Bank helps clients reduce emissions
Rabobank says climate change creates both risks and opportunities for the bank and its clients and that the food and agriculture sector needs to recognise the potential for both.
AUSTRALIAN DAIRY, banking and investment interests are out to entice ambitious New Zealand dairy farmers and workers across the Tasman.
They want to rejuvenate the Tasmanian and Victorian dairy industries and inject new impetus into productivity.
They are dangling the carrot of a cheaper path to dairy farm ownership – about one third the cost of New Zealand, claims Andrew Radford, a director of ATR accountancy and owner of two Tasmanian dairy farms. He and two Rabobank rural managers, from Tasmania and Victoria, Rabobank senior dairy analyst Michael Harvey, and another investment specialist, were delivering the message at four bank-organised seminars around the country last week.
They want Kiwi talent to cross the ditch to help provide "the next wave of farmers to take the industry up another notch," says Leigh Barker, a Rabobank rural manager in Devonport branch, Tasmania.
They think New Zealand farmers and workers will bring new ideas, new competition and new innovation. "In the late 1990s to 2000s when the first wave of New Zealanders came, they contributed to growing the industry to a new level," says Barker. "That contribution can come again with the capacity available."
With big investment in processing plant in Tasmania in recent years, there's an annual 335 million litres extra capacity in Tasmania alone, Barker says. "If you go over there and buy a farm, all processors will turn up on that farm and try to grab you. They need to fill that stainless steel," says Radford.
"There's a lot of spare capacity that can be generated by new blood." – by Pam Tipa
See full story, p3, Dairy News, March 23
China’s Ambassador Wang Xiaolong says bilateral economic and trade cooperation between China and New Zealand has made significant and rapid progress.
South Waikato farm manager Ben Purua’s amazing transformation from gang life to milking cows was rewarded with the Ahuwhenua Young Maori Farmer award last night.
Bankers have been making record profits in the last few years, but those aren’t the only records they’ve been breaking, says Federated Farmers vice president Richard McIntyre.
The 2023-24 season has been a roller coaster ride for Waikato dairy farmers, according to Federated Farmers dairy section chair, Mathew Zonderop.
Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) director general Ray Smith says job cuts announced this morning will not impact the way the Ministry is organised or merge business units.
Scales Corporation is acquiring a number of orchard assets from Bostock Group.