Patterson: Rural NZ Faces a "Massive" Infrastructure Deficit
The Minister for Rural Communities, Mark Patterson, says there's a massive infrastructure deficit in rural areas.
OPINION: Your canine crusader reckons no single lobby group has had a bigger turnaround in fortunes than Federated Farmers since the election of the new coalition Government.
Under the old regime, Feds were so badly treated they were even left out of a number of consultations affecting the farming sector by the Labour government.
Now it seems everywhere you look in Parliament there is a Feds' influence.
This includes the two new associate ag ministers, Andrew Hoggard and Mark Patterson, as well as MPs primary production select committee deputy chair Miles Anderson, and new MPs Mike Butterick from Wairarapa and Grant McCallum from Northland - all former Fed Farmers office holders.
There are also quite a few parliamentary staffers who were former Feds staff.
Talk about going from the outhouse to the big house.
South of the central Hawke’s Bay town of Waipukurau is Taniwha Station – a highly successful 550ha bull beef farming operation.
Beef + Lamb NZ funded research has shown that some simple changes to pasture management could help farmers make better use of rainfall and build resilience before dry conditions hit.
OPINION: There could hardly be a more appropriate theme for a conference than the one chosen by the red meat sector - Navigating Volatility.
When Northland leather worker Vernon Suckling started making horse saddles 50 years ago, quad bikes and side-by-side vehicles were unheard of.
Alliance Group has confirmed that eligible farmer-shareholders who supply and continue to back the business will receive up to $20 million later this year, following the strategic investment partnership with Dawn Meats.
With a general election under five weeks away, Rural News is asking major political parties about their policies and positions on key issues facing the primary sector. We will run their responses to each question over the next four weeks. The ACT Party and the Greens didn't respond in time.

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