Plummeting sales forces C-Dax to cease trading
Farmer-owned co-operative Ravensdown is winding down the operations of its agritech subsidiary C-Dax following a long decline in sales.
Ravensdown have won the Large Business Award at the 2015 Hawkes Bay Chamber of Commerce Awards.
In the Hawkes Bay region the fertiliser co-op has several stores - a spreading venture, customer contact centre, laboratory and a superphosphate manufacturing plant.
Regional manager Jamie Thompson says the whole team can take pride in this acknowledgement of its contribution to the Hawkes Bay economy.
Ravensdown's understanding of how technology can accelerate business success, good implementation of health and safety practices and the strong focus on people development was what ultimately impressed the judges.
"Like any long-established business, there's a danger of being taken for granted. But those who depend on us, such as local farmers, port workers, transporters and service businesses, all know the importance of a successful Ravensdown."
Ravendown have been operating their seven-hectare manufacturing plant since 1953, ISO 9001 quality accredited since 1996 and ISO 14001 environmentally accredited since 1998. It is the largest superphosphate manufacturing plant in New Zealand with products being applied across nearly one million hectares of farmland throughout the North Island.
The chair of Beef + Lamb NZ, Kate Acland says the rush appears to be on to purchase farms and convert them to forestry before new rules limiting this come into effect.
New Zealand farmers will face higher urea prices this year, mainly on the back of tight global supply and a weak Kiwi dollar.
Andy Caughey of Wool Impact says a lot of people in NZ have been saying it's crazy that we are not using natural fibres in our buildings and houses.
Former chief executive of Beef+Lamb New Zealand Scott Champion will head the Foundation for Arable Research (FAR) from July.
Avian flu getting into New Zealand's poultry industry is the biosecurity threat that is most worrying for Biosecurity Minister Andrew Hoggard.
The annual domestic utilisation of wool will double to 30,000 tonnes because of the edict that government agencies should use woollen fibre products in the construction of new and refurbished buildings.