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The Kellogg Rural Leadership Programme develops emerging food and fibre leaders to help shape the future of New Zealand’s primary sector. The programme develops leaders with the skills, confidence, awareness, and networks to think and act strategically.
It is for farmers, foresters, fishers, growers, and those who have a desire to meaningfully contribute to their rural community, food and fibre production, processing, or profession.
Up to 25 people per intake, meet over several weeks to:
- Develop leadership skills
- Build the confidence to take the next step in their work
- Learn how political, economic, social, cultural, and physical forces impact the primary sector
- Enhance self-awareness
- Establish networks with key influencers in New Zealand business and beyond.
Lincoln University has been involved with the Kellogg Rural Leadership Programme since 1979. The University recognised then that an enhanced leadership capability would be a critical factor in determining the future performance of primary production in New Zealand.
The course has been a huge success and past Kellogg participants have demonstrated the benefits of the course with their own success in leadership positions locally and globally.
The Programme is delivered by The New Zealand Rural Leadership Trust, which in turn is supported by Strategic Partners: DairyNZ, AGMARDT, Beef+Lamb NZ, The Mackenzie Charitable Foundation, FMG as well as programme, service, regional and academic partners.
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Publication Open Access The impact of machine to machine communication on the dairy industry in New Zealand(Lincoln University. Faculty of Commerce. Kellogg Rural Leaders Programme., 2015) Anderson, JeremyWhat is the impact of machine to machine (M2M) communication on the dairy industry in New Zealand, and what is the likely impact in the future? Information and communication technology (ICT) plays a significant role in the information flow across the dairy value chain. M2M communication is a critical component of this information flow. For the dairy industry to move from where it is today, to where the benefits that can be achieved from the adoption of ICT’s are maximised will take significant advances in thinking. There were three components to the research that was undertaken for this paper. These were; a thorough literature review to identify key concepts, a survey of 64 dairy farmers, and four interviews with providers of solutions that utilise M2M communications. A key finding from the research was that, M2M communication is currently having a limited impact on the dairy industry in New Zealand. The potential impact is much greater than what is currently being experienced. Attempts should be made to accelerate the rate of adoption in order to increase the impact. The information flow that M2M communication enables will help add value and ensure sustainability in the increasingly competitive, and volatile dairy industry. This paper recommends that an increase in the impact of the solutions that utilise M2M communication, can be achieved by: Gaining a greater understanding of why and how technological change occurs. Increasing the level of understanding of the technologies behind the solutions. Prioritising the solutions that are going to give the greatest return on investment. Industry collaboration around the direction of M2M communication. M2M communication presents a great opportunity to be able to gain significant control of the dairy value chain. Today the technology is emerging and its impact is limited. This relative immaturity of M2M communication in the dairy industry, will eventually be overcome by time. It is the responsibility of all stakeholders in the dairy industry to play a role in maximising what is such a large opportunity, through the acceleration of its uptake.Publication Restricted Supplying compliant beef out of season: a case study on King Island, Tasmania(Lincoln University. Faculty of Commerce. Kellogg Rural Leaders Programme., 2015) Sutton, RichardProducing beef off grass during spring and autumn is the most common practice for King Island beef farmers. Supplying Meat Standards Australia compliant beef during winter is a common, financially rewarding and challenging system given the environment of King Island at this time of the year. This case study looks into the supplying of compliant beef during the winter months. By lifting compliancy rates at this time of the year farm revenue will increase as a $0.20-0.40 per kilogram premium is received. Current and future production systems were looked at in an attempt to lift compliancy rates.Publication Restricted Farmer engagement with Fonterra Shareholders' Council(Lincoln University. Faculty of Commerce. Kellogg Rural Leaders Programme., 2015) Wallis, RossIt is often expressed from many farmers that there is a disconnect between farmers and Fonterra. There is a feeling that a lot of farmers don’t want to engage with their Co-operative simply because it has got so big and what chance do they have in really making a difference. Therefore first of all we must determine wether or not there is a disconnect and if so what we can do to improve engagement. In this report I will explore ways that the Fonterra Shareholders’ Council can better engage meaningfully with its’ farmers. This is particularly important to me because of my role as a Shareholder Councillor. I believe it is critical not only for the future of a strong and robust co-operative, but also for a favourable milk price for all New Zealand dairy farmers. A strong co-operative means actively engaged farmers that are not willing to jump to competitors for short-term gain. My concern is that if we end up with a fragmented dairy industry, as we have seen in other sectors, dairy farmers will be the ones who loose out due to an unsustainably low milk price.Publication Restricted Kaitiekitanga(Lincoln University. Faculty of Commerce. Kellogg Rural Leaders Programme., 2015) Walker, NgarangiWhat does kaitiakitanga look like in Tairawhiti? What does it mean for uri of Ngati Porou? What does it mean for uri of Te Whanau a Apanui? How do whanau connect to their whenua? How might we improve whanau connectivity to each other and our whenua so our whenua and our whanau are ora?!Publication Restricted Antibiotics and dry cow therapy: what's the problem?(Lincoln University. Faculty of Commerce. Kellogg Rural Leaders Programme., 2015) Mackintosh, DuncanThere is global concern about food safety and the effect antibiotic use in animal production has on our ability to treat human infections in high profile “superbugs” such as MRSA. Antibiotic use in animals has come under significant scrutiny, with a call to reduce their use. Global consumer brands have increased the profile of this issue by announcing their desire to reduce antibiotic use in their supply chains. This has further fueled public perception of the potential implications of antibiotic resistance. New Zealand is a recognised leader in food production, particularly in dairy products, and it is the aim of this project to review how the use of antibiotics in this economically important sector may create both risks and opportunities. Antibiotics are an important tool for treating disease and have a critical role in food production systems. By volume and importance, the greatest use of antibiotics in the dairy industry is for dairy cow mastitis (mammary gland infection) and in particular the treatment of cows finishing their milking season, known as dry cow therapy (DCT). In many cases whole herds are treated prophylactically with these antibiotics. In a competitive marketplace where many trade partners are seeking barriers to prevent imports and protect local business, this prophylactic, or blanket use, creates a potential market access risk.Publication Restricted Prime vs bull: making more cents out of the beef industry(Lincoln University. Faculty of Commerce. Kellogg Rural Leaders Programme., 2015) Kidd, DavidThe New Zealand (NZ) beef industry traces its origins back to the first European arrivals to NZ. While cattle were initially used as draught oxen to provide food and for the purpose of improving pastures, they are now a major source of export income for NZ farmers. Today NZ exports chilled and frozen table and manufacturing beef to the major world markets, with the majority of production going to either the manufacturing market of the United States (US) or high value markets in Asia and Europe. On-farm, farmers make a decision every year as to what class of livestock they will finish over the following 12 months. The traditional beef system has been to retain castrated male and female calves from beef breeding herds, with stock then finished and sold as ‘Prime’ beef. Since the 1970’s, farmers have developed and maintained the bull beef industry, with male calves retained from the dairy industry for finishing and export, predominantly to the US market. Given that the product from both types of animal are exported to similar markets, the report findings indicate that it is the same external market forces which impact the returns to NZ farmers. This report explores the major challenges in supplying beef to the world market and the external forces at play. It also investigates the future market outlook for NZ beef, the challenges and opportunities that the beef market faces, and how farmers can best take advantage of these.Publication Restricted Success of rural cooperatives(Lincoln University. Faculty of Commerce. Kellogg Rural Leaders Programme., 2015) Heddell, SarahThis report looks at co-operatives as a whole. To gain experienced insight into the rural sector co-operatives a number of high level management and directors involved with co-ops have been interviewed. Essentially looking to define the mechanisms operating within co-operatives to ensure their long term success in the rural community. Co-ops don’t exist without the loyalty of their shareholders and it is one thing to join a co-op initially but what keeps a shareholder loyal and what measures do co-ops take when that loyalty is waivering? Also covered is the two way mechanism of co-op loyalty to the shareholder as that is often questioned by shareholders of producer co-ops when concerned about receiving income for their stock. The power of the individual versus the power of the co-op can be a very powerful factor and has been expressed time and again and can come from any section of the company. Some co-ops have said they place emphasis on it while others have less regard for this factor. The decisions made by co-ops can be a turning point for them so it is important to understand how they are made, the process used and then also the accountability of those making the decisions. Finally the warning signs of co-op failure are covered. The interviewees have experience with co-ops both as shareholders and as management or directors so know the warning signs to watch for if their co-op is starting to struggle.Publication Restricted The uptake of health and safety by dairy farming businesses in the Waikato(Lincoln University. Faculty of Commerce. Kellogg Rural Leaders Programme., 2015) Gulliver, ClintNew Zealand has a long history around agriculture. Over time farms have grown in size from single owner/operators to more commercial-based, corporate style farms. The average dairy farm size in New Zealand has grown to an average of 413 cows in the 2013/14 season (Walsh, 2014). Due to this growth farm owners have had to employ more staff in order to help their operations continue to function. As businesses have grown the health and safety issues associated with the agriculture industry have also continued to rise to a point where a person is having a fatal accident every 21 days on New Zealand farms (Worksafe NZ, 2015). This equates to 40% of New Zealand's workplace deaths in 2014 (20 people for just this year alone) happening on New Zealand farms. Reported injuries that are farm related are topping 20,000 per year and these are only those being reported – there maybe more that go under the radar (Worksafe NZ, 2015). This is costing the country 34.2 million dollars annually in ACC claims (Worksafe NZ, 2015). I have chosen to put emphasis on the dairy industry in this report due to this industry topping the statistics as New Zealand’s most dangerous industry to work in (Worksafe NZ, 2015). In order to improve these statistics we need to look into how we can improve on the current legislation by understanding farmers current perceptions towards health and safety especially in light of the upcoming changes to the legislation later in the year. This will come in the form of the Health and Safety Reform Bill which is currently before parliamentary process in order to be passed into law. The aim of the report is to better understand dairy farm owners perceptions towards the current position of health and safety legislation on farm and how we could change health and safety practices on farm going forward.Publication Restricted Sheep milking in New Zealand: an analytical review(Lincoln University. Faculty of Commerce. Kellogg Rural Leaders Programme., 2015) Buckley, Damian RThe subject of my Kellogg Industry Applied Project is a discussion on the advantages and disadvantages for farmers investing in the production of sheep milk. I have determined there is value in the compilation of a discussion document which identifies the key variables influencing successful commercial sheep milking business. these are current and potential dairy sheep industry dynamics and parameters, market and product opportunities, production cost structure based upon differing capital cost inputs, and the projected returns on investment. My research is delivered as a discussion document due to the nature of my findings. Through substantial critical thought and analytical processes, I have found there to be many component permutations. This research could be extended into a fully-fledged business plan aimed at attracting investment into a new dairy sheep venture. This topic is important to the primary sector because it will provide business growth opportunities for traditional dry stock farmers to diversify, provide pathways for young people to build their careers, support the conservation of rural communities, improved returns for conventional sheep farmers (and others) through an additional income stream, and contribute to the preservation of a traditional pastoral industry.Publication Open Access Changing perceptions of health and safety in agriculture: current farmers attitudes and frameworks for changing the culture(Lincoln University. Faculty of Commerce. Kellogg Rural Leaders Programme., 2015) Brown, CamHealth and Safety in New Zealand’s Agriculture sector is a hot topic both in the media and in farmer’s discussions. Due to high incidences of injury and deaths in agriculture, farmers are coming under increasing pressure to conform to current legislative standards; however there are multiple issues surrounding both the current and proposed legislation which have caused widespread confusion and frustration amongst farmers. The aim of this project is to explore the factors affecting current attitudes in agriculture towards health and safety, and seek to understand how change can be brought about. It is not intended to be for the purposes of statistical analysis of future research; rather, the intention is to provide the reader with some understanding of the motivations and thought processes of farmers in regards to health and safety, and explore methods of bringing about change. A review of the projects being currently undertaken by government body WorkSafe NZ provides some context, however it is not intended to be an in-depth review or critique. The main issues include farmers’ perceptions of what good health and safety practices look like, and the perceptions around the current and future health and safety legislation. Similarly, the nature of farming in New Zealand means farmers are naturally inclined to be resistant to many of the concepts being introduced by the government body WorkSafe NZ. However there are some clear strategies that can be applied to agriculture to bring about change in attitudes and perceptions, and although WorkSafe have admitted to having some unforeseen setbacks in their campaigns, they appear to be largely on the right track toward tackling a complex issue.Publication Open Access The hunt for the missing billion: NZ's dairy beef opportunity(Lincoln University. Faculty of Commerce. Kellogg Rural Leaders Programme., 2014) Cook, AlanNew Zealand has an established and functional Dairy Beef industry. Existing value chains and enterprise options are available to farmers that can meet the needs and demands of different markets within the New Zealand pastoral farming sector. A significant resource of animals is created by the New Zealand Dairy industry annually. Information available indicates 2.3 million calves are not making it beyond 4 days of age. The prospects for the Global Beef industry suggest that there is an opportunity for New Zealand to grow more Beef to meet strongly growing global demand over the next 50 years. New Zealand has an increasing share of it’s food exports being sold to China, and a Meat schedule market in New Zealand that has been stable for a number of years. As the New Zealand Beef cow herd continues to shrink, growth in New Zealand’s total Beef production can realistically only be expected to come from a larger Dairy Beef industry. Significant prejudices and stigmas exist among New Zealand Beef rearers and finishers toward Beef Cattle with Dairy ancestry (especially Jersey) and large value discounts are applied because of this. Information available does not support these beliefs and, in instances, proves them incorrect. The possibility of sexed semen provides opportunity to improve the productivity and rate of genetic progress in the New Zealand Dairy industry and also for the Dairy Beef industry to expand. The prospect of rearing more Calves from the Dairy Industry, sired by Beef Bulls, feeding them for a shorter duration on high performance pastures and forages, provides a pathway to much more efficient and profitable Beef production in New Zealand.Publication Open Access Indigenous branding: creating a point of difference to the New Zealand primary sector(Lincoln University. Faculty of Commerce. Kellogg Rural Leaders Programme., 2015) Thomson, StephenAs a country we embrace and celebrate our indigenous people and culture a lot more than other countries in the world do. There should be no fear of using the culture to help add value to our product. As long as there is collaboration with local iwi, open communication and integrity with the product most iwi are proud to be able to have their unique brand and or name endorsing and promoting a quality product. Maori brands have the ability to tell magical stories and to steal the hearts and attention of international clients, especially Asian clients who share similar values as Maori culture. The branding becomes an opportunity to tell a story and create relationships, but the product must match the story and consistently be of high value. It is important that the farmer and the customer form close relationships. Do not allow the processor to be the story teller. The farmer and the customer talking and working together helps to build a better relationship. The customer can then pass on the story and the passion for the product to the consumer. To grow successful indigenous brands in New Zealand, there needs to be more collaboration amongst businesses. There is a risk that there will become too many Maori brands all telling slightly different stories, but selling very similar product. All Maori have a common story, they need to work together to tell the same one.Publication Restricted Success of the Maori primary sector is success for all New Zealand(Lincoln University. Faculty of Commerce. Kellogg Rural Leaders Programme., 2015) Tatere, BradThis report will attempt to answer the question: “Is the Maori contribution to regional GDP through agribusiness appropriately understood and quantified?” The present National Government has identified policy and priorities relative to the New Zealand’s economic outputs and opportunities. Within the set of priorities they further determined that the ‘Maori economy’ in particular has the ability to contribute significantly more to the overall economic strategy for New Zealand, both domestic and export. This view is reiterated and presented through government policy and subsequently by the various ministries including Treasury. This focus on the Maori economy is not new, however there is an increasing emphasis by this government and its political allies to ‘grow’ the Maori sector at a faster and improved rate to whatever other sectors it sits alongside. Further to this the Government has set an ambitious goal for New Zealand; to increase the ratio of exports to GDP from the current 30% to 40% by 2025. This will require a concentrated effort to encourage investors to develop more internationally competitive businesses, in both the commodity and high-value technology-based sectors.Publication Restricted Livestock Improvement Corporation shareholders and their engagement with Livestock Improvement Corporation's Shareholders Council(Lincoln University. Faculty of Commerce. Kellogg Rural Leaders Programme., 2015) Barclay, DennisEngagement. Livestock Improvement Corporation and Livestock Improvement Corporation Shareholders Council. What is the interaction and what can be done to improve this? What is engagement? How does it manifest itself? What effect does it have on people and how do they react to it? What bearing does this have on the actions and interactions of LIC, LIC shareholders and LIC shareholders council. These are the questions that I have been thinking about and will follow through with to see why engagement is at the level it is today and if there is any way we can improve on these levels. Firstly I answered (What is engagement?) I followed by looking at engagement between LIC and their shareholder/farmers. After this I developed a survey to ascertain which themes of engagement individual shareholder/farmers aligned too. The outcome of this is that it has become clear that there is a large number of shareholder/farmers that have very limited knowledge of Shareholders Council and what it's role is and how this role is implemented. Also it has become clear that there is a direct linkage between which theme of engagement that a shareholder/farmer is aligned with and their level of engagement. There needs to be a greater emphasis placed on the level of service to the shareholder/farmer base so as the empathy between LIC, LIC shareholder/farmers and LIC shareholders council can be raised to higher more positive levels.Publication Restricted Red meat career pathway(Lincoln University. Faculty of Commerce. Kellogg Rural Leaders Programme., 2015) Stratton, KirstyCurrently the red meat sector does not have a clearly defined and documented pathway for young people to build a business to increase equity to pursue the goal of land ownership. Succession in the industry is a challenge as the average age of land owners is high beyond 55+. The purpose of this research is to understand the current successful pathways selected entrants have followed to enter the industry. This was conducted by interviewing 12 farmers around the country who are currently in a process to build their equity. A range of questions were asked to gain an understanding of both how they got to where they are and where they are heading in the future. The advice that was given by the 12 farmers interviewed included; the importance of networking and building relationships with key people, involving a team of people to support you, seeking opportunities, working hard, diversifying your income, getting the governance right before you enter the arrangement and taking the opportunities that present themselves.Publication Restricted Wealth creation: building equity in the dairy industry(Lincoln University. Faculty of Commerce. Kellogg Rural Leaders Programme., 2015) Van der Heyden, SimonThe New Zealand dairy industry in New Zealand is renowned for its ability to offer a wonderful career path for people to grow and progress through the industry. It is evident that there are plenty of success stories where people have built a sustainable future and lifestyle - where they have developed both on-farm and business knowledge and skills. . People who have desire and hunger can be successful, working their way through the steps of farm staff to farm ownership and in many cases to become owners of multiple farms. The challenges that we face today, to ensure that dairy farming is sustainable and attractive in the future, is different than the challenges faced in the last 30 years, including high land prices, labour issues, limited opportunities, increased volatility. If you are an ambitious, young, new entrant to the dairy industry I hope that the contents of this report will give you the enthusiasm to take practical steps to ensure a viable future. The opportunities are there, but do not expect the solutions to be the same as 20 years ago because the barriers are different. Think about today’s issues needing today’s solutions not today’s issues being answered by yesterday’s solutions.Publication Open Access Why do the All Blacks need a coach when 76% of farmers don't?: A guide for farmers engaging consultants(Lincoln University. Faculty of Commerce. Kellogg Rural Leaders Programme., 2015) Keoghan, NathanThe purpose of this report is to identify the systems and/ or tools top farmers use to get the best value from their professional advisors. “Why do the All Blacks need a coach” has always been my standard answer when someone asked me why I used a farm advisor. The seed for my research came from an article reprinted in my local newspaper, the Westport News (Westport News 2015). For many years I have admired how the best athletes in the world have the intelligence to identify opportunities for improving their own performance, and seek out advice that endeavours to achieve better personal performance. The most inspiring business leaders (Welch, 2001) have also identified they have an opportunity for enhancing performance through the use of mentors, and skill enhancing tuition. DairyNZ has proven the opportunity for improvement of our Dairy Industry by funding a programme called Dairy Push (DairyNZ, 2011). It started in 2007 and is still continuing due to its success. This programme teamed farmers with farm consultants in the South Waikato area. The engaged farmers achieved $500/ha higher operating profit than the district average (DairyNZ, 2014).Publication Restricted Gold3 - Are we driving the right behaviour?(Lincoln University. Faculty of Commerce. Kellogg Rural Leaders Programme., 2015) Leydon, LorryThe beginning of the Gold3 story followed similar lines to previous Zespri new varieties released to growers. Small quotas of pre-commercial licence were released to growers in 2008 with the aim to learn more about all facets of the variety. The first small commercial harvest of around 1million trays took place in 2011. The structure of how Gold3 licences were to be made available wasn’t confirmed at this stage, but it was anticipated that Gold3 was to make a gradual introduction into the Zespri portfolio as confidence in the variety increased. The advent of Psa-V into New Zealand, and the subsequent demise of Zespri’s pioneer gold variety Hort16a, drastically changed this situation. Gold3 was fast tracked through the commercialisation process and thrust into the limelight as the replacement premium Zespri Gold variety. By the end of 2013 Zepsri had issued Gold3 licences which equated to somewhere in the range of 50-60million trays of a promising but largely untried variety. This was destined for international markets which had only previously ever dealt with 29.9million trays of Zespri gold (Kiwiflier, August, 2012). This report follows the Gold3 story and in specific looks at the challenges faced in providing a consistent, high taste product to the consumer. For Gold3 to be successful it is important that the correct incentives are in place to encourage positive grower behaviour. Three key areas are investigated – how well have Zespri highlighted the risk of low taste Gold3, the relevance and success of research and extension, and the financial drivers created by the Zespri Gold3 payment model. The report also explores the trend between yield and taste and whether a grower should be considering lowering cropload in order to grow higher taste fruit. My work for a kiwifruit management company is centred around increasing grower profitability. This means growing crops that are the most financially beneficial for the grower, and I want to delve into whether this is in conflict with what the markets (and Zespri) demand.Publication Restricted Increasing the pace of change: Barriers and motivations for adoption in the New Zealand kiwifruit industry.(Lincoln University. Faculty of Commerce. Kellogg Rural Leaders Programme., 2015) Stokes, ChrissyWith export sales in 2014 of over $1.6 billion, the New Zealand kiwifruit industry is one of the great horticultural success stories. However, with a target of $3 billion in export sales by 2025, the industry can’t afford to rest on its laurels. Much of the increase in revenue will be due to increased productivity and fruit quality on-orchard, and that does not happen by default. The aim of this study is to understand how we can increase the pace of change within the industry with respect to on-orchard adoption of innovations. Eight Bay of Plenty kiwifruit growers were interviewed about their perceived motivations for and barriers to adoption of innovations. They identified cost, a lack of evidence, conservatism, and underlying beliefs as key barriers to adoption. The need for operational efficiencies, financial benefits, and needing a solution to a specific significant issue were key motivations to adopt. Two innovations in the kiwifruit industry were studied: the pre-flowering trunk girdle, and root pruning. The attributes of these innovations have significantly impacted their rate of adoption within the industry, and serve to highlight gaps in the current research and extension programmes with respect to how innovations are “sold” to industry.Publication Open Access Herding the cats: change management in New Zealand primary industry(Lincoln University. Faculty of Commerce. Kellogg Rural Leaders Programme., 2014) Patterson, MarkOne of the constants of life is change. Change works against the forces of stability and routine for which people are inherently more comfortable. Change management is a relatively new field of study and over recent years has evolved to create a more sophisticated analysis of the disciplines required for successful organisational change. The Kellogg’s scholarship project has provided me with a guilt edged opportunity to leverage into the experiences of many significant leaders of New Zealand primary industries, both current and past, particularly with regard to their experiences in change management. What lessons can be learned not only for myself in regard my on-going involvement with Meat Industry Excellence but for other future primary industry change managers who may read this text.