RWNZ chief executive to step down
Rural Women New Zealand (RWNZ) chief executive Gabrielle O’Brien will step down at the end of June.
Beef and dairy bull sales across the North Island are able to continue thanks to an innovative hybrid auction platform released during the 2020 Covid lockdown.
NZ Farmers Livestock general manager, Bill Sweeney says the MyLivestock hybrid auction platform, which combines saleyard, farm and online auctions, was developed ahead of last year’s lockdown.
“Providing an online option for farmers to attend and bid at stock sales was a concept we’d been developing for some time. Traditionally farmers are often faced with a day’s travel to attend a sale and the demands of farming often make this very difficult. We wanted to give them options – of either attending a sale or attending any sale in New Zealand on their mobile or home computer.
“Fortuitously, it was ready to launch when the 2020 Covid lockdown was announced - for the first time farmers were able to choose whether to physically or virtually attend a stock sale.
“The ability to ‘virtually’ attend a stock sale opened the country up – farmers were suddenly able to bid at any sale around New Zealand without leaving the farm and they could confidently bid in real time knowing transport and NAIT requirements would be attended to, and the stock would duly arrive on farm. It was a whole new environment and one which farmers embraced.”
The online option didn’t replace physically attending sales however.
“Stock sales have an important social function in rural communities – especially in tough times – and so, throughout Levels 3 and 2 in 2020, we continued to have a good number of farmers attend our sales under strict Covid guidelines.”
Sweeney said the hybrid auction platform will, once again, bolster the beef and dairy industries during the current Covid restrictions.
NZ Farmers Livestock’s 2021 Spring bull sale calendar is one of the largest ever.
“We have a record number of bulls coming forward at 30 sales across the North Island – all of which will continue under Level 3 and 2.”
Around 1000 mainly yearling Jersey, Hereford and Angus bulls will go under the hammer at sales during September and October, in the main on the respective breeder’s farm.
OPINION: In recent years farmers have been crying foul of unworkable and expensive regulations.
Another 16 commercial beef farmers have been selected to take part in the Informing New Zealand Beef (INZB) programme designed to help drive the uptake of genetics in the industry.
Trade Minister Todd McClay says Kiwi exporters will be $100 million better off today as the NZ-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA) comes into force.
Making things simpler, not harder, for deer farmers in farm planning and coping with regulations is Deer Industry New Zealand (DINZ) industry capability manager John Ladley’s current focus.
Rural Women New Zealand (RWNZ) is launching an online business directory called The Country Women’s Collective to promote and support entrepreneurial rural women.
New Zealand actor Sam Neill has joined the Campaign for Wool NZ as an ambassador, lending his name and profile to educate and advocate for New Zealand strong wool.