New Zealand Pastoral & Food sectors need to aim for niche markets, says Fast Forward Fund Chair
The Chairman of the Fast Forward Fund Board, Bill Falconer, says that if New Zealand pastoral and food products are to compete on the global market, a focussed collaborative effort between the Government’s research provider agencies and business is needed, starting with the identification of gaps in the market.
Speaking at the Horizons in Livestock Sciences Conference, jointly presented by AgResearch and CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation) Livestock Industries in
He says central to the growth of
“The key is to determine ways of adding value to our capability, of moving our products up the value chain and to find out what the market wants, rather than making more of what we can produce.
“If we are to grow, our people need resources to work with and something to sell,” he says. “While
Bill Falconer says this requires a quantum shift in the way in which
He says
The Fast Forward Fund is aiming at establishing programmes between the government and the private sector which will address all the requirements needed for its pastoral and food industries to compete on a global market.
ENTRIES OPEN IN 2009 DAIRY AWARDS
The New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards are now calling for entries in its 2009 competitions from sharemilkers, farm managers and dairy trainees keen to progress in the industry.
National Convenor Chris Keeping says organisers hope more than 400 dairy farmers will enter the three competitions – the Sharemilker of the Year, Farm Manager of the Year and Dairy Trainee of the Year - nationwide.
She says this is just the second time the New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards has run the three competitions, culminating in national finals for all three.
“The awards are now structured to enable people to progress through the awards as a person progresses through the dairy industry – from farm worker to farm manager to sharemilker and ultimately farm ownership.
“At the same time, we seek to encourage best practice and the sharing of excellence and also identify and promote the dairy industry’s future leaders,” she says.
“We also like to have a lot of fun, as past entrants and winners can testify.”
Ms Keeping says there are significant incentives on offer for dairy farmers to enter.
“There are thousands of dollars and other prizes to be won, significant recognition to be gained from success and a lot to be learnt from entering – either from judges, other entrants and industry or sponsor representatives that entrants network with.”
The Dairy Industry Awards are supported by national sponsors Westpac, Blue Wing Honda, DairyNZ, Ecolab, Federated Farmers, Fonterra, LIC, Meridian Energy, Ravensdown and RD1, along with industry partner Agriculture ITO.
Ms Keeping says entries are invited for the three awards within the 12 regional competitions that cover the entire country.
The regional competitions can offer prize pools in excess of $50,000, with the three regional winners all progressing to the national finals and the opportunity to be named New Zealand Sharemilker of the Year, New Zealand Farm Manager of the Year or New Zealand Dairy Trainee of the Year.
Entries close in early January, with entry forms available from regional convenors, sponsors or downloaded from the awards website, www.dairyindustryawards.co.nz.
Dear Blog I was looking forward to my
breakfast but the cat ate it!!!
Global financial crisis means tough times for biotechnology sector
28 October 2008
AgResearch, New Zealand’s principal pastoral food Research Institute, and Australia’s CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation) Livestock Industries Division today predicted the global financial crisis could significantly reduce investment in biotechnology and agricultural science.
At the opening day of their joint three day Horizons science conference in Christchurch AgResearch's General Manager of Applied Technologies, Dr Jimmy Suttie, said there's likely to be a low appetite for investment in the biotechnology market from now on.
"The international financial crisis means there is a low appetite for risk and less likelihood of investment in areas such as animal biotechnology. However, this investment is important for New Zealand's future," said Dr Suttie.
"Additionally, if farmers face a downturn it becomes an instant issue for AgResearch. As tougher economic times develop farmers will want increasing real value from what's delivered by the sector levies they pay. AgResearch receives significant funding from sector levies and should this disappear AgResearch would face financial repercussions."
Meanwhile CSIRO Livestock Industries Division Chief Professor Allan Bell said it can't be foreseen just how big an impact the financial crisis will have on national science budgets in Australia and New Zealand.
"The situation is gloomy and all bets regarding the future are off," he said. "Both Australia and New Zealand are affected by export markets and how the international financial crisis affects other national economies. The next couple of years will be pretty tough."
Dr Suttie predicts the biggest single issue facing New Zealand agriculture is changing land use, with dairy farms replacing sheep and beef farms on high quality land.
"Dairy and crop farming will predominate with crops being mainly raised to feed diary herds. Sheep will have to move onto poorer quality hill country which will require more fertiliser while the beef industry will have a change in the quality of animals it has for processing.
These issues are part of the focus of the Horizons conference which is: the future of agriculture: value or volume? The conference aims to generate robust debate on the future for trans-Tasman livestock industries, especially in light of increasing global concern about food safety.
