increase font size
MAKING more value added products will provide greater confidence to farmers, according to Federated Farmers vice president Dr William Rolleston.
Speaking this week at the World Farmers Organisation conference in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Rolleston urged agricultural stakeholders must work together to boost value added returns.
He says increasing the value of products can provide farmers with confidence about their future.
"Developing new products tailored to specific market preferences and needs, provides opportunity for increased farm gate returns, without any increase in volume.
"It is here where we need a close collaboration between farmers, scientists, processors and marketers to communicate market requirements into the science pipeline.
"As farmers, we can sometimes feel disconnected from the end market, yet it is the end market we need to understand most because that determines not just how we farm, but what we farm."
Rolleston suggests we can increase the value of our products by improving our current products or we can create new and novel food products like sweet tasting kiwiberries - products that stimulate demand and maximise returns through premium prices in domestic and international markets.
"So we need scientists to be thinking outside the square as well. Research can take some direction from its users and that is important but as Henry Ford famously said, "If I listened to my customers I would have built a faster horse."
A rare weather double-whammy has seen many South Island farmers having to deal with unseasonal snow while still cut off from power supplies after an unprecedented windstorm.
OPINION: Recent media commentary from Southland Federated Farmers has raised concerns among our rural communities, particularly around Environment Southland’s approach to winter grazing inspections and nitrogen reporting. But let’s be clear, much of what’s been said simply doesn’t reflect reality.
OPINION: Environment Canterbury's (ECan) decision recently to declare a so-called “nitrate emergency” is laughable.
A shameless political stunt is how Federated Farmers is describing the Canterbury Regional Council decision to declare “a nitrate emergency” on the back of its latest annual groundwater quality survey.
Federated Farmers say Environment Canterbury's decision to declare a 'nitrate emergency' is a shameless political stunt that won't help anyone.
With the current situation in the European farm machinery market being described as difficult at best, it’s perhaps no surprise that the upcoming AgriSIMA 2026 agricultural machinery exhibition, scheduled for February 2026 at Paris-Nord Villepinte, has been cancelled.
The Meat Industry Association of New Zealand (MIA) has launched the first in-market activation of the refreshed Taste Pure Nature country-of-origin brand with an exclusive pop-up restaurant experience in Shanghai.
Jayna Wadsworth, daughter of the late New Zealand wicketkeeper Ken Wadsworth, has launched an auction of cricket memorabilia to raise funds for I Am Hope's youth mental health work.
As we move into the 2025/26 growing season, the Tractor and Machinery Association (TAMA) reports that the third quarter results for the year to date is showing that the stagnated tractor market of the last 18 months is showing signs of recovery.
DairyNZ chair Tracy Brown is urging dairy farmers to participate in the 2026 Levy vote, to be held early next year.
Beef + Lamb New Zealand (B+LNZ) is calling for nominations for director roles in the Eastern North Island and Southern South Island electoral districts.
OPINION: Every time politicians come up with an investment scheme where they're going to have a crack at 'picking winners'…
OPINION: What are the unions for these days?
