Government Launches New Rural Leadership Scholarship
The Government has announced a new rural scholarship designed to back emerging primary sector leaders.
The winner of the auction with a $1 reserve will receive a Farm Starter Pack normally worth $2000 plus GST.
A colony of much sought-after dung beetles are up for auction to raise awareness and kick off a science education project.
Dung Beetle Innovations (DBI) is auctioning the colony of dung beetles on Trade Me. The winner of the auction with a $1 reserve will receive a Farm Starter Pack normally worth $2000 plus GST.
They will receive their own colony of between 200 and 500 beetles which eat and bury cow dung. They are only attracted to the cow dung so move from one patch to another to consume it.
DBI has teamed up with Chris Clay, who won Microsoft's Global Innovative Educator in 2011, to use dung beetles to switch young minds onto the wonders of science. All the money raised in the auction will be used to engage kids and communities in the issues around agriculture and the environment.
DBI has assured its customers who have already ordered beetles that their orders will be filled first.
A Palmerston North shearer has been sentenced to six months' community detention and 12 months' supervision after being found to have physically abused three lambs while shearing them.
Power Farming has launched a joint venture in Southland.
Food rescue charity Meet the Need has released its 2025/26 Impact Report, revealing a record year of growth alongside a stark warning: demand for food support across New Zealand is rising faster than supply can keep up.
As we move into the second half of 2026, the Tractor and Machinery Association (TAMA) reports that Year-to-Date figures ending June 30 saw new tractor deliveries hitting 1,386 units or 10.7% ahead of the same period in 2025.
The avocado sector is entering the new season with a larger crop and positive market opportunities.
New Zealand growers have always adapted to changing conditions, but one challenge is steadily gaining ground across the horticulture sector: resistance.