Allbirds, the sustainable footwear company co-founded by former New Zealand soccer star Tim Brown, has expanded into Canada, its fourth global market.

Spark has launched its LoRaWAN low powered wide area network for IoT, saying it will enable a farmer to get hourly updates on the location and body temperature of its cows for $1.79 per month.

New research from Lincoln University shows poor relationships between farmers and their meat processors could be costing New Zealand.  Dr Nic Lees said improving those relationships was essential to New Zealand producing higher value products that meet consumer needs.

The endless gnawing away at services for rural communities has gone too far, a national rural leader says.  Rural Health Alliance Aotearoa New Zealand (RHAANZ) chief executive Michelle Thompson today pleaded for equitable access to services for rural people.

In a year where the international Master Judge said the quality of New Zealand-made cheese has never been better, the top two awards have gone to small, independent cheesemakers.

Companies are made by people - not by machinery or money.So says Francesco Botto Poala, chief operating officer of long-standing Italian textile company Reda.

A $25 million upgrade and expansion of Danone’s Auckland blending and processing plant in late February has doubled its production capacity for finished products.

How New Zealand can meet the challenge of feeding some of the predicted global population of 10 billion by 2050, will be a major focus at a Techweek event in Tauranga in May. World-leading meat, dairy and horticultural industries have established New Zealand’s reputation as a producer of food. But NZTech chief executive Graeme Muller says the country’s collaborative agricultural ecosystem is shifting its efforts to developing sustainable ways to feed the world. “Will the future of food production rely on robots and data, or a global consumer shift toward alternative proteins? These are just some of the agritech issues that are so important for New Zealand’s economy that will be discussed in Tauranga on May 23.” Techweek, which is being run by NZTech, is a major nationwide festival of tech and innovation events held in many towns and cities around the country. Muller says exploding populations, sustainability and increasingly unpredictable climates are some of the problems agriculture is facing globally which require urgent answers. “Alternatives to traditional food sources and farming methods are revolutionising the way we think about feeding the world,” he says. “New Zealand’s reputation as a producer of high-quality meat and dairy products affords us opportunities as the world’s boutique farmer, which New Zealand agritech companies are leveraging in all sorts of imaginative and inspiring ways. “New Zealand’s agritech sector which adds billions of dollars annually to the gross domestic product will be showcased on May 23 as part of the massive national Techweek festival this year.” He says New Zealand’s primary industries are the backbone of the country’s economy and integrating them with technology is the future for a prosperous nation. “New Zealand agritech, such as herd improvement software, pasture mapping and management are being merged into on-farm practices, maximising increases in productivity and profitability for the benefit of all Kiwis. “Technology has major potential to support higher productivity and more sustainable use of natural resources in farming. It’s great that government has a technical advisory group to advise the Ministry of Primary Industries on how to accelerate the use of smart agriculture technology. “Reigniting primary productivity in the rural sector is critical for both farmer profitability and New Zealand’s global competitiveness. Digital agriculture, in the form of precision farming, big data, sensor technology, robotics and drones, delivers a new potential for productivity gains across rural New Zealand,” Muller says. Techweek includes nearly 300 events in more than 30 centres all over New Zealand from Northland to Otago, including tech and innovation ecosystem events, conferences, school activities and business events. Techweek promotes New Zealand tech and innovation to the world and supports the growth of our fastest growing and third biggest industry in New Zealand.

| A MakeLemonade release  ||  March 07, 2018   |||

Feb 21, 2018  -  Fonterra Co-operative Group Limited (Fonterra) and The a2 Milk Company (a2MC) have today entered into a comprehensive strategic relationship that links Fonterra’s global milk pool and supply chain, manufacturing capability and in-market sales and distribution capacity with a2MC’s brand strength and capabilities.

As part of the partnership, Fonterra will now begin conversations with its farmers to source an A2 milk pool for a2MC products in New Zealand, which is intended to significantly expand over time to help meet the growing demand for a2MC products. A similar milk pool in Australia will also be developed.

Announcing the deal, Fonterra CEO Theo Spierings and a2MC Managing Director and CEO Geoffrey Babidge said the partnership is designed to generate returns for both companies by growing demand in both local and international markets for products using a2MC’s brand strength and capabilities.

“The partnership is intended to fast-track market growth and this creates opportunity for our farmers to create additional value from their milk,” said Mr Spierings. “Fonterra’s high quality milk pools, our global supply chain, our manufacturing capabilities and knowledge, and our in-market sales and distribution expertise is being combined with a2MC’s brand strength to unlock new opportunities in a wide range of international markets. It is a win-win for both companies.

“We continue to see a strong future for dairy based on our existing range of products, including recent additions such as organic, low-lactose and high protein milk choices that consumers seek out for a premium. The a2MC products promoted by this partnership sit well within our overall portfolio of products.

“Consumers like to have choices and the growth of a2MC branded nutritional powders and fresh milk sales in Australia, for example, shows the potential. This partnership is all about finding ways to continue to delight our consumers and generate more value for our farmers.”

The partnership encompasses:

• New Zealand and Australian milk pools to support the strategic partnership, and in the first instance the Nutritional Products Manufacturing and Supply Agreement. Fonterra will now begin discussions with its farmers on the best way to source this A2 milk for a2MC products, and share the value it will create for farmers. It is intended that these milk pools will significantly expand over time to support new a2MC products and its new priority markets across South East Asia and the Middle East.
• Nutritional Products Manufacturing and Supply Agreement (NPMSA) whereby Fonterra will exclusively supply nutritional milk powder products in both bulk and consumer packaged formats intended for sale in a2MC’s new priority markets across South East Asia and the Middle East. These products will be produced at Fonterra’s facilities in New Zealand as well as Fonterra’s nutritionals facility, Darnum in Victoria, Australia.Distribution and sales arrangements, in respect of a2MC branded products whereby the companies will seek to establish distribution and sales arrangements to assist a2MC’s entry into its new priority markets across South East Asia and the Middle East.
• Exclusive period to explore a2MC branded butter and cheese, and China sourced liquid milk for sale in Australia, New Zealand and China. These relate to other dairy products not presently marketed by a2MC and would be complementary to Fonterra’s existing portfolio of dairy products.
• A jointly owned packaging facility will also be explored as an extension of the arrangements under the NPMSA and to cater for growth.
• A New Zealand Fresh Milk Licence which will see Fonterra hold an exclusive licensing arrangement for the production, distribution, sale and marketing of a2 MilkTM fresh milk for sale in New Zealand. Fonterra will leverage its substantial fresh milk capabilities to establish distribution across the country.

Feb 09, 2018 - Build the foundations strong is Andy Bryenton's headline for his article in The Record.  He writes, Roads, races, driveways, feed pads — all areas on the farm where erosion from the elements takes a constant and costly toll. Wouldn’t it be nice to build a simple, strong foundation beneath these areas to stop runoff and prevent washboarding, cracking and slippage?

As autumn approaches and it comes time to consider the maintenance of all those exposed transit areas on the farm, along comes an innovation that could be a godsend for those who are sick of watching their hard work literally go down the drain culvert with each round of winter storms. Diamond Grid is the leading surface stabilisation grid system in Australasia, coming from worldwide tests in the agricultural, landscaping and mining industries. It is extremely rugged — think over one thousand tonnes per square metre when filled with gravel, sand or chip. Due to its unique grid structure, it’s permeable, preventing the runoff effect, which strips the surface of conventional roads, pads and races.

y eliminating erosion, rutting and puddling, ongoing maintenance costs are significantly reduced. That massive load rating — made for heavy vehicles — means that even a herd of cattle can’t make a dent in the interlocking grids — think of matted pieces that slide and lock like a building set. This form of construction increases the structural strength even more.

Diamond Grid has recently been introduced into New Zealand and by the end of 2017 a manufacturing plant is [sic] up and running in Christchurch — using recycled plastics from the auto industry. It’s a win-win for the environment and the farmer. Larger grids (1,000 x 1,000mm) are not available in New Zealand at this stage. These are mainly used on the big mining roads in South America. Rural-sized 900mm x 560mm grids cost a snap at just $15 each, and each one weighs just 3 kilos — easy to manhandle into place. They can even be trimmed with a simple skill saw for custom work. Then just fill with one of many kinds of filler and your surface is rocksteady and ready.

Diamond Grid has been used for pathways, driveways, shed floors, mountain bike paths, golf courses, car parks, drains, boat ramps, carports, horse stables, racecourse stables, horse walkers, cattle yards, feed and water trough pads, cattle walkways, creek crossings, day yards, workshop floors, truck depots, fuel station hard stands, excavator yards, mine access roads, haul roads, fire trails, air strips — the list goes on.

Now it’s ready to weather the test of time on local farms. If you’re ready to invest a little now to save huge headaches in years to come, start at the ground level and get on board with this handy innovation.

| A The Record release    || February 08, 2018   |||