Top farm consultant predicts early end to Waikato dairy season
A leading farm consultant says it's likely the dairy season in the Waikato will come to a premature end because of the drought.
The future will see a continuation of the trend to fewer and larger farms, most of which will be ‘family corporates’, says AgFirst chief executive James Allen.
He says larger farms place more emphasis on reporting and information requirements than smaller ones.
Allen says he’s been talking to universities around the country about the implications stemming from his report and he says “they get it” and are starting to think about how they can best meet the needs of industry in the future.
He says while there may need to be changes to degree courses, it is essential for farm consultants of the future to have to have a core understanding of the basic principles of farming.
“The likes of an AgScience or BAgCom that gives an understanding of soils, pasture and livestock and how to integrate these is critical. What we need overlayed with that is a new set of skills around such things as data base management, GIS software skills and getting the best out of AI technology,” he says.
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For Marlborough Sounds farmer Noel Moleta, farming hair sheep that need no shearing is one of the keys to running a low-input, low-intervention operation in a difficult and highly remote location.
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DairyNZ has set a new levy rate of 4.5c/kgMS from 1 June 2025 and aims to keep the levy at no more than this rate for a minimum of three years.
As it enters its second year, Zespri says the first year of the Zespri Innovation Fund (ZAG), has been “really positive”.
Rural trader Farmlands has launched an exclusive new casual clothing range across its 42 stores nationwide and online.
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