Farmlands celebrates 63-year legacy in Hawke’s Bay
Rural service trader Farmlands hosted a special legacy event this week to celebrate its 63-year history in the Hastings community and mark the next chapter of investment in the region.
Nothing competes with grass when it comes to cost effective feed. But when grass supply is short, ProGibb SG is the next best thing, says Farmlands Manawatu field manager Mike McLean.
He says for no more than 16c/kgDM (including application costs), New Zealand’s first and most widely tested plant growth regulator for pasture presents a compelling financial argument this spring.
“Few inputs can offer the same return in the current economic climate, but for many farmers ProGibb SG has become part and parcel of cost-effective farming no matter what the budget looks like.”
McLean says the product is “proven to work, and there’s good trial data wrapped around it as well”.
He estimates at least 50% of his clients now routinely use ProGibb to boost DM production in spring and autumn by 30-60% within three weeks of applications.
One user is Himitangi dairy farmer Owen Greig, with 2400 cows on two milking platforms and a sizeable run-off. He started using ProGibb SG three-four years ago and now aims to apply it on both milking platforms several times a year, spraying up to 200ha a week at the busiest times and complementing it with solid urea.
His first goal was to shift his spring balance date and he says pasture supply now matches cow demand 7-10 days earlier than it used to. “Now we’re using it in early autumn too, to help build our covers back up after summer.”
Either way, he says, “it’s growing grass for the cheapest possible price at the time of the year when you need it most.”
Applications have now opened for the 2026 Meat Industry Association scholarships.
Bank of New Zealand (BNZ) says it is backing aspiring dairy farmers through a new initiative designed to make the first step to farm ownership or sharemilking easier.
OPINION: While farmers are busy and diligently doing their best to deal with unwanted gasses, the opponents of farming - namely the Greens and their mates - are busy polluting the atmosphere with tirades of hot air about what farmers supposedly aren't doing.
OPINION: For close to eight years now, I have found myself talking about methane quite a lot.
The Royal A&P Show of New Zealand, hosted by the Canterbury A&P Association, is back next month, bigger and better after the uncertainty of last year.
Claims that farmers are polluters of waterways and aquifers and 'don't care' still ring out from environmental groups and individuals. The phrase 'dirty dairying' continues to surface from time to time. But as reporter Peter Burke points out, quite the opposite is the case. He says, quietly and behind the scenes, farmers are embracing new ideas and technologies to make their farms sustainable, resilient, environmentally friendly and profitable.
OPINION: Voting is underway for Fonterra’s divestment proposal, with shareholders deciding whether or not sell its consumer brands business.
OPINION: Politicians and Wellington bureaucrats should take a leaf out of the book of Canterbury District Police Commander Superintendent Tony Hill.