Go woke!
OPINION: The Hound reckons the powers at Landcorp (or as they/them like to call themselves, Pāmu) are coming under the microscope with the new government in place.
Staff from Pāmu or Landcorp dairy farms have been busy helping with the recovery operation around Westport.
Cameron Walker, Pāmu's business manager in the district, says as the flood waters recede the full extent of the damage is becoming more obvious. He says it is clear that some farmers have suffered significant stock losses and damage to the infrastructure on their farms.
Pāmu owns seven dairy farms at Cape Foulwind, just 10km west of Westport on a sandy headland. According to Walker, the farms were virtually unscathed by the floods. He says this was mainly due to the location of the farms, which are away from the river and also on higher ground.
Walker told Rural News that the company's stock are safe and well but there will be some clean-up work to be done. However, some of their staff - who have houses in Westport - have been affected by the floods and the company is supporting those staff.
"But a lot of our staff are working with the Rural Advisory Group (RAG) which is coordinating the recovery. We have been helping to dispose of dead animals and other clearn-up work, given that we have equipment to do some of this work."
Walker says Pāmu also has some spare accommodation at some of its 18 farms on the West Coast and these are being made available to people who have been left homeless by the devastating floods.
Analysis by Dunedin-based Techion New Zealand shows the cost of undetected drench resistance in sheep has exploded to an estimated $98 million a year.
Shipping disruption caused by Houthi rebels in the Red Sea has so far not impacted fertiliser prices or supply on farm.
The opportunity to spend more time on farm while providing a dedicated service for shareholders attracted new environmental manager Ben Howden to work for Waimakariri Irrigation Limited (WIL).
Federated Farmers claims that the Otago Regional Council is charging ahead unnecessarily with piling more regulation on rural communities.
Dairy sheep and goat farmers are being told to reduce milk supply as processors face a slump in global demand for their products.
OPINION: We have good friends from way back who had lived in one of our major cities for many years.