Overbearing?
OPINION: Dust ups between rural media and PR types aren't unheard of but also aren't common, given part of the job description of PR is to grease the wheels and ensure clients get good media coverage.
OPINION: Your canine crusader is not surprised by the recent news that New Zealand plant-based ‘fake meat’ business is in the process of shutting down.
Sunfed’s founder and chief executive Sukul Lee conceded that the “plant-based bubble” had burst and investors were no longer keen to support the company.
The business started in 2015 and aimed to provide ‘nonmeat alternatives’.
However, Lee admitted it had not been able to move to a position where it had a positive cashflow.
Venture Capital investors started to pull back and existing venture capital investors were no longer interested in supporting the business.
Lee also conceded that investors had jumped into a “plant-based gold rush” thinking they would see valuations increase quickly.
She said the “plant-based bubble” had now burst and the category was “undergoing a reality check”.
Who would have picked this happening?
Questions are being raised about just how good the state of the dairy industry is - especially given that the average farmgate payout for the coming season is set to exceed $10/kgMS.
A leading financial and banking advisor says he doubts if most dairy farmers fully understand the dynamics of banking.
Dairy farmers are shoring up their balance sheets, with almost $1.7 billion of debt repaid in the six months to March 2025.
Virtual fencing company Halter is going global but for founder Craig Piggott, New Zealand farmers will always remain their main partners.
A former Fonterra executive is the new chair of the Dairy Companies Association of New Zealand (DCANZ).
New Federated Farmers national dairy chair Karl Dean is looking forward to tackling the issues facing the sector.