New Zealand’s red meat sector exports reached $10 billion in 2021 despite the disruption caused by COVID-19, according to an analysis by the Meat Industry Association (MIA). The exports represented a nine per cent increase on 2020. The value of red meat and co-products exported in December 2021 was also up 22 per cent year […]
Agribusiness
Wool industry merger vote
Wools of New Zealand (WNZ) and Primary Wool Co-operative (PWC) shareholders are encouraged to register for a series of online meetings ahead of a vote on the proposed merger of operations between WNZ and Primary Wool Co-operative-owned CP Wool. Under the proposed merger, the grower-owned export and marketing company WNZ and PWC will remain the […]
Escalating women leaders
“To be a good leader, you have to first know your ‘why,’” says Ravensdown shareholder and Agri-Women’s Development Trust (AWDT) Escalator programme graduate Donna Cram. “For me it is to connect people across agricultural communities using values-based communication to empower collaboration.” Donna, a dairy farmer at Wylan Dene farm near Awatuna in South Taranaki, was […]
Lip Gloss and Gumboots
While some people are attracted to the more solitary parts of a rural working life, many farming women seek out others going through the same experiences, according to Ravensdown shareholder Jo Hay. “Farming can be a pretty lonely lifestyle. It’s important for women in agriculture to have a supportive group where they can discuss their […]
The ultimate example of an environmental and business win:win
Taupo-based Activated Carbon NZ Ltd is using waste sawdust from sawmills and turning it into activated carbon, right here in New Zealand. Activated carbon is a product that is used in a wide range of applications, including removing toxic gases in industrial waste and effluent, to purify water, and in the supplement, cosmetic, and food […]
Ruralco scoops double win in gender diversity awards
In what is traditionally perceived as a conservative, male-dominated industry, Ruralco has shattered stereotypes winning the 2021 Gender Diverse Organisation Award. The team at Ruralco are extremely proud that more than 60 per cent of their people represent gender diversity across all levels within the organisation. Board Chair, Jessie Chan has won Inspiring Leader of […]
Feilding student’s dedication to agriculture is rewarded
Agricultural scholarship winner Olivia Buick loves all things ag - be it the serenity of driving a tractor in the central high country, the fascination for how soil, science and the economy make up a farm system or helping others at Young Farmers. Born and bred on a sheep and beef farm just out of […]
Health and safety, it’s not necessarily something you can call ‘just common sense’
“Working in a rural role but desk-based has really made me reflect on the very different health and safety challenges of being ‘hands on’ on farm,” says Kieran McCahon. Kieran, Waikato/Bay of Plenty FMG Young Farmer of the Year, grew up on his family’s 1000-cow dairy farm on Northland’s Pouto Peninsula, near Dargaville. He gained […]