Well-placed to weather conflicts
Shipping disruption caused by Houthi rebels in the Red Sea has so far not impacted fertiliser prices or supply on farm.
Ravensdown has launched a new commercialisation entity named Agnition to try and drive innovations needed by farmers and growers.
It aims to build, grow and invest in Ag-IP and innovations, such as EcoPond and ClearTech, turning them into valued products and solutions that can be used on-farm to combat climate change, and create enhanced productivity.
Ravensdown chief executive Garry Diack says Agnition is a response to the co-operative’s strategy ‘Smarter farming for a better New Zealand’.
“Ravensdown has an impressive track record of recognising, researching, and bringing to fruition technologies and services that enhance our shareholders’ abilities to interconnect precision-based performance with long-term sustainability,” he says.
“The focus is now on taking innovations to market faster, getting them on-farm and providing a return on investment for our shareholders.”
Diack says that supplying nutrients to New Zealand farmers is still core to the Ravensdown business.
“While Agnition will have the agility and expertise of a venture capital type company, it will have an important advantage of farmer insight when it comes to developing and launching on-farm innovation.”
Jasper van Halder, previously a strategy consultant for McKinsey & Company, has been appointed as Agnition’s chief executive.
He will have responsibility for a portfolio of existing Ravensdown investments, including C-Dax Agricultural Solutions, Cropmark Seeds, Southstar Technologies and Analytical Research Laboratory (ARL).
South Waikato farm manager Ben Purua’s amazing transformation from gang life to milking cows was rewarded with the Ahuwhenua Young Maori Farmer award last night.
Bankers have been making record profits in the last few years, but those aren’t the only records they’ve been breaking, says Federated Farmers vice president Richard McIntyre.
The 2023-24 season has been a roller coaster ride for Waikato dairy farmers, according to Federated Farmers dairy section chair, Mathew Zonderop.
Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) director general Ray Smith says job cuts announced this morning will not impact the way the Ministry is organised or merge business units.
Scales Corporation is acquiring a number of orchard assets from Bostock Group.
Family and solidarity shone through at the 75 years of Ferdon sale in Otorohanga last month.
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