News in brief

Cyclone costs

The flooding caused by torrential rain and Cyclone Gabrielle in January and February wiped out about half a billion dollars’ worth of production in the first half of the year, largely in the agriculture and horticulture sectors, the Treasury said. It said the sectors are expected to continue to suffer with the flooding wiping out capital assets such as orchards, with a further $100m drag per year as a result.

SFF appointments

Anna Nelson and Rodney Booth have been elected to the Silver Fern Farms Cooperative board.

Nelson and her husband Blair farm a 1450ha breeding and finishing farm at Aria in King Country.

She has a veterinary degree and in 2016 completed the Kellogg Rural Leadership Programme.

Booth and wife Sonia run a 400ha beef unit at Darfield in Canterbury, finishing 20,000 stock units a year.

ASSURANCES: National Party leader Christopher Luxon assured a 500-strong crowd at a recent Ashburton meeting that his party will stop punishing farmers and rural communities.

Long-serving DairyNZ farmer director Colin Glass will not be seeking re-election at the upcoming DairyNZ board of director elections in October.

“Colin has explained to the board that ... he wants to focus more of his time on his leadership role at Dairy Holdings and growing his family’s dairy operations,” DairyNZ chair Jim van der Poel said. DairyNZ’s board comprises five farmerelected directors and three board-appointed directors.

Standing down Food awards

The 2023 New Zealand Food Awards are open for entries. There are 10 categories and each has set criteria.

Only entrants exhibiting the highest levels of innovation, sustainability and excellence will progress to being named a finalist, winner, or supreme winner, organisers said. The winners will be announced on October 19.

Back in 1860, exporting meat to the other side of the world seemed about as easy as nailing gravy to the ceiling. But a few determined kiwis took the bull by the horns and now our grass-fed beef and lamb is sought-after all around the globe.

At AFFCO, we see the same pioneering spirit alive and well in farmers today. We’re playing our part too – exploring every opportunity to take New Zealand’s finest farm-raised products to the world.