Covid's urban/rural divide
According to a new study from the University of Otago, there was a visible rural/urban divide in Covid-19 vaccination rates.
Beef + LambNZ's (BLNZ) awards dinner scheduled for Wednesday 2 February is postponed due to the arrival in the community of the Covid variant Omicron.
About 300 people had booked to attend the event designed to celebrate achievements in the red meat sector. It is just one of a number of events that have been postponed or cancelled or are being held virtually due to Covid.
BLNZ chairman Andrew Morrison says the difficult decision was made in consultation with sponsors, finalists and other stakeholders. He says they took into account a number of factors including the need to limit the number of those attending the Awards Dinner to 100, uncertainty about the extent of Omicron outbreak and the need to minimise the risk of transmission of Covid-19 in the red meat sector.
“So many people were looking forward to the evening to hear the announcement of the winners of the eight award categories and to celebrate our world-leading red meat industry, but ultimately the health and well-being of our finalists and all those attending must be our primary consideration,” he says.
Andrew Morrison says the organisation was looking at a number of options in which the industry could come together to recognise the finalists and celebrate the winners in the near future and will be communicating its decision as soon as possible
Analysis by Dunedin-based Techion New Zealand shows the cost of undetected drench resistance in sheep has exploded to an estimated $98 million a year.
Shipping disruption caused by Houthi rebels in the Red Sea has so far not impacted fertiliser prices or supply on farm.
The opportunity to spend more time on farm while providing a dedicated service for shareholders attracted new environmental manager Ben Howden to work for Waimakariri Irrigation Limited (WIL).
Federated Farmers claims that the Otago Regional Council is charging ahead unnecessarily with piling more regulation on rural communities.
Dairy sheep and goat farmers are being told to reduce milk supply as processors face a slump in global demand for their products.
OPINION: We have good friends from way back who had lived in one of our major cities for many years.