Consumers are becoming more aware and more educated about where their food comes from and what is in it. Cutting edge technology, coupled with the proliferation of data, is creating more pathways for consumers to make more informed choices. We are already seeing cuts of meat being traced back to the individual animals they came from and produce being traced from farm gate to retail store, and we should only expect that there will be more demand for this type of information, not less.  

New Zealand has a great reputation for producing high quality food products that also represent exemplary animal welfare standard. How do we create opportunities through innovation – both in technology and in storytelling – to create more value for our food producers and connect with the right markets? What markets are demanding these types of products and what are their expectation? Are we producing the right products? What else could we be thinking about?

Join us to hear from our panel of experts about what these premium consumers are demanding and how we can collaborate to better meet their needs and create more value for our food producers.

B.linc’s tenant Sarah Perriam interviewed Rob post event to discuss the issues further. To listen to the podcast, please click on following link.

Timings:

·   8.30am : Arrival

·   8.45am : Breakfast & Networking

·   9.05am : Welcome & introduction

·   9.15am : Keynote address 1 Roland Harrison, Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture & Life Sciences, Lincoln University

Share your perspectives on how consumers are now demanding more transparency around their food product. What products and which markets are most effected? What is the opportunity for NZ? What practical takeaway is there for farmers and growers or is better storytelling required?

·   9.30am : Keynote address 2 Rob Hewett, Farm owner & Chairman of Farmlands Cooperative Society Limited

Provide your views on how hyper-transparency is affecting the farming industry. What technology/innovation have you seen globally and in New Zealand to assist growers, distributors and retail stores provide further transparency and create trust around the origin of food? Is there anything farmers and growers can do today to create more transparency and trust?

·   9.45am : Keynote address 3 Melissa Baer, Business Analyst-Agriculture Specialist of Webtools Ltd

How can the primary industry implement sustainable business practices that can be communicated back to farmers? And how is business-to-consumer-marketing then used to provide further transparency and create trust around the origin of food? Is better storytelling the answer? Is there anything farmers can do today to create more transparency and trust?

·   10.00am : Panel discussion/Interactive Q&A session with Audience

·   10.30am : Speaking finishes, networking

·   11.00am : Event finishes

Our Speakers:

Speaker: Dr Roland Harrison, Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Lincoln University

Graduate of the University of Birmingham (B.Sc. Hons., Ph.D.), employed in a variety of academic and research roles in agriculture, environmental protection, soil science, and since 2004 in wine science. Part of the team that developed the Post-Graduate Diploma in Viticulture and Oenology at Lincoln University in 1991. Current research interests mainly focussed on volatile and phenolic composition of Pinot noir wines and relationships with quality. More generally, has an interest the nature of terroir and relationships between wine composition and sensory attributes. Authored over 150 scientific publications. Currently Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture and Life Sciences and Head of the Food for Future Consumers Centre of Excellence at Lincoln University.

Speaker: Rob Hewett, Chairman of Farmlands Cooperative Society Limited

Rob is no stranger to the farming industry.  He has recently taken over the reins as Chairman of Farmlands.  An experienced company director, he sits on multiple boards both in New Zealand & Australia.  Not only is he a proud alumnus of Lincoln University, he is also a member of the Lincoln University Council.  His field of expertise spans from agri-business to supply chain to retail operations to energy & petroleum.

Farming runs through his blood, Rob is a 6th generation sheep & beef farmer.  He is happiest at his carbon-zero farm that has a 9MB windfarm at the top paddock & tending to the silviculture requirements of his 170ha of carbon sequestering commercial forestry or running around with his 9,250 sheep & beef stock. 

Speaker: Melissa Baer, Business Analyst-Agriculture Specialist of Webtools Ltd

“When a customer is connected to where their food comes from you get higher quality products, more sustainable businesses and vibrant eco systems that produce far more than the sum of their parts.”- Melissa Baer

Melissa Baer is a writer, thought-leader, problem-solver and agile business mechanic with a particular interest in the way we grow, transport and sell our food. She is an expert in economics, policies and practices related to organic agriculture, primary industry supply chains, local food and sustainable business practice, distribution, customer acquisition and business-to-consumer marketing. 

Now based in Christchurch leading the Webtools Agriculture team, Melissa grew up on a grass fed beef and small grains farm in Ontario Canada, which was certified organic in 1987. Under Melissa’s guidance, it became a market leader in the direct-to-consumer sales model and the heart of a thriving local food economy. She has served on boards for local food initiatives where she applies her knowledge of farm-level sustainability, business development, human health and technology. Melissa has particular expertise in the use of blockchain to support transparency in food supply chains.

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