110,000 visitors!
OPINION: It's official, Fieldays 2025 clocked 110,000 visitors over the four days.
Union boss Helen Kelly has dairy farmers in her sights over pay rates and work conditions, naming and shaming a Taranaki cocky last week and going on Radio Live to lambast dairy farmers as poor employers.
Some dairy farmers may have deserved the brickbat, most did not. But Kelly and her union mates are not the kind to let facts get in the way of a good story. So, well done those dairy farmers who got straight on the blower to the radio host to balance the record by recounting cases of excellent employment practice in the industry.
One example given was fairly common: a young guy with no experience but a good attitude found himself on $40k with a free house, milk, veges, meat and virtually no personal expenses, working a ten-on, two-off roster.
As usual, the dairy industry is working to knock into line those few farmers who are bad employers. And as usual, the unions persist in an adversarial approach that tars all farmers with the same brush.
OPINION: Ministry for Primary Industries' situation outlook for primary industries report (SOPI) makes impressive reading.
Sheep and beef farmers Matt and Kristin Churchward say using artificial intelligence (AI) to spread fertiliser on their sprawling 630ha farm is a game changer for their business.
Commercial fruit and vegetable growers are being encouraged to cast their votes in the Horticulture New Zealand (HortNZ) board directors' election.
A unique discovery by a Palmerston North science company, Biolumic, looks set to revolutionise the value and potential of ryegrass and the secret is the application of ultraviolet (UV) light.
A New Zealand company is redefining the global collagen game by turning New Zealand sheepskin into a world-class health product.
With further extreme weather on the way, ANZ Bank is encouraging farmers and business owners impacted by the recent extreme weather and flooding to seek support if they need it.