Developments

Farm technology among Hi-Tech Award finalists

For the second consecutive year, Hamilton-based Dairy Automation Limited (DAL) has been named finalist in two categories of the New Zealand Hi-Tech Awards. The subsidiary of farmer-owned co-operative LIC specialises in manufacturing sensor technology systems for the dairy shed, for real-time on-farm milk analysis. Its CellSense system is a finalist for the Endace Innovative Hi-Tech Hardware Product award, and YieldSense system is up for the New Zealand Trade and Enterprise Innovative Agritech Product award. CellSense meters measure somatic cell counts for early detection of mastitis. It is the only fully automated in-shed in-line somatic cell count sensor in the world. YieldSense is a combined full flow milk meter and milk component measurement device for the individual measurement of cow milk in the dairy shed. The six-in-one sensor analyses yield, fat, protein, lactose, conductivity and plant wash. Both systems provide real-time results while a cow is being milked, that farmers can utilise to increase production, reduce treatment costs and make more informed herd management decisions. They also integrate with LIC’s Protrack automation systems, so any cows identified by the sensor systems as requiring closer inspection or further treatment will be alerted to the farmer and automatically drafted at the end of milking. The sensors are highly regarded by farmers in New Zealand and demand from farmers overseas is increasing too. Sensor technology has the potential to revolutionise traditional herd testing practices.

Forest & Bird urges Fed Farmers to unite

Forest & Bird is strongly urging Federated Farmers around New Zealand to get in behind their Waikato branch which has called for a debate on a moratorium for further dairy conversions. Forest & Bird’s Group Manager Campaigns and Advocacy, Kevin Hackwell, says it’s a milestone in conservation when a national farming body takes the initiative in actively managing pollution in our waterways by considering a halt to further intensification of dairying on an already stressed resource. Forest & Bird and Federated Farmers are both members of the Land and Water Forum (a group of more than 60 organisations and stakeholders) which first came together in 2009 to find an agreed way forward to manage water in New Zealand. The Land and Water Forum has recommended potential reform of New Zealand’s fresh water management, and one of the suggestions put forward by the forum was the use of moratoria on further land development in areas where the nutrient limit in waterways is approaching or “has already exceeded” set limits. “The stance taken by Waikato Federated farmers is sensible – all they’re asking is for some headroom to get the pollution limits down below the maximum limit before any more dairy conversions are allowed. They’re asking for a pause, to give the river and land time to catch its breath and recover.” Kevin Hackwell says what’s happening now in Waikato is symptomatic of what’s going on around the rest of the country – we’re about to exceed, or have already exceeded the limits for nitrogen in many of our rivers. Kevin Hackwell says Waikato is following the same path as regions such as Canterbury – an area which is under enormous pressure from irrigation for intensive dairying – and where there are disputes and disagreements over water quality and quantity issues. “New […]

NZ primary industry firms open Chinese marketing office

A group of New Zealand primary sector firms has opened a joint marketing office in Shanghai, completing a three year gestation to make life easier in breaking into the world’s second biggest economy. Primary Collaboration New Zealand officially opened its office in one of China’s major cities yesterday in what chairman Andy Borland hopes will give local firms a foothold in what’s seen as a complex market. “We’re looking for ‘how can we get closer to the customer’?” Borland told BusinessDesk. “We all suffer from a lack of connectivity.” The initiative was born out of a ‘boot camp’ at Stanford University three years ago where primary sector chief executives, New Zealand Trade & Enterprise boss Peter Chrisp, and former Agriculture Minister David Carter tried to find ways to come up with ways to double the sector’s exports. PCNZ’s members include fishing group Sealord, meat processor Silver Fern Farms, dairy firm Synlait Milk, vintner Villa Maria Estate, seafood company Kono and horticulture collaboration Pacific Pace. Borland said the entity will operate as a shared point of contact for distributors and provide research on the ground in China, reducing the cost pressures required by having an office on the ground. In the past when there’s been an issue in China, the member firms have had to rely on government agencies dealing with their distributors to let them know of their situation. “We’re now going to have people on the ground,” Borland said. The structure will allow new members to join the collaboration, but also let the founding partners exit if they choose to, Borland said. Economic Development Minister Steven Joyce oversaw the opening ceremony, describing the initiative as a “testament to New Zealand companies’ ability to think laterally to meet the size and scale of opportunity to do business in China.” New […]

Young Vegetable Growers compete to be New Zealand’s best

New Zealand’s best young vegetable growers will be pushing their barrow to be crowned the winner of the annual New Zealand Young Vegetable Grower Competition. Competitors will battle it out on Thursday 16 April in a series of theoretical and practical challenges, with the champion progressing to compete for the national Young Grower of the Year title, hosted by Horticulture New Zealand, on 12-13 August in Christchurch. “The NZ Young Vegetable Grower competition showcases and celebrates our industry’s top young talent each year. It’s exciting to see our young industry leaders in action, putting their knowledge and skills to the test,” said Kiran Hari, co-ordinator of the 2015 competition. “Each year our contestants continue to lift the standard and we expect that this year will be no different.” The competition puts contestants through a range of key tests with various challenges from finance and marketing exercises to agri-chemical knowledge and fertilisers and soils. The tests are designed around the fundamental skills needed to running a successful vegetable growing business. The five competitors come from around New Zealand: • Auckland: Herman Fourie (29), Turners and Growers Ltd; Lance Pratt (29), A S Wilcox & Sons; Hamish Gates (24), A S Wilcox & Sons • Tuakau: Arjune Dahya (22), Daya Veg Ltd • Canterbury: Michael Anderson (29), Scott Fresh Ltd These contestants are the future of our industry, and the competition provides a good measure of how well we support young up and coming vegetable growers. We wish all competitors the best of luck and look forward to seeing them in action,” said Mr Hari. The NZ Young Vegetable Grower of the Year Competition be held on Thursday 16 April from 9am at the Indian Centre, 57 Ward Street, Pukekohe. Spectators are welcome. Tickets for the evening Speech Contest and Awards dinner […]

Hawke’s Bay economy gets major blast from new food facility

The global success of Rockit™ apples has led to a $17 million investment into land development and a state-of-the-art food packaging facility in Havelock North. Minister for Economic Development, Hon. Steven Joyce officially opened the multi-million dollar food facility today (Wednesday). Havelock North Fruit Company managing director Phil Alison said world-wide consumer demand, which is up 700 percent from 2013, has proved a fruit such as an apple can be marketed as “a premium snack food and compete against sugar-coated confectionary.”

NZ meat industry urged to bite bullet on rationalisation, rewards worth ‘billions’

New Zealand’s meat companies has been urged to bite the bullet and carry out long-mooted industry rationalisation, which could deliver “billions of dollars” in benefits, a new report says. The “Red Meat Industry – Pathways to Long-Term Sustainability” report commissioned by Meat Industry Excellence, a farmer-led group campaigning for industry reform, says that over-capacity in the industry “is costing farmers and processors a great deal, and distorting market behaviour to the detriment of export value.” It looks at various options to reduce over-capacity in the meat industry, noting that an amalgamation of Silver Fern Farms and Alliance Group alone could produce $400 million of benefits over five years. Adding Anzco and Affco to the mix, which would bring New Zealand’s four biggest meat companies to the table to work on “a coordinated and managed consolidation” could generate more than a billion dollars in savings, the report says. “Returns to sheep and beef farners are too low and not sustainable,” said MIE chairman John McCarthy. “If we don’t turn this around, New Zealand’s number two export industry will dwindle as its productive base erodes.” The report says that at the current pace of conversion of sheep and beef farms to dairy, the number of ewes across the country could fall to 15 million in five years’ time and 10 million in 10 years, from about 21 million currently. By contrast, the national dairy herd could grow to 7.5 million from 6.5 million now. The report said farmers broadly supported a “consolidated, cooperative model” although they have historically contributed to the problem of over-capacity among meat plants by shopping their stock around to companies who will pay a premium to ensure they get enough livestock to run their plant to capacity. The report said over-capacity “is imposing a heavy cost on farmers”, with benefits from rationalising processing plants estimated at $444 million […]

MPI trials super-sized beagle

Harrier hounds – they look like a super-sized beagle and they may soon be working at the border to protect New Zealand from imported pests and diseases. The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) is currently trialling two harriers (Morley and Muse) to see whether the breed could upsize its detector dogs. “Harriers could be a great asset for our border protection work”, says Brett Hickman, MPI Detection Technology Manager. “Harriers are very much like beagles in appearance, only taller. And similar to beagles, they have great drive, excellent noses for the food and plant materials we are looking for. They also are good with people. I’ve heard them described as “beagles on steroids.” “The extra height would come in handy with passengers carrying backpacks or with baggage stacked on trolleys. Reaching up to sniff baggage can put strain on the hind legs of beagles. “MPI thanks the New Zealand Hunts’ Association, who are the New Zealand custodians for the harrier breed, for their cooperation and help with this initiative. NZHA president Andy Morison says: “We are pleased our sport can make a contribution to help manage New Zealand’s biosecurity system, which is so crucially important to the primary export sector.” MPI recently announced a range of measures to make it harder for materials containing fruit fly to get past the border, introducing 100 percent screening of passengers and baggage by detector dogs. MPI currently uses beagles and labradors as biosecurity detector dogs. It runs a beagle breeding-programme.

NZ lamb wool prices jump to 4-year high

New Zealand lamb wool prices jumped to the highest in more than four years at auction yesterday on increased demand from China for the apparel fibre, and aided by a stronger US dollar. Lamb wool rose 3.9 percent to an average $6.65 per kilogram from last week’s auction, the highest price since February 2011, according to AgriHQ. The average price for 35 micron wool, a benchmark for crossbred wool used for carpets and accounting for the majority of New Zealand’s production, slipped 1.9 percent $5.25/kg as it retreated after touching a three month high last week on lower volumes. The New Zealand dollar has declined against the greenback over the past week after better jobs data out of the US stoked speculation the Federal Reserve may raise interest rates in June. The stronger US dollar has meant that while the cost for buyers paying in that currency have remained relatively stable, the weaker New Zealand dollar means they are able to pay more for lamb wool in local currency terms. “Lamb wool increased relative to the US dollar as there is very strong Chinese interest in this wool type, and trading to that country is done in US dollars,” said AgriHQ agriculture analyst Ivan Luketina. “Other wool types where demand was spread over China, Australia, India and Europe had smaller increases as the NZ dollar has held up more against most of these currencies than against the US dollar.” Some 7,995 wool bales were offered at the latest auction in the South Island, the smallest weekly offering so far this year, as New Zealand comes out of its main shearing season from December to early February. Wool is New Zealand’s 14th largest commodity export.

Farmax conference to focus farmers and rural consultants on 2025 export goals

Decision support software company, Farmax, believes it has a key tool pastoral farmers can use to help the agriculture industry achieve its goal of doubling exports by 2025. The company’s 2015 conference will focus on helping farmers and rural consultants gain confidence in the tools they need to achieve this objective. Minister for Primary Industries Hon Nathan Guy will open the conference at Mac’s Function Centre in Wellington on 7-8 May. Beef + Lamb New Zealand chief executive Dr Scott Champion, OVERSEER general manager Caroline Read and Landcorp Farm Operations general manager Graeme Mulligan will also present over the two-day event. Conference attendees will receive important insights into the current state of New Zealand’s agricultural industry, as well as the Government’s goal of doubling agricultural exports by 2025. This goal is well-aligned with Farmax’s main objective, which is to help pastoral farmers increase productivity and profitability through better planning, monitoring, analysing and reviewing.

Sustainable salmon farming subject of $5.2 million research project

New Zealand government, research and commercial groups are aligning with international salmon experts to make salmon farming here even more sustainable. The $5.2 million project is spearheaded by Nelson-based New Zealand King Salmon and aims to fully understand the specific dietary requirements of King salmon. To conduct the programme, New Zealand King Salmon has brought together a research group comprising Seafood Innovations Ltd (SIL), Nelson’s Cawthron Institute, the Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology (NMIT) and Danish feed producer BioMar. The nutritional requirements of the rare King Salmon species – farmed predominantly in New Zealand – differ considerably from the common Atlantic salmon, trout and other salmon species farmed elsewhere in the world. Currently global suppliers produce feed based on environmental and economic considerations for the latter species. New Zealand King Salmon chief operating officer Rubén Álvarez says the company is committed to best practice and the highest quality product and that drives the need to fully understand the species’ dietary requirements. “I came to New Zealand with a background in farming other salmon and trout species around the world and was prepared to apply that knowledge to growing salmon here. “However I immediately realised we were lacking detailed dietary information on King salmon. Although the unique qualities of the King salmon are an advantage for us in our sales and marketing activity, it also means that information based on the nutritional needs of the more common species is not always applicable and R&D for King salmon is not a broader industry priority. “It was obvious that if we didn’t drive this research, it would not happen,” Mr Álvarez says. The aim of the world-first study is to develop a high-quality, species-specific feed that improves vastly on the generic products currently available. Commercial interests are providing half the funding for the […]

«‹ 58 59 60 61 ›»

News Ticker

Developments