2026 Nuffield NZ Farming Scholarship. Apply by 17 August 2025. Read More...

Apply for 2026 Nuffield NZ Farming Scholarship by 17 August 2025. More details...

kellogg

Is the dairy farm training working?

Executive Summary

Is there an issue with how dairy farm staff are being trained off farm and is this giving the results the farmers need. For the diary sector to continue to farm in New Zealand we need to make sure that our staff are well trained in all aspects of farming not just the day to day work but also financial skills and we now also need to train the soft skills of management as well as the importance of how we are perceived by the Urban sector.

Is it important to have clear roles in a business and why is this and what are the outcomes if we get this right or wrong.

In The Inescapable Laws of Organizational Structure;

  1. Fritz also argues that organizations are structured either to advance or to oscillate . Advancement is a positive move from on state to another that acts as a foundation for further advances. Fundamental to structural advancement is the concept of resolution when an outcome is achieved and a particular problem is resolved. According to Fritz (1996:6), management in an organization that is structured to advance coordinate ‘individual acts into an organizational tapestry of effective strategy.’ When all the individuals in this utopian organization are acting together, the result is synergy, allowing the achievement of ‘enormous feats.’
  2. The alternative is structural oscillation. Fritz (1996:6) explains this: ‘Oscillating behaviour is that which moves from one place to another, but then moves back towards its original position.’ So many organizations set out on some change program, full of enthusiasm and energy. But, six months later, the enthusiasm has evaporated and the program peters out leaving very little changed.

No bull behind record milking attempt

“The record-setting exercise is the brain-child of healthy farming campaigner Ian Handcock who was responsible for the Farmstrong initiative, aimed to improve farmers’ mental and physical health.

In 2013 Handcock’s Kellogg rural leadership project on dairy farmer health highlighted how sedentary the job had become, and its effect on farmers’ fitness.”

https://farmersweekly.co.nz/section/dairy/view/no-bull-behind-record-milking-attempt

Kellogg looks forward and back

“The first ever gathering of Kellogg Alumni is being organised for May but it also notes the retirement of programme leader Dr Patrick Aldwell who has been involved in 21 courses since 1999.
The former Dean of Commerce at Lincoln University, Aldwell has been replaced by former Beef and Lamb NZ chief executive Scott Champion.”

https://farmersweekly.co.nz/section/other/view/kellogg-looks-forward-and-back

Giving back drives award winner

Jessie Chan-Dorman is a Kellogg Rural Leadership scholar, has completed a Fonterra governance programme and was the recipient of Canterbury’s Institute of Directors aspiring director award in 2014. And she was named 2017 Fonterra Dairy Woman of the Year at the Dairy Women’s Network annual conference in Queenstown.

https://farmersweekly.co.nz/section/dairy/view/giving-back-drives-award-winner

Are rural co-operatives still relevant in New Zealand.

Executive summary

This report was aimed at discussing and presenting the ideas surrounding the future of the co-operative business structure in rural New Zealand. This was achieved through a review of relevant literature and surveying key co-operative members and employees to gather their opinions on how they saw the co-operative structures relevance today and in the future. 

A brief summation of four key rural co-operatives was expanded upon throughout to build a picture of why these entities operated the way they do. The author found that all co-operatives researched had very clear business values and a simple vision. All surveyed were of the opinion that these values and visions were critical in the discussion of relevance both today and in the future and that any move away from these could lead to the demise of the business structure.

The grassroots and highly visible nature of the New Zealand farmer lends itself to the co- operative structure nicely. Farmers in New Zealand make up a very small percentage of the population but are responsible for the delivery of a large proportion of export revenues. The collaborative approach of co-operatives enables the New Zealand farmer to be represented to the wider public without fear of standing alone. As such it is the opinion of the author that the co- operative business structure in rural New Zealand remains as relevant today as it was when the first rural NZ co-operatives formed in the 1800s.

Alex Murray

Viability of establishing a sheep dairy platform on North Canterbury dry land.

Executive summary

Is now the time for bovine dominance in the milk market to be challenged? There are variable and questionable milk alternatives more readily available both locally and abroad and our New Zealand sheep dairy history would suggest the current spike in popularity will be short-lived. I disagree. In my opinion New Zealand is the ideal location to develop this budding industry. We have the operational know-how, the geography and access to reliable water sources, a tourism market that opens our primary sector to the world, a developing pool of ovine milking genetics suitable to the New Zealand environment, capacity for diversification as we investigate change in land use opportunities and a hunger to pursue an alternative farming vision with learned failures of other ventures a source of inspiration. 

“We believe that strong science, a supportive Government and industry solidarity are essential for the future success of sheep dairying in New Zealand” (Blue River Dairy)

Sheep Dairy is an industry that has experienced two substantial ‘false starts’, in both the 1970’s and 1990’s. One overarching factor was market fragility which proved too challenging and the detriment of the industry at the time. What can we learn from our chequered history? To determine a sound market before we establish supply, mitigate financial risk with comprehensive process of due diligence, a slow and steady approach to ensure long term viability and fundamental is collaboration within the sheep dairy community.

The aim of this project was to investigate viability of establishing a sheep dairy platform on North Canterbury dry land as a profitable land use alternative.

Key findings as a result of this research are that alignment of the sheep dairy community is critical to our success long term, honesty with information is vital and that although dry land sheep dairy in North Canterbury may be ambitious – nothing is impossible!

Kate Boyd

Exploring the opportunity of a holistic on-farm quality assurance program for the beef industry.

Executive summary

My project has investigated some of the current beef industry quality assurance (QA) programs which provide evidence based marketing tools to the livestock industry. The case studies have allowed me to identify key aspects of these programs which would be useful to utilize when designing a holistic QA program for the beef industry. 

The key recommendations arising from the case studies include: 

  1. The evaluate whether of how the industry could simplify the QA systems in the future using an online portal
  2. Key aspects which should be added to the industries program
  3. The benefits of having voluntary modules available to producers and processes that can be utilized as demand emerges
  4. The need to producer input in the development of new modules to ensure they are relevant and region specific
  5. The benefits of using a ‘goal setting’ component to QA systems
  6. The ability for QA systems to provide a communication tool to encourage research adoption outcomes to the industry.

I have also explored areas that may need to be added to the current industry systems to take full advantage of the marketing and educational opportunities a holist QA system can provide.

Amanda Giles

What Value do commercial farmers place on their animal genetics.

Executive summary

New Zealand’s animal genetics industry started when two sheep were imported, and they both died within four days, (NZ Rural Press Ltd, 2007). Since then, with the expertise of passionate breeders, scientists, farmers and advisers it is has significantly expanded and will continue to do so. By 2021, animal genetics is expected to be a USA$5.50 billion dollar industry, (PRNewswire, 2016). International markets especially, are taking advantages of the incredible advances in genetic technologies that enable increased efficiency in breeding genetically superior animals. In New Zealand, we must take advantage of the genetically superior stud stock that have been especially bred for our environment to allow farmers and the industry as a whole, to reach our production targets but do so in a sustainable way and with ‘value add’. To do this, we must insure that the ‘value’ of genetics is recognised by our New Zealand farmers as a significant player in the agricultural system. 

The question was asked “is there a gap in the understanding of farmers, when it comes to their animal genetics?” and the answer was yes. This research attempts to understand why there is this gap by interviewing farmers, industry professionals and advisers. Farmer behaviour has been aligned with answers to the interviews and both the livestock in New Zealand, and New Zealand farmers have been described under the concept that their performance is a function of their genotype, or their goals and objectives, and the environment that they live in.

There is a range of performance of New Zealand farmers in their farm systems overall, but also in their understanding when it comes to genetics. Some reasons for this are more obvious, like the fact that you can’t “see” genetics, which makes it difficult to comprehend, or the fact that there is actually no pipeline for delivering simple and aligned genetic information out to the commercial sector. The not so obvious reasons can be understood by further analysing the goals and objectives of farmers, but also the social pressures that they face when striving to be a ‘good’ farmer. An animal is more likely to be judged by the way it looks, compared to its genetic potential, which will be a direct indication of how good of a farmer the owner is.

Recommendations have been made to the industry, to the advisers and to the farmers. There needs to be collaboration across the genetics “players” to provide breeders and commercial farmers with quality information that is transparent and has integrity. Farmer objectives need to be better understood, so solutions can be tailored and aligned. Both farmers and their advisers need to be more critically aware about animal genetics, in terms of what they are buying and where they are buying it from. The story of animal genetics needs to be told and it is performance that needs to be made trendy.

In order to understand, and appreciate the value of their livestock genetics, commercial farmers need to be individually understood, and they need to be empowered with the information to make a decision, which fits their individual objective.

Johanna Scott