The backdrop to the 850ha property is spectacular, including the partly snow-covered Mt Ruapehu. 

The southerly blast in April was a reminder to much of the country that winter is not far away.  Let’s hope we get a bit more mild autumn weather before winter kicks in.

No wonder they say, ‘Those who can, do; those who can’t, teach’.

Not all Irish farmers see the lifting of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) subsidies as a panacea.

Beef prices have entered a “structural change” and are likely to stay 20-30% above historical averages, Rabobank’s Hayley Moynihan says.

New Zealand lacks any strong dairy brands, according to KPMG’s international head of agri Ian Proudfoot.

Alex Furniss has only ploughed at one New Zealand final – Gore in 1966. 

Emotions and values now come first in water quality assessment and science comes second, says a water quality specialist with DairyNZ, Tom Stephens.

Trucking firm are coming under particular scrutiny about transporting cows that aren’t fit to travel, says Chris Leach, DairyNZ senior developer - animal husbandry and welfare.

In April two people died on farms in ‘workplace’ deaths – one was a boy aged 14. And in Waikato in April a toddler nearly drowned in dairy farm effluent.