UV-C Treatment: Viticulture game changer
A system that combines UV-C light for disinfection could provide chemical free treatment of plant pathogens and diseases such as powdery mildew and botrytis on berry, vine and tree crops.
The National Party will launch the ‘Rural Nats’ at Fieldays this week.
The Rural Nats is a new special interest group within the National Party focused on rural people and issues. The group will work to build on National’s history of advocating for rural communities by better connecting with rural people and giving them a strong voice within the Party.
Rural Nats will also help to develop rural and agriculture policy and to identify and foster future rural leaders for the National Party.
National MPs with connection to the farming and rural communities from each of the Party’s five regions will lead the Rural Nats in their respective area. They include Grant McCallum, MP for Northland in the Northern region; Barbara Kuriger, MP for Taranaki-King Country in the Central North Island region; Mike Butterick MP for Wairarapa in the Lower North Island region; James Meager MP for Rangitata in Canterbury Westland; and Miles Anderson MP for Waitaki in the Southern region.
These MPs are part of a large group of National MPs with farming, agriculture and horticulture backgrounds who understand just how important the rural sector is to New Zealand’s economic success.
Visitors to Fieldays can find out more about the Rural Nats at the National Party’s stand in the Rural Living Marquee – site RM46. They can also meet and talk with the Prime Minister and National’s rural MPs who will be at the stand throughout the week.
Federated Farmers president Wayne Langford says the 2025 Fieldays has been one of more positive he has attended.
A fundraiser dinner held in conjunction with Fieldays raised over $300,000 for the Rural Support Trust.
Recent results from its 2024 financial year has seen global farm machinery player John Deere record a significant slump in the profits of its agricultural division over the last year, with a 64% drop in the last quarter of the year, compared to that of 2023.
An agribusiness, helping to turn a long-standing animal welfare and waste issue into a high-value protein stream for the dairy and red meat sector, has picked up a top innovation award at Fieldays.
The Fieldays Innovation Award winners have been announced with Auckland’s Ruminant Biotech taking out the Prototype Award.
Following twelve years of litigation, a conclusion could be in sight of Waikato’s controversial Plan Change 1 (PC1).
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