Hundreds of farmers from Northland to Southland convened in Auckland in May for the longawaited My Connect Conference.
Over two days, farmers had the chance to share experiences, find out more about the Co-op’s strategy, hear insightful and motivational addresses, participate in panel discussions, meet with global customers, and enjoy professional development off farm.
The event marked the first My Connect conference in three years. The theme, ‘Stronger, Smarter, Together’ celebrated farmers’ resilience over recent years and showcased the Co-op’s strong customer relationships and future growth opportunities.
The conference kicked off with an opening address from Fonterra CEO Miles Hurrell, who brought home the value of the Co-op. Miles touched on the importance of connection, the benefits of scale, strategic partnerships, and the Co-op’s new strategic direction to deepen its position as a provider of high-value, innovative dairy ingredients.
A panel discussion about farming into the future provided participants with insights into how the Co-op is working together at all levels to create an even stronger business. Examples were provided across maximising sustainable milk supply, alleviating on-farm costs and simplifying compliance, improving emissions efficiency, and Farm Source’s connections on and off farm.
Farmers were able to participate in a series of breakout sessions focused on different areas including achieving financial certainty in volatile times, emissions intensity focus, dairy innovations in the pipeline and the potential impact on the dairy sector. Subject matter experts from across the Co-op and wider agricultural and financial sectors were on hand to provide practical advice.
Farmer Events Manager Jono Patterson says a Q&A session between Miles Hurrell and Jan Derck van Karnebeek, CEO of Dutch multinational nutrition dairy Co-operative, FrieslandCampina, proved to be incredibly popular with the discussion resonating among attendees.
“Many were surprised at the similarities between our Co-ops and to learn that the issues facing many of our farmers are also challenging farmers in Europe, despite our different farming styles.”
His comments were, ‘This is where dairy farming is done right and Fonterra farmers have much to be proud about.’
“Hearing directly from other farmers was a great way to connect, so getting South Island farming couples Simon and Mo Topham, and Kerry and Aimee Burt up on stage for a chat with MC Scotty Stevenson was a highlight for me,” Jono says.
Day Two of the conference featured a presentation from keynote speaker Tawera Nikau, as well as a session on unlocking sustainable value, which touched on the sustainability targets of major customers like Mars, Nestle, and Yum!. The session also featured Liz Kaplan, Associate Director of ESG at Premier Nutrition, who spoke about how Fonterra is supporting Premier's sustainability journey. The conference ended with an hour-long Q&A with Peter McBride and Miles Hurrell, giving farmers a chance to ask questions directly and hear from their leaders.
“My Connect provided a great opportunity for farmers to see what is going on behind the scenes to add value to their milk. We hope these insights gave farmers the confidence that the Co-op will continue to deliver huge benefits to them now and into the future,” Jono says.
“It is always a challenge to get off-farm, so we appreciate those who made the journey to Auckland for the conference. We received great feedback from those who attended, which will allow us to improve the experience for the next event. Regardless of where someone was based or what role they had - whether they were farmer owners, share milkers, customers, or a Fonterra employee, what comes through is that everyone is proud of being part of the Co-op. Our connection is our strength.”
View the recorded sessions from My Connect by scanning the QR code below or by visiting nzfarmsource.co.nz/myconnect24.
Insights from those who attended
“It's about connecting with the Co-operative, but more importantly, it's about connecting with other farmers up and down the country.”
“It's good, being part of the younger generation coming through, seeing the support and community that the Co-op has got."
“I found it really inspiring.”
“I think the future of Fonterra is looking quite promising, particularly with our younger generation coming through.”
“It's an exciting time to be here and be involved in dairy. It's work, but we enjoy it.”
“I don't see us going anywhere but up.”