Doco maker wrong
OPINION: A documentary maker who wrongly claims in his film that cows in New Zealand live only one quarter of their 20 year natural lifespan is rightly facing a backlash from farmers.
ORGANISERS ARE expecting 100,000 people to attend this week's Canterbury A&P Show in Christchurch.
The show, which runs from Wednesday 12 to Friday 14 November, has been around since 1893 and is the largest agricultural and pastoral show in New Zealand, with more than 1700 showing classes and over $100,000 in prize money.
Event director Geoff Bone says that livestock, equestrian and feature competition entry numbers are up this year.
"With shearing and wood-chopping entries still coming in, 2014 entries are going to far exceed 2013's entries. This means that we will see some of the highest entry levels in the show's history, " says Bone.
Equestrian entry numbers are second only to the Royal Show held in 2009. Bone says this is in part due to the introduction of two new sections, European Native Breeds and Golden Horse.
"Sheep and wool and fibre entries are also up on 2013, an encouraging sign for the sheep industry, and we've received the most Boer Goat entries ever."
In preparation for the show thousands of animals are already descending on the Canterbury Agricultural Park showgrounds, where they will be housed for the three days of the event. Dairy and beef cattle in particular are settling in, giving the animals time to familiarise themselves with the grounds and ensure they are in top form for the showing rings on Wednesday morning.
Managing director of Woolover Ltd, David Brown, has put a lot of effort into verifying what seems intuitive, that keeping newborn stock's core temperature stable pays dividends by helping them realise their full genetic potential.
Within the next 10 years, New Zealand agriculture will need to manage its largest-ever intergenerational transfer of wealth, conservatively valued at $150 billion in farming assets.
Boutique Waikato cheese producer Meyer Cheese is investing in a new $3.5 million facility, designed to boost capacity and enhance the company's sustainability credentials.
OPINION: The Government's decision to rule out changes to Fringe Benefit Tax (FBT) that would cost every farmer thousands of dollars annually, is sensible.
Compensation assistance for farmers impacted by Mycoplama bovis is being wound up.
Selecting the reverse gear quicker than a lovestruck boyfriend who has met the in-laws for the first time, the Coalition Government has confirmed that the proposal to amend Fringe Benefit Tax (FBT) charged against farm utes has been canned.
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