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OPINION: A mate of the Hound's reckons with NZ's agricultural production already under pressure - with swathes of good farming land being converted into trees for carbon farming - the advent of solar farms could be another big threat.
He suggests that for environmental protectio reasons, the country shouldn't allow solar farms in rural landscapes.
"The Todd Corporation farm proposed near Taupo will lose us $30 million in dairy products per year, how will that enable us to feed a world population of 10 billion by 2050?" the concerned farmer asks.
He points out that there are many industrial warehouse roofs in places like Auckland, Hamilton or Tauranga and that by placing solar farms in urban centres the power would be generated much closer to where it is to be used.
"We need to think again; protect our food-producing land from power predators," the worried farmer concludes.
OPINION: Henry Dimbleby, author of the UK's Food Strategy, recently told the BBC: "Meat production is about 85% of our current farming use so we can afford to pull that back a bit in order to restore nature... in order to get clean energy. That is not a major sacrifice."
OPINION: For the last few weeks, we've witnessed a parade of complaints about New Zealand's school lunch program: 'It's arriving late.' 'The portions are wrong.' 'I wanted caviar.'
OPINION: You must feel a bit sorry for poor old Christopher Luxon.
OPINION: As Jim Bolger once said, "Bugger the polls!"
OPINION: Ruth Richardson, architect of the 1991 ‘Mother of all Budgets’ and the economic reforms dubbed ‘Ruthanasia’, added her two cents to the Treaty Principles Bill with a submission that essentially says it’s time to “have the sovereign authority” define the principles of the Treaty “by design” rather than continue to let them be defined “by accident” by unaccountable institutions like activists in the Courts, the Waitangi Tribunal and officialdom.
OPINION: Federated Farmers' latest farmer confidence survey results won’t surprise too many people.
The cost of producing milk in New Zealand continues to compare favourably with other exporting regions despite a lift in production costs over the past five years.
DairyNZ says potential benefits from gene technology must be carefully weighed against the risks of such technology.
Pleased, but cautious. That’s how PGG Wrightson chief executive Stephen Guerin says he’s feeling about the rural retailer’s latest financial result.
Commodity prices and interest rates play a huge role in shaping farmer confidence, but these factors are beyond their control, says Federated Farmers dairy chair Richard McIntyre.
DairyNZ is supporting a proposed new learning model for apprenticeships and traineeships that would see training, education, and pastoral care delivered together to provide the best chance of success.
OPINION: Henry Dimbleby, author of the UK's Food Strategy, recently told the BBC: "Meat production is about 85% of our…
OPINION: For the last few weeks, we've witnessed a parade of complaints about New Zealand's school lunch program: 'It's arriving…
