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MIA NEWS Meating up Steve Allen talked about Tatua Co-operative Dairy Company’s business approach at a merino meat offering in partnership with Silver Fern Farms, to be launched soon. “We are very confident that the model is going to put forward a sustainable future,” said Maslen. As a small operator in a big market, Tatua recognises that it has to look forward and stay focused. “We can’t control the wave, but we know we need to surf really well,” Steve Allen said. Tatua concentrates on specialist dairy ingredients, niche dairy foods and bulk ingredients, with a focus on margin rather than volume. Tatua operates on a simple strategy – to add value to its farmers’ milk. ”There’s a marvellous interdependency between farmers and the company,” he explained. Investing in people and establishing long-term contracts with suppliers has served both parties well. “Shocks are the new norm,” said Allen, noting that at any time and any place, there could be climatic shocks, political and social upheaval, environmental and biological issues, plus financial and market pressure. “At Tatua, we have to be prepared and treat shocks as business as usual.” The similarities and differences between the two sectors and the meat industry were neatly summarised by session chair, Craig Hickson, managing director of Progressive Meats. What the meat industry could take from both was that it all takes time, commented Hickson. He noted that all three sectors – wool, dairy and meat – are under the influence of the weather and are biological systems, with varying degrees of product perishability. “In my view, if we are to be successful, it will be in ways to mitigate those factors.” The difference is that the meat industry is a ‘disassembly process’ rather than an assembly process as with dairy and wool, “and we’ve got to do it well,” he said. Sector best practice: learning new ways to share ideas A focus on sector best practice, the third core theme of the RMSS, drew together three renowned experts for the final session of the conference, (which was chaired by James Parsons, B+LNZ director for the Northern North Island), Rob Davison, executive director of B+LNZ’s Economic Service, Graham Turley, ANZ’s managing director – commercial and agriculture, and Dr Brennon Wood, a Harvard-educated sociologist from Massey University. Rob Davison provided an update on domestic trends in the sector, and then examined the impact that the implementation of best practice could have on farm incomes. Graeme Turley talked about future-proving farming in New Zealand, and also made the point that increasing farm earnings could realise an extra $1.3 billion annually for the sector. Conferences are all about the networking and this one was no exception. “The farming community is up for the challenge to increase productivity and profitability,” believes Turley, who also outlined how his bank can assist to leverage its connections in Australia and Asia for the benefit of meat businesses. Dr Wood talked about knowledge transfer – not to be confused with ‘technology transfer’ – and work he was doing relating to the transfer of knowledge learned from a Massey University trial finding out how well lambs finish on a new pasture mix of chicory, plantain and clover. From a core of 19 farmers, plus researchers, he has calculated, using social maps, that 169 people – the farmers and all the farmer contacts – are directly benefiting from the knowledge learned during the trial. He’s working on finding out how these knowledge transfers are socially organised and seeing how this can be improved further. To further extend what has been learned, hypothetically, over 1,100 people potentially are benefiting from the transfer of information relating to the trial. “Think about the speed, the quality and the potential of this communication channel. That’s how close 1,183 farmers might be to the science going on at Massey University. “We can only improve agricultural knowledge if we understand how that knowledge is actually transferring between people right now.” He believes that many of the resources now being committed to agricultural innovation will be wasted unless they are matched by an equally emphatic commitment to agricultural extension. “We will never do what we have never done by using what we already know. The knowledge transfer we need is not a persuasion that encourages repetition; it’s about learning new ways to share ideas and experiences.” Copies of the majority of the Red Meat Sector Conference presentations are available at www.mia.co.nz. 46 Food New Zealand
The Maersk Gala Dinner at the Blue Baths was another opportunity to strategise MIA NEWS Shaun Boardman of Bemis Ltd, ready to talk to delegates about his company’s meat packaging options A phone call at 5am from a sick colleague scrambled Merino New Zealand’s Dave Maslen (left) into action as a conference speaker. Pictured here, left, with MIA chairman Bill Falconer Andrew Arnold (Scott Technology) and George McIrvine (IRL) Vanessa Winning (left) with Dave Haden, both of ANZ maerskline.com We believe that creating opportunities is the key to success – in your business and in ours With our complete range of cold chain solutions, our dedicated reefer specialists take care of your perishables from pick-up to delivery. And with our truly global reach, we ensure your products arrive in the best possible condition – anywhere in the world. Maersk New Zealand Limited · The CPO Level 3, 12 Queen Street · Auckland · New Zealand T 0800 MAERSK (623775) · F +64 9359 3488 · E nezsalins@maersk.com R951_MAE_Line_185x128_NZ.indd 1 04-03-2011 09:40:49 October/November 2011 47
Page 1 and 2: October/November 2011 NZ’s Author
Page 3 and 4: Contacts Executive Manager, Rosemar
Page 5 and 6: Overview Natural Salt and Marlborou
Page 7 and 8: Overview Ingredient Resources Austr
Page 9 and 10: Natural Fruit Flavours: Products fr
Page 11 and 12: Overview YO-MIX yogurt culture and
Page 13 and 14: F-FILES Members of the team working
Page 15 and 16: The advantages of modified atmosphe
Page 17 and 18: PACKAGING Seal quality on food tray
Page 19 and 20: PACKAGING 16 - 18 OCT 2011 Viaduct
Page 21 and 22: INNOVATION Food Innovation Showcase
Page 23 and 24: INNOVATION The FoodBowl in Auckland
Page 25 and 26: INNOVATION New Zealand Food Awards
Page 27 and 28: IN-BRIEF Tech-Briefs The Linx CJ400
Page 29 and 30: IN-BRIEF The second generation SO s
Page 31 and 32: OILS & FATS Canadian invention of a
Page 33 and 34: Protecting IP in novel food ingredi
Page 35 and 36: NZIFST New Professional Members The
Page 37 and 38: NZIFST Robyn Martin and Susan Harve
Page 39 and 40: NZIFST Manawatu Science Fair The fo
Page 41 and 42: MIA NEWS MIA News Higher meat price
Page 43 and 44: MIA NEWS Sponsors The MIA and B+LNZ
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Page 49 and 50: UNDERGRADUATE WRITING Conclusion Po
Page 51 and 52: International Conference Diary EVEN

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