Institute will discuss the solutions provided by permaculture, whilst another paper explores the science of biomimicry. With proteins coming under scrutiny for their high ecological impacts, approaches to reduce environmental impacts of livestock and seafood production will be discussed. Theresa Marquez, Chief Marketing Executive of Organic Valley, will highlight the benefits provided by organic livestock farming. Elizabeth Candelario, Managing Director of Demeter Association, will explain how biodynamic agriculture can produce climate-friendly foods. The Global Salmon Initiative will show how sustainable seafood farming can help alleviate the proteins crisis. Another session gives an update on the growing palette of sustainable ingredients available to food and beverage firms. Seema Kedia from Barry Callebaut will kick off the session with details of the company’s sustainable sourcing programs. She will give insights on how such programs are improving the lives of impoverished growers in developing countries. Other papers will cover developments in marine ingredients, natural flavourings, and natural colours. Although the mandatory GM labeling bill has now been passed, there remain concerns about its scope and implementation. Details will be given of the new bill and its implications to the sustainable food community. Will adoption rates of voluntary schemes such as the Non-GMO Project continue to rise? What new schemes could emerge to cover GMOs in livestock products and / or the foodservice sector? The waste impacts session highlights best-practices in […]

Globally there is increasing interest and research in cover crops within cropping systems. The questions New Zealand growers are asking are, ‘what benefits can they bring to our systems and how can they be practically managed’?’ Allister Holmes, FAR’s Waikato based Research and Extension Manager, says weed suppression, improved soil health and reduced erosion, nitrogen fixation, improved biodiversity and the ability to provide in situ or cut and carry animal feed are just some of the reported benefits associated with the use of cover crops. However, he says, more work is required in order to understand how any effects, either positive or negative, can be managed in individual farm systems. “Recently FAR have increased their research into cover crops, focussing on their integration with maize systems. Much of this research has been based at FAR’s Northern Crop Research Site (NCRS) at Tamahere in Waikato, where currently six cover crop trials are underway. These trials are investigating issues such weed suppression, growth and development patterns, growing cover crops under maize, intercropping, establishment techniques and the impact of cover crops on following crops.” Cover crops and weed suppression Assessing different cover crops and their weed suppressive abilities. The trial, which is looking at faba beans, gland clover, oats and annual ryegrass, builds on a trial from last season, investigating a range of pre- and post-emergent herbicides and whether the weed control provided by cover crops could be used to reduce herbicide applications. The cover crops were sown in early winter and maize will be over sown in spring, before harvest assessments are carried out in autumn. Trevor James and Mike Trolove from AgResearch’s Farm Systems are undertaking this work. Growth and development patterns Observing growth and development patterns of a range of cover crop species were sown with two sowing dates, and […]