New Feds VP Ready To Work For Farmers
Newly appointed Federated Farmers vice president Sandra Faulkner says she is honoured and excited to hold the role.
Oamaru vet Dr Merlyn Hay, who in 2017 outed Mycoplasma bovis on an Oamaru dairy farm, won the premier award at the Feds conference.
She was one of several people recognised for outstanding contributions to the primary sector.
“I was just doing my job,” she told Rural News in response. “It’s very humbling and I’m not sure it’s entirely deserved.”
Hay says when she saw the unusual and distressing symptoms in the farm’s cows and calves she talked to colleagues, trying to brainstorm ideas and see the signs that would lead to an unusual diagnosis.
“I was encouraged by Associate Professor Richard Laven at Massey University that we shouldn’t rule out the possibility of an exotic disease,” she said.
Hay’s nominator for the award said they’d always found rural vets willing to go the extra mile, but says her actions had given that a whole new meaning.
“She didn’t have to do what she did, but the country is better for it. Dr Hay has saved the New Zealand primary sector millions of dollars and potentially enabled our country to achieve what no other country has -- to rid itself of this disease.”
The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) has announced has opened applications for the 2026/27 funding round of the Greenhouse Gas Inventory Research (GHGIR) fund.
New Zealand’s vegetable sector will take centre stage at Parliament today, celebrating a vital industry and sharing a clear, future focused vision for how it can continue to thrive.
New Zealand red meat exports reached a second consecutive monthly record in May, rising to $1.6 billion, according to the Meat Industry Association.
Patoa Farms Limited, New Zealand's largest pig farm, has been sold for an undisclosed price.
Potatoes New Zealand says it congratulates Amber Davy of Eurogrow on her recent win at the 2026 Canterbury Young Grower of the Year competition.
For Tararua District dairy farmer Lisa Lyons, ongoing professional development has always gone hand-in-hand with life on the farm, but a major health challenge prompted her to take her study journey even further.

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