Lower North Island farmers “cautiously optimistic” heading into winter – DairyNZ
Cautiously optimistic is how DairyNZ's regional manager for the lower North Island, Mark Laurence describes the mood of farmers in his patch.
A project reducing strains and sprains on farm has won the Innovation category in the New Zealand Workplace Health and Safety Awards 2025.
The three-year Reducing Sprains and Strains project by DairyNZ set out to understand the common causes of injuries on farms and then work with farmers and other workplace experts to develop practical solutions to reduce them.
DairyNZ senior scientist and project lead, Dr Callum Eastwood, says he was thrilled with the win.
“People are at the heart of the dairy sector, and we want to see them thrive,” he says.
“This project focuses on helping lower the risk of injury but also cut down the strain on the body so people can last longer in the industry.
“This award is a recognition of our team's dedication to finding smarter, safer ways of working.”
The project was praised by judges who noted the project had led to tangible outcomes for farmers.
As part of the project three products were developed and became commercially available for farmers with a fourth in development.
They include the Easy-Entry Calf Trailer Gate with KEA Trailers, Easy-Access Calf Pen Gate with Gallagher, Easy-Lift Bucket Trolley with Wheelco, and Cups-On Mat.
These products had a direct impact on risk reduction with modelling conducted as part of an independent evaluation predicting the project’s prototypes would reduce the number of sprain and strain injuries by 120 each year.
Of the injuries that continue to occur, the number of days away from work rehabilitating the injuries reduces by an average of 80 days for all low severity injuries.
The project was funded by ACC’s Workplace Injury Prevention Grants programme, with co-investment from DairyNZ.
Holstein Friesian excellence was front and centre at the 2025 Holstein Friesian NZ (HFNZ) Awards, held recently in Invercargill.
The work Fonterra has done with Ballance Agri-Nutrients Ltd, LIC and Ravensdown to save farmers time through better data connections has been recognised with a national award.
This past week has seen another round of negotiations between India and New Zealand to produce a free trade agreement (FTA) between the two countries.
Cautiously optimistic is how DairyNZ's regional manager for the lower North Island, Mark Laurence describes the mood of farmers in his patch.
The Infrastructure Commission has endorsed a plan by Chorus to expand fibre broadband to 95% of New Zealand much to the delight of rural women.
Questions are being raised about just how good the state of the dairy industry is - especially given that the average farmgate payout for the coming season is set to exceed $10/kgMS.
OPINION: Years of floods and low food prices have driven a dairy farm in England's northeast to stop milking its…
OPINION: An animal activist organisation is calling for an investigation into the use of dairy cows in sexuallly explicit content…