Editorial: O Canada
OPINION: The Canadian government's love affair with its lifestyle dairy farmers has got it into trouble once again.
Aged 64, Malcolm Bailey says farewell after a stellar career in the dairy industry but his knowledge, innovation and drive will not be lost to the wider primary sector.
He's got no plans for politics; his focus will be on the many innovative technology companies he's involved with. He says countries such as the US which have strong economic engines are at the leading edge in the technology space. He says NZ also has the potential to do that and says his economic background is helpful when it comes to crunching numbers and seeing whether a venture is profitable.
One of the companies he's involved with is Greentech Robotics, based in Palmerston North, which is in the final stages of having one of its products, WeedSpider, operating on farms in the US. It's set to be the world's first truly autonomous weeding robot capable of identifying and eliminating weeds in a variety of crops, without a human lifting a finger.
Bailey says the idea was developed to help commercial vegetable growers who worldwide are facing labour shortages. The robot drives up and down the rows of plants, identifying and removing the weeds. The company has other products in the pipeline. He says throughout his life he's been prepared to put some resource into developing new businesses and helping to create new jobs. The next phase of his life will be in the technology sector.
Rural retailer Farmlands has launched a new casual clothing range available across 42 stores nationwide and through its online store.
Federated Farmers says the health and safety changes announced this week by the Government represent the start of overdue reforms.
The Government is calling on rural New Zealanders to share their views on proposed regulations designed to improve the management of farm plastic waste.
For many urban New Zealanders, stepping into Pāmu’s Pinta dairy farm near Taupo last month was the first time they had had the chance to experience farm life up close.
After tasting 240 New Zealand made cheeses, judges have bestowed medals upon 199 of the entries.
Bay of Plenty’s top share farmers Andre and Natalie Meier are no strangers to the New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards winning circle.
OPINION: Is it the beginning of the end for Greenpeace?
OPINION: The good times felt across the dairy sector weren't lost at last week's Beef + Lamb NZ annual meeting.