Jersey 'right balance' field day
The future of sustainable, profitable and environmentally friendly dairying will be on full display at the upcoming 'The Right Balance' field day at NZ Young Farmers' Donald Farm in South Auckland.
Two students from Southland Girls’ High School have been selected for the trip of a lifetime to the US.
Sarah Humphries, 17, and Kayla Calder, 16, have been chosen to attend the 4-H Congress in Bozeman, Montana in July.
They’re among six TeenAg members from across New Zealand picked to take part in the sought-after exchange.
“I’m really excited and a bit shocked. It’s going to be such an amazing opportunity,” said Sarah.
Her parents have a 570 ha farm at Five Rivers, which runs sheep and grazes dairy heifers.
“The United States has large ranches and feedlots and I can’t wait to learn more about their style of farming,” she said.
Students will stay with host families and explore Yellowstone National Park as part of the three-week exchange.
“A highlight will be spending four days attending the 4-H Congress,” said Bridget Huddleston from NZ Young Farmers, who will chaperone the students.
“The girls will participate in educational workshops, hear from professional speakers and mingle with 400 other delegates. It will be an amazing opportunity.”
Tyla Bishop, 17, from St Kevin’s College in Oamaru hopes the trip will help broaden her understanding of global food production.
“Being selected was a big surprise,” said the Year 13 student who lives on a 700-cow dairy farm in the Waitaki Valley.
“I’ve never been to Montana, so I’m really looking forward to the experience.”
Tyla has spent the summer holidays working on another dairy farm to help pay for the trip.
The three other students taking part are Olivia Mackenzie from Ashburton, Rhiannon Simpson from Timaru, and Mikayla McClennan from Te Awamutu.
It’s hoped the inaugural exchange will become a biennial event.
Sarah, Tyla and Kayla have all completed the Leadership Pathway Programme (LPP), which is a unique leadership course run by NZ Young Farmers and funded by the Red Meat Profit Partnership (RMPP).
Holstein Friesian excellence was front and centre at the 2025 Holstein Friesian NZ (HFNZ) Awards, held recently in Invercargill.
The work Fonterra has done with Ballance Agri-Nutrients Ltd, LIC and Ravensdown to save farmers time through better data connections has been recognised with a national award.
This past week has seen another round of negotiations between India and New Zealand to produce a free trade agreement (FTA) between the two countries.
Cautiously optimistic is how DairyNZ's regional manager for the lower North Island, Mark Laurence describes the mood of farmers in his patch.
The Infrastructure Commission has endorsed a plan by Chorus to expand fibre broadband to 95% of New Zealand much to the delight of rural women.
Questions are being raised about just how good the state of the dairy industry is - especially given that the average farmgate payout for the coming season is set to exceed $10/kgMS.
OPINION: Dust ups between rural media and PR types aren't unheard of but also aren't common, given part of the…
OPINION: The Hound hears from his canine pals in Southland that an individual's derogatory remarks on social media have left…