Halter goes global, but NZ farmers remain core to innovation
Virtual fencing company Halter is going global but for founder Craig Piggott, New Zealand farmers will always remain their main partners.
How do you get the best out of a farm business when the payout’s low?
By using the right tools, said Drury dairy farmer Sue Dyer, speaking at recent CRV Ambreed workshops on how technology can be better used to achieve herd improvement goals.
Dyer has used CRV Insight online herd recording app since its launch in 2012 and says it has helped her increase her farm’s productivity.
“I carry my smartphone with me everywhere, so having access and being able to enter data about my cows wherever I am on the farm – in the paddock, shed or at home – is a no brainer.
“I get a great snapshot of how my 370 Friesian, Friesian-cross cows are performing, information about my individual cows, and a full range of reports.”
Global growth consultants Frost and Sullivan recently predicted that by 2018 New Zealand would have 90% smartphone and 78% tablet ownership.
Andrew Singers, information management and information technology manager at CRV Ambreed, says the dairy industry needs to keep up with a growing demand for technology on the go.
“There is still a huge amount of work to do to help dairy farmers adopt and use herd management technology to its full capacity,” he says.
CRV Ambreed herd improvement products and services for dairy farmers include the free workshops referred to above.
New Zealand avocado growers have received a major boost by securing a collective FernMark Licence for their exports.
Beef + Lamb NZ's countrywide director roadshow arrived in Feilding last week, bringing with it ongoing positivity in the sector, an overview of the work B+LNZ does on behalf of levypayers and a proposed change on how the levy would be collected in the future.
A stronger than expected outlook for dairy has prompted one bank to lift its 2025-26 season forecast milk price by 75c to $10.25/kgMS.
Chinese dairy giant Yili Group says its New Zealand operations are on track for strong revenue growth in 2025 after recording significant year-on-year growth for the first half of the year.
Trade Minister Todd McClay says the US tariff decision appears to be based on a calculation of trade deficits, with countries running a surplus with the US moved to the higher rate.
Alliance Group has announced plans to sell a 65% stake in the farmer-owned co-operative to Irish meat processor Dawn Meats Group for $250 million.
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