Fert co-op extends fixed price offer
Ballance Agri-Nutrients is expanding its fixed price offer to help customers manage input costs with greater certainty over the coming season.
Ballance Agri-Nutrients chief executive Mark Wynne says the agri-business sector needs to make sure decisions are based around science and not just emotion.
Speaking at the Ballance Farm Environment Award's sustainability showcase on Wednesday night, Wynne said communities were demanding change faster than farming, on average, was changing as an industry.
"We can embrace it or fight it, but it is coming. Science needs to be at the heart of the discussion, and we in the agri-business sector need to make sure decisions are based around science and not just emotion. It's in all of our best interests."
Wynne says navigating the path to a sustainable profitable future was more challenging than ever, with agri-business' licence to operate changing in response to community pressure.
He commended the entrants, finalists and national winners of the Ballance Farm Environment Awards, Auckland sheep, beef and forestry farmers Richard and Dianne Kidd, as leaders in demonstrating that sustainable farming and profitability were not mutually opposed goals.
"We need to amplify the awareness of excellence in sustainable farming and accelerate the acceptance of the best practice across all farmers. It's not an easy task, and leading farmers in particular hate blowing their own trumpet, but the promotion of best practice is a role that we must all take very seriously."
He highlighted that in addition to water quality, water use would be at the heart of many future issues facing farming, especially given the rise of tourism as a significant earner for New Zealand.
"Tourism doesn't want to see nitrified lakes, dry river beds and irrigators everywhere. The first in first served water allocation legislation is unlikely to last another decade as weather events force a rethink.
"Water will eventually have a tradable price like all other limited resources, and any nutrients that enter our waterways will be paid for twice, once as an input to the land and again as a pollution tax. Water policy will reshape current land usage.
"Navigating this change will require both knowledge and wisdom and the importance of sound science in the decision making cannot be overstated."
Newly elected Federated Farmers meat and wool group chair Richard Dawkins says he will continue the great work done his predecessor Toby Williams.
Hosted by ginger dynamo Te Radar, the Fieldays Innovation Award Winners Event put the spotlight on the agricultural industry's most promising ideas.
According to DairyNZ's latest Econ Tracker update, there has been a rise in the forecast breakeven milk price for the 2025/26 season.
Despite the rain and a liberal coating of mud, engines roared, and the 50th Fieldays Tractor Pull Competition drew crowds of spectators across the four days of the annual event.
Nationwide rural wellbeing programme, Farmstrong recently celebrated its tenth birthday at Fieldays with an event attended by ambassador Sam Whitelock, Farmers Mutual Group (FMG), Farmstrong partners, and government Ministers.
Six industry organisations, including DairyNZ and the Dairy Companies Association (DCANZ) have signed an agreement with the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) to prepare the country for a potential foot and mouth outbreak.
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