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Winning comes easy

The 2020 Hawkes Bay/Wairarapa Dairy Industry Awards Share Farmer of the Year winners Nick and Rose Bertram are no strangers to success.

Rural midwives call for more PPE

The NZ College of Midwives is looking at how to get protective gear – such as masks and gloves out to rural midwives.

Red meat exports top $921 million in February

COVID-19 had little impact on NZ sheepmeat and beef exports in February, says the Meat Industry Association (MIA).

Primary sector responds to COVID-19 challenge

MPI director general Ray Smith has praised the country’s farming leaders for their response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Raw milk supplier ploughs on

It's business as usual for Timaru raw milk suppliers Stuart and Andrea Weir as the country is in total COVID-19 lockdown.

COVID-19: Farming keeps the economy ticking

An analysis by two Christchurch economists has underlined the value of the farming sector to the country during the Level 4 COVID-19 lockdown.

National

Fonterra's China Farms on sale

Fonterra is selling its troubled China Farms business.

New Rabobank chair

Andy Borland is the new chair of Rabobank New Zealand Limited.

New associate director for Beef + Lamb board

Wairarapa farmer Kate Wyeth has been appointed this year’s associate director on the Beef + Lamb New Zealand board.

COVID-19: Advice for the meat industry

Beef + Lamb NZ (B+LNZ) has released a series of documents to assist farmers in operating under Alert 4.

World

Dairy’s corona hangover

The outbreak of COVID-19 is weighing on global market sentiment and the 2020 outlook.

COVID-19 threatening global food security — UN

The United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is urging leaders from G20 countries to take measures to keep global…

Oz warning on Covid-19 scams

People reeling from the effects of Covid-19 have one more thing to worry about.

Regenerative farming ‘working wonders for Oz farmers’

Australian farmers who have already embraced regenerative farming are much more profitable than conventional farmers, says soil microbiologist Dr Walter…

Aussie flock hits 116 year low

Prolonged dry conditions in rural Australia are taking a toll on its national sheep flock.

Opinion

Tightened US rules an opportunity

OPINION: The updated US Department of Agriculture (USDA) rule for “grass-fed” or “pasture-fed” milk or meat is very restrictive.

Proper water strategy vital

A long-term strategy is required for water storage, explains Todd Muller, National’s agriculture spokesman.

Still the bedrock — Editorial

Amidst the coronavirus upheaval, one thing is certain – agriculture will see our economy through.

COVID-19: We’ve got this!

OPINION: Amidst the coronavirus upheaval, one thing is certain – agriculture will see the NZ economy through.

Questionable future — Editorial

OPINION: The word uncertainty has taken on a new meaning for farmers in the past six months.

Agribusiness

Co-ops and cows helping rebuild war-torn communities

Waikato dairy farmer Ross Wallis is making a difference to thousands of people in Sri Lanka by sharing his dairying…

NZ agritech builds relationships

Building relationships with other Kiwi agtech leaders and innovators was a surprising outcome for some attending the high-profile evokeAG event…

A rock to both the NZ and Moroccan economies

New Zealand farmers probably do not realise the contribution they are making to the economic and community life of people…

Know your soil before your farm

Dr Tony Joseph explains how to assess your soil and keep it healthy.

Markets and trends: holding our breath

Rabobank's outlook for New Zealand's dairy, beef, sheepmeat, and horticulture sectors.

Management

Don’t be bullied into building large ponds

A Hamilton soil and water consultant is questioning the effectiveness of the dairy effluent storage calculator on Waikato farms.

Award up for grabs for responsible irrigation

Encouraging farmers to share ideas for achieving sustainable freshwater management has motivated the launch of a new award — with a trip to the US up for grabs.

A house cows can flow into anytime

HerdHome System Ltd founders Tom and Kathy Pow are back at the helm of the company they founded 20 years ago.

Restrictions on water use in Bay of Plenty

Dry weather conditions are putting Bay of Plenty Regional Council waterways under unusual pressure.

Getting smarter at growing grass

In his third season, sharemilker and Ravensdown shareholder James Barbour takes us through the farm’s approach to nutrient management.

Farm Health

Jersey breed on the rise

A farmer group promoting Jersey cows says stock and semen sales indicate the breed is on the rise.

Controlling and managing flystrike

During the past three decades, there has been a marked shift from saturation, to low-volume dipping methods.

No magic bullet to fly control

There is no “one-size fits all” approach when it comes to effective prevention and treatment of flystrike.

Improved animal evaluation to allow better breeding decisions

More accurate genetic evaluations, drawing on ten years of New Zealand and international research, will be available to dairy farmers from this month.

‘Cows can help reverse global warming’

Cows and pasture are not the villains in climate change, but could instead be our saviours, says Hawke’s Bay farmer, soil scientist and consultant Phyllis Tichinin.

Dubbed as a universal seeder, Amazone’s new GreenDrill 501 is said to be ideal for one-pass sowing of ‘catch crops’, fine seeds and undersown crops in combination with the company’s trailed cultivators.

Solar-powered number plates for cows

The financial, operational and managerial benefits of Ceres Tag ear tags are significant, according to Kenneth Irons, managing director at Precision Farming.