Zespri hits major milestone
Kiwifruit marketer Zespri says its kiwifruit has now reached more than 100 million households globally.
Major farming sector lender ANZ is closely watching the rising price of farmland.
ANZ's new managing director commercial and agri, Mark Hiddleston, says no one wants to see the boom in the kiwifruit industry turn into another 'bubble'.
He told Rural News at Fieldays that the kiwifruit industry rebound has been fantastic in "going through tough times and working together through them".
"The industry was literally holdings hands for a few years; now we see orchard prices are higher than before Psa," he says. "That's great, no one is criticising that outcome, but let's make sure it doesn't turn into another bubble."
Pre-Psa kiwifruit gold orchards were valued at $450,000/ha and green orchards $250,000/ha. Today, gold orchards are valued at $600,000/ha and green $400,000/ha.
Zespri has exported a record 50 million trays of gold kiwifruit this year, versus a record 30m trays before Psa.
Hiddleston and colleagues are talking to farmers nationwide about volatility and how they can manage for it. Ultimately volatility will discourage people from entering an industry and will discourage capital. "The more volatility, the greater the risk," he says.
Dairy farmers, now in their second year of negative cashflow, better understand this. "They realise they need to think about things they can control. You can't control what's happening in Europe, but you can control farm practices."
ANZ is noticing resilience among dairy farmers, Hiddleston says. Farmers who borrowed more money after the first year of the low milk price have since made radical changes to their businesses and now don't need additional funds.
They say to us 'we now have a better business'."
ANZ has made provision for bad debt arising out of the dairy downturn. However, it's coming off a low base and the board is "very comfortable" with current levels.
The bank is working with farmers as part of its 'agri reboot' programme on funding and monitoring onfarm costs for the year.
And ANZ is working with sharemilkers badly hit by two seasons of low payout, including coordinating discussion between sharemilkers and farm owners.
"We have clients on both sides; we don't want to put pressure on one side. The solution is not to push more debt on someone who really can't afford it and push them out of the industry.
"Instead we can facilitate discussion with landowners -- provide more support to landowners who then support the sharemilkers."
The 2025 South Island Agricultural Field Days (SIAFD) chairman, Rangiora farmer Andrew Stewart, is predicting a successful event on the back of good news coming out of the farming sector and with it a greater level of optimism among farmers.
WorkSafe New Zealand is calling on farmers to consider how vehicles move inside their barns and sheds, following a sentencing for a death at one of South Canterbury’s biggest agribusinesses.
Now is not the time to stop incorporating plantain into dairy pasture systems to reduce nitrogen (N) loss, says Agricom Australasia brand manager Mark Brown.
Building on the success of last year's events, the opportunity to attend People Expos is back for 2025, offering farmers the chance to be inspired and gain more tips and insights for their toolkits to support their people on farm.
Ballance Agri-Nutrients fertiliser SustaiN – which contains a urease inhibitor that reduces the amount of ammonia released to the air – has now been registered by the Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI). It is the first fertiliser in New Zealand to achieve this status.
Precision application of nitrogen can improve yields, but the costs of testing currently outweigh improved returns, according to new research from Plant and Food Research, MPI and Ravensdown.
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