Stewart Dairylands takes out Regional Supreme Award
James, Debbie, Dave and Jan Stewart, the driving force behind Hiwinui’s Stewart Dairylands, have taken out the Regional Supreme Award at the Horizons Ballance Farm Environment Awards.
An initiative selling fresh spring lamb into Countdown supermarkets has been kicked off by Helensville farmer Richard Kidd.
Kidd is the supreme winner of Auckland's first-ever Ballance Farm Environment Awards.
He was approached Countdown with his proposal to bring back the celebration of new season lamb in New Zealand, merchandise manager meat and seafood, Alton Gullery, told Rural News.
"Traditionally the first spring lamb of the season is shipped to the UK so consumers in the northern hemisphere can enjoy Kiwi lamb in time for Christmas," he says.
"As part of the Kaipara Lamb cooperative, Kidd and seven other family farms have been able to provide new season spring lamb, exclusively for Countdown.
"New season lambs are born around June/July in the Kaipara region north of Auckland before making their way to shelves in selected Countdown stores by late October. New season lamb is very special, with only around 200 lambs being supplied to select Countdown supermarkets per week," Gullery adds.
"While the first season of Kaipara Lamb was relatively small, Countdown sold over 9000 packs of the lamb in 14 weeks -- great for customers who love lamb."
Kidd says they will start the season earlier this year and Countdown will increase the advertising including the point of sale at selected supermarkets across the north.
The lambs leave very early in the morning and go straight to processing.
"They are prime lambs straight off their mums with no drench pretty much," he says. "People say it tastes different because I think it has not been stressed sitting around for hours waiting to be processed. We have had good feedback."
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.
Listed Canterbury milk processor Synlait’s shares have been placed in a trading halt.
OPINION: Even before the National-led coalition came into power, India was very much at the fore of its trade agenda.
A step-by-step guide helping farmers through the process of creating a Freshwater Farm Plan (FWFP) has been launched by FarmIQ.
OPINION: A mate of yours truly wants to know why the beef schedule differential is now more than 45-50 cents…
OPINION: Your canine crusader understands that MPI were recently in front of the Parliamentary Primary Sector Select Committee for an…