rss trending-rn

Fewer sheep and dairy cattle in 2022

For the first time since the 1850s, the ratio of sheep to people in New Zealand has fallen below five to one.

There are fewer dairy cattle, sheep, and deer in New Zealand’s paddocks.

Feds launch RMA roadshow

Federated Farmers is launching a roadshow opposing the RMA reforms currently going through Parliament.

Federated Farmers have announced a nine-stop rural roadshow opposing the proposed replacement for the Resource Management Act (RMA).

Highlighting rural contracting's impact

Dan Smith is eager on becoming the linchpin between academics and the rural contracting sector.

Lincoln University agribusiness lecturer Dan Smith is surprised that no academic has ever focused on NZ's rural contracting sector.

New breeding index aims to beef up NZ genetics

The new platform is called ‘E-Star’ and its’ promoters believe it will change the pace and focus of NZ beef industry genetics.

A new beef breeding index is expected to be the talk of the bull sales over the next month or so. Six bull studs from around the country have got together and come up with new indexes for the sector, which they claim reflects what the market wants. David Anderson reports...

Turning silt into soil

Chris Anderson is confident that pasture can be brought back using good scientific evidence.

A consortium of NZ's top soil scientists are investigating ways of how some silt damaged pasture and horticultural land in Hawke's Bay can be brought back in production.

Company flies to the rescue

Aerospread pilot Jess McNeil and canine friend get set for another mission to help out struggling farmers in Tolaga Bay.

Aerospread/Super Air pilots are usually busy at this time of the year flying superphosphate onto farms along the east coast of the North Island.

Kiwifruit takes big hit

This year’s green kiwifruit volumes are the lowest in 20 years with only 42 million trays available for export – as opposed to the 61 million trays in 2022.

As expected, the volume of kiwifruit for the 2023 growing season is down – mainly due to the weather.

Trading in gumboots for power suits

Andrew Hoggard joins a host of former Fed Farmers leaders eyeing a ticket to Parliament at this year’s election.

A slew of farming sector leaders linked to Federated Farmers are contesting the upcoming general election.

Number of women in global meat industry workforce drops

Meat Business Women global chair Laura Ryan.

A new independent global report commissioned by Meat Business Women shows a rise in women’s representation in senior leadership roles in the meat industry over the past three years.

'Data Supermarket' serves fresh options for regional food production

Te Puke is famed as New Zealand’s kiwifruit capital, but new research could mean that top spot is contested in the future, with suitable kiwifruit production land identified in Waikato, Taranaki and the top of the South Island.