Farmers Weekly In Focus

Farmlands rural supplies co-operative has declared another trading loss, of $14.3 million, after revenue came down by 8.5% to $740m in the 2024 financial year ended June 30. Chief executive Tanya Houghton tells Bryan that while it has been a very tough year, the co-op has been working to right-size its operation and is set to offer great value and service to shareholders.Senior reporter Richard Rennie gives an update on some work the horticulture sector is doing to forge new export markets. Zespri, T&G Global and others are linking up with businesses in India and Thailand with a focus on partnership, not product.

Farmlands rural supplies co-operative has declared another trading loss, of $14.3 million, after revenue came down by 8.5% to $740m in the 2024 financial year ended June 30.Chief executive Tanya Houghton tells Bryan that while it has been a very tough year, the co-op has been working to right-size its operation and is set to offer great value and service to shareholders.

Senior reporter Richard Rennie gives an update on some work the horticulture sector is doing to forge new export markets. Zespri, T&G Global and others are linking up with businesses in India and Thailand with a focus on partnership, not product.

Canterbury sharemilkers Eugene and Sarah Cronin have been named the supreme winners of the 2024 Zimmatic Trailblazer Sustainable Irrigation Awards in Wellington. They milk 500 cows on Falstone Farms near Methven through their sharemilking business Kilmurry Farm. Bryan caught up with Eugene to talk about sustainable irrigation, his journey from dairy farming in Ireland to making a home in Canterbury, and his thoughts on the future of farming down south.Westpac and BNZ have some serious questions to answer after it came to light that they’re both unfairly targeting Kiwi farmers on emissions reductions targets, says Federated Farmers banking spokesperson Richard McIntyre. He says that the banks were asking New Zealand farmers to reduce emissions more than those in Australia.Senior reporter Richard Rennie has just returned from Thailand where he’s been looking at the opportunities there are for food exporters. The Thai market accounts for  $1.5 billion of exports, with the vast majority being dairy products.

Canterbury sharemilkers Eugene and Sarah Cronin have been named the supreme winners of the 2024 Zimmatic Trailblazer Sustainable Irrigation Awards in Wellington. Eugene and Sarah milk 500 cows on Falstone Farms near Methven through their sharemilking business Kilmurry Farm.Bryan caught up with Eugene to talk about sustainable irrigation, his journey from dairy farming in Ireland to making a home in Canterbury, and his thoughts on the future of farming down south.

Senior reporter Richard Rennie has just returned from Thailand where he’s been looking at the opportunities there are for food exporters. The Thai market accounts for  $1.5 billion of exports, with the vast majority being dairy products.

Westpac and BNZ have some serious questions to answer after it came to light that they’re both unfairly targeting Kiwi farmers on emissions reductions targets, says Federated Farmers banking spokesperson Richard McIntyre.He told Bryan that the banks were asking New Zealand farmers to reduce emissions more than those in Australia.

Leading food scientists from around the world will gather in Palmerston North next week for the 17th International Hydrocolloids Conference. The Riddett Institute’s Cr David Everett, acting chair of the organising committee, tells Bryan all about hydrocolloids, which form the building blocks of food and influence food texture, flavour, shelf life, digestion and nutrition. Federated Farmers president Wayne Langford is touring the country with the Prime Minister in an effort to boost farmer confidence. He says the three events will offer farmers a chance to hear about the government’s plan for the food production sector.Senior reporter Hugh Stringleman joins the studio to reflect on the latest GDT auction, a possible cash windfall for Fonterra shareholders, and he previews next week’s Fonterra annual meeting.

Leading food scientists from around the world will gather in Palmerston North next week for the 17th International Hydrocolloids Conference.The Riddett Institute’s Cr David Everett, acting chair of the organising committee, tells Bryan all about hydrocolloids, which form the building blocks of food and influence food texture, flavour, shelf life, digestion and nutrition.

Senior reporter Hugh Stringleman joins Bryan to reflect on the latest GDT auction, a possible cash windfall for Fonterra shareholders, and he previews next week’s Fonterra annual meeting.

Federated Farmers president Wayne Langford is touring the country with the Prime Minister in an effort to boost farmer confidence.He tells Bryan that the three events will offer farmers a chance to hear about the government’s plan for the food production sector.

Rural Contractors NZ has launched a safety campaign targeting fatigue. Bryan talks with chief executive Andrew Olsen about the campaign and its messages, which target workers, farmers and managers. Andrew also highlights some of the challenges contractors face during the busy season and has a plea to the public for patience if they encounter contractors on the roads.Federated Farmers Taranaki dairy chair Sam Ebbett previews the share farmer information roadshow next month. The events around the country bring together experts from across the industry who will offer advice on how to get the best out of share farming agreements and what to avoid.Senior reporter Neal Wallace talks about two big issues down south. The wet weather has hit farmers in Southland with milk production down, pasture growth non-existent and paddocks badly damaged by stock and vehicles. There’s also a storm brewing between farmers and councils over interpretations of the RMA and the implementation of freshwater plans and now central government is involved.

Rural Contractors NZ has launched a safety campaign targeting fatigue. Bryan talks with chief executive Andrew Olsen about the campaign and its messages, which target workers, farmers and managers.Andrew also highlights some of the challenges contractors face during the busy season and has a plea to the public for patience if they encounter contractors on the roads.

Senior reporter Neal Wallace talks about two big issues down south. The wet weather has hit farmers in Southland with milk production down, pasture growth non-existent and paddocks badly damaged by stock and vehicles.There’s also a storm brewing between farmers and councils over interpretations of the RMA and the implementation of freshwater plans and now central government is involved.

Federated Farmers Taranaki dairy chair Sam Ebbett previews the share farmer information roadshow next month.The events around the country bring together experts from across the industry who will offer advice on how to get the best out of share farming agreements and what to avoid.

Northland and Taranaki have teamed up to share information and expertise as they work to discover new crop and land-use options. Both regions have existing initiatives dedicated to exploring high-value, optimal land use alternatives and the development of value-add products and manufacturing opportunities. Bryan talked to the project manager in each region – Greg Hall in Northland and Michelle Bauer in Taranaki.Federated Farmers Tararua president Thomas Read reckons it’s never too early to start succession planning. Having benefited from his parents’ foresight when they retired he’s started thinking about his own future, despite his kids still being at primary school.Senior reporter Richard Rennie gives an update on a survey being carried out to uncover the drenching habits on New Zealand farms. With drench resistance a major challenge for farmers, will this data lead to viable solutions? He also explains why “fake honey” in the EU is a threat to NZ’s export returns in this vital market.

Northland and Taranaki have teamed up to share information and expertise as they work to discover new crop and land-use options. Both regions have existing initiatives, Branching Out in Taranaki and Tuputupu - Grow Northland in Northland, dedicated to exploring high-value, optimal land use alternatives and the development of value-add products and manufacturing opportunities.These initiatives are building on existing regional strengths to grow economic value and export potential for New Zealand. Bryan talked to the project manager in each region – Greg Hall in Northland and Michelle Bauer in Taranaki.

Senior reporter Richard Rennie gives an update on a survey being carried out to uncover the drenching habits on New Zealand farms. With drench resistance a major challenge for farmers, will this data lead to viable solutions?Honey producers in the European Union are launching a campaign against fake honey, which is a growing problem there. Apiculture NZ is supporting the move, saying that this wave of “not honey” threatens to impact our export returns in this vital market.

Federated Farmers Tararua president Thomas Read reckons it’s never too early to start succession planning. Having benefited from his parents’ foresight when they retired he’s started thinking about his own future, despite his kids still being at primary school.

With our regular host Bryan Gibson away on a break, senior Farmers Weekly contributing journalist Richard Rennie talks to Mike Petersen, chair of the Tukituki Water Security Project. The project is one of 149 that has made the government's Fast-Track Project list. Previously known as the Ruataniwha dam project, the Tukituki project takes a slightly different tack, prioritising environmental river flow, then human water needs and then irrigation demand. Mike Petersen talks about why the project matters to the region's future economic development, and how soon it could become a reality.Federated Farmers meat and fibre chair Toby Williams is talking to Richard about the implications of the government's decision to loosen foreign investment regulations, and what it may mean for the primary sector. A recent survey placed New Zealand 38 out of 38 countries in terms of ease of foreign investment, something he sees as significantly throttling the country's ability to expand at both a processing level and farm level. He sees the loosening of the regulations also as a means of addressing the imbalance in foreign investment which has been encouraged to go into forestry, at the expense of pastoral farming.Richard also catches up with colleague Neal Wallace and discusses the unintended consequence of regulations imposed in Southland that now mean its 3000 farmers have to seek resource consent in order to continue farming. The consent relates to the livestock urine being defined as an "incidental diffuse discharge" requiring resource consent, after a Court of Appeal ruling confirmed the regulation. The fracas has Environment Minister Penny Simmonds stepping in, describing it as unworkable. Richard talks to Neal about how the tangle arose, and what implications it has for the rest of the country, and future law making.