Wednesday, 13 February 2019 09:25

Opportunities in fast changing agri-food

Written by  Brad Markham, NZ Young Farmers communications manager
Julia Jones. Julia Jones.

Changes driven by computer scientists in the agri-food sector are creating new opportunities for New Zealand farmers.

This disruption, which is changing what we eat, was the focus of the keynote speech at the recent Agmardt NZ Young Farmers Conference in Christchurch.

There’s a restaurant in Boston with a robotic kitchen,” Julia Jones, KPMG, said. Called Spyce, this world-first was created by four robotics engineers who wanted “healthy food at a reasonable price”.

Customers order using a touchscreen then robots do the rest. Ingredients are dropped into a row of rotating woks, which cook meals in three minutes or less.

“Disruption in the agri-food sector is coming from computer scientists,” said Jones.

It’s likely to be “another three to five years” before lab-grown meat is available in supermarkets in the US.

“The only thing they haven’t quite worked out is how to grow the fat and muscle that gives meat its taste,” she says. 

World food production is a US$8 trillion industry. New Zealand earns $40 billion annually from the food it exports.

“We have a big advantage because we can produce artisan, niche products and demand a higher price,” said Jones.

The audience heard that deer milk produced by Pāmu Farms (formerly Landcorp) is being made into ice creams and other desserts by chefs in restaurants in Auckland and Wellington.

Jones sees immense opportunities to expand New Zealand’s ocean-farmed salmon industry.

“I recently visited one of NZ King Salmon’s farms in the Marlborough Sounds. There were 33,000 fish in one pen — amazing,” she said.

NZYF members were encouraged to understand consumers and find out what they are willing to pay a premium for.

“If you travel overseas, go into an expensive-looking supermarket and see what sort of food is on the shelves,” said Jones.

“I went to a supermarket in California last year and they had a crazy big fridge with a sign on it that said ‘grass fed milk’.”

The world’s population is projected to reach about 10 billion people by 2050.

“That’s a huge jump in calories needed to feed all those people,” Sarah Hindle, from Tech Futures Lab, told the conference.

Devising ways to sustainably feed everyone poses a challenge for scientists and food producers, and it opens new career opportunities.

“We see growth in the rise of the agricultural technologist,” she said. “They’ll have ability to manage technological systems and have expertise in robotics, automation, drones and data electronics.”

• Stories supplied by Brad Markham, NZ Young Farmers communications manager

More like this

Hustle through the storms

OPINION: I'm unashamedly including in this op-ed a plug for one of Agri-Women's Development Trust's (AWDT's) programmes.

Risky business

OPINION: In the same way that even a stopped clock is right twice a day, economists sometimes get it right.

Featured

Dr Mike Joy says sorry, escapes censure

Academic Dr Mike Joy and his employer, Victoria University of Wellington have apologised for his comments suggesting that dairy industry CEOs should be hanged for contributing towards nitrate poisoning of waterways.

People-first philosophy pays off

The team meeting at the Culverden Hotel was relaxed and open, despite being in the middle of calving when stress levels are at peak levels, especially in bitterly cold and wet conditions like today.

Farmer anger over Joy's social media post

A comment by outspoken academic Dr Mike Joy suggesting that dairy industry leaders should be hanged for nitrate contamination of drinking/groundwater has enraged farmers.

From Nelson to Dairy Research: Amy Toughey’s Journey

Driven by a lifelong passion for animals, Amy Toughey's journey from juggling three jobs with full-time study to working on cutting-edge dairy research trials shows what happens when hard work meets opportunity - and she's only just getting started.

National

Machinery & Products

JDLink Boost for NZ farms

Connectivity is widely recognised as one of the biggest challenges facing farmers, but it is now being overcome through the…

New generation Defender HD11

The all-new 2026 Can-Am Defender HD11 looks likely to raise the bar in the highly competitive side-by-side category.

» Latest Print Issues Online

Milking It

Buttery prize

OPINION: Westland Milk may have won the contract to supply butter to Costco NZ but Open Country Dairy is having…

Gene Bill rumours

OPINION: The Gene Technology Bill has divided the farming community with strong arguments on both the pros and cons of…

» Connect with Dairy News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter