Waikato dairy effluent breaches lead to $108,000 in fines
Two farmers and two farming companies were recently convicted and fined a total of $108,000 for environmental offending.
OPINION: It's Moving Day end of this week.
And the message from authorities is 'leave the nasties behind'.
Moving Day involves the mass transporting of cows and machinery around the country's roads as farm contractors relocate themselves and their stock in time for the new season.
While there are many really dedicated farmers and contractors who rigorously clean their gear to protect the next property they're moving to, not everyone is as committed, according to Waikato Regional Council.
The recent discovery of the highly invasive velvetleaf on two new properties in the region was a wake up call for the ag sector.
It spreads easily through unclean machinery and the council is keen to stop it in its tracks.
So landowners must insist only clean machinery enters their farm gate on June 1.
Farmer interest continues to grow as a Massey University research project to determine the benefits or otherwise of the self-shedding Wiltshire sheep is underway. The project is five years in and has two more years to go. It was done mainly in the light of low wool prices and the cost of shearing. Peter Burke recently went along to the annual field day held Massey's Riverside farm in the Wairarapa.
Applications are now open for the 2026 NZI Rural Women Business Awards, set to be held at Parliament on 23 July.
Ravensdown has announced a collaboration with Kiwi icon, Footrot Flats in an effort to bring humour, heart, and connection to the forefront of the farming sector.
Forest & Bird's Kiwi Conservation Club is inviting New Zealanders of all ages to embrace the outdoors with its Summer Adventure Challenges.
Grace Su, a recent optometry graduate from the University of Auckland, is moving to Tauranga to start work in a practice where she worked while participating in the university's Rural Health Interprofessional Programme (RHIP).
Two farmers and two farming companies were recently convicted and fined a total of $108,000 for environmental offending.