NZ's handbrake
OPINION: Your old mate gets the sinking feeling that no matter who we vote into power in the hope they will reverse the terminal slide the country is in, there will always be a cohort of naysayers determined to hold us back.
OPINION: The Hound doesn't have the highest regard for multi-national, fundraising conglomerate Greenpeace.
However, he reckons its attempts to cash in on recent devastating flooding in the top half of the South Island was low - even for it.
"In the wake of the Nelson climate floods, Greenpeace is urging the government to address the causes of climate change from New Zealand's biggest climate polluter, intensive dairy," said Greenpeace's 'lead (anti) agriculture campaigner' Christine Rose.
The Auckland-based biking advocate (just how this qualifies her to speak on agricultural issues is perplexing in itself) then went on to assert - in very poor taste - that the flooding was all the fault of agricultural emissions and would never have happened if the use of nitrogen fertiliser were cut and NZ moved away from 'intensive dairying' to more plant-based, 'regenerative organic farming'.
The team meeting at the Culverden Hotel was relaxed and open, despite being in the middle of calving when stress levels are at peak levels, especially in bitterly cold and wet conditions like today.
A comment by outspoken academic Dr Mike Joy suggesting that dairy industry leaders should be hanged for nitrate contamination of drinking/groundwater has enraged farmers.
OPINION: The phasing out of copper network from communications is understandable.
Driven by a lifelong passion for animals, Amy Toughey's journey from juggling three jobs with full-time study to working on cutting-edge dairy research trials shows what happens when hard work meets opportunity - and she's only just getting started.
The New Zealand Fish & Game Council has announced a leadership change in an effort to provide strategic direction for the sector and support the implementation of proposed legislative changes.
AgFirst, New Zealand's largest independent agribusiness consultancy, is turning 30 - celebrating three decades of "trusted advice, practical solutions, and innovative thinking".