Farmer confidence dips slightly, but positivity still dominates
Farmer confidence has taken a slight dip according to the final Rabobank rural confidence survey for the year.
Dutch King Willem-Alexander congratulated winners in Rabobank’s FoodBytes! Competition in Sydney last week.
A New Zealand company Knewe Biosystems Ltd was among finalists who pitched their company to potential investors at the Rabobank Food 2 Fork Summit in Sydney last week.
Knewe Biosystems is developing an animal prebiotics product which it says meets critical mineral nutrition needs and also reduces the volume of waste to the environment, both because they cause animals to use their feed more efficiently.
The winner of the event was Australian company Sprout Kitchens which provides a platform for cafe’s and restaurants to rent out their unused kitchen space, outside of normal trading hours.
AgriWebb was the people’s choice winner. AgriWebb is a software company focused on “disrupting antiquated practices in livestock production”.
Their products “enable simplified on-farm, real-time data collection and apply analysis to improve management decision-making, enterprise efficiency, bench-marking and food security transparency, while integrating the farmer across horizontal and vertical supply chains”.
Animal welfare is of paramount importance to New Zealand's dairy industry, with consumers increasingly interested in how food is produced, not just the quality of the final product.
Agriculture and Forestry Minister Todd McClay is encouraging farmers and growers to stay up to date with weather warnings and seek support should they need it.
The closure of SH2 Waioweka Gorge could result in significant delays and additional costs for freight customers around the Upper North Island, says Transporting New Zealand.
OPINION: The year has started positively for New Zealand dairy farmers and things are likely to get better.
Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) Director General Ray Smith believes there is potential for an increase in dairy farming in New Zealand.
New Zealand's new Special Agricultural Trade Envoy, Horowhenua dairy farmer, company director and former Minister of Agriculture, Nathan Guy says the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with India is a good deal for the country.

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