Massey Student Wins Prestigious Pāmu Agriculture Scholarship
William John Poole, a third year Agribusiness student at Massey University, has been awarded the Dr Warren Parker and Pāmu Scholarship.
Your canine crusader notes that the woke folk at Landcorp – sorry Pāmu – were recently crowing about recording a net profit after tax of $68 million for the half-year ended 31 December 2019.
While this may look good on the surface, your old mate reckons it is not as flash as it seems. Actually, in real terms, the result for the half-year was a gain of $22 million.
However, once you strip away the $7m the state farmer slashed in costs and a one-off gain of $6m from the sale of its shares in Westland Dairy – then it is more like $13 million.
However, when you consider Landcorp’s total asset base is $2.16 billion – then it is a very poor return for taxpayers.
This further begs the question just how chief executive Steven Carden can justify an annual salary of $795,950 when his organisation’s return is so poor and why taxpayers are still lumbered with carrying this dog?
OPINION: After two long years of hardship, things are looking up for New Zealand red meat farmers.
A casualty of the storm that hit the Bay of Plenty recently was the cancelation of a field day at a leading Māori kiwifruit orchard at Te Puke.
Michael Wentworth has joined the team at Mission Estate Winery, filling the "big shoes" of former Chief Executive Peter Holley, who resigned in September last year, after almost 30 years running the storied Napier venue.
Some arable farmers are getting out of arable and converting to dairy in the faced of soaring fuel and fertiliser prices on top of a very poor growing season.
The New Zealand seed industry has reached a significant milestone with the completion and approval of the new seed certification system.
New Zealand's persimmon season will kick off early this year, with fruit set to hit shelves soon.

OPINION: If you ask this old mutt, the choice at the next election isn't shaping up as a contest of…
OPINION: A mate of yours says we're long overdue for a reckoning on what value farmers really get for the…