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First Seasonal Workers Swing into Action in New Zealand Orchards

The first seasonal workers have swung into action in New Zealand’s apple orchards, preparing the trees for another bumper crop. Bostock New Zealand has recently welcomed over 200 seasonal workers from the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Fiji and Indonesia as part of the Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) scheme. Owner of Bostock New Zealand, John Bostock says New Zealanders always come first when it comes to employment. “The key for us is getting New Zealanders into full time employment rather than just seasonal jobs and we are helping up-skill our seasonal staff to give them more opportunity. “But we are challenged by a labour shortage in New Zealand because there are not enough Kiwi’s available to meet the peak season demand, so it is great that we can bring in labour from other countries to help get the fruit off the trees at the crucial times. “The RSE scheme helps so many families throughout the Pacific Islands as the money earned here is put back into their communities. “It also enables Bostock New Zealand to build a business that can create fulltime roles for Kiwis too.” Bostock New Zealand employs just under 300 RSE workers some arriving in November and others in February. They can each save up to $9000, which they take home and use to invest in things like schooling, building improvements, local churches, purchasing land, homes and businesses. Vanuatu RSE Worker Graham Nawia is returning to work for Bostock New Zealand for his sixth season. “My home was totally destroyed in Cyclone Pam so this gives me an opportunity to earn some good money to bring back to my wife and children in Vanuatu. It has been very tough for a lot of families, so it will be good to invest money back into my community to help rebuild […]

George Weston Foods in Australasia

George Weston Foods Limited (GWF) is one of Australia and New Zealand’s largest food manufacturers employing over 6,500 people across 58 sites. http://www.georgewestonfoods.com.au/our-business/

Wireless trapping pilot begins in rural Hawke’s Bay

Hawke’s Bay farmers are taking part in a predator control trial using game-changing technology. Hawke’s Bay Regional Council Land Services Manager Campbell Leckie said the trial, starting in late October, will see 200 predator traps armed with wireless monitoring technology trialled throughout Hawke’s Bay. The trial is part of Cape to City, which is a wide scale predator control and ecological restoration programme covering over 26,000ha of land between Hastings and Cape Kidnappers. Mr Leckie said a small trial of the wireless technology was undertaken earlier this year, and after some modifications, the next stage is now ready to begin involving farmers, landowners and restoration groups in up to eight rural areas between Mahia and Central Hawke’s Bay. The trial will test the connectivity of the wireless technology in a range of environments and climates, as well as establishing the best way and how often users are notified that the traps have been activated. “Wireless technology will make it much more efficient for farmers to clear and check traps. Rather than having to regularly check every trap, they will only have to check the ones that have been activated. The new traps have long life lures and a wireless transponder which sends a text message or an email notifying where and when the trap has gone off,” says Mr Leckie. Hawke’s Bay Regional Council Predator Control Specialist, Pouri Rakete-Stones, and his team will monitor the trial and make sure farmers find it easy and safe to use the traps. “We will be working closely with the landowners participating in the trial to see what works for them and what improvements could be made,” he says Another aim is to significantly reduce the cost of ongoing pest control through the wireless networking of traps, along with the long life lures. Currently […]

IrrigationNZ calls for 350,000 ha more land to be irrigated by 2025, lifting total by 50%

IrrigationNZ is calling for a dramatic escalation in irrigation, saying New Zealand could bring water to an additional 350,000 hectares by 2025, boosting agricultural production and providing a buffer against weather events such as El Nino-induced drought. The lobby group wants a 50 percent increase in irrigated land in the next 10 years, according to its industry snapshot released today. New Zealand currently has approximately 720,000 hectares of irrigated land, and IrrigationNZ has produced a map showing where irrigation could be expanded, pushing total watered land to more than 1 million hectares. Chief executive Andrew Curtis said New Zealand’s primary production growth is being hampered by a lack of a reliable water supply, which ultimately holds back economic growth. “Much of regional New Zealand’s future success is reliant on community water infrastructure developments that create wins for both the economy and environment,” Curtis said. New Zealand currently extracts around 2 percent of available water, excluding the 3 percent used for hydro-power, and taking another 1 percent “would significantly grow the wider economy,” he said. Irrigated farm land generated an estimated $2.7 billion to the New Zealand economy, the lobby group said in 2012. New Zealand is “a water-rich country” and water extraction “is extremely low” compared to other countries, where irrigation can account for 50-70 percent of water use, Curtis said. Irrigation for agriculture and horticulture currently uses around 60 per cent of New Zealand’s extracted water, according to IrrigationNZ. Half of New Zealand’s irrigated land is used for dairy farming, a quarter is taken up by sheep and beef finishing, and the remaining quarter is made up by vegetable and arable crops, along with fruit and wine growing. IrrigationNZ’s map of future irrigation adds a potential 200,000 ha to the existing 444,777 ha of irrigated land in Canterbury. In […]

Weed killing weevil revealed at field day

With support from MPI’s Sustainable Farming Fund, an invasive weed may soon be controlled with the help of a British Weevil. Field horsetail – a weedy fern, is spreading throughout wetter regions, competing with grasses, reducing the productive potential of land and impacting both grazing and cropping farmers. Landcare Research, supported by the Rangitikei Horsetail Group, has been investigating potential biocontrol solutions to help control it and revealed last Friday a weevil (Grypus equiseti) has come out as the best candidate for the job. “We are extremely pleased to hear they’ve found a weevil that, if approved, can help tackle the field horsetail issue affecting mainly the Rangitikei region. This will enable land to be returned to more productive use,” said MPI Acting Director Aquaculture, Growth and Innovation Alice Marfell-Jones. “Around $300,000 was invested over three years from the Sustainable Farming Fund which has gone towards understanding the effects of the field horsetail and investigate potential biocontrol options.” Landcare Research researcher Lindsay Smith talking about the findings at a Field Day held in Bulls on Friday 6 November. “Throughout our testing, we found the weevil to be one of the most damaging biocontrol agents causing significant damage to field horsetail,” said Smith. “The plant is attacked by both larvae and adult weevils, with the larvae burrowing down the weed’s stems and into its extensive root system.” “Over the last three years we have been testing the weevil in our biocontainment facility at Lincoln to confirm it is ‘host specific’ to horsetail and so will only damage horsetail and won’t pose a threat to other flora here in New Zealand. We will now be submitting an application to the Environmental Protection Authority to seek permission to release the weevil from containment. If we are successful, the weevil will be able to […]

Computer course for farmers set for national rollout

Using a computer is now an essential part of running a farm business so a course teaching farmers the basics has attracted investment from the red meat sector. Two years ago Pongaroa-based farm consultant Rachel Joblin ran the first basic computer skills course to meet demand from members of her local community. It was such a success the Red Meat Profit Partnership (RMPP) is now funding a nationwide rollout. Beef + Lamb New Zealand (B+LNZ) is the major investor in the building people and capability component of the profit partnership, of which the computer course is a part. B+LNZ CEO, Dr Scott Champion says the course fits with RMPP’s philosophy of helping farmers develop skills to make use of existing products, rather than inventing new ones. He adds that an increasing array of services are being offered online. Having the skills to use them will help farmers make more informed decisions and better manage their businesses. “Computers are fast becoming an essential farm management tool and through its investment in RMPP, Beef + Lamb New Zealand is pleased to help make these computer courses available to farmers throughout the country.” Rachel’s involvement in setting up the computer course happened almost by accident. She explains that she was approached by farmers within her community who wanted to develop basic computer skills. She investigated options but found no trainers locally, so decided to do it herself. The course is very much aimed at developing the basic skills farmers need to run their businesses. Starting at just turning the computer on and understanding what they are seeing to sending emails and using search engines. “There are so many ah-ha moments when you see whole new worlds opening up to them.” Many farmers have been relying on family members to use the computer for […]

Grow a safer business with Primary ITO’s new Health & Safety workshop

Health and safety is the ‘hot topic’ of the moment. “How do the legislative changes affect me and business?” This is the question we’re frequently asked at Primary ITO. People are also uncertain about what is actually needed to ensure their business is safe and compliant. So, what are the answers? There are many information seminars running that will help to answer these questions, but then, what do you do? How do you begin to develop your plan, or where do you start reviewing your current plan and checking that it’s still fit for purpose? Primary ITO has developed a new workshop ‘Managing Health & Safety’ that will help you overcome these initial barriers, and get you on the road to developing a safer primary industry business. Firstly, you’ll need to bring your existing health & safety plan with you. Then, the hands-on session will help you identify what you already have that meets requirements, what you already do that is good practice and should continue doing, and the gaps in your plan and how to fill them. There’ll be an interactive discussion session on the recent changes to the health & safety legislation and what they actually mean for your business. You’ll also have time to talk to other business owners and managers about the problems they’ve faced and techniques they’ve used to overcome them. Most importantly, you’ll begin to develop your plan. At the end of the workshop, you’ll know what you need to do next and how you are going to do it. Information is useful, but knowing what to do with it once you get back to your business is absolutely key. “The workshop helped to remove the fears we have around the health & safety requirements for our business. It was also great to meet […]

UMF Honey Association shines light on Manuka honey industry

A beacon of light has been shone on one of the country’s top exports yesterday, when a new method for indicating whether or not a product is Manuka Honey was unveiled at Parliament. UMF Honey Association (UMFHA) spokesperson John Rawcliffe said the organisation in partnership with Analytica Laboratories and Comvita Innovation, had developed a portable fluorescent unit that could offer a simple method for easily indicating whether or not a product is genuine Manuka Honey. “While the units are a prototype at this stage, once in production they could potentially safeguard consumers worldwide and provide a future foundation of continued protection of the industry,” John said. “The units have been developed here in New Zealand, with a team from Auckland University comprising Dr Jonathan Stephens, Dr Ralf Schlothauer and PHD students Jessie Bong and Katie Aitkenhead playing an integral part of the research programme.” New to the Manuka Honey industry, John said the units could be a “game-changer” for the industry. “The search has been on for some time now for a method of detecting the signature compounds found in Manuka Honey. “New Zealand Manuka Honey contains two signature compounds which have been identified in laboratory – Leptosperin and another which has a patent pending. They are both fluorescent and responsible for the majority of light signals measured at appropriate wavelengths. “Fluorescence testing of Manuka Honey has, therefore, been identified as a method for indicating whether or not a product is from the nectar collected from Leptospermum Scoparium – New Zealand Manuka plants.” John said while the use of fluorescence techniques is new to the New Zealand Manuka Honey industry, similar light technology methods are being successfully used commercially in other parts of the world. “To get a reading, the Manuka Honey is first diluted in a reaction mixture and […]

FAR announces new North Island cropping event

North Island farmers are being invited to update their cropping knowledge at a new one-day field event on Thursday 10 December. The field day, run by FAR, is being held at FAR’s Northern Crop Research Site at Tamahere, near Hamilton. CEO Nick Pyke says FAR, which carries out levy funded research and extension for the cropping industry, holds similar events in the South Island, but has not attempted an outdoor event of this scale in the North Island before. “Generally, our Northern Crop Research Site hosts a series of smaller, subject specific, field days, but this year we have responded to the interests of our farmers and increased the scale and information to be presented at the event. The event will run to a similar schedule as our South Island Arable Research in Action event (ARIA), which is held at our mid-Canterbury research site every second year. “Visitors on the day will have the opportunity to hear up to 12 presentations on subjects ranging from Overseer® and forage rotations, to slug control and precision agriculture. Each session will run twice, once in the morning and again after lunch, to allow those who are short on time to attend for only half a day and still have access to a range of topical speakers. “The day will also provide a great opportunity to tour the Northern Crop Research Site, meet FAR staff and learn more about FAR’s crop research strategy.” Mr Pyke says he hopes to see farmers and industry personnel from across the Waikato and beyond at the event. “While this event is being held in the Waikato, the topics being discussed on the day will be of relevance to farmers from across the North Island. Around 400 people attended our last ARIA event in the South Island, and we […]

Too many farmers flying blind when it comes to financial information

“You wouldn’t fly a plane without instruments these days would you?” questions Craig Sanders, an agribusiness and cloud accounting specialist at Crowe Horwath. However, when it comes to farming, that’s exactly what he believes is happening too often on New Zealand farms. “There are too many farmers effectively flying blind without the right kind of financial information to make sound farm management decisions,” says Sanders. Many farmers only get a fully detailed account of their financial position following a review of their end-of-year accounts with their accountant, which is often too late to make adjustments for a better financial outcome. Given the current market situation Sanders stressed that this is no longer good enough, and now more than ever farmers need accurate real-time financial information. “While volatility is nothing new for New Zealand agribusinesses, large increases in farm debt over the past decade, particularly in the dairy sector, have put pressure on the industry during the recent fall in milk prices.” Sanders explained that while all farming operations face pressure when aspects such as prices fluctuate rapidly, highly leveraged operations often have less room to move. “Rapid or unforseen changes in circumstances such as a major climatic event or a fall in the payout can lead to severe outcomes for under-prepared farmers, especially those with highly leveraged operations.” Sanders continued, “This means those farming businesses need to be fully aware of their current financial position, know what drives their costs, be prepared to review budgets regularly as things change, and be able to make decisions based on the best possible financial information.” Sanders noted that farmers are often very good at tracking cash, but when it comes to the true impact of decisions on their bottom line, things are often a little murky. He points to selling stock as a […]

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