Keeping cyber attacks at bay
Fonterra says it takes the ongoing threat of 'adverse cyber action' extremely seriously.
Fonterra says a campaign where its shareholder farmers tell their success stories has helped boost its standing among New Zealanders.
In April last year, only 16% of New Zealanders surveyed had a favourable view of the co-op; 35% had an unfavourable view.
By December, the co-op had turned this around; 29% viewed the co-op favourably and 16% unfavourably.
Fonterra managing director corporate affairs Mike Cronin told the NZ Cooperative leaders’ forum in Auckland last week that the each percentage represented about 40,000 people.
“So 1.2 million people think positive of us now,” he says.
Cronin says while the co-op is pleased with change in public perception, more work needs to be done.
The co-op used former All Blacks captain Richie McCaw in the ‘4.31am advertising campaign’. Fronted by McCaw the ads focus on five topics that farmers want the wider public to better understand.
Cronin says Fonterra farmers want more New Zealanders to know their story.
“They want New Zealanders to be as proud of the co-op as they are.”
Cronin says Fonterra has spent the past three years building better foundations through its community projects – like Milk for Schools and environment initiatives and partnerships.
“Our reputation in New Zealand was unsustainably low and we know we need New Zealanders support to operate.
“We are not understood by New Zealanders; building reputation builds farmer and staff pride and productivity.”
Among the regular exhibitors at last month’s South Island Agricultural Field Days, the one that arguably takes the most intensive preparation every time is the PGG Wrightson Seeds site.
Two high producing Canterbury dairy farmers are moving to blended stockfeed supplements fed in-shed for a number of reasons, not the least of which is to boost protein levels, which they can’t achieve through pasture under the region’s nitrogen limit of 190kg/ha.
Buoyed by strong forecasts for milk prices and a renewed demand for dairy assets, the South Island rural real estate market has begun the year with positive momentum, according to Colliers.
The six young cattle breeders participating in the inaugural Holstein Friesian NZ young breeder development programme have completed their first event of the year.
New Zealand feed producers are being encouraged to boost staff training to maintain efficiency and product quality.
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