How farmers make spring count
OPINION: Spring is a critical season for farmers – a time when the right decisions can set the tone for productivity and profitability throughout the year.
Ballance Agri-Nutrients has launched SimplyFert, an ex-hub and therefore lower-cost offering said to give its shareholders choice and flexibility for purchasing nutrients.
The co-op says this is its second new service innovation this quarter, following the announcement of its Fixed Price Nitrogen last month.
Ballance says SimplyFert gives its shareholder access to quality fertiliser without the extra cost associated with Ballance's wider distribution network, nutrient specialist support and advice, or digital support and services through MyBallance, its online digital platform.
"We know that most of our shareholders value the full service that Ballance provides through our nutrient specialists, our digital solutions, world class supply chain and products developed for the NZ industry. There are some though, who, in some instances, don’t require the support and convenience of our full distribution network, or who may not want access to our full suite of services,” says Jason Minkhorst, general manager customer at Ballance.
“SimplyFert demonstrates our deep understanding of our shareholders’ evolving needs, whether that be on farm solutions or more recently, ways to provide more cost-effective nutrients on farm.”
SimplyFert will offer Ballance’s core products with a minimum order of 12 tonnes. Further, shareholders who purchase SimplyFert forgo the additional services Ballance offers, including the convenience of accessing fertiliser from the local service centre as they must pick up their fertiliser directly from Ballance’s hubs located at Mount Operations, Maru Street, Timaru and Awarua.
“We are really pleased that we’ve been able to offer our shareholders two new service offerings in the past few weeks. While we acknowledge that they may not work for all shareholders, these innovations will benefit the cooperative as a whole,” says Minkhorst.
Kiwis are wasting less of their food than they were two years ago, and this has been enough to push New Zealand’s total household food waste bill lower, the 2025 Rabobank KiwiHarvest Food Waste survey has found.
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'Common sense' cuts to government red tape will make it easier for New Zealand to deliver safe food to more markets.
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OPINION: Legislation being drafted to bring back the controversial trade of live animal exports by sea is getting stuck in the…