Green but not much grass!
Dairy farmers in the lower North Island are working on protecting next season, according to Federated Farmers dairy chair Richard McIntyre, who farms just north of the Horowhenua township of Levin.
New Zealand farmers have the ability to reduce their energy use, but because it is not a priority for them they don’t do it.
That’s the view of Massey University’s professor Ralph Sims, a keynote speaker at the Feds annual conference. He was one of a number of speakers on a day devoted to ‘resilient agri-business’. Economists, trade representatives and food technology experts also spoke.
Sims coined the phrase ‘precision energy use’ – simply meaning not wasting energy on farms. He says because energy is relatively inexpensive and farmers have a lot of other things to worry about on their farms – such as animal health and having sufficient feed – energy efficiency is not on their radar.
“But when energy prices increase, and they will, and when there is a carbon charge on the energy so it increases even more – then there will be greater incentive to reduce energy use.
“The main energy use in modern farming systems is irrigation, heated greenhouses, tractors and dairy sheds. Horticulture has packing sheds and outside of the farm we are into processing and transport.”
Sims says a world trend, evident also in NZ, involves farmers generating their own energy and therefore less inclined to waste it. He says farmers could install solar panels on their dairy sheds to reduce their power bills and generally monitor how much power they use.
Another speaker, Dr Clair McGowan, chief executive of SODA, the small business incubator in Waikato, says it is important to get young people excited about science – especially agricultural science. McGowan believes NZ needs some science superstars to inspire young people to make a career in this field.
This happens in the IT sector and there is no reason why it can’t happen in ag science, she says. National Fieldays displayed a lot of great innovation and she wished more young people could have seen this.
Fonterra has cemented its position as the country’s number one cheesemaker by picking up nine NZ Champion of Cheese trophies this year.
New Zealand dairy processors are welcoming the Government’s commitment to continuing to push for Canada to honour its trade commitments.
An educational programme, set up by Beef + Land New Zealand, to connect farmers virtually with primary and intermediate school students has reported the successful completion of its second year.
The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) has welcomed a resolution adopted by the United Nations (UN) General Assembly to declare 2026 International Year of the Woman Farmer.
Waikato herd health veterinarian Katrina Roberts is the 2024 Fonterra Dairy Woman of the Year.
Horticulture NZ chief executive Nadine Tunley will step down in August.