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New appointments at Asahi Beverages NZ support continued growth

Asahi Beverages NZ has appointed people into senior roles to support ongoing growth, build capability and provide opportunities for its people as it continues to invest in establishing itself as one of New Zealand’s leading beverages companies. CEO Andrew Campbell says the appointments reflect Asahi Beverages NZ is a growing business focused on delivering preferred alcohol and non-alcohol beverages to valued customers and consumers, as well as attracting and retaining great talent. “We’re excited to be welcoming new people to our team who bring with them outstanding, and in several cases, global experience to drive future growth.” Tom Robinson is among those joining the business in a newly-created role of GM Supply Chain based at Asahi Beverage’s Papakura manufacturing site. British-born Robinson is currently Plant Manager at Asahi Beverages’ Yatala Brewery on the Gold Coast, which is Australia’s largest brewery. A highly experienced and effective site GM, Robinson has run multiple brewing and cider making operations and held his role at Yatala for over 11 years. He was previously a Head of Manufacturing for Heineken based in the UK for four years. Robinson has also worked for leading UK brewers Scottish and Newcastle and has a degree in Chemical Engineering. He has commenced his new role remotely and will move to Auckland when the travel bubble between Queensland and Auckland reopens. Asahi Beverages NZ has also appointed Mark McGuire to the new role of NZ Capital Projects Manager responsible for the businesses’ supply chain function. McGuire has been with Asahi Beverages NZ for over 12 years and was previously Manufacturing Operations Manager.

Picking the way to a better asparagus future with robotic harvesting

A robotic asparagus harvester project led by growers and supported by the Government is set to reinvigorate the New Zealand asparagus industry, by alleviating ongoing labour challenges. The New Zealand Asparagus Council (NZAC) and Tauranga-based Robotics Plus will work alongside New Zealand asparagus growers to develop a world-first commercial-scale autonomous robotic asparagus harvester to help address ongoing labour shortages in the industry and support growers to tap into high-value export markets. The Government’s Sustainable Food and Fibre Futures (SFF Futures) fund is contributing $2.6 million to the $5.83 million project. “We’re really excited to get this project underway as we simply don’t have enough people to do the work,” says Mangaweka Asparagus grower and NZAC Chair, Sam Rainey. “Robotic harvesting will be a game-changer for the asparagus industry that currently relies heavily on picking asparagus by hand, which is hard toil. An average picker will walk 10 kilometres per day, so it’s extremely difficult to attract people to do the work. “Having the ability to access a commercial robotic harvester will also go a long way to helping manage costs, ensuring we can continue to put locally grown fresh asparagus on our plates.” Steve Saunders, CEO of Robotics Plus, says an autonomous asparagus harvester will alleviate labour constraints, reduce and stabilise costs, and allow New Zealand asparagus to have a more competitive offering in high-value export markets. “We’re excited to be working with growers and the New Zealand Asparagus Council to ensure we develop a solution that tackles challenges head-on and creates a better future for the asparagus industry. It’s an ideal robotics project as green asparagus is conducive to automation as it grows above ground. In addition, it replaces a physically arduous job that only has a brief employment window that growers struggle to attract harvesting labour for,” says […]

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.

Jake-Jarman-WINNER-FMG-Young-Farmer-of-the-Year-2021-NZF

Lincoln alumnus banks Young Farmer title

Banker, and Lincoln commerce graduate, Jake Jarman’s win in the recent FMG Young Farmer of the Year contest highlights the diversity of the agriculture sector. He was competing against, among others, a solutions and development specialist, a farms systems scientist, technical specialist, and regional sales manager. Only two of the competitors were on the pasture side of the farm gate, working in dairy farming. The 2019 winner (no winner in 2020 due to Covid-19) was in a business graduate programme, while a vet was also in the final. Jake is an ANZ Relationship Associate and comes from a fifth-generation family dairy farm, though two of his fellow finalists were from urban backgrounds. “I opted to go down the commerce route for my studies because it’s always been something I’ve found interesting,” he said. He has not strayed too far from his roots in his job though, as he helps customers to start, grow and maintain their rural businesses, and his degree helped in his career and in the competition. “The Bachelor of Commerce (Agriculture) course at Lincoln was great in that it allowed me to learn about a wide range of the agricultural industry,” he said. The compulsory practical work farm placements component meant he also learnt crucial practical skills during his summer breaks. He said the programme also included a whole year looking at one business and having to analyse their financial and physical performance, but then also be innovative in coming up with an investment idea. Field trips to the Lower North Island, Waikato, and Southland were highlights. “I thoroughly enjoyed them because we were immersed in the ag industry for a week, and I was able to learn about farming in all the different regions of NZ.” Jake said the reaction at work to his win had […]

Safety profile – It’s so important to take time out

Working in the agri-nutrient sector, Calvin Ball says he has seen a significant change in farmers’ attitudes to health and safety in recent years. Calvin, the Northern 2021 FMG Young Farmer of the Year, grew up on a Northland dairy farm, studied agriscience at Massey and began his career with an agri-nutrient company in 2013. After his OE in London, he returned to the company and is now Northern North Island Regional Sales Manager, heading a team of nutrient specialists. “Going out on farms, I have seen farmers’ attitudes change significantly since 2013,” he says. “Back then, many could be pretty dismissive in their response to conversations about health and safety, but now they are much more on board with the requirements and attitudes are very different.” For Calvin, a strong awareness around farmers managing fatigue and the importance of looking after their mental health and wellbeing and that of their people is a critical part of any health and safety plan. “I’m a strong advocate of being aware and noticing if someone doesn’t seem well. I try to encourage them to talk and to seek help.” Calvin is also a volunteer with Surfing for Farmers in Whangarei. The voluntary organisation started in Gisborne and has spread countrywide. “We help organise it. All the gear is provided, and farmers come along and get free lessons. It gets them off farm and provides the opportunity to learn something new and to catch up with other farmers. We’ve had 100-150 farmers in the water – and we have a barbecue afterwards.” Calvin grew up as one of five children. Like many farm kids, they worked alongside their parents on the farm, learning how to do jobs safely. His father would always supervise them until he was confident they could do a […]

From the ‘Should Have Seen it Coming File’…

Australia has just competed a new trade deal with the UK including agricultural products, which includes a removal of all tariffs. The UK will export to Australia cars, Scotch whisky, biscuits and ceramics. The deal makes up for EU imports lost (due to Brexit) being made up by Australia. Its a decent win for Australia and was settled after keeping the British meat producer in mind. It is also a deal keeping in mind the UK’s aim of joining a wider Asia-Pacific free trade agreement. This on top of the pressure Australia has been under by standing up to China (for the world!), losing billions of dollars of product exports – including wine – being blocked by that country. So well done Australia! Then – almost predictably – the NZ prime minister at Mystery Creek Fieldays, Hamilton had a say about all this. She said ( words to the effect) that her government was taking negotiations with the UK slower, so that we get a proper deal? Is she saying Australia hurried theirs by coming up with an Agreement with zero tariffs? These are the words of a person who worked in a fish and chip shop in Morrinsville. These are the words of someone who continues to confirm the inferiority complex that NZ has with Australia. Did she want to be invited to the G7? Damien O’Connor has just arrived in London to talk trade deals with his UK couterparts – let’s hope they come up with something similar.

Dairy challenged to keep building momentum

Dairy farmers at DairyNZ’s Farmers’ Forum have been challenged to take their world-leading farm systems and continue toward an increasingly sustainable future. The forum in Waikato and Southland opened on Thursday, April 29, with keynote speaker Climate Change Minister Hon. James Shaw, who acknowledged the sector’s success and where dairy is heading. “We know that New Zealand’s dairy farmers have amongst the lowest carbon footprint per unit of production in the world. That is something for us to build on, to bend the curve on our total emissions output, because it is our total emissions that cause climate change,” said Mr Shaw. “There have been things happening in the sector over the past few years that are changing the way things are done. These are making significant impacts for the farmers adopting them, reducing their emissions whilst at the same time increasing their profitability. Our task now is to roll these innovations and changes in farm practice out right across the country.” “The same thing is true in every sector of the economy. There is a lot of work to be done, but if we get it right, what we’ll see is a cleaner and more productive country.” Leading New Zealand economist Cameron Bagrie also emphasised challenges facing the sector, including climate change and the labour issues, but suggests the farming sector’s sentiment in the next 10 to 20 years should be a glass half full. “Our country’s world leading agricultural sector has made big advances over the past few years, including tidying up balance sheets, and improvements can and should continue,” said Mr Bagrie. “Disruption is here, and coming thick and fast, but the dairy sector knows what it needs to do. We are going to get there.” DairyNZ chairman Jim van der Poel also said we can be […]

New grain fed beef site set to tantalise

New website grainfedbeef.com.au showcases the attributes of grain fed beef production in Australia and aims to provide consumers with information that covers topics including animal welfare, environment, and nutrition. Queensland-based lot feeder, Barb Madden of Smithfield Cattle Company (pictured), is excited about the launch of grainfedbeef.com.au and said it was a project brought on by curious consumers and those involved in producing and supplying the highly sought-after product. “To date, there has been a lack of readily accessible, credible information available on the production of grain fed beef in Australia. This central source of verified information will prove to be a valuable resource for those seeking out this information,” Barb explained. The site and Instagram account @grainfedbeef promises to deliver tantalising stories on how grain fed beef is produced and how people like to enjoy the tender, juicy flavours that is consistent with grain fed beef. “Australian grain fed beef is an exceptional product, underpinned by a quality assurance system that is considered the world’s best practice. Consumers might be surprised by the quality, care and pride that goes into every step, from production to product, welfare and environment.” “The site allows consumers to connect with where their food comes from in a direct and engaging way.” “As grain fed beef producers, we are committed to meeting the high standards we set for ourselves, and that are set within our independently audited quality assurance scheme. For us, it is about communicating this to our consumers and the progress we’re continually making in line with community expectations,” Barb said. Anyone seeking out information on grain fed beef will find value in the site, whether you have it on your restaurant menu, stocked in your butchery, or served up on the family dinner table. Peak industry body, the Australian Lot Feeders’ Association, […]

Fooditive’s sweetener a revolution in the food industry?

The words ‘healthy’ and ‘natural’ are not often linked to sugar substitutes, but Fooditive BV wants to change that. Over the past decade, the Netherlands-based food ingredient manufacturer has been pear-suing sustain-apple solutions to combat global sugar intake. In 2018, this became a reality with its plant-based and chemical-free sweetener. Since then, Fooditive has focussed on improving the health status of products that use sugar replacements by providing an affordable alternative to other options on the market. As put by Fooditive’s Product Development Manager, Niki Karatza, “developing a sweetener that could successfully replace sugar in food products required us to first understand the true essence of sugar. We managed that by diving into the science behind sucrose, its taste and its unique functionalities.” This was achieved through an innovative process: the reverse engineering of sucrose. By starting with the end product and working backwards, it allowed Fooditive to analyse the ingredients’ properties and therefore understand how it could mimic the characteristics of sugar in its sweetener. Combining this knowledge with apple and pear waste led to the creation of Fooditive Sweetener, which is 70% as sweet as sugar and does not raise insulin or blood glucose levels. With sustainability and transitioning to a circular economy as Fooditive’s core principles, it obtains the raw materials for its sweetener in two ways. Firstly, it collaborates with Dutch farmers to salvage both organic and non-organic unwanted apples and pears, and secondly, it collects the side streams of these fruits from other production processes. Once gathered, a continuous fermentation process, which means that more sweetener can be yielded in a shorter amount of time, is used to extract fructose and convert it into keto-fructose; this end product is the sweetener. For 2021, founder and food scientist Moayad Abushokhedim has set a weekly goal to produce around 30 […]

Environmental leaders inspire and challenge farmers at dairy forum

Dairy farmers at the Dairy Environment Leaders Forum in Wellington have heard first-hand what will be required of all New Zealanders in order to meet our climate change obligations. The Wellington forum’s first day opened on Tuesday (17 March) with keynote speaker Climate Change Commission chair Dr Rodd Carr, followed by Climate Change Minister James Shaw and speakers from other sectors. Dr Carr told the group of around 40 Dairy Environment Leaders at the two day forum that all New Zealanders have a responsibility to begin reducing emissions if we are to rise to the climate challenge. “Human beings have a carbon footprint, no matter what we do,” said Dr Carr. “So it’s about containing it, and how we contain it. The climate waits for no-one. As a nation, we can choose what we do, but we can’t choose not to reduce emissions. “So it’s about our share of the responsibility. The science is now so clear that we have to act because greenhouse gases are causing the climate to change. The needle on the dial is moving toward doing what we can, when we can. “There is technical feasibility, economic effects and social acceptance we need to address. I think the journey is underway, we just have to configure how we do it. Long-term, we will need a technological break-through.” Climate Change Minister James Shaw echoed that view, saying there are diverse tools farmers can use in different farm conditions across New Zealand and there is time to achieve the changes. “We can get to where we need to, over the next 30 years, with the options we have now,” said Mr Shaw. “Fortunately, we are not starting from scratch, there’s been a lot of good work done in the last five years, including through the He Waka Eke […]

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