Risky business
OPINION: In the same way that even a stopped clock is right twice a day, economists sometimes get it right.
He didn’t expect to have the level of conversation fundamentally about how much milk Fonterra will end up collecting.
“It’s a conversation that has definitely come up in the last 12 months and I think it’s from seeing well-capitalised companies come into the industry with the potential to change the industry,” Proudfoot told Rural News.
“It comes from real concerns about whether Fonterra is adding value, and the general answer is that there is a lot more they could be doing.”
Proudfoot says the other surprise for him was seeing broadband climb the list to second equal – indicating it is a core issue for the sector.
“We can see the productivity opportunities in technology, its environmental potential and what it can do to strengthen our communities. If we can get rural broadband right, we can transform the rural environment, create new jobs and generate more wealth.”
Proudfoot points to a growing realisation of the need to inspire young people to make a career in agriculture and to help them understand the sector.
