Beef + Lamb New Zealand’s (B+LNZ) Annual Meeting will be held in New Plymouth at the Devon Hotel and Conference Centre on Thursday 26 March 2020, with registrations now open for both the meeting itself, as well as an full day of events surrounding the Annual Meeting to update farmers on key industry initiatives and issues.
“Beef + Lamb New Zealand’s Annual Meeting is an important opportunity for levy payers to see how their money is being invested, to ask questions, be inspired, meet their representatives, learn more about their organisation, and to have their say,” says B+LNZ’s CEO Sam McIvor.
The day’s programme begins at 9am with the formal Annual Meeting itself at 11am. Either side of the Annual Meeting B+LNZ has organised a range of events focused on the theme of “Positioning the Sector for the Future” which will cover issues such as the environmental challenges and associated regulations facing the sector and what B+LNZ is doing to support farmers, an update on the Taste Pure Nature country of origin brand, an outline of the tools B+LNZ is developing to help farmers improve their environmental footprint, the launch of B+LNZ’s Farming Excellence Strategy, and specific work B+LNZ is doing to support its dairy levy payers.
The wider day also includes a visit to “MataRata Downs”, a sheep and beef operation co-owned and operated by the award-winning farming partners Jarred and Sarah Coogan, and Bryan and Helen Hocken. MataRata Downs were the Supreme Winners of the Taranaki Balance Farm Environment Awards in 2019 and the Coogan’s and Hocken’s will share their experience of running a high performing, environmentally sustainable sheep and beef farm.
Following the conclusion of the day’s programme, there will be an evening fundraising event for the Taranaki Rural Support Trust featuring a keynote speaker on the topic of “wellbeing”, with more details of this event to be announced soon.