The nationwide Agribusiness in Schools programme recently celebrated its 10-year anniversary.

Year 11 students from Oamaru’s three high schools ventured out of the classroom and onto the farm for a field day hosted by the North Otago Sustainable Land Management (NOSLaM) group.

While the grass is green on the country's dairy farms, the owners and workers are facing a myriad of challenges.

It looks good physically on farm but below the surface things are far from ideal.

Despite a challenging 2021-22 season, the annual New Zealand Dairy Statistics report shows an innovative dairy sector responding well during a changeable time.

Federated Farmers dairy chair Richard McIntyre, who sharemilks in the Horowhenua, says the past year has not been easy.

A glimmer of hope for the country's dairy farmers under siege from a myriad negative challenges including rising input costs, interest rates, state-sponsored regulations and falling commodity prices.

One of the highest numbers of empty cows in recent years could cost the dairy industry more than $20 million next season.

While the temperature was struggling to reach about 5 degrees and the horizontal hail had enough grunt to slice cheese, the SIAFD committee knocked it out of the park by delivering another great event.

Teachers from around the Auckland, Waikato, Hauraki Plains and Coromandel areas recently got a chance to really know their onions on a mid-March Teachers' Day Out.