AgResearch and Landcorp Farming sign MOU

23.10.07

AgResearch and Landcorp Farming sign MOU

Crown Research Institute AgResearch and State-owned Enterprise Landcorp Farming Ltd have formalised an industry good relationship with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding.

Landcorp's Manager - Corporate Strategy, Collier Isaacs said the Memorandum will help align the two organisations' activities around innovation in agriculture with the expectation of mutual benefit. "This will formalise our current cooperative relationship with AgResearch and ensure that we look at where our common interests are," he said. "Where in the past we've done things on a more 'ad hoc' basis, this memorandum will bring us into closer dialogue in examining where opportunities in innovation lie."

Landcorp has 104 farms running 1.6 million stock units that are spread across the length and breadth of New Zealand. It has been in business for 20 years and last year produced 9.3 million kilograms of milksolids, 2,921 tonnes of venison, 8,830 tonnes of sheep meat, 10,448 tonnes of beef, 3,210 tonnes of wool and 14.1 tonnes of velvet.

The Memorandum will facilitate better access for AgResearch to Landcorp's large scale farming resource and experience, while Landcorp stands to benefit from leveraging the scientific expertise of the CRI. "It will allow our practical experience to inform (where appropriate) AgResearch's R&D programmes, which in the longer term will feed benefits into the wider industry. Potentially it will see Landcorp providing capital for R&D where it meets our commercial imperatives. It's bringing industry-good science and commercial farming closer together," said Collier Isaacs.

Dr Andrew West, AgResearch Chief Executive, said the MoU would have tangible flow on benefits for the wider industry.

"AgResearch is the Crown's largest and most significant repository of pastoral farming knowledge and expertise. This agreement will allow us to work closely with Landcorp to significantly increase the scope of our on-farm research for the benefit of pastoral farmers the length and breadth of the country."

Landcorp and AgResearch are currently involved in projects such as the development of new breeding techniques and grazing management systems.

"A key feature of our relationship with Landcorp is that we can jointly explore new agricultural technologies from an early stage, right through to implementation on-farm. With co-funding from the Foundation for Research Science and Technology, Landcorp will be investing into research carried out by AgResearch," said Dr West.

ENDS

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