Editorial: Time for a reset
OPINION: The Government's recent announcement that methane targets will be reviewed is bringing relief to farmers.
Climate change may force the kiwifruit industry to look for new places to grow its vines – especially the green hayward variety.
NIWA’s new chief scientist for climate, atmosphere and hazards, Dr Andrew Tait, says the hayward variety needs a cold winter to induce bud break and flowering in spring. But as Bay of Plenty becomes warmer in winter, achieving this will naturally become more difficult, he says.
“At present, one of the adaptation strategies to counter the warmer winters is to apply a chemical called Hi Cane, short for hydrogen cyanimide, used to stimulate some of that bud break when they don’t get the sufficient winter chilling they want naturally,” Tait told Hort News.
“There are ways of fooling the plant to do what nature does, but during our study of the kiwifruit industry there were questions being asked about the use of this chemical in respect of the market accepting it.”
Tait says the use of chemical could become a food safety issue and so the industry may need to look at other adaptation responses, e.g. looking at regions with cooler winters which could naturally trigger bud break and spring flowering.
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.
The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) has informed staff it will cut 391 jobs following a consultation period.
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