App helps get best out of pasture
Ever wondered what the financial result would be if you let pasture weeds get away on you? There's now a tool to find the answer.
The industry association for animal health and crop protection companies has appointed a new president.
Gavin Kerr, Country Manager for agrichemical company Nufarm, was appointed Agcarm’s president at its annual meeting last week.
Kerr says he would like to see one important change implemented before the end of his three-year term: fast-tracked products to the New Zealand market.
“Farmers and growers need and deserve access to the best and latest products. But New Zealand is missing out on new, more effective treatments due to delays that discourage investment in introducing these technologies.
“Delays in the regulation of field trials and research means that our farmers and growers are missing out on cutting edge products. These delays can set back projects for two years, so undermine the viability of having domestic research and development programmes.
“In New Zealand, we require agrichemical companies to invest in trials, which can cost up to $500,000 to register a product. The delays mean that it is not economically viable to introduce some products, making it difficult to find replacements for older and less environmentally friendly products.”
Kerr says New Zealand growers bear the cost through limited access to these products and lost production.
“We must ensure that New Zealand farmers have access to the most effective science and solutions that are sustainable and add value.”
Kerr manages the Nufarm New Zealand business and was first elected to the Agcarm Board in 2016.
Recent rain has offered respite for some from the ongoing drought.
New Zealand's TBfree programme has made great progress in reducing the impact of the disease on livestock herds, but there’s still a long way to go, according to Beef+Lamb NZ.
With much of the North Island experiencing drought this summer and climate change projected to bring drier and hotter conditions, securing New Zealand’s freshwater resilience is vital, according to state-owned GNS Science.
OPINION: Otago farmer and NZ First MP Mark Patterson is humble about the role that he’s played in mandating government agencies to use wool wherever possible in new and refurbished buildings.
For Wonky Box co-founder Angus Simms, the decision to open the service to those in rural areas is a personal one.
The golden age of orcharding in West Auckland was recently celebrated at the launch of a book which tells the story of its rise, then retreat in the face of industry change and urban expansion.
OPINION: The appendage swinging contest between the US and China continues, with China hitting back with a new rate of…
OPINION: The irony of President Trump’s tariff obsession is that the worst damage may be done to his own people.