Silver Fern Farms roadshow highlights global demand
The second event in the Silver Fern Farms ‘Pasture to Plate Roadshow’ landed in Feilding last week, headed by chair and King Country farmer, Anna Nelson, and chief executive Dan Boulton.
Silver Fern Farms Co-operative chairman Rob Hewett is among three new directors appointed to the WoolWorks Board.
Hewett, who farms 9,250 stock units along with a 960ha sheep and beef breeding property and a finishing unit in Manuka Gorge, also serves as chairman of Farmlands Co-operative, and used to serve as the chair of the Strong Wool Action Group.
Also appointed to the WoolWorks Board is John Rodwell who is currently a director of Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research, and the Lincoln-based research centre Bioprotection Aotearoa.
Rodwell is also the founder, chairman and part-owner of Kintore Dairy Farm, a 1,500-cow dairy farm in Canterbury, and its 330ha support farm, Broadfields Farm, in Ashburton.
Mike Smith, director of Maui Capital, rounds out the group of newly-appointed directors. He has held various positions on the boards of Argosy Property Trust, the Lion Foundation, Fonterra, and Fisher & Paykel Healthcare.
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John Rodwell |
“Mike and John will bring significant expertise and experience to the WoolWorks Board and we are looking forward to them making valuable contributions,” says Hewett.
“We have all joined the Board because we firmly believe WoolWorks has an exciting future in itself, but also for New Zealand.”
Rodwell says he is confident he and his fellow directors can build on WoolWorks’ foundation and progress further added value opportunities.
“What’s clear is that there has been a sea-change in the perception of wool as a natural fibre with its outstanding environmental credentials,” he says.
“Consumers are increasingly recognising the draw-backs of synthetics and their reliance on fossil fuels and chemicals.”
Former Agriculture Minister and Otaki farmer Nathan Guy has been appointed New Zealand’s Special Agricultural Trade Envoy (SATE).
Alliance Group has commissioned a new heat pump system at its Mataura processing plant in Southland.
Fonterra has slashed another 50c off its milk price forecast as global milk flows shows no sign of easing.
Meat processors are hopeful that the additional 15% tariff on lamb exports to the US will also come off.
Fears of a serious early drought in Hawke’s Bay have been allayed – for the moment at least.
There was much theatre in the Beehive before the Government's new Resource Management Act (RMA) reform bills were introduced into Parliament last week.

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