The recent decline in the NZD, low interest rates, a good breaking of the drought, plus good dairy prices have left farmers in good heart at this year's national Fieldays, says BNZ chief economist Tony Alexander.

A hand-held device used to read ear tags on farm animals, developed by Massey industrial designer Tony Parker and technology company Gallagher, has won the inaugural International Innovation Award at Fieldays.

Judges were overwhelmed by the high standard of entries in the Fieldays Innovation Competition at Fieldays yesterday.

The 7400 bales on offer in the North Island today saw strong demand due to the lack of wool as a result of drought and in particular in the South Island wet weather conditions delaying shearing.

The Reserve Bank today left the Official Cash Rate (OCR) unchanged at 2.5%.

A total 26,648 people came through the gate for the first day yesterday of the New Zealand National Agricultural Fieldays at Mystery Creek.

A Kiwi company with an innovation and technology focus has invented the first ever New Zealand-made electronic milk meter designed to use every milking, every day.

The 2013 New Zealand kiwifruit season has already set records for the best-tasting Zespri Kiwifruit ever.

Fonterra farmers in the Tasman region hung up their milking aprons and got out the gardening gloves to teach local kids about life on a dairy farm during the winter months.

Michael Stein, a former director of quality for one the world's leading companies in paediatric nutrition, will join Synlait Milk as general manager quality later this month.