The dirt on soil: Why healthy soil matters
OPINION: Every year, December 5 marks World Soil Day. This date wasn’t chosen at random, it’s the birthday of the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand, a passionate advocate for soil stewardship.
Canterbury dairy and arable farmer, Cameron Henderson has been appointed a director of Ballance.
Henderson currently sits on DairyNZ’s board as an associate director and is a Rural Leaders’ Kellogg Scholarship recipient and Nuffield Scholarship recipient.
Ballance Agri-Nutrients chair, Duncan Coull, says “We’re delighted to welcome Cameron on-board. His commitment to innovation and sustainability within New Zealand’s agricultural sector represents the sort of transformative thinking that will ensure our industry can continue to thrive for generations to come.
“That, coupled with his extensive experience both on-farm and at a governance level, will make him a real asset to our shareholders in this role,” says Coull.
Henderson says that building his family business has given him a strong understanding of the importance of focus on financial management, strategic investment, and risk.
“My past roles in supply chain strategy, IT and farm systems modelling, alongside my strengths as a critical thinker and strong team advocate, all add to the list of qualities I will bring to the board table.
“I am deeply passionate about New Zealand’s farming community – and firmly believe that robust advice, innovative solutions and strong advocacy all need renewed focus to help our industry navigate the regulatory minefield we’re currently facing in New Zealand. It’s that which has led me to various regional and national policy and governance roles, with a focus on finding a way forward for agriculture.
“I’m committed to always putting the needs of my fellow farmers front and centre, and look forward to this new opportunity to contribute to our co-operative, and the wider agricultural industry as a whole,” says Henderson.
Ballance’s Annual Shareholder meeting will be held virtually on Wednesday 29 September at 5pm.
DairyNZ Chair Tracy Brown has seen a lot of change since she first started out in the dairy sector, with around one-third of dairy farmers now women.
Castle Ridge Station has been named the Regional Supreme Winner at the Canterbury Ballance Farm Environment Awards.
The South Island Dairy Event has announced Jessica Findlay as the recipient of the BrightSIDE Scholarship Programme, recognising her commitment to furthering her education and future career in the New Zealand dairy industry.
New Zealand and Chile have signed a new arrangement designed to boost agricultural cooperation and drive sector success.
New DairyNZ research will help farmers mitigate the impacts of heat stress on herds in high-risk regions of the country.
Budou are being picked now in Bridge Pā, the most intense and exciting time of the year for the Greencollar team – and the harvest of the finest eating grapes is weeks earlier than expected.