Getting sheep shape at Pyramid Farm
The vineyards at Pyramid Farm in Marlborough’s Avon Valley have never been run of the mill, with plantings that follow the natural contours of the land, 250 metres above sea level.
A SHEEP and beef farm manager from the Wellington region’s west coast has landed the top prize in Cooper’s Bumper Season promotion.
Callum Watson, who manages Papanui Station for the Belfast Partnership, was stoked to be presented with the keys to the Honda MUV Big Red earlier this month but credits the win to his wife Siobahn.
“The competition sticker was on the drum of Alliance (drench) so she thought she’d enter… It’s the first time we’ve ever won anything in our lives so it came as a bit of a shock.”
Watson told Rural News he uses a lot of the abamectin, levamisole and oxfendazole combination drench in the station’s 10,000 lamb finishing operation. “When you’re importing a lot of lambs I think it’s wise to use the best drench out there.”
Now he’s looking forward to putting the 675cc Big Red to work. “It’s a brilliant machine. We’ll use it like a farm truck come quadbike; anything from a tractor to a farmbike.”
Cooper’s Bumper Season promotion ran November to March, and featured four draws for a suite of top prizes, including Gallagher weigh scales and data collectors, Honda farm bikes and water pumps, and Stihl chainsaws. The last draw, held late last month, was for one big prize with the winner choosing between a Gallagher Sheep Auto Drafter with TSi Weigh Scale G01900 and Electronic Tag Reader G0330, or the Honda side-by-side MUV700
To be eligible entrants had to have purchased any specially labelled participating product during the promotion period and submitted a valid entry form within that period.
Horticulture New Zealand’s Board has welcomed the re-election of grower-elected directors Alistair Petrie and Doug Brown.
The bright ideas of New Zealand's primary sector have been celebrated with an announcement of the winners of the 2026 Innovation Awards.
Newly appointed Federated Farmers vice president Sandra Faulkner says she is honoured and excited to hold the role.
New Zealand's top fencers were out in force at National Fieldays this month, demonstrating their skills with the ever-reliable number 8 wire.
New Federated Farmers president Colin Hurst says he will ensure that farmer voices are heard loud and clear wherever decisions are being made.
Paynes Titus Excelsior ET, an LIC bull bred by Brad Payne and Claire Brodie in the Waikato, has won the JT Thwaites Sire of the Season 2026 Award.

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…