Cuddling cows
OPINION: Years of floods and low food prices have driven a dairy farm in England's northeast to stop milking its cows and instead charge visitors to cuddle them.
OPINION: Two years ago, it was launched as the world's first floating platform housing a herd of cows and a dairy, and generated headlines around the world.
But the "floating farm" in Rotterdam is back in the news for all the wrong reasons.
Concerns about animal welfare have again been raised after two cows on the farm in Rotterdam's harbour fell into the water.
A local animal rights group says that it had tried and failed to get a majority in the city council to withdraw the farm's operating permit, calling the project "madness".
The floating farm is promoted as sustainable, recycling the animals' waste on site, and giving an example of urban farming that could produce more food within cities of the future.
But calls for the farm to be closed are growing louder after a second cow fell into the water and had to be rescued recently.
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…