2017 UNITED WHEATGROWERS DIRECTORS ELECTIONS & AGM NOTICE

As per last year we will continue to have an Electoral Committee meeting combined with the United Wheatgrowers AGM.  This year’s Electoral Committee & Annual General Meeting is scheduled to be held on Wednesday 28 June 2017 in Lincoln. Details to follow.

Nominations are called for one (1) vacancy on the United Wheatgrowers Board of Directors.  One director is elected each year, giving each director a 4 year term. This year Brian Leadley is up for re-election by rotational retirement and has indicated he is available for re-election.

See here for a nomination form.

Notices advertising the nominations will be placed in The Christchurch Press.

The advertisement will indicate the availability of additional nomination forms at the offices of Brown Glassford & Co Ltd.  These forms must be in the hands of the United Wheatgrowers Returning Office, PO Box 39-195, Christchurch 8545 by 4:00pm on Friday 23^rd June 2017.

Election will be held by secret ballot at the United Wheatgrowers AGM.

2017 Newsletter

Welcome to the new year, and the beginning of the 2017 harvest. As final husbandry takes place and machinery gets brought out of the sheds I would like to take the opportunity for a couple of timely reminders for the coming harvest.

Chemical Residues and Withholding Periods
It is a requirement that MPI do testing on New Zealand food products to ensure chemical residues fall within the Maximum Residue Levels (MRI) and the World Health Standards (WHS). Given this it is important that we remind ourselves our grain is going into the food chain and MPI will draw random samples for testing. UWG reminds growers to be vigilant in keeping within label recommendations particularly around withholding periods as harvesting commences.

Grain Sampling
It is good practice, and becoming increasingly important, that we take responsibility for collecting good running samples of each of line during harvesting. It is best to collect this on each silo and clearly label samples with the silo number, even if several silos have been filled from one paddock. From a marketing perspective, the more accurate the sample is with the consistency of what we deliver, the more reliable we are to our end users and so the better the long-term outcome.

Record Keeping
Quality record keeping is an ever-increasing requirement of our farming businesses. With the obligation to keep agronomic records from a Traceability and Quality Assurance perspective. While this can seem regulatory and onerous at times, it is important we recognise the many benefits from this. One such benefit is proof of our inputs for food safety and the benefits this gives when marketing our grain. The ability to trace all agronomic inputs can prove invaluable if any discrepancies or issues arise during deliveries or at later dates.

Wheat Insurance
The Board has negotiated with Farmers Mutual for the levy for the 2016/17 harvest to remain the same as last season at $4.25+gst per tonne, with a disaster relief payout of $225+gst per tonne claimed. For further details on this and a reminder on how the scheme works, or what to do if you have a disaster, please visit the insurance section of the website at http://uwg.co.nz/insurance.cfm  

Wheat Competition
We held our Annual Wheat Competition in conjunction with ATS Seeds again last year with a view to promoting the wheat industry and excellence in wheat production. The event was a huge success with record entries covering the four classes of Feed Wheat, Biscuit Wheat, Milling Wheat and Premium Wheat. The Directors would like to thank all our sponsors, and congratulate all participants, and particularly class winners. This event will be run again this year and I encourage all growers to enter.

UWG Directorship News
For the team of Directors on the United Wheat Growers Board 2016 has seen a few changes. Jim Sim retired from the Board of Directors. Jim has had a long involvement with United Wheat Growers firstly as an Electoral Committee member, then as a Director and for the past five years as Chairman.

Having been appointed as Chairman, I would like to thank Jim for his years of service and commitment to the industry and the support he has shown me in accepting this role. We wish Jim and Sandy all the best in their farming and personal lives.

In August, last year we welcomed Michael Tayler onto the Board of Directors. Michael has stepped into the roles of Finance and managing the Wheat Competition.  Michael joins myself, Guy Wigley and Syd Worsfold on the Board, with Syd taking the role of Vice Chairman.

As we watch the World Grain Price eagerly for further strengthening trends, we wish you and your teams all the best for a safe and successful harvest.

Kind Regards

Brian Leadley
Chairman United Wheat Growers
brian.rachel@xtra.co.nz
027 450 5305

The Levy for the 2016/17 harvest

The levy was set at $4.25 + gst  per tonne .  No change.

Payout for the 2016/17 harvest

Growers will receive a  pay out  of  $225 + gst per tonne on a claim. This is not full cover, but disaster relief to meet the cost of production. Growers can additionally top up the premium with their farm insurers.

A Reminder of how the scheme works

The premium is paid in arrears on the tonnage delivered, regardless of whether this is to a flourmill or any other end  user.  The levy is deducted from the payment and sent on to UWG. This is a compulsory legal requirement, endorsed by the recently held  grower election.

UWG has no problem with farmer to farmer trading, providing the levy is paid. The situation is the same if the wheat is not sold, but used within the same operation. In this case the grower is responsible for sending the payment to UWG.

Levy payment forms are available from  the UWG office, Brown Glassford. The contact is Nicola French. You can contact Nicola at nicola.french@brownglass.co.nz

If you have a disaster

If a grower is unfortunate enough to have a disaster they should first telephone FMG, our insurers to register their claim, on 0800 366 466. FMG will then appoint an assessor, this person will be a local grower, possibly a director or an Electoral Committee member. The assessor will make an initial appointment to visit your crop, then subsequent visits if necessary   to determine the loss.

When there is a serious event finding enough assessors can be a problem, so growers may have to wait for an inspection. We are always looking for more volunteers at these times.

2016 UNITED WHEATGROWERS DIRECTORS ELECTIONS RESULTS

Congratulations to Michael Tayler of South Canterbury who was appointed to the board of United Wheatgrowers (NZ) Limited last Tuesday at our AGM. James Sim has now retired from the board. Brian Leadley was appointed Chairman, with Syd Worsfold as Vice Chairman.

The board of United Wheatgrowers is now:

Brian Leadley (Chairman)

Syd Worsfold (Vice Chairman)

Guy Wigley

Michael Tayler