Kiwi spearheads global Jersey strategy revamp
The global organisation for Jersey breeders has undergone a strategy refresh - spearheaded by new president and the first New Zealander to hold the post, Alison Gibb.
The dairy industry and Hawke’s Bay Regional Council are 80% towards their goal of achieving 100% compliance with all resource consents.
The solid progress made on compliance was celebrated at the recent Dairy Compliance Award, which recognise farmers who consistently achieve full compliance with their resource consents.
2020 marks the eight year of the awards, which cover water takes, farm dairy effluent and air discharge consents.
At the event, it was revealed that 38 of 75 farms had been fully compliant for five years. Another 14 farms have been fully compliant since the beginning of the scheme in 2008-9.
Hawke’s Bay Regional Council policy and regulation group manager Katrina Brunton congratulated each of the awarded dairy farms.
“We acknowledge the dairy sector’s important contribution to our economy in what has been a difficult year with the challenge of Covid-19 and lockdown,” she said.
“The scheme is important, and we are committed to work in partnership with the sector, and work through challenges together and continue to celebrate progress,” she said.
Hawke’s Bay dairy farmer Elliot Cooper says he and other farmers acknowledge the work of the regional council and staff to help farmers.
“It’s definitely a partnership between us and the Council,” Cooper said, “We don’t go it alone.”
“It’s not an easy job for the Council, with so much regulation coming down the pipeline, and we appreciate what they do.”
The Dairy Awards are supported by sponsors Ravensdown, Farmlands, Fonterra, and Stoney Creek.
The Primary Production Select Committee is calling for submissions on the Valuers Bill currently before Parliament.
Horticulture New Zealand (HortNZ) says that commercial fruit and vegetable growers are getting ahead of freshwater farm plan regulations through its Growing Change project.
Lucidome Bio, a New Zealand agricultural biotech company was recently selected as one of fourteen global finalists to pitch at the Animal Health, Nutrition and Technology Innovation USA event in Boston.
Tractor manufacturer and distributor Case IH has announced a new partnership with Meet the Need, the grassroots, farmer-led charity working to tackle food insecurity across New Zealand one meal at a time.
The DairyNZ Farmers Forum is back with three events - in Waikato, Canterbury and Southland.
To celebrate 25 years of the Hugh Williams Memorial Scholarship, Ravensdown caught up with past recipients to see where their careers have taken them, and what the future holds for the industry.