Category Archives: Meat Industry

A smorgasbord of agricultural issues

Posted on June 7, 2018 by

[For the last three years I have been writing fortnightly columns for NZFarmer, which is delivered free to all New Zealand farmers. However the agricultural press in New Zealand is undergoing major change. One part of that change is that … Continue reading →

Posted in A1 and A2 milk, Agribusiness, China, Dairy, Meat Industry, Mycoplasma bovis | 1 Comment

The wheat and chaff of synthetic food

Posted on September 27, 2017 by

It has become fashionable for agri-food commentators to talk of disruptive change. In particular, in recent months there has been much talk about industry disruption that will supposedly occur from synthetic food, with much of that grown in a laboratory. … Continue reading →

Posted in Agribusiness, Dairy, Meat Industry | 11 Comments

Alternatives to dairy in New Zealand – the challenges are under-estimated

Posted on May 8, 2017 by

Readers of my articles will know that I believe we can find solutions to the multiple problems that face our New Zealand dairy industry. However, the current conventional wisdom within New Zealand’s dominating urban constituency is that there is no … Continue reading →

Posted in Dairy, Land and water, Meat Industry | 5 Comments

Fifty years of Canterbury farming revolution

Posted on April 26, 2017 by

The ideas for this article were triggered by a recent reunion of former Ministry of Agriculture Canterbury farm advisers. There were about 45 of us who got together to tell tales of former years. Our collective experiences that day went … Continue reading →

Posted in Dairy, Land and water, Meat Industry, Uncategorized | 4 Comments

The Rise of China’s Agriculture

Posted on October 4, 2016 by

Although it leaves many New Zealanders uncomfortable, there is a stark reality that the future of New Zealand’s agricultural industries, and hence the overall economy, is highly dependent on China. The reason is very simple: there is no-one else in … Continue reading →

Posted in Agribusiness, China, Dairy, Meat Industry, Rural development | 7 Comments

Changing agri-food perspectives

Posted on September 20, 2016 by

When I was an undergraduate back in the 1960s – in some ways it seems just yesterday – the dominant agricultural paradigms were about farm production and management.  As students, we learned nothing about marketing. And when marketing did come … Continue reading →

Posted in Agribusiness, Dairy, Meat Industry | 5 Comments

The snow has come again

Posted on August 9, 2016 by

Every year we all talk about the weather and how fickle it is.  This year is no different. In most parts of the country, June and July were unseasonably warm.  Where I am in Canterbury, winter grass growth has possibly … Continue reading →

Posted in Agribusiness, Dairy, Meat Industry | 1 Comment