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…

Jan 17, 2018  -  Fonterra has launched a new fresh milk product in China in partnership with Hema Fresh, Alibaba’s innovative new retail concept which combines traditional bricks-and-mortar shopping with a digital experience.  The new Daily Fresh milk range is now available in Hema’s 14 stores in Shanghai and Suzhou in 750mL bottles, sourced directly from Fonterra’s farm hub in Hebei province. The product boasts unique product labels to match each day of the week in order to emphasise freshness, with stock being replenished overnight ready for each new day.

Jan 9, 2018  -  Environmental organisation WWF and its partners have introduced revolutionary blockchain technology to the Pacific Islands’ tuna industry, the first of its kind for this region, to help stamp out illegal fishing and human rights abuses. Tracking fish from vessel to the supermarket, the Blockchain Supply Chain Traceability Project is using digital technology in the fresh and frozen tuna sectors of the Western and Central Pacific region to strengthen supply chain management. As part of an innovative initiative, WWF-New Zealand, WWF-Australia, and WWF-Fiji have teamed up with global tech innovator ConsenSys, information and communications technology (ICT) implementer…

Dec 7,  2017  -  Synlait Milk (NZX: SML; ASX: SM1) has today officially opened its new Wetmix kitchen, which will enable it to simultaneously run both large-scale infant formula spray dryers.  This will double the amount of infant formula powder which can be produced at the Dunsandel site, from 40,000 metric tonnes (MT) to 80,000 MT per year. “We were at the point where our current Wetmix facility was at capacity, and our consumer demand was continuing to grow. Building this new Wetmix kitchen will relieve that pressure,” says John Penno, Managing Director and CEO. Synlait has invested $37 million…

New portfolio goes a long way towards fixing fisheries management. LegaSea welcomes the creation of a new separate portfolio for Fisheries and wishes the new Minister of Fisheries, Stuart Nash, good luck as he tackles what has become a highly contentious portfolio. Fisheries has been lumped in with forestry and farming under the Ministry for Primary Industries banner since 2012 but it has never sat well within the portfolio, says LegaSea spokesman Scott Macindoe. “Farmers grow crops, till the soil, manage the herd, maintain their fences. Fish live in the wild and aren’t farmed at all, but hunted. There’s an…

Beckie wilson writes in the  Wairarapa Times Age about a family meat processing company that has created a niche for meat products away from the larger red meat exporters and has hit the nail on the head. The Everton family don’t want to be “lumbered in the same box” as other red meat providers. They pride themselves on the integrated process of owning the meat all the way from the paddock to the plate. Cabernet Foods Ltd and the processing plant Kintyre Meats has been working out of rural Carterton for the past 17 years. Lyndon Everton, the managing director…

T&G’s Lotatoes have fended off four other food innovators to win The Ministry for Primary Industries Primary Sector Products Award at the 2017 New Zealand Food Awards Reports. The category promotes, recognises and showcases innovations in primary sector products, processing and packaging methods. “Lotatoes are sustainably grown right here in New Zealand by passionate farmers loved by kiwi consumers. We’re extremely proud to win at the 2017 New Zealand Food Awards,” says Andrew Keaney, executive general manager, T&G who accepted the top award. “Having judges recognise Lotatoes confirms we’re is on the right track, so hats off to the dedicated…

AgResearch is entering into a major programme to prepare New Zealand for the new era of digital agriculture. The programme will identify the barriers to taking up new digital technologies on and off the farm, and will develop a technology roadmap to support the industry's transition. Many farmers are already using technologies such as sensors on their farms connected to their mobile phones or devices. However there is enormous potential for uptake of exciting new tools, alongside digital platforms that can bring together and analyse large amounts of data from different sources across the farm to guide decision-making. "There are…

Leading food company Alliance has acquired the business of Goldkiwi Asia, a Singapore -based marketing and sales company, as it seeks to capture more value from its markets in Asia. Alliance Group chief executive David Surveyor said the new business will be known as Alliance Asia. Goldkiwi Asia is well established and has built sound customer relationships in China, Hong Kong, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia since the early 1990s. Mr Surveyor said the acquisition represents an important step in the company’s vision to create a stronger co - operative to benefit its 5,000 farmer shareholders and staff. The…

The acquisition of a computer vision startup speeds the company’s goal of helping farmers grow enough food for an exploding global population. On a block in San Francisco’s SoMa district, near LinkedIn’s headquarters and dozens of startups, a 180-year-old company best-known for making tractors has a gleaming new Silicon Valley office. But inside, instead of building the latest app, John Deere is focused on how to use artificial intelligence to make farming equipment that can meet modern sustainability and food production challenges. John Deere Labs, which opened its doors in the spring, made its first major deal on September 6.…

TOKYO -- Low-fat, high-protein beef from grass-fed New Zealand cattle is becoming increasingly popular in health-conscious Japan.  In a country known for gastronomic indulgence, not least its love of fatty, marbled wagyu beef, it may come as a bit of a surprise to see the burgeoning popularity of lean New Zealand meat. But as demand for lean cuts rises from an increasingly health-conscious public, more and more grass-fed New Zealand beef has appeared on Japan's supermarket shelves. In June, Co-opdeli Consumers' Co-operative Union switched from grain-fed Australian beef to meat from pasture-grazed New Zealand cattle for its home delivery service.…