Ballance Launches AI Assistant for Fertiliser Ordering
A new digital assistant is now helping Ballance Agri-Nutrients farmers speed up nutrient information and ordering.
Once again, the sharp minds at St Paul’s Collegiate School in Hamilton were the 2023 Young Innovators of the Year Winners at this year’s Fieldays.
CAPRA Skin, conceived, designed and manufactured by students Lucy, Emma, Mackenzie and Lochie is a specially- formulated goat’s milk lip balm.
Early in the process, the group realised that the core ingredient offered many natural benefits, including vitamin A, fatty acids and moisturising agents.
These, alongside the other main ingredients of kawakawa oil and bee venom, all have cell regeneration qualities.
In developing the lip balm, the team recognised that many teenagers suffer from acne and use medication to clear up the problem. Unfortunately, a major side effect is drying out and cracking of the lips. The students looked at the current lip balm market but couldn’t find a lip balm that was specifically targeted towards teenagers with dry and cracked lips.
From a development perspective – and wanting to incorporate New Zealand ingredients – the group decided to use Kawakawa oil, which is a native to New Zealand. The ingredient is nongreasy, helps heal skin conditions and seals wounds. It also restores hydration, while reducing itching and redness.
On the marketing front, the students decided to call the product Capra Skin. The name originates from the Latin word for goat, which more recently is used as the acronym for the Greatest of All Time (GOAT) – which is the impression they want customers to feel, having used the product.
There are plans to expand the product offering beyond lip balm to an extensive range of skincare products. Follow the journey on Instagram at capra.skin and other social media outlets.
Special courses for secondary school teachers to help excite kids about agriculture and horticulture are now being run at Massey University.
Running a tight and self-contained ship is the key to the success of the country's largest dairy farmer, says Blair Robinson, the new man at the helm of Dairy Holdings.
Federated Farmers president Colin Hurst and his family raised a glass of milk last week to toast the start of a new addition to their farming operation at Makihihi, south of Timaru.
A Palmerston North shearer has been sentenced to six months' community detention and 12 months' supervision after being found to have physically abused three lambs while shearing them.
Power Farming has launched a joint venture in Southland.
Food rescue charity Meet the Need has released its 2025/26 Impact Report, revealing a record year of growth alongside a stark warning: demand for food support across New Zealand is rising faster than supply can keep up.

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