AI-powered fertiliser mapping a game changer for farmers
Sheep and beef farmers Matt and Kristin Churchward say using artificial intelligence (AI) to spread fertiliser on their sprawling 630ha farm is a game changer for their business.
The company will also provide a series of packages designed to support farmers as they recover from a storm which, according to Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy, has had an impact on about 80% of the primary sector in the region.
Ravensdown's Northland regional manager Mike Wilson says the $20,000 donation and the accompanying relief packages are vital, especially when the floods have come on the back of a significant drought earlier in the year.
"It has been a very hard year for the Northland rural community and, as a farmer-owned cooperative, we want to help them get back on their feet as quickly as possible," he says.
Dairy farmer Graham Beatty says the floods have been a "kick in the teeth" to the local community and to the farming sector. The one-year-old 44-bale rotary shed on his 350ha farm between Dargaville and Whangarei is knee-deep in water and his cows are currently calving on the surrounding hills to avoid the flooding.
"Everything has gone into survival mode," he says. "We're feeding out supplementary feed and hoping for the best."
Ravensdown farmers in the Northland region are being offered three relief packages to assist with feed and re-grassing options, and help with access to supplementary feed.
Wilson says the packages are designed to meet the immediate and medium term needs of those hit by the floods.
"We want to make sure we are able to provide effective support as quickly as possible."
Details of the packages will be available on the Ravensdown website and from Northland Ravensdown representatives.
