increase font size
"It is important that sheep and beef farmers are heard and understood," says Beef + Lamb NZ farmer council chairman Andrew McKenzie.
The environment is one of the biggest issues facing sheep and beef farmers, says the northern Beef + Lamb NZ farmer council chairman Andrew McKenzie.
Regional councils must have a plan in place by 2025 to maintain or improve fresh water in their regions, McKenzie says, in his annual report.
"It is important that sheep and beef farmers are heard and understood," he says.
Farmers need to understand the changes and the farmer council needs to advocate on their behalf.
Each region faces its own complexities. BLNZ has added a fulltime environment position in both islands. It also has environment 'champions' for each farmer council.
"We work in partnership with two councils – Auckland Council and Northern Regional Council – to seek a collaborative approach to land environment plans," McKenzie says.
Both councils have seen this as a benefit and have agreed to fully fund land and environment plans in both regions.
McKenzie also says another new initiative has been collaborative industry-good dinners attended by at least 100 people.
The aim is to encourage people in remote districts to come out and interact with each other. Those who helped organise and donate their time included BLNZ, Dairy Women's Network, Fonterra, the Rural Support Trust, Primary ITO, WorkSafe NZ and FMG. More dinners are planned.
OPINION: Among the many satisfying jobs on the farm is shifting our Angus heifers onto fresh pasture. They love it. Tails up, they gallop around for a minute, then it’s heads down — those long, raspy tongues pulling in mouthfuls of lush green feed.
OPINION: A press release from the oxygen thieves running the hot air symposium on climate change, known as COP30, grabbed your old mate’s attention.
OPINION: In a memo, rich guy Bill Gates didn't become a climate change denier, but he did give the world a dose of common sense, saying we should redirect efforts away from the campaign to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and instead focus on other ways to improve human lives and reduce suffering.
Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment Simon Upton is calling for cross-party consensus on the country's overarching environmental goals.
New research could help farmers prepare for a future where summer rainfall is increasingly unpredictable and where drought risk is rising, no matter what.
Thirty years ago, as a young sharemilker, former Waikato farmer Snow Chubb realised he was bucking a trend when he started planting trees to provide shade for his cows, but he knew the animals would appreciate what he was doing.
Virtual fencing and herding systems supplier, Halter is welcoming a decision by the Victorian Government to allow farmers in the state to use the technology.
DairyNZ’s latest Econ Tracker update shows most farms will still finish the season in a positive position, although the gap has narrowed compared with early season expectations.
New Zealand’s national lamb crop for the 2025–26 season is estimated at 19.66 million head, a lift of one percent (or 188,000 more lambs) on last season, according to Beef + Lamb New Zealand’s (B+LNZ) latest Lamb Crop report.
Farmers appear to be cautiously welcoming the Government’s plan to reform local government, according to Ag First chief executive, James Allen.
The Fonterra divestment capital return should provide “a tailwind to GDP growth” next year, according to a new ANZ NZ report, but it’s not “manna from heaven” for the economy.
OPINION: Your old mate welcomes the proposed changes to local government but notes it drew responses that ranged from the reasonable…
OPINION: A press release from the oxygen thieves running the hot air symposium on climate change, known as COP30, grabbed your…
