McRae Wins Southern South Island B+LNZ Director Vote
Matt McRae, a farmer from Mokoreta in Southland who runs a sheep, beef and dairy support business alongside a sheep stud, has been elected to the Beef +Lamb NZ Board as a farmer director.
THE FINALISTS have been announced for the third Beef + Lamb New Zealand (B+LNZ) Sheep Industry Awards.
About 300 people are expected to attend the awards dinner – which recognise top-performing New Zealand sheep breeders – on August 6 in Napier.
Five industry-related awards will be presented. In addition to the Sheep Industry Trainer of the Year, Individual or Business Making a Significant Contribution to the New Zealand Sheep Industry and the Sheep Industry Innovation Award, two new awards have been added. These are the Sheep Industry Science Award, recognising a project, business or person undertaking science that is having a positive impact on farming now, and the Sheep Industry Supplier Award, which recognises a farmer supplier nominated by processors for consistently meeting company specifications and other key performance indicators.
Alongside these awards are the highly anticipated genetics-related awards. These which are calculated based on breeders' performance in SIL-ACE (Advanced Central Evaluation) – the large-scale, across flock and breed genetic evaluation of about 300 ram breeding flocks.
Based purely on genetic merit, awards are presented to the top flocks in six categories: terminal, dual purpose, high performance, dual purpose plus meat, dual purpose plus worm FEC, and dual purpose plus facial eczema.
The 2014 finalists have just been announced. They are:
Blackdale sheep industry supplier of the year
• Dave & Kay Stanley (Rawiri Farm Trust)
• Mark & Rachel, Sam & Karl Zino (Zino Holdings Ltd)
• Horizon Farming Ltd
• Martina & Shaun Lawlor
• Bill & Sue Garland (Rahiri Farm)
• Landcorp Wairio (Grant McGhie, Manager)
Focus Genetics sheep industry science award
• Massey University
• Neville Jopson
• Paul Kenyon
PrimaryITO sheep industry trainer of the year
• Taratahi Agricultural Training Centre
• Waipaoa Station Training Trust
• Smedley Station and Cadet Training Farm
Farmlands individual or business making a significant contribution to the New Zealand sheep industry
• Leon Black
• Steve Wyn-Harris
• Roger Marshall
Allflex sheep industry innovation award
• Matt & Lynley Wyeth
• Andy Ramsden
• AbacusBio Ltd
Alliance Group gold terminal sire award for lamb growth and meat yield
• Mount Linton Station, Mount Linton Suftex
• Focus Genetics, Kepler Supreme
• Kelso, Kelso Tutu Totara Ranger
Telford gold dual purpose award for reproduction, lamb growth plus adult size and wool production
• Twin Farm, Twin Farm TEFRom
• Nithdale Station, Nithdale Romney
• Blackdale Stud, Blackdale Coopworth
2014 Beef + Lamb New Zealand Sheep Industry Genetic Trait Awards – Finalists
SIL-ACE terminal sire for lamb growth
• A Clifton, Te Kawa Poll Dorset
• Mount Linton Station, Mount Linton Suftex
• Kelso, Kelso Tutu Totara Ranger
SIL-ACE terminal sire for meat yield
• Focus Genetics, Huirimu Supreme
• Focus Genetics, Kepler Supreme
• Focus Genetics, Waikite Texel
SIL-ACE dual purpose for reproduction
• Mount Guardian, Mount Guardian Perendale
• Edward Dinger, MNCC Coopworth
• Nithdale Station, Nithdale Romney
SIL-ACE dual purpose for growth (lamb growth & adult size)
• Blackdale Stud, Blackdale Coopworth
• Ashgrove, Ashgrove Coopworth
• Twin Farm, Twin Farm TEFRom
SIL-ACE dual purpose for internal parasite resistance
• Mike McElrea, Gowan Braes Perendale
• Nithdale Station, Nithdale Romney
SIL-ACE dual purpose for facial eczema tolerance
• Hinenui Genetics, Hinenui Coopworth
• Steve Wyn-Harris, Marlow Coopworth
• Focus Genetics, Waihora Romney
Primary Wool Cooperative dual purpose for wool
• Blackdale Stud, Blackdale Coopworth
• Edward Dinger, MNCC Coopworth
• Emily & Sam Welch & Kate Broadbent, Nikau Coopworth
Progressive Meat dual purpose for meat yield
• Newhaven Farms, Newhaven Perendale
• Mike McElrea, Gowan Braes Perendale
• Twin Farm, Twin Farm TEFRom
Potatoes New Zealand has congratulated Peter Reynolds of TA Reynolds Ltd in Pukekohe on being awarded the Horticulture New Zealand Bledisloe Cup, recognising a lifetime of service and contribution to New Zealand horticulture.
Signing up to a benchmarking tool is not about competition, but about improving collectively, says Ximena Puig and Alvaro Luzardo who are 50-50 sharemilkers at a 164-hectare (effective) dairy farm in Eketāhuna in the Lower North Island.
A leading British farming politician says he's impressed with the positive attitude of New Zealand farmers that he met during his recent trip here.
OPINION: With 10,500 dairy farms, New Zealand continues to punch above its weight around the world.
The Southern Dairy Hub (SDH), which runs a demonstration farm for South Island farmers, has a new general manager.
Esther Guy-Meakin has been announced as the new chief executive of the New Zealand Meat Board (NZMB).

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