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NZ red meat sector says UK-Australia FTA sets benchmark for negotiations

Meat Industry Association chief executive Sirma Karapeeva

The UK-Australia Free Trade Agreement (FTA), agreed to by Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison this week, represents a useful yardstick for New Zealand negotiations, say leaders in the red meat sector.

Govt celebrates 250th 4G tower

The 250th 4G mobile tower, located in Wiltsdown, south of Hamilton

The Government has welcomed the completion of the 250^th 4G mobile tower, as part of its push for better rural connectivity.

Safari on a Trek to NZ

Exclusive to the New Zealand market and available in limited supply, the Suzuki Jimny Safari adds to an already versatile and unique compact three-door model in the small four-wheel-drive vehicle sector.

Factory fast tracks production

Future production at Claas’ Le Mans plant will allow the completion of 60 units a day, pushing the annual capacity from the current 10,000, up to more than 13,000 units.

After giving the go-ahead for a major investment at its Le Mans plant back in 2017, Claas recently showcased its €40 million spend.

Is the day of the drone closer than we think?

Linda Bulk, general manager at Aeronavics Ltd, says the company is currently working on technology to support agriculture, centred around time saving, soil and water management.

Drones have become increasingly popular in agriculture and horticulture over the last decade, whether taking aerial photographs of a property, checking water lines or in some cases even mustering stock. Machinery editor Mark Daniel takes a closer look at the developments in this area...

Drenching - doing it right

Not all drenches work on all parasites, use the right drench for the job.

Effective and accurate drenching is important for animal health and productivity. It needs strategic decision making and should be part of a parasite management plan.

Shedding Wiltshire's anti wool appeal

Professor Steve Morris is heading Massey University’s Wiltshire research project.

Of all the projects Massey University's School of Agriculture has been involved in over the years, it's never had such interest as it has in its Wiltshire breeding programme.

Catch crops a valuable tool

Catch crops are a good way to capture and use nitrogen left in the wake of winter forage crops.

Along with several other organisations, Beef+Lamb NZ helped fund the catch crops for reduced nitrate leaching project. Sown as soon as possible after grazing has finished, catch crops have been the subject of a Sustainable Farming Fund project led by Peter Carey from Lincoln Agritech, with support from Brendon Malcolm and Shane Maley from Plant and Food Research and AgResearch.

Managing through drought successfully

Phil Tither believes the value of monitoring and collecting hard data cannot be underestimated when dealing with adverse events such as a drought.

Farmers in Hawke's Bay have now experienced two successive years of bad droughts, which has stretched their farm management skills to the limit. Watching this and working with farmers to mitigate the problems are two experienced AgFirst farm consultants based in Hastings - Lochie MacGillivray and Phil Tither. They talked with reporter Peter Burke about what they have seen and what works best.

Govt backs food, fibres sectors

The Government will back the food and fibres sector to lead New Zealand’s economic recovery from Covid-19 with targeted investments, Forestry Minister Stuart Nash says.