Pedersen sees the light

It seems that Charlie Pedersen of Federated Farmers (here) is urging sheep and beef farmers to persuade meat processing companies Alliance and PPCS to join forces. He is also calling for farmers to supply meat via long term contracts rather than to whomsoever pays the best price at the gate on the day.

Not long ago was the time when Federated Farmers were cheerleaders for the free market madness that destroyed a good proportion of New Zealand's productive sector. Now they see that cooperation gets producers further than competition.

In a world with constrained food supplies (that is where this one is heading) food producers will be creaming it. Farmers on land suitable for grazing sheep look longingly at their neighbours on dairy farms... but they too (the sheep farmers) would be doing very well, too, if the stupid fools who run the industry would run it for medium term gain rather than short term profit.

Small Business Myth

It is often said that small businesses (usually defined in New Zealand as <10 employees) are the biggest sector of the economy.

True enough.

But it is often assumed then that they are the biggest employers. That is false.

Most small businesses are one person operations. Ie. they employ no-one.

http://www.sharechat.co.nz/news/scnews/article.php/a727b8a7