Record Kiwifruit Crop 2025-26: Zespri Forecasts Highest Grower Returns
Good news for kiwifruit growers - a record crop with forecast per hectare returns at record levels for all fruit categories for the 2025-26 season.
The Smaller Milk and Supply Herds (SMASH) conferences will be held in three North Island venues next month.
The conference theme is ‘Sharing Solutions’; events will be held in Taranaki (June 21), Waikato (June 23) and Northland (June 26).
Three speakers - Zespri chief executive Lain Jager, vet Neil Chesterton and motivational speaker Kevin Biggar - have been roped in for the day-long event.
Jager will talk about how the kiwifruit industry tackled the big challenge of Psa, and how they rebuilt afterwards to create a solid footing going forward.
Chesterton is passionate about finding solutions to reduce lameness. He will talk about the lameness risk factors and show you how important cow flow and low stress handling are as keys to reducing foot injury.
Biggar will speak about overcoming your fear of challenges, confronting doubts head-on and creating the momentum to achieve success.
Each conference starts at 9am and finish with nibbles and drinks at 5pm. DairyNZ levy payers pay $70 for the event while non-levy payers will pay $120.
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.
We are not a bunch of sky cowboys. That was one of the key messages from the chairperson of the NZ Agricultural Aviation Association (NZAAA) Kent Weir, speaking at an education day at Feilding aerodrome for 25 policymakers and regulators from central and local government and other rural professionals.
New Zealand's dairy and beef industries say they welcome the announcement that the Government will invest $10.49 million in the Dairy Beef Opportunities (DBO) programme.
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