The North Island weekly lamb kill dropped 50% in the space of two week as the availability of killable lambs plummets.

Primary industry producers are being encouraged to consider the impact of New Zealand's current constitutional arrangements and how they may look in the future.

Farmer feedback points to a big turnout of farmers tomorrow for the Meat Industry Excellence (MIE) meeting in Christchurch, says Blair Gallagher, the local organising chairman.

The Waikato Regional Council says it hopes the forecast rain this week will ease pressure on low flows in the Waikato River.

Federated Farmers/Rabobank Farm Employee Remuneration Survey 2013 shows pay levels for most pastoral farm positions have continued to increase. The average farm worker is now earning $5500 more than the New Zealand average annual wage and salary.

Twenty-five sheep and beef farming leaders will attend the first Beef and Lamb New Zealand (B+LNZ) Environmental Leadership Forum in Wellington next week.

Increasing yields in all areas of agricultural production have helped farmers to maintain profitability in the face of ever-increasing input costs.

Farmers from all over the North Island put their farming woes on the back burner during today's Drought Shout at Tui Brewery in Mangatainoka.

During 2008–11, labour productivity in the agriculture industry increased 3.4% a year, Statistics New Zealand says. Agriculture was the main contributor to labour productivity in the measured sector, which increased 0.5%.

ASB has expanded its rural corporate business in the South Island with the appointment of two new rural corporate managers who both bring specialised regional knowledge to their roles.

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