Go woke!
OPINION: The Hound reckons the powers at Landcorp (or as they/them like to call themselves, Pāmu) are coming under the microscope with the new government in place.
Landcorp became a state-owned enterprise in 1987 as part of the fourth Labour Government’s massive economic transformation.
Before that, the Department of Lands and Survey managed Crown land left over from the post-WWII ballot scheme for ex-servicemen.
This new proposal has a similar goal, although in 1946 not all men who got land had farming experience; they relied on help from nearby farmers and the Department of Agriculture.
Today, Landcorp, according to its website, owns 140 farms – mostly well run and modern, using modern technology to maximise efficiency and production. It runs 1.5 million stock units.
On 59 dairy farms it runs 55,000 cows producing about 20m kilograms of milk solids. Many farms are in clusters in the central North Island, Manawatu and the West Coast.
It runs large sheep and beef, and deer, farms and a breeding operation. Recently it launched a large scale sheep milking farm near Taupo, a joint venture with a private sector partner.
It has its own brand, Pamu, under which it markets high value products.
Landcorp has already sold some farms, and the news of the new ballot proposal seems in line with these recent sales – with the twist that its farms would be sold to young people.
Landcorp staff are thought likely to see the new scheme as their opportunity to own farms, given their qualifications, knowledge and experience. But it seems unlikely that any ‘flagship’ Landcorp operations and farms would be touched as some involve joint ventures and other commitments.
Previous calls to sell Landcorp prompted Prime Minister Bill English to say within the last year that, while Landcorp is a poor investment, the Government has no plans to sell it.
Analysis by Dunedin-based Techion New Zealand shows the cost of undetected drench resistance in sheep has exploded to an estimated $98 million a year.
Shipping disruption caused by Houthi rebels in the Red Sea has so far not impacted fertiliser prices or supply on farm.
The opportunity to spend more time on farm while providing a dedicated service for shareholders attracted new environmental manager Ben Howden to work for Waimakariri Irrigation Limited (WIL).
Federated Farmers claims that the Otago Regional Council is charging ahead unnecessarily with piling more regulation on rural communities.
Dairy sheep and goat farmers are being told to reduce milk supply as processors face a slump in global demand for their products.
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