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Manawatu - the nation's food, fibre capital

OPINION: Kia ora and a warm welcome to everyone making a living off the land, contributing to our regional and national well-being. For regulars who make Field Days, a 'must attend', it's welcome back!

Positive vibes ahead of field days

Organisers of the Central District field days are promising a great event.

The biggest agricultural expo in the lower North Island, Central Districts Field Days, gets underway on March 14 and organisers are promising a great event.

Udderly vital post weaning job

Studies on lower North Island farms have shown that 2-7% (average around 5%) of mixed-age ewes have udder defects.

Around 5% of ewes in New Zealand will have problems with their udders (udder defects).

State funding for plant-based foods

Nearly $12m has been committed over five years to a programme looking into improvements in plant-based foods.

Crown research institute AgResearch has received close to $13 million in government funding to help advance opportunities for New Zealand in both plant-based food ingredient and cell-based protein markets.

Plantain rethink at demo farm

Lincoln University’s Rachael Bryant (right) and Omar Al-Marashdeh speak at a recent Lincoln University Demonstration Dairy Farm Focus Day.

The Lincoln University Dairy Farm (LUDF) is rethinking its approach to plantain, in the face of continued difficulty in realising its expected benefits.

Are food producers no longer important?

European farmers have been protesting for weeks. Photo Credit: EPP Group in the EU Parliament Facebook Page.

OPINION: As I sit at my keyboard today, I trust all is well with you. In our part of this great little country we live in, we have been enjoying something of a wet summer. We had a major flood over the last weekend of January.

Learn how Lepto could be impacting your farm

Leptospirosis is widespread on New Zealand livestock farms and a webinar, hosted by Zoetis on March 19, will provide resource, and offer insights into understanding and preventing the disease.

Feds power!

OPINION: Your canine crusader reckons no single lobby group has had a bigger turnaround in fortunes than Federated Farmers since the election of the new coalition Government.

The DCM award

OPINION: This old mutt suggests the 'don't come Monday' (DCM) award (in other words, resign) must go to the heartless, mean-spirited minions at Hastings City Council for even proposing that the poor people whose houses were wrecked by Cyclone Gabrielle should help pay the council for the demolition of their houses.

Bureaucratic insanity

OPINION: The Hound reckons if farmers in this country think they've got a problem with the small-minded officious bureaucrats imposing unworkable rules with little or no understanding of agricultural realities - it could be worse.

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Tone deaf?

OPINION: Your old mate can't believe the absolute brass neck of the directors at Beef + Lamb NZ who are asking levypayers for a hefty increase in directors fees at the time of record low red meat prices.

Editorial: Time for action

To mark National Lamb Day, Agriculture Minister McClay hosted bipartisan celebrations of National Lamb Day with industry representatives at Parliament.

OPINION: To ensure beef and sheep farmers get more than heart-warming platitudes out of the new Government, they'll need to hold their feet to the fire whenever they get the chance.