Show's new leading lady's love of fibre
A love of animal fleece is the driver for Anne Rogers who is this year’s President of the Canterbury A&P’s New Zealand Agricultural Show.
The plastic sheep that became famous around Christchurch city after the earthquakes have slowly started going to new homes.
During Wednesday’s Young Auctioneers Competition at the NZ Agricultural Show, competitors auctioned off a sample of the ‘sheep’ as an unusual addition to the annual event.
Competition convener, Mick Withers, noted that some were unsure to begin with but it turned into a roaring success.
“It was great to see the lads have some fun, this is a serious competition that all involved train hard for with aim of taking away the top accolade.
“The sheep not only offered a few laughs, but an unusual challenge unlikely to have been faced before by anyone involved. Great fun all round.”
The sheep raised between $300-$500 for the Mental Health Foundation.
Christchurch City Council will auction off the rest of the sheep in a silent auction on the ASB Village Green throughout Friday, with draws being called at 10am, 12pm and 2pm.
Applications are set to open for the 2027 Zanda McDonald Award, a trans-Tasman award recognised for identifying and fast-tracking talented young leaders in agriculture and agribusiness.
The Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners (the College) and Hauora Taiwhenua Rural Health Network are calling for investment in a proposed new training pathway for rural GPs, warning that many rural practices are struggling to recruit while a large share of the existing workforce nears retirement.
Federated Farmers has called on Central Otago District Council (CODC) to drop or vote down a plan to truck sludge from Alexandra and Cromwell to farmland near Lauder, warning it would compound an "outrageous" situation created by a separate council's decision weeks earlier.
Synlait has swung to second-half profit as operations stabilise, but the dairy processor still posted a $75.4m annual loss.
LIC shareholders have elected a new North Island representative to the co-operative's Board, along with five representatives to its Shareholder Reference Group (SRG), following the company's Annual Meeting held in Invercargill.
Farmers across parts of Southland and South Otago are continuing to deal with difficult conditions after a prolonged run of wet weather, with pressure building around feed supply, stock management, pasture damage, farm infrastructure and everyday workloads.