‘Red letter day’ for ag sector
Farmers are welcoming the announcement of two new bills to replace the under-fire Resource Management Act.
Federated Farmers will front for Subaru at Fieldays, a spin-off from the partnership the vehicle maker formed with Feds in 2018.
Feds president Katie Milne and its nine territory managers nationwide drive Subaru Foresters, recently named New Zealand Car of the Year.
Like all Subaru models, its all-wheel drive and 220mm ground clearance give the Forester lots of traction on slippery farm tracks and make for optimal driving stability on the roads to town.
The family friendly SUV won five awards last year and earlier in 2019, many for the technology that keeps drivers and passengers safe.
Milne says the Forester is the perfect vehicle for her and her colleagues. “It gives me confidence that they have the Forester’s safety and technology at their fingertips as they drive New Zealand’s highways and rural roads. It gives me peace of mind to know they are in the best car for their roles.”
Regularly travelling from her Lake Brunner farm over Arthurs Pass to fly from Christchurch airport, Milne applauds having “all sorts of technology, like the improved X-Mode, working for me if the roads are slippery, snowy, or icy”.
The new Forester has better rear seat access and room for three slim-line child car seats across the back.
The class-leading driver monitoring system uses facial recognition to identify and monitor the driver. Subaru’s updated crash-avoidance technology, EyeSight, helped win the Forester the maximum 5-star ANCAP safety rating.
Starting price is $39,990 RRP.
Federated Farmers will be at site PA1C at Fieldays.
New Zealand needs a new healthcare model to address rising rates of obesity in rural communities, with the current system leaving many patients unable to access effective treatment or long-term support, warn GPs.
Southland farmers are being urged to put safety first, following a spike in tip offs about risky handling of wind-damaged trees
Third-generation Ashburton dairy farmers TJ and Mark Stewart are no strangers to adapting and evolving.
When American retail giant Cosco came to audit Open Country Dairy’s new butter plant at the Waharoa site and give the green light to supply their American stores, they allowed themselves a week for the exercise.
Fonterra chair Peter McBride says the divestment of Mainland Group is their last significant asset sale and signals the end of structural changes.
Thirty years ago, as a young sharemilker, former Waikato farmer Snow Chubb realised he was bucking a trend when he started planting trees to provide shade for his cows, but he knew the animals would appreciate what he was doing.