Business-as-usual

The last weeks have been an unexpected ride full of surprises and constant change as we raced to get some of our staff home before border closures, kept up with the constant flow of new information and requirements while figuring out how to keep the team working during self-isolation. Our Covid 19 update.

Working remotely is not exactly a new challenge for The AgriBusiness Group. Not all of our staff work from Lincoln anyway. In fact, at any one time, we’ve got people scattered across both islands in New Zealand and even across three continents from Myanmar, the Pacific to South America. During the earthquakes in 2011, we lost our office in the CBD and ended up working remotely for years before settling in our current space in Lincoln. While setting up a home office is not a novelty to us, the past weeks felt like a rollercoaster nonetheless.

First things first, with the Government’s announcement of level three and four of the alert system, we immediately stopped all visits to farm sites, which had already reduced in numbers significantly prior the new measures in order to comply with the physical distancing protocols.

Farm environmental plan (FEP) audits cannot be completed remotely and therefore have come to a halt while we are all in self-isolation. However, the development of FEPs and nutrient budgets can be done from home if we have access to the required information. So now could be a good time for farmers to get their Overseer nutrient budget up to date. If you supply us with your farm management inputs (e.g. fertiliser records, stock numbers and crops) over the phone or by filling in our Overseer input forms, we can continue to provide this service for you. Contact Charlotte if you would like further information. Dave is currently testing a range of tools to figure out ways how to continue auditing farmers that require this service, as well.

The AgriBusiness Group recently purchased the DJI Phantom 4 Pro V2 to add to our toolbox when in the field. We are excited to put our drone to use to increase the quality and efficiency in our field assessment when auditing and venture into drone-based precision agriculture projects. Drones allow us to model landscapes accurately with aerial mapping, and to overall provide our clients with more valuable services assisted by aerial imagery.

Our eight Action Groups have been postponed till the end of April, when Sarah will reassess the situation and Government requirements. Fortunately, RMPP acted quickly and extended the programme to the end of September, rather than the end of June, to give the groups time to reschedule their activities and continue to receive the benefits of the funding available to them.

While setting up our home office(s) has run relatively smoothly, there was a real sense of urgency and anticipation to get our staff back home who had been working overseas in Peru and Myanmar. With only hours to spare, our project coordinator in Peru got the last seat on the last flight from Lima to his home in Canberra before Peru closed its borders. Within one day’s notice and with the help of our travel agency, we managed to get him out just in time.

Our team in Myanmar had been very reluctant to decide to come home and leave the Myanmar Dairy Excellence project. But as you all know, news and new requirements came quick and fast, and the original flight through Bangkok got cancelled due to new airport restrictions. With hardly any time to pack, the team managed to get on a plane via Singapore back to New Zealand before the lockdown. Right now, some of us are feeling heartbroken not to be able to support the local farmers in person. Still, we are working hard to find new ways of keeping the project going.

With everyone safely at home and healthy, we are relieved and happy to continue our work from home. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us. Stay safe and healthy!