After my farm visits in Botswana, I had the fantastic opportunity to discuss and present ideas to the Botswana government and its agricultural staff about sustainable dairy farming to support its farmers and improve the local dairy industry. Read more
Prior to leaving NZ for Africa, I had made a very useful contact, Mike Hallam, who is developing a fertaliser business in Botswana. When visiting him in Botswana he gave me an introduction to Neil Fitt, an Englishman working for the Botswana government as Co-ordinator of the Agricultural Hub. If it involves farming he has to make it work. Read more
This visit to Central Southern Africa was so I could get a feel for the state of dairy farming in the region and so I could also experience the African animals in their natural state. Well, I was to get both in Botswana – the amazing thing was that these opportunities cropped up whilst I cooling my heels in Kruger National Park waiting for my Angolan visa. Read more
In my last blog, I explained how I was very keen, during my seven-week journey throughout Africa, to work with subsistence farmers to improve their lot by applying the Caring Dairying principles. I was lucky enough to arrange several insightful opportunities to work with local farmers on their farms – to help with strategies for getting more milk from their cows, more healthy food to feed themselves and an increased revenue opportunity to help them look after themselves and their families.
It’s always been a lifelong dream of mine to spend time in southern Africa and get a feel for the country and the animals in as close to their wild state as I can get.
That dream was realised last June, when I embarked on a seven week-trip through Angola, South Africa, Botswana, Zambia and Zimbabwe. I hired a 4-wheel drive with camping gear (collected in Johannesburg), and lived in whist going bush in certain remote parts of Africa. I was fortunate enough to get up close and personal with my favorite elephants and experience game in their natural state.
Back in 2008 the New Zealand dairy industry was accused by Greenpeace of participating in a race it could not win – a race to the bottom of the commodity price game.
The organisation argued farmers and the environment would be the biggest losers in an attempt to provide more and more of a commodity product, to a market continually seeking cheaper and cheaper prices from our largest supplier, Fonterra. Read more
The dairy industry doubling in size over the past 18 years has bought undeniable economic benefits to all corners of the country, and to places once teetering on economic oblivion.
Up to one in four jobs in some regions are directly related to the industry, and an extra 4600 people are employed for every $1/kgMS increase in payout to farmers. Dairying is bringing almost $1 billion to Southland alone, with potential for much more.
Dairying, as with all agriculture, is in the business of feeding the world – in degrees from providing for families or small communities to entire communities and countries. Read more
The silver lining in the gloomy summer clouds this year has been welcome in the dairy sector, already buoyed by strong overseas returns (despite a sky-high dollar) and more dairy conversions.
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