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GIA biosecurity partnership welcomes the citrus industry

The GIA partnership has welcomed NZ Citrus Growers Inc. (NZCGI) as its newest member. By signing the Government Industry Agreement (GIA) Deed for Biosecurity Readiness and Response, NZCGI becomes the ninth member of the growing GIA partnership. The ceremony was attended by the Minister for Primary Industries – Hon Nathan Guy, NZCGI Chair – Richard Curtis, NZCGI Executive Manager – Nikki Johnson, Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) Director – General – Martyn Dunne, and the GIA Secretariat. “We are pleased to join the GIA partnership which will ultimately help to deliver the best biosecurity outcomes for the New Zealand citrus industry,” says Mr Curtis. “The citrus industry faces a number of serious biosecurity threats that could decimate our industry – from the early discussions around GIA, NZCGI determined that GIA provided an opportunity to work more closely with government to understand the risks, undertake activities to prevent entry, and respond quickly and appropriately if required. Signing the GIA Deed will give the citrus industry a much stronger voice and working in partnership with MPI provides the best opportunity to manage our biosecurity risks, thereby maximising our industry potential”. There are over 350 citrus growers in New Zealand. Approximately $60 million worth of citrus fruit is produced per annum (36,000 tonnes), and around $6 million is exported to overseas markets. In 2014, New Zealand exported around 812 tonnes of navel oranges, 925 tonnes of Satsuma mandarins, and 1,678 tonnes of lemons to markets around the world. GIA Secretariat Manager, Steve Rich, welcomed NZCGI to the partnership saying GIA now has a diverse range of industry groups that is already beginning to deliver improved biosecurity readiness and response activities. “The creation of the GIA partnership to deliver better biosecurity outcomes was a bold and innovative step for primary industries and the New […]

How to respond to the ‘water quality versus production debate’?

-Dr Blair Miller – Group Manager Environmental Research, Lincoln Agritech Government recently issued a call of action to the country, saying that we must work to double our primary production export earnings while maintaining or improving water quality. To most people, this twin challenge will seem contradictory. Yet we are capable of fulfilling both of these duelling ambitions. In fact, the fight to attain them is one that we must fully commit to. I believe we can do it, as we have some of the best scientific minds in the world on the case. But we need to utilise our experts so we have the best chance of balancing economic development with environmental protection. Achieving export growth means developing new markets and these markets will be increasingly judging us on the integrity of our production processes. If we allow environmental impacts to worsen, we risk damaging the reputation on which our primary sector exporters trade. In other words, the Government’s challenge is not contradictory. Positive economic development must be based on sound environmental outcomes. Pundits regularly promote the notion of moving up the value chain to increase export earnings. This, of course, is happening all the time and we should applaud companies like Synlait with their slogan, “Making more from milk”, which describes the strategy very well. However, we must look at how much primary produce we need to achieve growth. Bulk commodities dominate primary sector exports and this will continue for the foreseeable future, so increasing production is the only realistic way to double our primary export earnings. However, this means intensification, and with that comes environmental impact. We need to understand this impact if we are to develop strategies that will tackle it. The fate of nitrates attracts the most attention in this area due to dairy intensification. […]

Rural contractors back current temporary worker immigration rules

Agricultural contractors around New Zealand support the Government’s current immigration rules on allowing temporary workers into the country. This comes following recent criticism by opposition political parties that these regulations are cutting New Zealanders out of employment. Rural Contractors NZ (RCNZ) president Steve Levet says the use of temporary, skilled overseas workers is vital for agricultural contracting sector. “Every year, in many parts of the country, it’s often impossible for rural contractors to find skilled New Zealanders to carry out this seasonal work,” he explains. “That’s why it is necessary for us to look overseas to find experienced people to fill this need.” It is not known exactly how many temporary, overseas workers are needed by rural contractors each year – but it is thought to be around 900. Mr Levet says RCNZ has worked hard with Immigration New Zealand in an effort to resolve the problems around contractors bringing in overseas workers for the harvest season. Later this year, national body will implement a new scheme to bring in overseas workers – following a deal struck between it and Immigration NZ. This will see RCNZ applying for an Approval in Principle (AIP) on behalf of all members of the national body and contractors. Contractors will then be able to apply online for a visa for the person being recruited – without having to advertise, go to WINZ or any the other requirements currently causing so much difficulty. “As RCNZ will hold the AIP, there are a number of responsibilities placed on us and it will be important that all those contractors who wish to use this scheme comply with all these conditions and requirements,” Mr Levet explains. “For starters, there will need to be a written contract between RCNZ and each member company participating in the scheme – to […]

Not a good example

Rural Contractors NZ (RCNZ) is concerned about Fonterra’s moves to extend the time it takes to pay contractors as part of an efficiency drive. The organisation, which represents NZ’s agricultural contractors, concerns come in the wake of reports that Fonterra has extended by two months the time it takes to pay suppliers; while also asking them to cut their charges. The dairy co-op has defended the move as about boosting efficiency. RCNZ president Steve Levet says this is not the type of action an industry-leader like Fonterra should be undertaking. “It sends a terrible message to farmers. That it is ok to delay paying suppliers and that is not on,” Mr Levet says. “We all understand the dairy sector is undergoing a very, tough period. But this should not be used as an excuse to not pay contractors in a fair and timely manner.” Mr Levet believes dairy farmers – many who will be making a loss this year – would not approve of such action and he does not want to see them to take a similar stance with their own suppliers. “Dairy farmers – on the whole – are good and fair people, but when Fonterra takes a stance like this – they make think it is ok for them to do the same. “I can tell you rural contractors are hurting just as much as dairy farmers. The last thing we need is for people to delaying paying us or trying to dictate pricing. We all have to live.” Mr Levet has called on dairy farmers to pressure Fonterra to ensure it treat its contractors fairly.

How to respond to the ‘water quality versus production debate’?

-by Dr Blair Miller – Group Manager Environmental Research, Lincoln Agritech Government recently issued a call of action to the country, saying that we must work to double our primary production export earnings while maintaining or improving water quality. To most people, this twin challenge will seem contradictory. Yet we are capable of fulfilling both of these duelling ambitions. In fact, the fight to attain them is one that we must fully commit to. I believe we can do it, as we have some of the best scientific minds in the world on the case. But we need to utilise our experts so we have the best chance of balancing economic development with environmental protection. Achieving export growth means developing new markets and these markets will be increasingly judging us on the integrity of our production processes. If we allow environmental impacts to worsen, we risk damaging the reputation on which our primary sector exporters trade. In other words, the Government’s challenge is not contradictory. Positive economic development must be based on sound environmental outcomes. Pundits regularly promote the notion of moving up the value chain to increase export earnings. This, of course, is happening all the time and we should applaud companies like Synlait with their slogan, “Making more from milk”, which describes the strategy very well. However, we must look at how much primary produce we need to achieve growth. Bulk commodities dominate primary sector exports and this will continue for the foreseeable future, so increasing production is the only realistic way to double our primary export earnings. However, this means intensification, and with that comes environmental impact. We need to understand this impact if we are to develop strategies that will tackle it. The fate of nitrates attracts the most attention in this area due to dairy […]

Perfect Weather Grows Outstanding New Zealand Apples

Four weeks of perfect apple growing weather and New Zealand’s $700 million record crop is looking spectacular – in fruit size, quality and flavour. Pipfruit New Zealand chief executive Alan Pollard said New Zealand is growing the best apples in the world. “We are already number one for our international competitive edge and this season is going to be exceptional. “Global demand is for bigger apples and over this past month New Zealand’s apples have been feeding off the perfect growing conditions with plenty of sunshine. “Our oceanic climate is perfect for apple growing. We have a coastal sea breeze keeping apples cool during the night and are experiencing day after day of sunny and warm temperatures in the mid to high 20s.” “In January we forecasted New Zealand would produce a record export crop of $700-million. We were expecting, given the relatively cool spring conditions that trees would grow slightly smaller apples. “But a month of perfect growing conditions has seen fruit really come on, it’s going to be an outstanding season and all our growing regions will prosper,” Mr Pollard said. “New Zealand’s apple industry is entering an extremely exciting time capturing significant growth, investment and profitability. “It’s great news for our apple growing regions of Hawke’s Bay, Nelson and Central Otago, Gisborne, Waikato, Wairarapa and South Canterbury.”

Solar innovation a relief for drought-stricken farmers

A solar water pump system is helping get much needed water to stock on remote hill country farms and has captured international interest from water-stressed countries. Central Hawke’s Bay electrical and pumping business Isaacs Pumping & Electrical has been developing the technology over the last two years with support from Callaghan Innovation. Isaacs Electrical directors Gavin Streeter and Shane Heaton were continually being asked by farmers what options were available to reliably get water to stock without electricity, especially in remote hill country properties. “Solar was the ideal alternative but we needed to ensure we had a motor and pump that farmers could rely on to keep stock troughs full. “We didn’t need to look too far and we selected a pump with a proven track record and has been servicing farms for over 50 years,” Mr Streeter said. The Callaghan Innovation funding helped developed the controller or the “brain”, which is a circuit board that optimises the use of solar power and monitors water pressure, run times and faults logs. “The system is fully automatic, it operates like a standard pumping system and we have just design some clever features to maximise the pumping time and protect the motor,” he said. The development of the epump has been a mix of international and Hawke’s Bay suppliers providing equipment and componentry. An Italian company developed the industrial continuous rated motor, Hawke’s Bay engineering firm McLaren Stainless designed and manufactured the outer protective shell and another local firm, some of the Intellectually Protected circuitry. The epump can pump up to 120 metres of head and up to 20 litres per minute in daylight hours and can withstand the harshest environments. It can fill stock troughs on hillsides up to 120 metres on hill country and unlike other options it can draw both […]

Thirsty cows pump their own water

Cows grazing on remote New Zealand farms can now pump their own drinking water and be fully fenced off from precious waterways thanks to a Kiwi company’s newest product. Shoof International, a veterinary equipment company which specialises in farm innovations, have just launched their new Grazing Pump. It allows cattle to drink from a trough and pump water at the same time without the need for power or water reticulation systems to be installed. The Grazing Pump would prevent controversial situations where cattle stray into lakes and waterways, as occurred when cattle belonging to Chief Justice Dame Sian Elias and her husband, Hugh Fletcher, were photographed wading in a North Canterbury lake. Shoof International’s group sales manager, John Stubbs, says when cattle drink from the portable trough, they push a lever arm with their nose which draws more water from the source supply. “Water can be drawn 70m across or 7m upwards from any water source such as streams, ponds, bores, dams, wetlands or troughs,” Stubbs says. “Animals learn very quickly how to operate the pump, as there is always a small amount of water lying in the bottom of the bowl which they try to drink, activating the pump in the process. “There’s even a model that allows a calf to drink at the same time as its mother pumps the water. It’s the perfect solution for remote farming areas.” The pumps supplies enough water for up to 50 dry stock, giving farmers the ability to fence off waterways completely, knowing their stock will always have enough water to drink. “The stock will remain hydrated and healthy, and New Zealand’s environment will be protected as there’s no longer any need for cows to walk in, and pollute, our waterways.” Shoof International has been in business since the 1970s and […]

NZ small dairy farmers content with their lot

New Lincoln University research has found many small dairy farmers are content with the size of their operation, despite the constant calls for economic growth. Dr Victoria Westbrooke and Dr Peter Nuthall, from the Faculty of Agribusiness and Commerce, surveyed 330 randomly selected farmers running small dairy farms for the small farmers’ organisation (SMASH). The project was funded by DairyNZ via OneFarm. “It was clear from this research, and similar previous work, that the farmers were content to simply carry on working their current farm,” Dr Westbrooke says. “They did not want to buy more land, or sell and buy bigger, or use other expansion possibilities.” She says small farmers were shown to be more family and friends oriented than their larger farm colleagues and to have a laid back attitude. They were getting on with enjoying life even if not having a lot of spare cash, she says, and take a balanced view. While they scored ‘making maximum sustainable cash returns’ at 4.4 out of a maximum of 5 they also scored ‘having reasonable time off and holidays’ at 4.3 out of 5. “Clearly life has other objectives than just profit for these farmers,” Dr Westbrooke concludes. They rated ‘I don’t sleep at night worrying about decisions’ a low 2.1 out of 5 as a score on the truth of the assertion. Succession was not an issue either. “Overall, many of the small dairy farmers were not interested in having their children take over from them”, Dr Westbrooke says. “Perhaps they believed their farm was too small and the children would be better off in another profession”. However, a sub group of younger farmers were interested in expanding. They tended to be looking for extra land such as a bigger farm on which to expand their share milking business. […]

Novel approach to get farmers to trust their gut

Lincoln University researcher Dr Peter Nuthall has a question for farmers. “How many times do you find yourself thinking about how can you make your farm more successful?” His answer lies in developing your ability to understand or know something based on your well- informed intuition. Dr Nuthall says farms are run on intuition every day: every farmer makes a myriad of decisions based on it. “Successful farm management is totally dependent on the quality of the farmer’s inherent intuition.” He has written The Intuitive Farmer – Inspiring Management Success. It’s not a textbook, but a novel. It tells of Ben, who farms in rolling country in New Zealand, and some of his colleagues. Tom, a management researcher, guides a research programme in which the farmers take part. They face many management dilemmas universal to any farming system in any country. Successes and tragedies emerge from the farmer centred experiment, and a multitude of lessons. Farmers aren’t always the best at formal study, Dr Nuthall says, so the novel is a painless way to embed the lessons into a story about farmers and farming. “It is clear where efforts to improve intuition should be concentrated,” he says. “Self-reflection is critical, and also the critique of decisions and outcomes by friends and colleagues. Careful observation is also important, as is extensive experience and a knowledge of the technology. These three go hand in hand, and can all be improved with concentrated effort.” In conjunction with colleague Dr Kevin Old, he has recently released the results of a study into farmers’ intuition which used information from over 700 farmers of all types. The variation in profit, and other output, was used to isolate key factors in intuition. At least 60 per cent of a farmer’s intuition is due to environmental aspects, in contrast to genetic influences. […]

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