A true Kiwi ingenuity
The King Cobra raingun continues to have a huge following in the New Zealand market and is also exported to numerous overseas markets.
Dairy technology company Numedic Ltd has gained farm dairy effluent (FDE) design accreditation.
The accreditation programme provides a new way forward for effluent system design in New Zealand, says Cathryn Reid, a Numedic director. She has been a member of the design standards steering group since the initial development of the concept.
Its goal is to ensure all NZ dairy farmers have effluent systems that can meet dairy industry and wider community expectations for the land application of dairy effluent. This includes keeping all untreated effluent out of surface and groundwater, keeping land-applied effluent nutrients in the root zone to capture their nutrient and economic value, and ensuring all systems are compliant 365 days a year.
Accredited organisations have had their design skills and workplace systems assessed by an independent panel and have met the accreditation standard.
Companies have been assessed for their competency and skills in regulation and legislation, soils and climate, effluent block allocation, pond storage calculations, hydraulic design and quality assurance management systems.
Says Reid, "We had always planned to complete the accreditation, as we see it having benefits for our customers and dealers.
Where any worker in the kiwifruit industry is mistreated, we expect the authorities to take action.
Mid Canterbury Federated Farmers arable chair, Bevan Lill, said Beef + Lamb NZ data indicated that for the last six years, the average arable return on investment was about 0.8% while inflation ran about 4% - so the average arable farm was going backwards at about 3% a year.
Seed and grain companies share the concerns of arable farmers about the viability of their sector, says Seed and Grain New Zealand chief executive Dr Sarah Clark.
The New Zealand Institute of Forestry (NZIF) says unnecessary changes to New Zealand’s Emissions Trading Scheme (NZ ETS) will seriously erode investor confidence and result in significant reductions in forest planting rates.
For the first time in a quarter of a century, Federated Farmers has something positive to say about the Labour Party’s climate change policy leading into a general election.
A warning for New Zealand seed and grain companies – be prepared for an exodus of farmers from the arable sector.
OPINION: It seems Canterbury processor Synlait is still in the doldrums.
OPINION: Get offside with New Zealand First leader Winston Peters at your own peril.