Developments

Landcorp joins the crowd to improve environment

In the picture: Landcorp’s Dale Farm manager Ian Matthews (left) with QEII Trust Waiau representative Mark Sutton. Photo credit: Douglas Thorne. Crowdfunding is coming to the aid of New Zealand’s waterways thanks to an innovative environmental initiative supported by Landcorp. The Million Metres Streams Project, set up by the Sustainable Business Network in collaboration with Enspiral, is New Zealand’s first conservation crowdfunding initiative. Launched in October last year, the project gives New Zealanders the opportunity to contribute to the restoration of the country’s waterways. It has already funded almost 5km of riparian restoration work. The QEII National Trust is a field partner for the project, liaising with landowners, buying plants and managing volunteers. This week, riparian planting is being conducted along three tributaries on Landcorp’s Dale Farm, near Te Anau. The tributaries feed into the upper Whitestone River. Funded by 36 donors who contributed a total of $25,200, 1350 native trees – including manatu, makomako, manuka and kowhai – will be planted by volunteers and Dale Farm staff. Dale Farm, is 2300ha property running deer, beef and sheep 20km from Te Anau. Farm manager Ian Matthews has a close and productive relationship with QEII Trust, working together to improve the water quality and biodiversity of the Whitestone River and the Waiau Catchment. The catchment, on the eastern edge of Fiordland, is Southland’s largest. QEII Trust Waiau representative Mark Sutton said the national planting project, and Landcorp’s commitment to it, was achieving impressive results. “It works. Most Landcorp properties, Dale Farm included, are already working towards being ecologically intact by fencing waterways. Not only that, Landcorp has retired a lot of land to prevent nutrient runoff getting into waterways, returning them to what they were in the past. “Landcorp as an organisation has embraced the concept and are leaders in […]

Young Grower from Pukekohe wins national title

Hamish Gates from Pukekohe has been named Young Grower of the Year 2015. Hamish secured his place at the national competition after being named New Zealand Young Vegetable Grower 2015 in April. The carrot washline supervisor works for AS Wilcox & Sons in Pukekohe. The final phase of the competition saw five regional champions battle it out in a series of practical and theoretical challenges that tested their essential industry knowledge and skills. Julian Raine, President of Horticulture New Zealand, said the competition demonstrated the high calibre of ability in the country. “We have come to expect an outstanding level of talent in the competition and this year’s finalists were no exception. The knowledge and skills Hamish showed throughout the competition clearly demonstrated his ability to succeed in this industry. He gave each challenge his all, and it was this commitment that helped him come out on top.” The challenges ranged from an environment and sustainability exercise, to pest and disease identification, and quad bike health and safety. Competitors also had to participate in a leadership panel, and present a three-minute speech on the role of innovation and technology in the industry. Hamish, 24, said winning the national Young Grower of the Year 2015 title was an honour given the standard of the competition. “I feel really privileged to have won the competition. The other growers are at the top of their game and it was a tough challenge, so I am proud to be able to take this award back to Pukekohe,” says Hamish. “I learned a lot from the competition and have gained a huge amount of confidence in my ability as a grower. Hopefully my success will encourage other young people from across New Zealand to get into this great industry.” As Young Grower of the Year […]

Destruction of our soils more serious than climate change

An international soil scientist says restocking the world’s arable soil with carbon is more important than climate change. Dr John Baker says too many people around the world treat soil like dirt when it should be revered because “our lives depend on it.” He believes that because soil isn’t sexy, is not on our radar and is metaphorically beneath us, it’s taken for granted by many farmers and ignored by politicians and city dwellers. “Instead people are besotted by climate change when improving soil health and feeding the world is more important,” he says. “Climate change, while serious, is not going to starve you but the rape of our soil over the last 1,000 years through traditional tillage methods, is already leading to reduced crop yields and will eventually result in famine and malnutrition.” Dr Baker says alarming figures provided by the United National Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the UK Farmers Weekly suggest the quality of soil is rapidly diminishing. FAO predicts the world, on average, has 60 more years of growing crops left while the Farmers Weekly claims that only 100 harvests remain in the UK. Eighty percent of the world’s food comes from crops. Ironically climate change and soil health are closely related and can benefit each other Dr Baker, who has a MAgrSc in soil science and Ph.D in agricultural engineering from Massey University, New Zealand, explains. “Soil health is strongly influenced by the amount of carbon in the soil. That carbon has been oxidised by conventional tillage (ploughing) and even minimum tillage and discharged as carbon dioxide back into the atmosphere. Tillage does nothing to recapture it,” he says. “As a result the carbon that was in the soil is now in the atmosphere and contributes to climate change when it should be back […]

Joint research programme focuses on rumen development

AgResearch and Fiber Fresh feeds have recently released their first trial results on rumen development in calves, as part of an ongoing research collaboration. In the picture: (L-R) AgResearch science team leader – animal nutrition and physiology Dr Sue McCoard, Fiber Fresh scientific advisor Dr Simone Hoskin, AgResearch senior research scientist Dr Stefan Muetzel and Fiber Fresh national business manager Shona Goss. Fiber Fresh is a world-leading, progressive, family-owned calf and equine nutrition company based in Reporoa, with an active scientific R&D division. The recent AgResearch trial, which began in 2013, indicates that high nutritional fibres help promote rumen development in calves. The development of the rumen is important for the young calf to enable transition from milk to pasture. The rumen development study showed fibre-reared calves had 18% heavier rumens, better papillae development in some parts of the rumen and greater vascularity compared to calves fed on conventional meal-based systems. Calves reared on the fibre diet also exhibited better rumen absorption capacity at weaning and were slightly more efficient in feed usage (2.4% apparent feed efficiency). Those calves are also involved in a lifetime study to evaluate the effects of nutrition during rearing on meat quality and production. A number of other trials are also planned as part of the ongoing research programme, including a lifetime trial of heifers to establish the impact of early intervention on future milk production. Fiber Fresh national business manager Shona Goss says the relationship with AgResearch came about throughout wanting to provide robust, independent information to farmers about Fiber Fresh products. “We had farmers claiming results they’d seen by using Fiber Fresh products and we had conducted a number of in-house trials. But ultimately we need robust, independent scientific evidence. “We believe there is a better way to rear healthy, productive animals and we […]

Leading New Zealand Grower Rebrands

One of New Zealand’s leading growers and the largest organic apple producer, Bostock New Zealand , has launched a new corporate name and brand to reflect the consolidation of the company and the positive growth. The Bostock Group’s three main brands JB Organics, JM Bostock Ltd and D M Palmer will all now become part of Bostock New Zealand. Bostock New Zealand owner and founder, John Bostock said the company had experienced significant expansion and was delighted to announce a new brand to simplify the company’s identities. “We had three different brands which all share identical ownership and cross over in many ways so we thought it was time to simplify our brand to reflect the positive growth of the company and strengthen our businesses positioning within the industry.” The Bostock group of companies has been growing healthy, sustainable, premium produce in New Zealand for export to the world for more than 30 years. JB Organics is New Zealand’s largest organic apple grower, exporting close to 90% of the country’s organic apple crop. In addition, JM Bostock Ltd grows, packs and markets high quality squash, onions and grain and also partly owns Bostock Organic Free Range Chicken. In 2003 the group purchased 100% of D M Palmer, a major exporter of primary products. The result has been a vertically integrated farmer owned growing and export business, with economies of scale and a key focus on sustainable agriculture. The change of name heralds exciting new opportunities for the company, but Mr Bostock says Bostock New Zealand core values won’t change. “Growing healthy, superior tasting produce is the priority for Bostock New Zealand, which has a proud history of sustainable production. We believe in educating the wider population about the benefits of eating well and we have opened an organic café to […]

Sustainable Foods Summit Highlights Key Industry Concerns

London – The food industry needs to take greater steps towards sustainable development. This was one of the key messages from the Sustainable Foods Summit (www.sustainablefoodssummit.com), hosted in Amsterdam in June. Soil fertility, carbon management, regulatory framework, and sustainable food production were stated as major areas of concern. The importance of soil fertility for sustainability was expressed by Professor Pablo Tittonell from Wageningen University. He showed how soil fertility has a direct impact on plant and animal health. He called for sustainable farming practices to improve nutrient quality in soil. A similar message was echoed by Tobias Bandel from Soil & More: improved soil structure produces lower water footprint, greater nutrient quality, as well as carbon sequestration. Dominic Watkins from DWF highlighted the regulatory uncertainty in the European food industry. With fears of a Grexit and the UK holding an in-out referendum, it was not clear what the EU would look like in a few years, let alone the regulatory landscape. He believes the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) could escalate food trade between the US and EU. However, a major challenge is harmonisation since there was ‘a huge chasm’ in regulations between the two sides. According to Wessanen, the future of the food industry lies with sustainable foods. By the use of food pyramids, Laurence Beck showed how the healthiest food has the lowest environmental impact. She stated the strategy of her company was to focus on organic and health foods. As part of this strategy, it had acquired Clipper, Alter Eco and Isola Bio in recent years, and was looking for similar such companies. The food industry needs to act if it is to avert a carbon crisis. This was the message from Craig Sams, founder and president of Green & Black’s, in his keynote. He […]

Vitafoods Asia Conference 2015: Translating Science into Good Business

New Expanded Content Programme & Exclusive Content from Frost & Sullivan Singapore, 20 Jun 2015 – Vitafoods Asia, the only event dedicated to the nutraceutical, functional food and beverages, and dietary supplement industries in Asia, today announces the programme for its second edition of the Vitafoods Asia Conference. Running alongside the exhibition from 2 – 3 September at AsiaWorld-Expo in Hong Kong, the conference boasts a brand new format and an increase in content offering. Delegates can expect to hear from well-respected industry experts across segments and job functions during the two-day event. Speakers include professionals from A*STAR, Agence Tesla, ASEAN Food & Beverage Alliance, BrandHive, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Chung Shan Medical University, Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School, EAS Strategies, Euromonitor International, Food Industry Asia, Frost & Sullivan, HealthBrandBuilders, The HealthyMarketingTeam Ltd, Herbalife Taiwan Inc., Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Innova Market Insights, International Society for Nutraceuticals and Functional Foods, Kaohsiung Medical University, National Yang-Ming University, and NSF International. Mr Chris Lee, Portfolio Director, Vitafoods Events, shared, “Building upon the success of our European event in May, the Vitafoods Asia Conference will bear a similar programme structure. We continue to highlight best practice, with market research and development in areas such as weight management and healthy ageing. The Conference also focuses more on regulatory aspects this year, in response to industry demand. Through this platform, we aim to facilitate dialogue, knowledge-sharing, and innovation within the industry, so as to facilitate the development of better and safer end-products for the consumer.” Two Streams: Connecting Science with Business With sessions that cover both commercial and science aspects of business, delegates are presented with a full picture of the production cycle from idea to retail shelves. Content is divided into two distinct, parallel streams: Your Business focuses on how […]

New partnership to provide enhanced pasture management for farmers

In the picture:L-R: Brendon Cane (Precision Farming) and Wayne McNee (LIC) signing the agreement at the National Fieldays yesterday. Farmer-owned co-operative LIC has entered into a partnership with Precision Farming Ltd, supplier of GIS-based systems that manage the application of farm nutrients to optimise pasture growth including fertiliser and effluent. The two companies have signed an agreement whereby Precision will share its nutrient management functionality for integration with the co-op’s MINDA farm management system used by more than 90 per cent of NZ dairy farmers. LIC chief executive Wayne McNee said it would provide enhanced information for farmers about their pasture and feed availability. “LIC is committed to helping our farmers improve their prosperity and productivity, and with a predominantly grass-based industry we recognise that pasture management and feed optimisation is an important part of that equation. “Seamless integration of farm information like fertiliser, effluent, water, and irrigation will complement our existing pasture management tools in MINDA, providing farmers with enhanced information to improve decision making and enable superior livestock performance, and deliver the benefits of precision agriculture.” Precision Farming’s system records spreading and nutrient activity on more than 4,500 farms, based on data generated by 720 of the country’s estimated 800 commercial fertiliser spreading trucks. Precision Farming also provide fertiliser monitoring GPS equipment direct to farmers, for use on self-spreading equipment and for GPS guidance and control of tractors, sprayers and harvesters. Brendon Cane, MD of Precision Farming, said they are proud to partner with LIC and make it easier, faster and more profitable for more farmers to use integrated farm management information to support better decisions. As a contractor himself, he appreciates the benefits of reducing the time and cost, and often the guesswork, associated with improving pasture performance as part of overall farm profitability. “With the […]

Organic Grower Forks Out to Hundreds of Staff to Encourage Healthy Eating

New Zealand’s largest organic apple grower is going the extra mile to educate employees about healthy eating, serving up daily organic meals for hundreds of staff. Bostock New Zealand has significantly invested in a new purpose built organic kitchen where staff can enjoy premium organic meals. Bostock New Zealand owner, John Bostock says he has always had a vision to teach his employees about healthy eating and show them that tasty, wholesome food is better for them and just as affordable as processed, fast food. “We are strongly committed to the well-being of all our staff. We are a country that has major issues with poor diet, obesity and sugar, but we can change this giving people opportunities to learn new, exciting and interesting ways to eat healthily. “By taking away the cost barrier, we hope we will start changing eating habits,” says Mr Bostock. “We grow our own organic, premium produce and we are now using this in our organic kitchen. We need to ‘walk the walk’ and create a healthy ethos inside our company so everyone who works at Bostock New Zealand in Hastings can take this home to their families and show that ‘we are what we eat’ – that nutritious food creates a healthier lifestyle.” Bostock New Zealand employs up to 600 people in the height of the season and staff are welcome to dine at the Bostock Organic Kitchen, where a top chef has been employed to dish up wholesome cooked meals for the masses – all of which are subsidised and on occasions free. Bostock New Zealand grows, packs and markets high quality squash, onions, grain and organic apples and also partly owns Bostock Organic Free Range Chicken – all produce, which is staple on the Organic Kitchen’s daily menu. Bostock Organic Kitchen Chef, […]

Partnership reaches ‘important milestone’

In the picture: Yili Group Chairman Mr Gang Pan and Lincoln University Vice-Chancellor Dr Andrew West. A Chinese dairy company and its New Zealand subsidiary have established a new research and development centre at Lincoln University following a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signing last year. Lincoln University and the Inner Mongolia Yili Industrial Group (Yili) signed the MoU in November in the presence of Chinese President Xi Jinpeng and Prime Minister John Key. To build on this partnership, Dr Philip Wescombe – the newly-recruited Research and Development Manager of Yili and its New Zealand subsidiary, Oceania Dairy – is now based on the Lincoln University campus, some 11,000km from Yili’s headquarters in Hohhot City, China. “This is an important milestone for the partnership between Yili and Lincoln, and is very much in synchronisation with the objectives of the MoU,” says Lincoln University Business Development Manager Dr Samuel Yu. “Yili and Lincoln share similar interests, with Yili investing in areas such as food safety and production, as well as on-farm issues like effluent management, improving pasture production and sustainability.” Dr Yu says Dr Wescombe is a specialist in microbes and probiotics development, making him an excellent guest speaker at Lincoln, as he can offer students a global perspective from an international company. “Lincoln-Yili are in a unique position, as some of the research discoveries that we are embarking on will have an ability to materialise at the nearby Yili-Oceania Dairy production facilities at Glenavy in South Canterbury,” says Dr Yu. Yili also unveiled plans last year to invest around $400m in upgrading its Oceania Dairy plant at Glenavy, with extra capabilities in milk processing, powder manufacturing and packaging. Since the MoU signing, senior management from both sides have been actively engaged in discussions, with Yili Innovation Centre Deputy Director Dr […]

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