From the Chair
In recent years we’ve seen a steep rise in the costs of farm inputs. The question has to be asked - without the competition co-operatives have brought to the table, how much higher would they have gone for South Island farmers.
Farming is a difficult business where we have no control over the cyclical price for our products, or the weather. We have to continually challenge on and off farm costs to remain competitive in world markets. That’s where the co-operative model such as CRT comes into its own.
Then it’s a question of size. The co-operative is now starting to gain the critical mass needed to take advantage of some exciting new opportunities. We will only get stronger because CRT has truly proved its value.
A real strength of CRT’s Board of Directors is the blend between both farming and commercial skills. The two directors who aren’t farmers are independents who have been selected specifically for their varied commercial experience.
The CRT Board believes passionately in the co-operative as being the best structure to give farmers ownership and control of the inputs and outputs of their agribusinesses.
Scale has given us the purchasing power, and greater scale will be required in the future to ensure farmers continue to get the best possible deals for their farm inputs.
Don McFarlane – Chairman, CRT