Name: Peter ReynoldsLocation: Pukekohe and TuakauGrows: potato, onion, pumpkin production, kiwifruit orcharding and cattle fattening. History: T.A. Reynolds Ltd is our family owned farming business. We have been living and farming in the Pukekohe and Tuakau Districts for several generations. We are not one big farm but are farming on many blocks, situated about one…
Don’t just eat it – Compleat it! How smashing, mashing and hashing your spuds can lead the way in helping New Zealanders reduce food waste and combat climate change. Consider the humble spud. Who doesn’t love them and their versatility? As Samwise declares in the Lord of the Rings: ‘Po-tay-toes! Boil ‘em, mash ‘em, stick…
By Glenys Christian Powdery scab is the biggest economic constraint for the Australian potato industry, Dr Calum Wilson, from the Tasmania Institute of Agriculture, told the Inta-Ag Conference in Pukekohe recently. It causes 10% to 20% yield losses and is estimated to have an economic cost of A$30 million a year. “And there are not…
By Heather Chalmers Supermarket chain Countdown says its biggest selling potato is still the one with the least flavour – white washed potatoes – providing an opportunity for growers. Countdown business manager vegetables Grant Robinson said potatoes were a pantry staple, with price still consumers’ number one consideration. Customers also preferred that their potatoes were…
By Gemma Carroll, Communications & Engagement Officer for Potatoes New Zealand On Friday the 13th September a room of bright minds met to workshop the Potatoes NZ Emissions Project and Taskforce. 20 experts comprised of growers, agronomists, researchers, advisors and the PNZ team drilled down into what the new regional council plans will mean to…
Every year The Chip Group aims to train 240 food service providers, with the goal of reducing fat/oil content, salt content and serving size. These desired outcomes have 2-fold benefit; to improve the health profile of our biggest processing product and improve business profitability for the end user of the product. Past research by co-funder…
By Niki Bezzant Do they use Roundup on potatoes? This was the question hotly debated recently on Newstalk ZB, as part of a broader conversation (in which I was interviewed) about pesticides and chemicals used on food crops. The host, Simon Barnett, swore he had ‘heard somewhere’ that potatoes were sprayed with Roundup (glyphosate) and…
By Heather Chalmers New Zealand is one of the first countries to adopt United States-designed wireless NPK soil sensors, prompting a visit by its Wall Street developer. The Teralytic soil probes are being trialled in New Zealand’s potato growing regions, with 120 arriving in September. This follows a smaller-scale trial last season. Teralytic founder and…
By Heather Chalmers The breakdown of the traditional media model is an opportunity for growers to tell their own stories to consumers and engage them directly, says agri-food broadcaster and commentator Sarah Perriam. “We can take control of our story, rather than relying on media to do it for us. “Media are not the gatekeepers…
SE Asia responds to keener prices Strong demand from key South East Asian markets has helped New Zealand consolidate its fry export performance for the fourth consecutive month. Since March, total exports for each month have been above or close to 7 000 tonnes, with a particularly strong performance from markets in Malaysia and Thailand….