Our new methane direction criticised by top Aussie scientist, New Zealand Young Farmers ready for national tournament final, and planning underway for celebrity charity shearing event. Welcome to Proud Country's Early Bird - The top things you need to know that impact rural New Zealand delivered to you by 5am, because who doesn’t need better chat beyond the weather! Our new methane direction criticised by top Aussie scientist The New Zealand Government's goal of achieving "no added heating" from farming methane emissions faces significant challenges, according to a leading Australian climate scientist. Recently, a panel led by former climate change commissioner and Fonterra board member Nicola Shadbolt was appointed to review the methane component of New Zealand's climate target over the next four months. The panel’s task is to recommend a methane emissions target that aligns with causing "no additional warming" from farming. Professor Mark Howden, Director of the Institute for Climate, Energy, and Disaster Solutions at the Australian National University, criticised the approach as "confusing" and "problematic." Howden argued that a simpler method would be to set proportional reduction targets. He suggested that to meet global climate goals, methane emissions need to be cut by around 60% by 2050, with reductions coming from both agriculture and the oil and gas industries. He highlighted the importance of reducing methane emissions from food production to keep global warming below 1.5°C or 2°C. New Zealand still aims to price farming emissions by 2030, but the removal of agriculture from the Emissions Trading Scheme complicates achieving climate targets. Exporters to take lead in Taste Pure Nature brand The Taste Pure Nature marketing program, which promotes New Zealand's grass-fed beef and lamb, is entering a new phase following an agreement between Beef + Lamb New Zealand (B+LNZ) and the Meat Industry Association (MIA). In this new phase, Kiwi exporters will take the lead in advancing the Taste Pure Nature brand to increase awareness and preference for New Zealand's premium meat products. Kate Acland, chair of B+LNZ, emphasised the importance of driving more value and higher premiums for New Zealand's beef and lamb amidst challenging market conditions. The leadership of the program will now be handled by MIA on behalf of processing and exporting companies. Both B+LNZ and MIA will each contribute $2 million over the next three years to support the initiative. Additionally, discussions are ongoing with the Government for potential further support. Nathan Guy, chair of MIA, announced that exporting companies have committed to leading the marketing efforts and will invest $2 million over three years. This new phase aims to unlock greater value for the Taste Pure Nature brand and the New Zealand red meat sector. Guy also noted that the initial focus will be on China, a crucial market for New Zealand's red meat. A tailored program for China is designed to capture more market value for farmers, companies, and the wider red meat sector, ensuring New Zealand remains competitive in an increasingly fierce market landscape. More investment needed in horticulture robotic projects The horticultural sector has been grappling with significant labour shortages in recent years, but a series of innovative solutions developed by engineers at the University of Waikato could offer much-needed relief. These robotic prototypes, showcased at the Mystery Creek Fieldays, are designed to automate repetitive, labour-intensive tasks across various crops, including blueberries, grapes, and other horticultural products. Dr. Ben McGuinness from the university’s engineering school highlighted the versatility of these technologies. He says their robotics can be adapted for different crops such as apples, grapes, and kiwifruit with minimal retraining. One standout innovation is a robotic grapevine pruner. This device simulates the precise actions of a skilled human pruner using a robotic arm equipped with a pruning tool. The arm is mounted on a self-propelled aluminium chassis powered by electric motors. While the robot is not yet as fast as a human pruner, it has demonstrated its potential, especially for jobs that are typically done in harsh winter conditions. McGuinness and his team have also developed a handheld device to aid blueberry harvesters using precise vibrations to shake ripe blueberries from the bush into a catcher. Additionally, the university showcased a low-cost navigation system for autonomous vehicles in orchards, including kiwifruit farms. This system offers a more affordable alternative to the expensive GPS and LiDAR technologies currently in use, making it suitable for tasks such as thinning, grass cutting, pest detection, and harvesting. The project is approaching the end of its five-year funding period, with the team seeking private investors to help bring the prototype to the commercial market. New...
