Ploughing Champs success
Sean Leslie and Casey Tilson from Middlemarch, with horses Beau and Dough, took out the Rural News Horse Plough award at the Power Farming NZ Ploughing Championships at Horotiu, near Hamilton, on April 13-14.
Murray Grainger of Mosgiel was one of many competitors from the South Island at this year's national ploughing championships held at Rongotea in Manawatu.
The weather and ground conditions were perfect and large crowds came for the two days of competition.
Chairman of World Ploughing, Colin Millar says the local organisers and the owner of the land where the competition was held stepped up to the mark – in fact went over – because it was a beautiful site and the soil was well prepared.
He says no one could complain about it, the event was very well run.
"The soil conditions were amazing, the level of the grass and the stubble was exceptional. We told the competitors they could remove as much straw as they liked because there was no straw on the site."
Murray Grainger was placed third in the vintage class behind Paul Houghton and the winner John Stalker. Seven competitors contested the vintage class.
Farmer confidence has taken a slight dip according to the final Rabobank rural confidence survey for the year.
Former Agriculture Minister and Otaki farmer Nathan Guy has been appointed New Zealand’s Special Agricultural Trade Envoy (SATE).
Alliance Group has commissioned a new heat pump system at its Mataura processing plant in Southland.
Fonterra has slashed another 50c off its milk price forecast as global milk flows shows no sign of easing.
Meat processors are hopeful that the additional 15% tariff on lamb exports to the US will also come off.
Fears of a serious early drought in Hawke’s Bay have been allayed – for the moment at least.
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