Field Notes Issue 636 Field Notes Issue 636 Field Notes Issue 636

This week in Aotearoa New Zealand there’s plenty of innovation in the headlines.

Many of these innovation stories have come alongside last week’s Fieldays, including the announcement of the Fieldays Innovation award winners, the launch of a seaweed based bioremediation plant by Paeroa-based Agrisea, and a new hi-tech bin for kiwifruit pickers.

In fibre innovation, there’s been a 110% year-on-year increase in cattle hides exported to Italy for leather products such as Ferrari upholstery, and lipstick designer Karen Murrell has launched a new brand tinted with keratin from New Zealand wool.

In aquaculture, a land-based whitebait faming set-up in Southland has received a $1 million investment from the Ministry for Primary Industries SFF Futures fund, the same week that a new $5 million oyster hatchery in Nelson has been opened at the Cawthron Aquaculture park.

Finally in New Zealand, MPI’s recent SOPI report forecasts a record $55 billion of food and fibre exports this year amid the ongoing challenges in trade and logistics. While in domestic consumption, food bank parcels continue to rise, hitting 47% higher numbers than the same time last year.

Internationally, the forecast for red meat demand from the United States is forecast to remain strong which will continue to put upward pressure on New Zealand export prices amongst America’s own dipping domestic production. While Japan is set to make a record export of agricultural product this year, with a year-on-year increase to October of 15.3% on what was already a record previous year.

One thing has not changed since we published the first chapter of this year’s KPMG Agribusiness Agenda in June, it remains hard to know where to start to take advantage of the opportunities present in the food and fibre sector.

The first chapter of this year’s Agenda identified six priorities from our conversations with industry leaders to drive growth and enhance resilience for New Zealand’s food and fibre sectors. We have taken these themes and talked to a range of organisations from across the sector to learn about the actions they have taken to not only survive but grow and prosper over the last three pandemic-impacted years, which is the basis for the insights in chapter two of this years Agenda.

Chapter 2: Growth from resilience – Insights into action.

Build stronger and better not-for-profits [6 December, Farmers Weekly]

Not-for-profit organisations in the New Zealand primary sector have been asked to do more for less. A report commissioned by the Agri-Women’s Development Trust, with the support of AGMARDT, provides insights and tools to review and benchmark performance and build future resilience. It outlines eight key traits of high-performing NFPs and offers business model options. The report is available to access through the websites of AWDT, AGMARDT, and KPMG.

Tags: Agribusiness

Exorbitant tariffs, import barriers and protectionism: what's holding back our trade in Asia [4 December, Stuff]

New Zealand's agribusinesses have seen success in Asia due to trade agreements, with exports of meat and dairy to Asia increasing five-fold in the past 50 years. However, India remains a notable gap in the Asian market, taking just NZD$1.6 million of the country's meat, mostly sheep, in the year to the end of August compared with China's NZD$3.85 billion and Japan's NZD$531 million. New Zealand officials are working to increase access to these markets and increase the value of exports.

Tags: Trade & Exports

Russian aquaculture hit hard by sanctions [6 December, The Fish Site]              

The Russian aquaculture industry is facing a severe crisis, with raw materials and feed prices rising significantly, limited options for importing feed from other countries, and a shortage of skilled personnel. As a result, farmed fish prices are expected to increase by 20-50%. The Ministry of Agriculture and the Federal Agency for Fishery have announced measures to modernise and expand fish feed enterprises, but this will take at least 2.5-3 years to implement.

Tags: International, Fisheries, Trade & Exports 

Fonterra and farmers risk not being able to get debt funding from banks if they don't meet sustainability expectations [1 December, Stuff]

Fonterra Co-operative Group and its farmers are reportedly at risk of not being able to access debt funding in the future if they fail to meet banks' and customers' sustainability expectations. As a result, the dairy cooperative is developing a Scope 3 emissions target and is launching a pilot programme to support farmers in implementing changes to lower on-farm emissions. This is in response to increasing pressure from customers and consumers for more sustainability and global competition from countries with Scope 3 targets.

Tags: Dairy, Environment & Emissions, Policy & Regulation

An Indigenous reservation has a novel way to grow food – below the earth’s surface [3 December, the Guardian]

In response to worsening climate conditions, The Oglala Sioux Tribe based in US South Dakota is constructing underground greenhouses, using geothermal energy to maintain a stable temperature. The greenhouses use a passive solar system, absorbing heat and releasing it back into the building when the sun goes down. Cheaper to operate than above-ground greenhouses, underground greenhouses can provide year-round food production, reduce reliance on fossil fuels, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Tags: International, Farming Systems