Bulk wine exports surpass packaged wine volumes
Data from February 2025 shows volumes of bulk wine exports exceeded packaged wine.
New Zealand’s waterways are getting a $3 million boost from the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI).
MPI announced today that it is providing an extra $3 million to the New Zealand Landcare Trust to improve New Zealand’s waterways and promote sustainable management practices.
The funding from the Productive and Sustainable Land Use Programme will help the NZ Landcare Trust to employ up to seven new staff, to provide services across the country to clean up waterways and promote more sustainable practices.
“This new funding will increase the trust’s national coverage and enable them to employ a new team of regional coordinators to work with the farming community to integrate sustainable land and water management practices into their farming systems," says MPI’s deputy director-general agricultural and investment services, Karen Adair.
The new funding continues the Government’s support to farmers and others to help them make environmental and freshwater improvements.
“The assistance from the government to support both economically and environmentally sustainable farming practices is very encouraging and a strong endorsement of our work with the primary sector,” says the trust’s chief executive, Dr Nick Edgar.
“This is a critical time for farmers to up their game and have a lasting positive impact on our freshwater ecosystems. The funding will effectively double the Trust’s on-ground network of regional coordinators supporting farmers across New Zealand,'' says Edgar.
Adair says New Zealand's food and fibre products were in demand globally because of their high quality and our strong farming and growing credentials.
“Producing and exporting high-value products will be vital to New Zealand’s recovery from COVID. By putting more resources into helping our farmers and growers to integrate more sustainable practices, we can clean up our waterways, and also create jobs and boost our agriculture export and tourism offerings.”
Among the regular exhibitors at last month’s South Island Agricultural Field Days, the one that arguably takes the most intensive preparation every time is the PGG Wrightson Seeds site.
Two high producing Canterbury dairy farmers are moving to blended stockfeed supplements fed in-shed for a number of reasons, not the least of which is to boost protein levels, which they can’t achieve through pasture under the region’s nitrogen limit of 190kg/ha.
Buoyed by strong forecasts for milk prices and a renewed demand for dairy assets, the South Island rural real estate market has begun the year with positive momentum, according to Colliers.
The six young cattle breeders participating in the inaugural Holstein Friesian NZ young breeder development programme have completed their first event of the year.
New Zealand feed producers are being encouraged to boost staff training to maintain efficiency and product quality.
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