Agricultural drone use soars among NZ contractors
Use of agricultural drones by contractors in New Zealand is soaring.
A whiteboard messaging system developed by a young newcomer to dairy farming has blossomed into a standalone business.
Gemma Adams, formerly a graphic designer, took to dairying with her husband Terry on their Taranaki.
She found herself struggling to understand procedures and instructions in the cowshed. So she developed a whiteboard that worked well for her -- and her friends.
Requests turned into orders, so in 2015 she launched VizLink, using her experience in design and day-to-day farming to help others in the rural sector.
A visual learner, Adams developed whiteboards, checklists, signs and maps designed to communicate with staff, provide instruction and better organise the working day. The tools help improve productivity and farm safety and they raise confidence in farm staff teams, she says.
She says many people are more efficient when they can visualise tasks and procedures, particularly if verbal instructions are difficult to understand.
Today, VizLink products are used in farm offices and sheds New Zealand-wide. They are used in dairy, equine, sheep and beef and other businesses.
Adams uses the skills of graphic designers and GPS surveyors who use drone and satellite mapping.
Products include farm maps, and durable documents in a range of sizes, including books of maps for farm staff or visitors. The firm’s whiteboards can include farm maps, dairy management and calving data or horse breeding and movement details.
Adams says “the biggest reward for us is knowing that we’re helping teams see improvements in their daily workload”.
“We help raise awareness of the layout of an individual farm and identify potential hazards. Most importantly we help people feel more confident in their work.”
Adams recently lent her expertise to Jana Hocken, in the making of ‘The Lean Dairy Farm’, a guide to creating a more productive, profitable and higher quality farm using Lean management principles. In this Hocken outlines 10 key steps to better farming.
Funding is proving crucial for predator control despite a broken model reliant on the goodwill of volunteers.
A major milestone on New Zealand's unique journey to eradicate Mycoplasma bovis could come before the end of this year.
We're working through it, and we'll get to it.
The debate around New Zealand's future in the Paris Agreement is heating up.
A technical lab manager for Apata, Phoebe Scherer, has won the Bay of Plenty 2025 Young Grower regional title.
Following heavy rain which caused flooding in parts of Nelson-Tasman and sewerage overflows in Marlborough, the Insurance & Financial Services Ombudsman Scheme (IFSO Scheme) is urging homeowners and tenants to be cautious when cleaning up and to take the right steps to support claims.
OPINION: It's official, Fieldays 2025 clocked 110,000 visitors over the four days.
OPINION: The Federated Farmers rural advocacy hub at Fieldays has been touted as a great success.