Flock House and its secrets
Plans are in place to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the legendary Flock House opening its doors for the first time.
With a lot fewer players in the wool industry these days there is a better chance of getting consensus, says NZ Wool Exporters Council president Peter Whiteman.
He thinks the recent Wool Summit and the consequent working groups to be set up are a “very good idea”.
“Who knows what will become of it, but I think the fact of getting everyone together and getting a bit of airplay together is part of the key to it. I think it is an excellent initiative,” Whiteman told Rural News.
“The wool industry has been a bit maligned in the past, portraying it as more factional than it really is.
“Lots of people say there are 25 exporters; technically there probably are 25 registered, but probably four or five of us do 85% of the wool. So it is not as diverse and broken up as you might think.
“The people who are left are a bit bigger so having people who are responsible for more wool collectively is good.”
Whiteman says trying to bring together people in the industry is now easier. “We don’t have to corral so many people anymore because the wool business in New Zealand has shrunk.”
Some exporters were initially miffed at not being included in the Wool Summit organised by Agriculture Minister Damien O’Conner and the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI), but Whiteman says “we are in the system now and that is fine”.
“It might have been an oversight, but we have had contact with the minister since so no harm done.”
MPI is currently working with industry members to set up a working group to focus on key priorities that came out of the summit and resulting feedback, a spokesperson told Rural News.
“It is intended that this group be industry led, with MPI acting as a connector and facilitator. The membership of the wool working group will be announced after the group has met formally.”
Animal health company Virbac is teaming up with rugby star and farmer Scott Barrett.
It’s official – the 2024 kiwifruit harvest is New Zealand’s largest ever crop having been picked.
A recent report from the Agricultural Industry Marketing Initiative (AIMI) highlighted the findings of a survey of New Zealand cereal growers, looking at the size of the 2024 harvest of wheat, barley and oats, divided into milling, malting or feed crops.
On-farm inflation for sheep and beef farmers has eased but high input prices continue to affect farm profitability.
Massey University is returning to the National Fieldays next week with a new site, focusing on community-relevant collaborative research in the food and agriculture sectors.
Have you tried a persimmon? Chances are you haven’t. The Persimmon Industry Council believes many people haven’t tried the unique fruit, only available for six short weeks from late April through to early June.