Fonterra’s annual meeting gets underway in Taranaki today, Government awards On Farm Support Science scholarships, and global exchange brings Brazilian farmers to our shores.

Welcome to Proud Country's Early Bird - The top things you need to know that impact rural New Zealand delivered to you by 5am, because who doesn’t need better chat beyond the weather!

 

Fonterra’s annual meeting gets underway in Taranaki today

Fonterra, heads into a landmark annual meeting today in New Plymouth, with major financial decisions awaiting shareholder attention.

Dairy farmers will be asked to consider remuneration increases for key leadership roles including chairman Peter McBride, while remuneration for farmer-elected directors. Will also be looked at. The meeting carries added weight as it arrives during discussions about the future of Fonterra's international consumer division, valued at $3.4 billion. While this matter remains outside the official agenda, many dairy farmers are expected to raise questions during the general discussion.

Additional financial matters include proposed increases for the Co-operative Council. The watchdog organisation, representing eight thousand dairy farmers, is seeking to increase its annual budget to $3.37 million, which includes allocation for analysing the consumer business changes.

Recent board changes include the retirement of long-serving director Leonie Guiney, who reached her maximum term limit. The meeting will also ratify Australian-based Alistair Field as a new independent director, bringing three decades of international business experience to the role.

 

Government awards On Farm Support Science scholarships

A new generation of agricultural advisors will soon be heading to rural communities, thanks to government-funded tertiary scholarships. Six university students have each received $5,000 to advance their studies in agricultural and veterinary science.

Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced the On Farm Support Science Scholarships as one element of the government's wider rural assistance initiative. The scholarships aim to strengthen practical, on-the-ground guidance for farming communities nationwide.

The recipients include three Lincoln University students: Georgia Higinbottom, Ashton Robinson, and Henry Bartrum. Two Massey University students, Mac Williams and Ella Bryan, along with Otago University's Georgie Burdon round out the award winners. Their studies range across agricultural science, veterinary medicine, and commerce.

Associate Agriculture Minister Andrew Hoggard says these emerging rural advisors will help maintain New Zealand's agricultural excellence, and their expertise will become increasingly valuable as the nation works toward doubling agricultural export earnings over the next decade.

A new generation of agricultural advisors will soon be heading to rural communities, thanks to government-funded tertiary scholarships. Six university students have each received $5,000 to advance their studies in agricultural and veterinary science.

Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced the On Farm Support Science Scholarships as one element of the government's wider rural assistance initiative. The scholarships aim to strengthen practical, on-the-ground guidance for farming communities nationwide.

The recipients include three Lincoln University students: Georgia Higinbottom, Ashton Robinson, and Henry Bartrum. Two Massey University students, Mac Williams and Ella Bryan, along with Otago University's Georgie Burdon round out the award winners. Their studies range across agricultural science, veterinary medicine, and commerce.

Associate Agriculture Minister Andrew Hoggard says these emerging rural advisors will help maintain New Zealand's agricultural excellence, and their expertise will become increasingly valuable as the nation works toward doubling agricultural export earnings over the next decade.

 

Global exchange brings Brazilian farmers to our shores

Our Agriculture industry will take centre stage next week as thirty-two leading Brazilian farmers arrive for an intensive learning tour, organised through Rabobank's Agricultural Leaders initiative.

The touring group includes major agricultural leaders managing large-scale coffee, sugar, soybean, and meat operations across Brazil. Their five-day journey begins in Auckland this Sunday and finishes in Queenstown, featuring visits to landmark farming operations throughout both islands.

Rabobank's General Manager for Country Banking, Bruce Weir says the visitors will examine multiple operations, including Waikato dairy enterprises, Central Otago cherry orchards, and major sheep and meat operations in West Otago.

The Brazilian delegation follows last year's successful Global Farmers Master Class, which brought twenty-eight farmers from twelve nations to study New Zealand's agricultural methods. 

The initiative continues building on existing relationships between both nations' agricultural sectors, offering mutual learning opportunities for visiting Brazilian farmers and their kiwi hosts.

 

Award-winning operation takes major renewable energy leap

A Taranaki piggery is the latest rural operation turning sunshine into significant cost reductions. The Stanley family, run their piggery and cropping operation at Oaonui, near Opunake, and have installed 400 solar units to create a more sustainable and economical enterprise.

Karl Stanley, manages the multi-generation piggery with family and says the energy switch will meet about 70 percent of their daily energy needs. The installation makes economic sense, with yearly energy costs currently reaching $110,000. The new system should reduce that amount by at least $65,000.

The move toward renewable energy aligns with their ongoing environmental excellence, already recognized through the Taranaki Ballance Farm Environment Awards. Their innovative approach includes an advanced irrigation system, eliminating the need for commercial additives on their land.

The operation, home to 500 sows and 5,000 grower pigs, requires substantial energy for heating, ventilation, and automated feeding systems. The solar installation utilises clever land use, with the area underneath the units remaining available for grazing other animals, creating additional shelter during summer heat and wet weather.

The solar initiative adds to their existing environmental measures. The piggery already converts animal waste into natural nutrients through their irrigation system, creating quality animal feed which they make available to nearby farms, reducing transport needs and supporting local agricultural businesses.

 

New identity for historic organisation

The organisation managing New Zealand's grain and seed industry is undergoing a major transformation to meet evolving agricultural needs. The New Zealand Grain and Seed Trade Association announced its new identity as Seed and Grain New Zealand at their recent annual meeting.

The update aims to align the group with other major agricultural organisations like DairyNZ and Beef and Lamb NZ. Association president Charlotte Connoley told members the new name better matches their expanding role in modern agriculture.

The rebranding coincides with other major changes within the organisation,  including naming a new chief executive and creating mentoring opportunities to develop emerging talent in the grain and seed industries.

The organisation is also enhancing its international connections. A new agreement will create shared annual meetings with Australian grain industry leaders, allowing both nations to tackle common agricultural challenges together.

 

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