Fonterra farmers Paulette and Brian Johns got to experience the Co-op’s biggest international market and were impressed.
King Country farmers Paulette and Brian Johns’ farm is “exactly what you’d call an average New Zealand farm”. The couple milk 450 cows on around 160 hectares (of which a third is rolling hills), and produce around 160,000kg of milk solids per annum.
When a study tour of China was announced, the couple jumped at the chance to go on the trip designed by Fonterra and travel agency Farm and Leisure Tours. Combining business and sightseeing, the tour provided the opportunity to visit the Co-op’s largest single market and see some extraordinary farming systems.
“We travelled to China about 30 years ago, and it is hard to believe how much has changed. At that time, only 26% of China’s population was urban. Now it’s nearly 70% and still increasing. The rate of progress is phenomenal. No amount of listening to Teh-Han [Chow, Shanghai-based Fonterra Co-operative Group executive] or Miles [Hurrell, CEO] talk about China can prepare you for exactly what it’s like over there. It was a chance to see first-hand what China is today, what they do and how dairy fits in. We’re hugely reliant on China for trade, and it’s really important to us as farmers. The tour showed us that there’s a lot more to what we do over there than simply exporting milk.” Paulette says.
Paulette and Brian were among a group of 39 farmers ranging in age from their 20s through to their 80s who travelled around China to see Fonterra’s milk on the world stage.
“The tour was first-rate. We were all treated like VIPs; it was next level. Tehan and the Fonterra team spent a lot of time with us personally, which was amazing given their workload. We were given a comprehensive presentation about agriculture in China and trends to kick off the tour. It was eye-opening,” Paulette says.
“We saw all different types of farming from milking cows to milking horses and sheep, and interesting breeding innovations. China’s agricultural systems are diverse but becoming increasingly sophisticated, and its focus on renewable energy really surprised us. One of the farms we visited is a vertically integrated sheep operation that incorporates recycling, solar energy, wind turbines, and restaurants. They grow and palletise their own feed, process their own meat in abattoirs, and serve it directly to customers through their restaurants. The show farms we saw were very swish operations. Twin 80-bale rotaries are going 24 hours a day. Some cows were milked three times a day. The cows were huge. Some of them looked to be 800kg.”
The tour started in Beijing before exploring the vast grasslands of Inner Mongolia, historic Xi’an, and the Shanghai business hub.
“The tour was so well organised and coordinated. There was no way you would see a fraction of what we saw if you were trying to organise a trip on your own. We had a real behind-the-scenes experience, talking to locals, visiting farms, and sightseeing. It was phenomenal.”
Fonterra is continuing to offer Co-op farmers the chance to explore different global markets with Farm and Leisure Tours. Individuals pay their own way, with Farm and Leisure Tours managing the travel arrangements with attendees directly. As these are study tours, the tour company documents a study report for learning and reference material. It also means the trips can be accounted for as a business expense and be tax-deductible.
Register your interest for the 2026 Fonterra China International Study Tour at enquiries@farmandleisuretours.nz.