Webster sale decision looms
Shareholders in large scale irrigation company Webster Limited will vote on the company’s plans to sell its northern NSW Bengerang farming assets to Australian Food and Fibre for $132 million next week.
Bengerang’s 9600 hectares of farming assets include the Darling Farms aggregation at Bourke and property at Garah, near Moree, bought by Webster in 2015 for $124m.
Webster will use funds from the sale to the Robinson family’s AFF Water to focus on its core horticultural, agricultural and grazing operations in the NSW Riverina, Tasmania and South Australia, having recently acquired more land to expand its walnut and almond plantings in southern NSW.
The sale will also see AFF business sell its 69m shares in Webster to Canada’s public service owned PSP Investments, which will then hold a 19.15 per cent stake, making it Webster’s biggest shareholder.
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Max Roberts to retire
Longstanding Bega Cheese director and dairy farmer, Max Roberts, is planning to retire from the company’s board.
Bega has confirmed Mr Roberts will remain on the board until a suitable replacement with “new insights and experiences” is found.
Mr Roberts, a former Dairy Australia chairman and senior figure in the former NSW Dairy Farmers Association, has been Bega director since before 2011, when the company was a farmer-owned co-operative.
CropLife directors elected
Syngenta territory head for Australia and New Zealand, Paul Luxton, has been re-elected as president of the peak industry organisation for the crop chemical and plant science sector, CropLife Australia.
Mr Luxton is joined by vice presidents, Damien Ryan, from Sipcam Pacific Australia and Joerg Ellmanns, Bayer Group.
BASF’s agriculture head for Australia and NZ, Gavin Jackson is chairman of CropLife’s corporate governance committee.
Other directors on the CropLife Australia board for 2018‑19 are Darrin Hines, Adama Australia; Rob Kaan, Corteva Agriscience (the agricultural division of DowDuPont); Kristina Hermanson, FMC Australasia; Peter O’Keefe, Nufarm, and Tony Brookes, Sumitomo Chemical Australia.
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Norco’s $15m grant windfall
NSW-Queensland dairy co-operative, Norco, has been awarded $14.96 million funding under the Regional Growth Fund (RGF), an initiative of the Australian Government’s Department of Infrastructure, Regional Development and Cities.
Farmer-owned Norco will match the government’s contribution dollar for dollar as part of its plans to expand and upgrade its Lismore ice cream business unit.
The capital expenditure will enable it to almost double its present 55 million litres of annual throughput to 100m litres.
Chairman Greg McNamara said the federal grant would create direct and indirect employment opportunities during and post construction.
“This good news is certainly welcome for our owners who are our dairy farmers, given the battles we are presently having with the drought and also the well-publicised issues relating to the dairy industry and milk pricing generally.
“Once this project is completed we will have a much more resilient business, being able to service a more diverse range of customers, including chasing more lucrative export business.”
The co-operative had the full support of its banking partner Rabobank which had been part of the process from its early stages.
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Ruminant research reward
Australian researcher and university lecturer Dr Josh Aleri has been awarded one of the world’s most prestigious animal health accolades, a Ruminant Well-Being Award.
The biennial prize granted by Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health and the World Association for Buiatrics.
Dr Aleri’s award-winning research involved developing and testing scientific methods to improve the health and welfare of dairy cattle during the calving period.
He is now working as a lecturer in cattle health and medicine at Murdoch University in Western Australia, although his methods were developed with colleagues from CSIRO and the Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources in Victoria.
Dr Aleri’s $16,000 prize was announced at the World Buiatrics Congress in Japan, where a second similar award was won by Dr Hans Coetzee of Kansas State University, USA.
Andrew Marshall
Andrew Marshall is the group agribusiness writer for ACM's state agricultural weeklies and websites. He is a former editor at The Land and has worked in various Rural Press group roles in Canberra, North Richmond (NSW) and Toowoomba (Qld).
Andrew Marshall is the group agribusiness writer for ACM's state agricultural weeklies and websites. He is a former editor at The Land and has worked in various Rural Press group roles in Canberra, North Richmond (NSW) and Toowoomba (Qld).
