increase font size
Open Day at Aratiatia and Mark Leslie hosting.
State farmer Pāmu is opening its farm gates this summer in an effort to give the rural sector the opportunity to see how large-scale, multi-system farming is delivering productivity and profitability across New Zealand.
The Open Farm Days programme will run from September to February, spanning four regions and a mix of systems - from dairy beef and organics through to red meat and mixed finishing.
Mark Leslie, chief executive of Pāmu, says the focus is simple.
"We're running commercial farms, so everything we do has to deliver," Leslie says. "Open Farm Days are about showing, in real terms, how on-farm systems decisions translate into productivity and profitability on the ground."
"That means lifting value from calves, getting more out of pasture, and building systems that can handle pressure, whether that's climate or cost," he says.
Across the programme, Pāmu will show the shift to a more disciplined, data-driven farming model, with a clear focus on profitability and reslience.
Key focus areas this year are dairy beef and reinvestment in nature, both of which are creating new opportunities from existing farming systems.
Pāmu says it is working towards rearing all non-replacement calves by 2030, turning what was once a low-value outcome into a value-adding part of the business. Supported by genetics, improved calf rearing, and finishing systems, the programme is said to capture more value from every animal born on farm.
The state farmer is also exploring new ways to unlock value from native forests and other natural assets already present on New Zealand farms.
Through a new pilot, businesses can invest in the restoration and protection of existing native forests, creating a connection between growers, customers, and nature outcomes that are increasingly valued by markets.
While many farms have areas of significant environment value, they have traditionally generated little direct return. This approach aims to recognise that value while supporting biodiversity, resilience, and long-term farm performance.
There are four showcases putting a different part of this shift on display:
Leslie says sharing with neighbours, local communities and the wider industry what works and what doesn't is part of the role Pāmu plays as a State-Owned Enterprise.
“We’ve got scale, a mix of regions and a mix of systems. Our job is to be profitable and test ideas properly and then be open about it, so others can take what’s useful and apply it," he says.
The wider community engagement programme also includes a biodiversity and planting day at Eyrewell in North Canterbury and a presence at regional field days across the country.
Further events are being planned, including field days on LIFT programme farms.
LIFT is a five-year, partner-led programme supporting New Zealand sheep and beef farmers to lift profitability, resilience and environmental performance.
Led by Pāmu with support from industry partners, the Primary Sector Growth Fund, and farmers, the programme is creating regional demonstration farms to generate data on how virtual fencing enabled farms systems can improve productivity, protect sensitive environments and give farmers more confidence to invest in new ways of managing hill country.
These activities will continue through 2027.
To stay up to date and register for Pāmu Open Day events, visit: https://www.pamunewzealand.com/community-overview/open-farm-days.
Scanning is a great time to start identifying and managing groups of ewes based on feeding priorities. Wormwise's Mary Bowron discusses some of the possible reasons ewes lose condition in early winter - and it's not necessarily internal parasites.
OPINION: Good governance is critical to the primary sector. Whether it is a rural business, a levy-payer organisation or a research body, we need a pipeline of capable directors with a passion for, and knowledge of, the sector.
DairyNZ says Waikato farmers need certainty on Plan Change 1, but they say that certainty must be matched with practical, workable rules and a clear transition that doesn't get ahead of the new resource management system currently under review.
A five-year study has found that the cost of reducing emissions without technology may be significant and unsustainable for Northland dairy farmers.
Waikato farmers have been told that the Government’s new planning system legislation and the region’s Plan Change 1 (PC1) “won’t mesh together very well”.
State farmer Pāmu is opening its farm gates this summer in an effort to give the rural sector the opportunity to see how large-scale, multi-system farming is delivering productivity and profitability across New Zealand.
A five-year study has found that the cost of reducing emissions without technology may be significant and unsustainable for Northland dairy farmers.
DairyNZ says Waikato farmers need certainty on Plan Change 1, but they say that certainty must be matched with practical, workable rules and a clear transition that doesn't get ahead of the new resource management system currently under review.
While the Government has moved quickly to make commercial hauliers' lot easier during the current fuel crisis, they appear to be stuck in the creep box when it comes to the agricultural industry.
Waikato farmers have been told that the Government’s new planning system legislation and the region’s Plan Change 1 (PC1) “won’t mesh together very well”.
More than 300 growers, exporters, researchers, service providers and industry leaders will descend on Queenstown later this month for EXPO 2026, the annual conference for New Zealand’s apple and pear sector.
OPINION: Central Hawke's Bay farmer Mark Warren recently told the Hawke's Bay Times it's time for a conversation about allowing…
OPINION: A nation that relies as heavily as NZ does on functional global shipping lanes will have to do its…
