Twenty-four Fonterra farmers from across Canterbury, Otago and Southland embarked on a four-day tour of the North Island in June. The aim of the tour was to provide farmers with an insight into various parts of the Co-operative and strengthen connections.
Here is what one of the attendees, Mid Canterbury dairy farmer Craig Hickman, thought of the experience:
"I recently joined 23 other South Island dairy farmers for a four-day Fonterra-organised tour of the North Island. I have attended Fonterra Roadshows in the past, have been a participant in two MyConnect Conferences and even spent three days at Fonterra's head office for a series of 'Understanding Your Co-operative' seminars."
"What I had never done was visit any of Fonterra's manufacturing sites, so the tour was a way for me to gain fresh insights into the Co-operative's operations," says Craig.
"Days one and two were spent at the Palmerston North Fonterra Research and Development Centre and then the Lichfield Manufacturing Site. The abiding impression I was left with was how professional and committed the staff were at both facilities, both in terms of pride in their work and a determination to do the best they possibly could with our milk. When I say 'best', I mean world-beating. The Lichfield site's walls were lined with awards and the Research and Development Centre shared some of their boundary-pushing research, both in the food space and in the animal production-side of farming.
"Three years at Massey University had instilled in me a deep dislike for bus travel, but the tour organisers made the time on the bus fly. Being in a group of like-minded people with a shared passion for the industry meant we all had things in common to talk about, and seat swapping while enroute was common as people mingled and found new things to talk about.
"Day three and being able to spend a full day at the Fieldays at Mystery Creek was a nice break in the itinerary which allowed me to catch up with friends and vendors from all over the country.
"I will be honest and say the last stop, Fonterra's Head Office at Fanshawe Street, was the one that had me least excited, but I was pleasantly surprised at how interesting logistics and product optimisation can be. The level of engagement from the tour group and the quality of questions asked of the presenters meant we all finished the session with a much deeper appreciation of what those in Auckland achieve on our behalf in getting our product to market.
"The day was capped off with CEO Miles Hurrell stopping in for a chat and he was, as always, more than happy to answer the questions that came his way.
"I would recommend the tour to all farmers - whether you are after a deeper understanding of how the Co-operative processes and markets our product or if you just want to spend a few days with some genuinely nice people."
If you are interested in a future Fonterra Farmer tour like this one then please register your interest by emailing annabelle.parish@fonterra.com.