Managing nutrients in waterways
OPINION: Most of us are under the impression that all of New Zealand has fertile soil that’s great for growing food. It’s more or less a fairy tale.
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Staff training pays off
Runners-up for the Canterbury/North Otago Sharemilker of the Year title are Shaun and Andrea Wise, who contract milk 590 cows for Dairy Holdings on a 134ha Rangitata Island property.
Religion no barrier to milking cows
A Buddhist couple whose personal philosophy forbids them owning cows has taken out the Canterbury/North Otago Share Farmer of the Year title.
Fonterra lends a hand in rival’s territory
The West Coast may be Westland Milk Products territory but that hasn’t prevented Fonterra from stepping in to help with the cleanup following the torrential rain and flooding of late March.
V300 robots debut in Karaka
A small organic farm in South Auckland has become the first NZ recipient of DeLavals’ new robotic milking system, the VMSTM V300.
Changes to further improve NAIT scheme
Proposed law changes to further improve the National Animal Identification and Tracing (NAIT) scheme were unveiled last week by Minister for Biosecurity Damien O’Connor.
National
Farmers agree on call against CGT
The Government's decision not to proceed with a capital gains tax has been approved by farmers.
Flood-affected farmers hold ground
Westland District mayor Bruce Smith isn’t buying suggestions that productive farmland at Franz Josef should be abandoned to the flood-prone Waiho River.
NZ cashing in on boutique foods
New Zealand has been better than Australia at capitalising on the market for boutique foods, according to a top Australian scientist.
Farmers want clarity – Guy
Farmers want policy certainty and are petrified about “kneejerk popular politics” similar to what the Government did with the oil and gas industry, says National agriculture spokesman Nathan Guy.
World
Saputo pays $1.9b for Dairy Crest
Canadian dairy giant Saputo is continuing its global buying spree, stitching up a deal to buy the listed UK company…
Oz farmers plead to end sale of $1/L fresh milk
Australian dairy farmers are pleading for supermarket chains Coles and Aldi to join Woolworths in ending the sale of fresh…
Where to for the UK?
“On a knife-edge,” is how NZ’s former high commissioner to London, Sir Lockwood Smith, describes the British government’s EU exit…
Ireland assembles its agrifood units
With the UK’s Brexit scheduled for April 1, 2019, discussions in Ireland are centred on tariffs, with a general call…
Not even a wild Atlantic storm can stop the Irish
The Irish sure know how to throw a good party, as experienced last month at the National Ploughing Association event…
Opinion
Managing nutrients in waterways
OPINION: Most of us are under the impression that all of New Zealand has fertile soil that’s great for growing…
A licence to farm — Editorial
The Government has a clear message for farmers: ignore climate change at your peril.
A tale of two shows
OPINION: There were clear winners and losers in this year's regional field days circuit.
Report shows way on climate change
OPINION: The Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment’s (PCE) recent comprehensive report: “Farms, Forests and Fossil Fuels” shows the clear way…
Tenure review of land to end
The Minister for Land Information, Eugenie Sage, announced on February 17 that the ‘tenure review’ of Crown pastoral land under…
Agribusiness
Embrace challenges – don’t run from them
Disruption is happening whether we like it or not, says Dave Maslen, NZ Merino general manager for markets and sustainability.
How McDonald's changed a farm
A large East Coast Māori-owned farm has the McDonald's restaurant chain to thank for its recent improvements.
Premium must cover rising farming costs
Obtaining premium prices to pay for higher costs of production is the next challenge for farmers, says Rabobank dairy analyst…
Biotech firm again wins top award
Hamilton dairy biotech company Quantec has won the top award at the annual Natural Health Products NZ awards for the…
Skellerup backs mental health
Dairy rubberware supplier Skellerup is giving its support to I Am Hope, a community group.
Management
Award for planning tool
Ballance Agri Nutrients’ farm environment planning tool MitAgator last month won the Smart Farming Award at the South Island Agricultural Field Days at Kirwee.
Large players struggling to adjust to challenges
Many very large food companies, particularly in the US, are struggling to adjust to the changing tastes of consumers, says Nick Fereday, RaboResearch senior analyst consumer foods.
Farming on Mt Horrible
Farming is a three-generation family affair for the Haywards of Mt Horrible, near Timaru.
Pasture growth raises morale
Scattered rain over the past few weeks has been enough to encourage new pasture growth, helping to raise morale amongst Waikato’s farmers.
Bacteria turns crusty pond into fert – whatever!
Tokoroa farmer Marcel Korsten operates a closed farm system: what doesn’t get out the front gate as milk has to go back onto the farm.
Farm Health
A little planning goes a long way
Farmers spend many hours planning their lives around the farming year, but often health and safety is left out.
Genetic solutions to herd challenges
Herd improvement company CRV Ambreed claims its 2019 bulls offer farmers great options.
Seeing the bottom of M. bovis?
An update meeting on Mycoplasma bovis in Hamilton earlier this month, threw up several questions, not least where were all the farmers?
Pasture road map boosts feed goals
Now is the time for dairy farmers to develop a pasture ‘road map’ to ensure they have enough feed to take their farms through calving to the balance date in mid-September.
Breed decisions crucially affect mating results
Jersey cows' higher pregnancy rates offer clear economic benefits by lowering replacement rates.
Machinery & Products
Portable power on the farm
Erratic weather and seismic events, more frequent these days, are prompting many farmers to have standby generators on site.
Futuristic sprayer sets standard
Now part of the Kubota Corporation, machinery manufacturer Kverneland is on a roll, particularly with new products coming to market.
Crop planting and regrassing for all types of situations
Crop establishment, particularly various ways of doing it, was the focus of a recent field day near Taupo.
Spray variability all sorted
Applying chemicals to arable or grassland crops has many variables — differing chemical formats and target volumes, and forward speeds that vary with undulating terrain.
Many benefits in using fluid applicator
Matamata farmer Matthew Zonderop says he’s never looked back since he started using a Tow and Fert unit about three years ago.
Motoring
2019 Rav 4 unwrapped
Toyota NZ has unwrapped the 2019 RAV 4, the SUV first seen in boxy guise 30 years ago at the…
Puts up and impresses
Mahindra, seeking to reintroduce its products to Kiwis, recently took motoring journalists on a day-long drive from Auckland to Rotorua,…
Mercedes X350 smoother than a Hollywood star
While 2018 heralded the arrival of the long-awaited Mercedes X-Class ute, early 2019 brought with it the cream of the…
A real small-block bruiser
You wouldn't credit a 6.1L Chevy small-block V8 with a fuel economy figure of 7.8L/100km but that’s the figure displayed…
Jeep Gladiator a chariot that will attract many
2020 will see the arrival of a Jeep aimed at tapping Kiwis’ unquenchable thirst for utes, says brand distributor in…
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The Hound
Fail!
PM Jacinda Ardern may have many talents, but an understanding of business is clearly not one of them.
The good life?
Your canine crusader admires those people in high positions who do not take their own self-importance too seriously and are…
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Popular Reads
Butter price hikes could push opening forecast to $7.50
Soaring butter prices may see next season’s milk price go beyond $7/kgMS – even as high as the mid sevens.
No longer so sure about BW
OPINION: Breeding worth (BW) was introduced decades ago and has served farmers well as a breeding guide – or has…
Interesting path to farming careers
Fertiliser co-op Ravensdown says it is helping a new crop of talented university graduates to build careers in New Zealand…
Rural Life
New Holland launches Braud 9000 series grape harvesters
New Holland Agriculture has introduced the new Braud 9000 series to its portfolio of self-propelled grape harvesters, with the 9090L…
Collaboration increases capability
Initially designed to assist fertiliser spreading trucks operating on steep New Zealand hill country, TracMap’s GPS guidance and job management…
Tractor for tight spaces
Italian specialist tractor manufacturer SAME, part of the SDF Group, used the recent EIMA 18 Expo in Bologna, to roll…