Tuesday, 27 August 2024 11:55

Beef sector must lift its game

Written by  Peter Burke
Sir Lockwood Smith Sir Lockwood Smith

Sir Lockwood Smith is full of praise for the efficiency of the sheep industry, saying they have done a great job over the years.

He highlights the way they have brought in genes from all sorts of breeds and incorporated these into our base Romney flock.

This has included improving the fertility of the national flock and using terminal sires to improve the growth rate of our lambs, so they are more productive and carbon efficiency.

"Our lamb production is outstandingly good, but our beef industry is miles behind. We still have farmers in NZ who don't have yearling heifers. How can you have carbon efficiency if you don't mate a heifer until she is two years old? Some farmers might say it's difficult, but we have got to do it and we have got to produce animals that can do it," he says.

The big shift that's needed globally, says Smith, is to look at carbon emissions in relation to the nutrient value of a product.

He says when you measure cow's milk and oat milk this way, the cow's milk clearly comes out on top.

He says if NZ and other countries could tie their emissions to this criterion there would be significant progress globally on climate change.

More like this

Editorial: Escaping Trump's wrath

OPINION: President Donald Trump's bizarre hard line approach to the world of what was once 'rules-based trade' has got New Zealand government officials, politicians and exporters on tenterhooks.

Wool pellets to boost gardens

With wool prices steadily declining and shearing costs on the rise, a Waikato couple began looking for a solution for wool from their 80ha farm.

Featured

Court decision a win for Southland farmers

Federated Farmers says it welcomes a recent court decision which granted a stay on rules in the Southland Water and Land Plan until legislative changes can be made by government.

National

Machinery & Products

Alpego eyes electric power harrow

Distributed by OriginAg in New Zealand, Italian manufacturer Alpego recently showed its three metre Alysium electric power harrow at the…

New seed drill tech coming

Incorporating Vaderstad's latest seed drill technology, the Proceed V 24, is said to improve precision and increase planting efficiencies for…

» Latest Print Issues Online

The Hound

Waffle man

OPINION: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon sometimes can't escape his own corporate instinct for evasion, and in what should have been…

Banks on notice

OPINION: Shane 'Matua' Jones, crusader against all things woke, including "woke banks", couldn't have scripted it better when his NZ…

» Connect with Rural News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter