...Trading Among Farmers (TAF) and the future of the New Zealand Dairy Industry. On the 25th June 2012, farmer shareholders in the Co-Op Fonterra, voted in favour of implementing TAF. TAF allows outside capital in the form of buying units; in return for rights to dividends, but not ownership or votes. When researched; there is no agricultural co-op in the world that has taken outside capital and still primarily focused on maximising returns to the supplying shareholders, (ourco-op.co.nz) as primary focus becomes the share price and dividend, eventuating in the demise of the co-operative. A co-operative is set up by its shareholders to maximise the price for the suppliers milk. Shareholders invest their share capital into a co-operative in return they give loyal supply of the raw material (milk). Farmers will want to supply Fonterra because they own them. When you introduce outside investors you introduce different drivers to the business. Outside investors invest capital to receive a good dividend. The Directors are torn what do they do with company profits, do they retain funds to make the balance sheet strong, do they maximise the milk price or do they maximise the dividend? This divergence of interests will eventually lead to the demise of the co-op. For example Satara and EastPack in the kiwifruit industry. Historically they were both co-ops competing against one another for a number of years. Satara then listed its investor shares on the NZAX. It now had supplying...
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...I decided to take a step out of my comfort zone and attend a farmers market in downtown Clovis where I payed a lot of attention to the things around me, such as; the people that were walking around, the people that were buying, the people selling, what they were selling, the cost of their products and lastly and most importantly, the quality of the products. When I first got there I was surprised to see the large turn out. The farmers market is on a Friday night so its easier for people to go because its the start of their weekend and some might just wanna get out of the house. There were several couples and many families with children that were wondering around and taking advantage of the activities that downtown had put on that night. There were many transactions that I saw taking place as well, which was nice to see. January is a good month to shop for produce because in my opinion there are so many good products being produced around this time. A few items that I saw people purchasing were broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, citrus fruits and kale. The sellers looked as if they were making a decent profit and when I asked them they said, “We make enough to where its worth coming here week after week”....
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...Food for Thought Farmers markets are places where consumers purchase fresh, locally grown produce directly from the farmers. The number of farmers markets in the United States has grown a whopping 250% since 1994. The increasing prevalence of local farmers markets is an important step towards a much needed transformation of our country’s food system. There are numerous environmental, economic, nutritional, and ethical benefits to supporting local farmers markets as opposed to major corporations and supermarkets. There are copious environmental advantages of supporting local farmers markets as opposed to large industries. Farmers markets provide locally grown produce, reducing the resulting amount of “food miles”, or travel distance. Statistics show that produce from supermarkets, on the other hand, travel an average of 1,300 miles before reaching the shelves. “Only about 10% of the fossil fuel energy used in the world’s food system is used for production. The other 90% goes toward packaging, transporting, and marketing of the food” (Norberg-Hodge). The smaller travel distance for produce from farmers markets greatly reduces carbon dioxide emissions, contributing towards a healthier environment. Farmers markets have also been proven to produce less waste than their supermarket competitors. “Farmers in the USA report that an average of 22% of their crop could not be marketed if farmers markets were not available…There is less wastage because good food...
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...FARMERS INSURANCE; Farmers Insurance Acquisition of 21st Century Insurance Finalized SECTION: EXPANDED REPORTING; Pg. 15 LENGTH: 725 words The Farmers Insurance Group of Companies(R) announced that it has completed the acquisition of 100 percent of AIG's U.S. Personal Auto Group, which includes 21st Century Insurance. In addition to 21st Century Insurance, the acquisition includes the former AIG Direct business and Agency Auto business. The purchase price amounts to approximately $1.9 billion. Under the agreement, AIG's U.S. personal auto insurance business is being sold to Farmers Group, Inc., a Los Angeles-based subsidiary of Zurich Financial Services Group. Farmers Group, Inc. will sell the underlying insurance entities to the Farmers Exchanges, which Farmers Group, Inc. manages but does not own, for approximately $1.4 billion. This acquisition by the Farmers Exchanges strengthens Farmers' place as the 3rd largest personal lines insurer in the US. And, the acquisition positions the Farmers Exchanges as the largest auto insurer in several states, including California. The acquisition is the largest in the 81-year history of Farmers. The acquired companies operate in 49 states and Washington, D.C.; have more that 2.4 million customers; and insure more than 4 million vehicles in the US. Further, 21st Century Insurance is the nation's 3rd largest traditional "direct" writer of insurance. Without including 21st Century customers, Farmers already provides auto...
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...increase in farmers who are willing to cash in on these cash crops and try to earn a few quick dollars because of the great demand for it. In 2007 Corn farmer saw record profits because famer where getting twice as much for corn as they did in previous years. The same trend continued but farmers dealt with so many obstacle such as weather, bugs and lack of equipment that they found themselves in an upside down situations. (www.cnn.com) Many of the corn farmers have made lots of sacrifices to meet the demands of corn by producing more corn, buying more land and seeds, use of extra fuel in farm equipment, which increased the farmers spending but also return great profits. This will cause the production of corn’s substitute, soybean, to diminish but not disappear because soybeans have a market of their own in china because of its production of soybean oil and milk that is wide spread in China. As far as the US and soybean its production will slowly starts to diminish because many of the farmers will use their land to grown more corn to gain a better profit, instead of growing soybean and only making a fraction of the profits intended from soybean.( www.hpj.com) Now as stated by the laws of supply “that as the price of a good increase, suppliers will attempt to profits by increasing the quantity of the product sold (www.investopedia.com) When farmers are growing and producing corn for the use and production of energy, and other uses, this will show farmers that the production...
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...questions below. The Purchasing Decision 1. What are factors that a farmer in Taranaki will take into account before purchasing Hatuma Dicalcic Phosphate? Marton Site Logistics 2. Outline the logistic decisions that Hatuma Lime needs to make to set up the Marton site? Building Brand Equity 3. What does management need to do to build the Hatuma Dicalcic Phosphate brand equity? 1 The Purchasing Decision Price Point The farm paddock can be likened to the engine room of the farm, opting not to fertilise for more than one or two years can cause significant damage to a paddock. In 2009 rising cost of fertiliser and decreasing farm income forced farmers to compare the benefit of fertilising paddocks or reducing stock numbers to maintain (Smith, 2009). Phosphate consumption has been steady in recent years at around 140,000 tonnes, indicating good sales for fertiliser companies (Fertiliser Matters, 2015). Hatuma Dicalcic Phosphate marketing manager Aaron Topp feels that high analysis fertilisers have out priced themselves. Dicalcic phosphate (DP) uses 50% less phosphate and is therefor cheaper to produce and purchase (personal communication, October 8, 2015). When comparing the cost of fertilising and the loss in production caused by not fertilising, the location of the farm will be a crucial consideration. For example, farmers in Taranaki will receive more annual rainfall when compared to farmers in hill country Hawkes Bay (Smith, 2009). This will result in a...
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...AIM OF STUDY The aim of this study is to discover and describe problems faced by peasant farmers in the geographical area of Ewarton; St. Catherine. METHOD OF DATA COLLECTION On Tuesday, December 3, 2013, a field study was implemented in Ewarton in the parish of St.Catherine, Jamaica. The locations of study were scheduled to be Worthy Park Estate in Liuidas Vale and Farmer Roy’s Farm in Ewarton, St.Catherine. The weather was hot and very sunny thus there was no disturbance in this field study .The materials used to carry out the observation were: notebook, pen, pencils, camera, recording devices on phones and textbooks. A few of my friends also students participating in the field study formed a small group to gather primary information using questionnaires and interviews accordingly by conducting informal interviews and written questionnaires . Data was also collected through textbooks and the internet. Our first location was Worthy Park Estate .Worthy Park Estate is a sugar factory and distillery. It is surrounded by Cockpit Mountains and is 1200 ft. above sea level. It is a suitable place for study because it is cooler than most places although quite sunny during the daytime .The climate provides the best growing conditions for the growth of sugarcane it is also considered a commercial farm. Our second location was a subsistent farm owned by the farmer; Farmer Roy. This farm is located in Ewarton; St.Catherine. It relief is flat as well as steep in some...
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...Global Economic Environment Shirl Williams Unit 3: Creating Shared Value Unit 3: Creating Shared Value 2 Many companies came about out of a need or a means for products to be sold and or obtained, but often companies could not thrive on their own. Many companies were able to help the community grow by supporting and patronizing one another. So if a restaurant needed fresh produce it would use the local farmer or produce market to obtain the produce in turn the farmer might eat at the restaurant. The farmer and the restaurant might hire locals and neighbors to help the community. That would not only build each others business but build the community. Porter and Kramer advise, “A shared value perspective, focuses on improving growing techniques and strengthening the local cluster of supporting suppliers and other institutions in order to increase farmers’ efficiency, yields, product quality, and sustainability. This leads to a bigger pie of revenue and profits that benefits both farmers and the companies that buy from them.” (p. 5) When you have the support of those who are around you and share those same values, it’s difficult for all not to grow. Shared value raises the income level of society. There is a saying that states, “Where there is unity there is power.” That is a shared value system. Someone else said, “If everyone does a little, no one has to do a lot.” The problem may be in the creating of the shared value. “The...
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...make his decision based on the majority of the customers needs. It has been determined that the largest volume of business comes from the tobacco farmers. Their needs include a package system that is easy to handle and small enough to handle yet larger enough to treat at least an acre. Previous liquid calculations for farmers were based on the gallon, and 4-8 qts depending on the application. Keeping the new package at the same rate of coverage would allow for an easy conversion. The most the soluble bag can hold is 2.5 lbs, 2. The size of the water-soluble package should cater to a majority of the customers needs. If the new water-soluble package were made to hold 2.5 lbs of material and 1.5 lbs being the active ingredient, it would cover 60% of what a previous gallon did. This would be ideal for a majority of the tobacco farmer customer base, as they would not have to purchase extra with the packages being smaller. 3. The issue with the amount of bags in the over pack bag is storage for whatever is not used that season. If the farmer stores the over pack bag properly there will be no waste into the following season. If the over pack were sold with 12 bags per that would yield 8 acres of treatment per over pack. 30 lbs of dry product yields 18 lbs of a.i.. This figure would allow for an easy conversion for farmers and falls in the middle of the usage for the consumer majority. 4. Daynor can define value in shipping costs saved by the lessened weight of...
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...something more, it is not a necessity. But things have changed drastically for the present human being. People have forgotten what it means to consume to live, and have turned to consume for a lifestyle desired by others. Living on a farm you learn firsthand the values and importance of money and money management. With Mother Nature as our enemy and at the same time our friend you can never predict on how she’ll effect the outcome of your crops. Down at the coffee shop you’ll hear the big very successful farmers say that the more money you put in to the crops the more money you’ll get back. Some of this may be true, but for the most part they don’t realize that they are a victim of modern day consumerism. But in their defense, it may not always be their fault. Field men show up to their shops with literature and great ideas about new and improved fertilizers and chemicals with the intent to sell, knowing that the farmers put a lot of faith and trust into them. In the end the farmer may then buy the product from the field man not knowing that there could be another solution that may cost half as much and leave a considerable less amount of waste. This goes back to how we’ve got to ask ourselves can we or can we not get by with or without this. When people go to the grocery store to pick up fresh produce from the produce aisle they find themselves with a large selection of a variety of different vegetables to choose from. Some may take time to look at the price of the product to...
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...fair prices.’’ Mission: Is to be provider of healthy, safe, fresh, and tasty food at fair price Reference: http://www.j-sainsbury.co.uk/about-us/ Strategic objectives: The Sainsbury strategic objectives are to be the most trusted retailer and to be supermarkets where people will love to work and shop. Sainsbury plans is to focus on five areas that are supported by their strong values, culture and operation excellence. The business strategy and objectives are categorised into five areas of focus as follows: Reference: http://www.j-sainsbury.co.uk/about-us/business-strategy-objectives/ The Sainsbury stakeholders are as follows: Suppliers: These are agents that supply products being sold by Sainsbury Farmers and growers: The are the farmers that grow the fresh product being sold by Sainsbury. Government: That realised certain amount of money inform of taxes from Sainsbury Regulators: Those that ensure that the supermarkets comply with trading standards Banks: The banks that received the sales proceed of the Sainsbury and that derive income from...
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...life in much of the rural, mountainous country. Despite the earthquakes and other natural disasters which have impacted the region, the coffee growing community is typically inclined to band to together to rebuild if and when needed, in order to return as quickly as possible to their known way of life. Politically speaking, coffee is a huge economic driver for the country. Social Implications Beyond the natural emphasis on coffee generated profits, Columbia’s coffee export industry has long endeavored to create positive social change and impact. In existence since 1927, the Columbian Coffee Growers Federation (FNC) is charged with representing and defending the coffee grower’s interests and to promote social agendas desired by the farmer collective. Over the years, this has included, training and development, industry research, expansion of community and human development initiatives, with an overall emphasis on ensuring that the industry remains sustainable for those involved (Coffee in Columbia, 2013). As always, FNC’s goal has been to maintain Columbia’s position as a preferred coffee exporter so that prices can remain as...
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...reveal that majority of them have hectares of lot in size and Monocropped with Cavendish in the plain and of the third district of Davao City at a Planting distance of 3m x 3m. Production Practices Table III. The production practices of Cavendish banana farmers covered land Preparation, insect control, disease control, weed control, fertilizer application. VARIABLES | F | P | Land preparationsPlainRollingHillyTotal | 408250 | 80164100 | Insects ControlNaturalSyntheticTotal | 44650 | 892100 | Diseases ControlChemicalBio-controlTotal | 4195094150 | 8218100 | Weed ControlBio- controlSyntheticTotal | | 1882100 | FertilizerNaturalSyntheticTotal | 203050 | 4060100 | As shown for land preparation, all the so Cavendish banana farmers used hand as a Tools in preparing their land, 80 percent for plain; 16 percent for rolling and 2 percent For hilly. Insect control 8 percent use natural and 82 percent use synthetic and for Fertilizer 20 percent used natural and 30 percent for synthetic Discussion The production practices of (50) fifty respondent in land preparation majority of them Preparing their land in plain, 92 percent use synthetic for insect control. For disease Control 9-41 farmers used chemical for Weed Control farmer respondent engaged to Use...
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...much more than what you think it is. In agricultural market information plays a huge role dealing in agricultural. Market Information is a form of information relevant to a market decision. Market information is important to the food market system because essentially everyone who produces, buy and sells agricultural products are constantly searching, comparing and using market information on supply, demand and prices within the food market system. A current status of market information has surfaces the United States with a governmental shutdown. Tim Peterson a market savvy farmer had to make a critical marketing decision. With the market information he protects his investment in seed and fertilizer. He states that by “locking in” the price his wheat crops next July with a contract that shield farmers from market fluctuations by guaranteeing a price while the crops is still intact in the ground. Farmers and livestock producers bargain on reports from the National Agriculture Statistics Service to make their agriculture decisions. Such decision may be how to price crops, which commodities to grow and when to sell them, and tracking cattle auction prices (Hegman,2013). The National Agriculture Statistics Service has also stopped access on new reports about demand and supply, exports and prices. All websites with past information have been taken down. For instance the reports can alert them to shortfalls in overseas markets or if there's a wide swing in acres planted, both of...
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...The United States is very proud of the fact that we have lots of options and our grocery stores are able to stock their shelves with lots of options so that we are able to purchase what we want; that means food items too. We like to plan our meals in advance and then go to the grocery and buy the items we need for those meals. We can also just pick out items that are readily available and then plan our meals around those items. What we usually don’t do, is think about where those items come from. Some of the items may come from here in the United States and some may come from other counties. There could be good things and not so good things come from items produced inside and outside of the United States. One of the good things is that the items that are produced and used in the U.S. help our struggling economy. An example of this would be milk that is produced from cows and collected at a farm and brought to a pasteurization plant where it is processed. Since milk spoils so quickly it’s usually sent to a plant that is fairly close to the farm. They test the milk for antibiotics and then it’s pumped into holding tanks and processed in 24 to 72 hours of the time it gets to the plant. It is kept under 45 degrees from the time it gets into the transportation truck until the time it’s processed. After it’s processed it is put in cartons and taken to the store still being kept below 45 degrees. Milk is never shipped to other countries because of the fact it needs to be...
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