British Cucumber and Pepper Growers' Association’s Post

Milk, milk everywhere and hopefully more than a drop to drink and add to my tea. Dairy farming faces its own unique challenges. From bTB to changing consumer preferences to recruitment.  A key challenge though has always been the relationship between producer and processor. New regulations were supposed to have levelled the playing field on this relationship. My new blog looks at the Fair Dealing Obligations (Milk) Regulations 2024 and why they might not be what the industry had hoped for. https://lnkd.in/e-xU-t-S

While prices are high it is always important to remember that maintaining high-quality standards in cocoa processing helps build a positive reputation for our cocoa and keeps prices high for a long period of time. Customers are more likely to trust and purchase products from companies known for their quality control practices. A strong quality control division helps build a positive reputation for a company/region/country. With windfalls from cocoa please invest in maintaining your fermentry and educate yourself by purchasing a smart phone to access free information online to build your knowledge on quality control and best practice for sustainable cocoa farming. Think quality and not quantity. Think cashflow and not profit. #cocoaforlivelihoods #SustainableCocoa #qualitynotquantity

Back in 2015 I worked with a client to re-jig their beef bull purchases for a big frame crossbred dairy herd (¾ Friesian bloodlines). The difference between the traditional dairy cross non replacement calves and the new progeny was a standout and then something extraordinary happened. Come calving time people started pulling up taking photos, plenty coming up the drive asking to purchase calves, orders were placed for weaned calves and there were others even placing orders for the following year. 10 years as a main road farmer and this was definitely a first for the operation. I think for the first time that farming family saw the difference in a commodity to a premium product. “All this time we’ve been producing a product that no-one wanted to buy, cost a lot of money to do so and then got brassed-off for low returns despite the effort to produce”. The creation of value in a product isn’t always that easy though. It’s hard to capitalise on the cute factor with a slab of meat or even for that matter a bottle of milk. However, value in the mind is an important tool in selling product. When we purchase software for instance, we are purchasing a concept of data that in our mind has the ability to achieve important if not sometimes monumental things. Hear in lies the rub - some value will be reactionary and more will be visionary. A conversation with a grower last week comes to mind. “Maybe we need to treat this like a game of chess. The Chess Masters don’t play the move in front of them, they anticipate before it’s even created, and have a strategy”. In other words anticipating our customers needs before they know they even have them. I’m a capitalist at heart and I see this social licence work released by OLW as an important conduit towards creating value and giving our primary sector control of the board.  Take time to watch both videos. There will be a lot that will resonate, and like me, some things you may disagree with, but that’s OK, it might be the start of a good conversation. My example at the start may have added value sooner with the right discussion with a potential purchaser. https://lnkd.in/gk5dcvcv

In this week's blog, we will talk about BC fruit grower's pain points and how recent wildfires have created gaps and challenges in their system. We will also talk about the 2024 report from the BC legislature's Finance Committee in this regard. https://lnkd.in/geJmXiiA

G for Governance: It is not only green vanilla beans that are stolen from small lot farmers and re-sold. Vanilla plants are also stolen for re-sale, leaving farmers with a loss of income. We avoid buying stolen vanilla plants, by dealing directly with the farmers and being present while the plant cuttings are being harvested. This method requires a little extra effort from our side, but as a side gain, we can ensure that the cuttings harvested are from heathy plants, and that the handling and transport of the cuttings are as gentle as possible. The farmers only sell a very small part of their plants as cuttings, so it has very little effect on their production output. Byalo Nielson is one of the local farmers that we work with, and he tells us what he thinks about our approach.

The price of 'Barley' (PBARL) was $134.68 per unit in 2024-08. This reflects a month-over-month decrease of 3.69%, a quarter-over-quarter increase of 0.59%, and a year-over-year decrease of 15.53%. Follow @globalsavors for more. #foodcommodities #agricommodities #tradeflows

In this week's blog, we will talk about BC fruit grower's pain points and how recent wildfires have created gaps and challenges in their system. We will also talk about the 2024 report from the BC legislature's Finance Committee in this regard. https://lnkd.in/geJmXiiA

When you open a carton/bottle of milk do you give the diary farmer who produced it a second thought? Would be great if you did! Hopefully new legislation will mean that farmers will have more power around the terms under which they sell their milk. Good piece from FarmingUK #fairpriceformilk #paywhatmilkisworth #supportUKdairyfarmers #ukgovt #farmingpolicies #fairfoodsupplychain

In the summer of 2024, the Delaware General Assembly passed “The Consumer Choice Milk Act,” which, when signed by Governor Carney, will allow consumers to directly purchase unprocessed, unpasteurized, and unhomogenized milk from dairy producers who hold raw milk permits. To better understand this law in the context of modern dairy farming, it is important to consider some historical background of the industry. Read more https://lnkd.in/ePJ46T3y

In this week's blog, we will talk about BC fruit grower's pain points and how recent wildfires have created gaps and challenges in their system. We will also talk about the 2024 report from the BC legislature's Finance Committee in this regard. https://lnkd.in/geJmXiiA