Profit and environment go hand in hand for winners
Northland farmers Geoff and Jo Crawford have a simple mantra: put as much milk in the vat in the best environmental way possible.
Tauranga dairy farmers Dennis, Judith and Gordon McFetridge were Supreme Winners of the 2013 Bay of Plenty Ballance Farm Environment Awards (BFEA), the first of this year’s round of regional awards announced. A field day will be held on their farm March 26.
Canterbury’s awards night is next on the BFEA agenda, March 21, followed by Northland March 27, Waikato April 3, Southland April 10, Otago April 12, and Greater Wellington April 18. The National Sustainability Showcase involving all nine regions’ Supreme winners is in Hamilton, June 22.
Farmers have voted to continue the Milksolids Levy that funds DairyNZ.
Fonterra chief executive Miles Hurrell has resigned after eight years in the role.
Matt McRae, a farmer from Mokoreta in Southland who runs a sheep, beef and dairy support business alongside a sheep stud, has been elected to the Beef +Lamb NZ Board as a farmer director.
Ravensdown's next evolution in smart farming technology, HawkEye Pro, was awarded the Technology Section Award at the Southern Field Days Farm Innovation Awards in February 2026.
While mariners may recognise a “dog watch” as a two-hour shift on a ship, the Good Dog Work Watch is quite a different concept and the clever creation of Southland siblings Grace (9) and Archer Brown (7), both pupils at Riverton Primary School.
Philip and Lyneyre Hooper of the Hoopman Family Trust have tonight been named the Taranaki Regional Supreme Winners at the Ballance Farm Environment Awards.

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