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Wormwise Programme manager Ginny Dodunski was one of the panel members.
Parasites, facial eczema and dairy beef integration all challenge the red meat sector and were the subject of a panel discussion at Beef + Lamb New Zealand's annual meeting last month.
The discussion was facilitated by B+LNZ's general manager of farming excellence Dan Brier.
The panel was made up of AgResearch chief scientist Dr Axel Heiser, Massey University's Dr Nick Sneddon - the lead scientist in the Dairy Progeny Test - and Wormwise Programme manager Ginny Dodunski. All three outlined the work they were doing in their respective fields to help farmers address these issues.
Facial Eczema
Heiser explained how a large, multi-faceted programme is underway which aims to tackle the production-limiting disease that is facial eczema (FE).
He says this programme will look at the ecology of FE, genetics, spore count methods, an understanding of what the rumen does to sporidesmin (the toxin that causes FE) and the potential of a vaccine for sporidesmin.
Heiser added that the initial focus will be to carry out some fundamental science to expand their knowledge of FE and ultimately define two solutions, one pasture-based and one animal-based.
AgResearch, in conjunction with B+LNZ, is also developing a test for FE that does not require an animal to be exposed to the toxin.
Heiser says they think they have identified a handful of markers that can be read via a blood test. However, there is still a long way to go to develop an affordable, high throughput commercial test.
Dairy Beef Integration
Sneddon talked about the challenges and opportunities of integrating the dairy and beef industries through the use of beef genetics in the dairy cows.
He says dairy farmers have different requirements to beef farmers, with the former most concerned about gestation length, calving ease and birthweight, all of which are easy to measure traits.
Conversely, beef farmers want fast growing, early maturing animals that finish well with good meat quality. There are many environmental as well as genetic factors at play, so it is harder to determine how much variation is due solely to genetics.
The Dairy Beef Progeny Test is using genomic tools to help identify the genetics that align with the requirements of both beef and dairy farmers. There is no single breed standing out in the Dairy Beef Progeny Test with the top four bulls coming from different breeds.
Wormwise
Wormwise Programme manager and veterinarian Ginny Dodunski outlined how the focus on internal parasite management needed to shift from a reliance on drench to a farm system approach.
She pointed out that one third of farmers surveyed had triple drench resistance. However, she added that there are farmers throughout the country who are farming successfully with minimal drench inputs and showing what is possible. These include farmers in challenging environments such as intensive bull finishers in Northland and fine wool producers.
"Drench resistance wouldn't be an issue if we set up systems that require minimal drench."
Dodunski says Wormwise is about looking at the whole farm system and while previously its extension was delivered through workshops, the focus is now changing in response to farmers' needs.
She added that surveys have shown farmers prefer to get advice on parasite management from their vets. So, Wormwise is working to help standardise the messages coming out of the vet industry by providing a forum for vets to learn from experts and each other.
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Despite near universal optimism in the rural sector, a panel of New Zealand’s leading food and agri minds caution that the sector must be intentional about its future path.
The panel say this is needed if the sector is to successfully
navigate the social, economic, environmental and technological forces impacting its operating environment.
Their views form part of the latest version of Rabobank’s annual white paper ‘Succession 2050 – gearing up for New Zealand’s food and agri future’.
The white paper focuses on the topic of succession at an industry level.
In addition to Rabobank’s own insights, the paper brings together a selection of 14 leading New Zealand and international food and agri experts – including trade negotiators, economists, systems analysts, scientists and technologists along with sectoral experts in sustainability, the future of fibre and Māori enterprise – to share their perspectives on what the New Zealand food and agri sector could look like in 2050 and what needs to change to achieve that vision.
Launching the new paper at the Primary Industries New Zealand Summit in Auckland today, Rabobank New Zealand CEO Todd Charteris said the experts who contributed to the white paper had identified plenty of reasons for New Zealand to be confident about its food and agri future.
“To name just a few, we’re a major food producer in a food-hungry world that’s on track to need 56% more food by 2050,” he said.
“Our food and fibre exports are also growing strongly and are forecast to hit $64.3 billion for the year to June 2026, while our government has signalled its plans to help double overall New Zealand exports by 2034.”
While there were many reasons for optimism, Charteris said, the expert contributors had also noted a host of changes taking place across the global food and agri operating environment that would need to be navigated for the industry to achieve ongoing success in the decades ahead.
“A number of key changes shaping the future of the sector came through in the perspectives of the expert contributors,” he said.
“There are the well-canvased issues of increasing global food insecurity, the challenging trade environment driven by geopolitical tensions, and the need to produce food within planetary limits."
“However, the experts also raised emerging trends, including what we’ve called ‘Identity eating’ – which is the growing way of signalling who you are as a person through what you eat – and is leading to higher demand for ethical and health-conscious foods.
“Another key trend identified out to 2050 was ‘Exponential everything’, which covers the transformation of the sector through science and technology.”
Rather than let these changes wash over it like a tsunami, Mr Charteris said, the broadly held view among the expert contributors was that New Zealand’s agriculture sector would need to lean in and proactively shape the changes occurring around it.
“We heard this message in many different ways; whether it was influencing global trade policy, embracing technology, capitalising on sustainability, training up for the future, defending our advantage in dairy or kiwifruit, growing Māori enterprise or more deliberately utilising all the wealth in our big blue backyard,” he said.
Charteris said the white paper contributors had identified 23 changes they would like to see in New Zealand between now and 2050 that will help set up the sector for success.
“Essentially, they boil down into five buckets with four to five ‘work ons’ in each bucket,” he said.
“At the centre, we need a change model that starts from the customer perspective and works outward from that, feeding into more purposeful decisions about land use and production systems.
“Then once we are clear on what customers are asking for and where we want to play, we need to stack talent and technology.
“Between these items we have the elements of a 2050 growth engine.”
What’s exciting, Charteris said, is that New Zealand has the geography, the capacity, the ideas, and the time, to make something outstanding of its future.
“My wish is that our experts’ thinking will inspire others to join me in pushing for a more deliberative strategic future for New Zealand,” he said.
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