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frazzledfozzle

Founder Member
9,128
7,989
Nelson/Tasman District
Experience
Commercial
How do you take the human element out of it? As a primary industry, a boom and bust is no different to many . . .and many of those industries have gone on to boom again.

It's also interesting that many see the manuka boom as unwanted - and yet the same people complain about the lower prices now. So its good to see prices are at least at (slightly above?) the cost of production, rather than previously.

I don’t think the beekeeping industry has ever had a boom like manuka honey.

There was a bit of a boom in kiwifruit pollination back in the day and also pollen was quite a money earner for a while but mostly beekeeping to my knowledge has been more of a lifestyle that only just paid the bills rather than big money.

The manuka boom effected Beekeepers differently depending on when and how they entered the industry.
if entering off the back of low prices, low overheads and do it yourself with a business built on splitting your own hives for increase the manuka boom was amazing, income wise, but it sure has been terrible for beekeeping relationships with hive dumping and site poaching.
if you came in on the boom and borrowed to buy everything and hired staff to do the beekeeping then it was probably a curse Because just as you started out it collapsed.
 

Alastair

Founder Member
Platinum
8,753
9,966
Auckland
Experience
Semi Commercial
Some agricultural booms followed by busts I recall -

Wool
Goats
Deer
Rabbits (yes rabbits)
Kiwifruit
Milk
Bees

All of these made people, and destroyed people.

There may be more that I do not recall.
 
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270
317
Gisborne Tairawhiti
Experience
Researcher
And look at the industries that have suffered busts (or three in the case of kiwifruit) and then gone on to boom again.
Grapes, kiwifruit (well, a bust this year), deer and even wool is showing positive signs (eg WoolWise).
What’s the human effect that will lead to the next apiculture boom?
 
349
449
Bay of Plenty
Experience
Commercial
And look at the industries that have suffered busts (or three in the case of kiwifruit) and then gone on to boom again.
Grapes, kiwifruit (well, a bust this year), deer and even wool is showing positive signs (eg WoolWise).
What’s the human effect that will lead to the next apiculture boom?
We looked at the goat milk industry 30 years ago as it was cheaper to get into than dairy, but it was on the brink of falling over.
Now they control who can milk and where they can milk and going gangbusters.
Maybe a lesson in there for someone.
 
349
449
Bay of Plenty
Experience
Commercial
Gangbusters? Not everywhere it seems. There's this below, and I believe one or two northern waikato outfits are in strife....
Yes, rely of mine milking goats in dire straights right now, just as bad as beekeeping.
Oh well, they are doing better than 30yrs ago, but I guess a few are struggling like other industries.
Maybe it's time to put on the fishnets and ply the streets, but I'm sure even there mpi/govt would have their hand out for every bonk.
 

frazzledfozzle

Founder Member
9,128
7,989
Nelson/Tasman District
Experience
Commercial
Maybe it's time to put on the fishnets and ply the streets, but I'm sure even there mpi/govt would have their hand out for every bonk.

im sure you would have to meet the MPI standard for genuine bonking first, if it fails on any one test you might need to blend with a couple of other Fishnet wearers to get the desired mix….could be a bit of fun 😂
 

Rob Atkinson

Platinum
10
21
Otorohanga
Experience
Commercial
We looked at the goat milk industry 30 years ago as it was cheaper to get into than dairy, but it was on the brink of falling over.
Now they control who can milk and where they can milk and going gangbusters.
Maybe a lesson in there for someone.
Nope , the goat milk is in a bust phase
Been pregnancy scanning for many sad farmers . Been cheering them up by explaining the bee industry at present

No market for cull goats at present apart from pet food at $5 a goat (was $20 a month ago)
Co-op Payout at $14.40 ( peaked at$24 several years ago ) production pegged to 80% of shares
New image is at $12.50 but can produce as much as you like but I don't think they are taking on supply
Costs gone up massively
Farms shutting down
 

Dansar

Founder Member
BOP Club
6,224
5,708
Putaruru
Experience
Commercial
Most of the goat milk is made into infant formula. I hear that (in Hamilton at least) production is planned to increase within a few months but not to the levels previously seen. Even some staff at the packing plant in Hamilton are moving on to higher paid job’s with a larger dairy products producer.
Are there less babies to feed worldwide or is cows milk cheaper to process and supply at a lower price? Probably all of the above.
 
39
18
Takapuna
Experience
Hobbyist
Yes, rely of mine milking goats in dire straights right now, just as bad as beekeeping.
Tell him to look into putting his milk through a reverse osmosis twice while still warm from the goat, reduce fluid content by 60% then fly it to SEAsia .... in 1990 when I was planning to do just that. Goat milk was $11 per liter retail in Hongkong, Taiwan and Singapore (good tax deductible bit of research travel) and the payout by the coop was under $10 kg solids - goat milk is 11% soilds. I was lucky they changed the zoning on my 100 acres and I did a subdivision instead and sold the 300 kids I contract reared for $70 a head for $300 - never made so much from an animal in such a short time!
 
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14
8
Auckland
Experience
Marketer
I would love to know in advance that Our honey would be bought by X at X amount of dollars before we supered up for the flow.

I would like to see a more centralised system where the various packers aren’t fighting for shelf space and all that entails.
We are working in a free market and playing on a global commercial stage. You are asking to remove supply v demand from the equation. This is impossible.
 
14
8
Auckland
Experience
Marketer
There certainly has been more interest in a Zespri, Fonterra type of supply and sell system.
It will take a lot of clever people and a huge commitment of long term financial support from not only the beekeeping industry but also private investment.
I have seen no interest in this at the commercial end of the industry. Where are you seeing this interest?
 
14
8
Auckland
Experience
Marketer
part of the costs increase is our own doing.
many beeks have been running inefficient business because they could afford to.
but also with some of the expenses, eg testing. many still test per drum and sell per drum. instead of testing (and selling) per batch (eg 10 drums).
people complain about treatment cost, but its not really all that much. many firms have excess staff which costs them substantially more.

i think there will be more focus on machinery and setups to be as efficient as possible so less staff are needed. but also retaining good staff.
that requires money upfront, and lack of investment has been a big issue. i think many went down the route of lots of cheap staff and thats bit them.
Absolutely agree
 


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