WELCOME TO the first of a monthly column I will write in Rural News to update readers on news and views of rural contractors and Rural Contractors New Zealand (RCNZ).

AS A farmer with an interest in soil management I am always looking for information to deepen my understanding of how to best look after the soil on my farm. 

IN LIGHT of the recent botulism scare and having read the Listener editorial (‘A Terrifying Truth’, August 17), the oft-quoted words of Mark Twain come to mind: “Reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated”.  

A NATIVE fly, Ostenia robusta, is being assessed as a possible biocontrol for grass grub after an unprecedented find of its larvae predating the pasture pest last spring.

Any farm with several stock classes presents its challenges but as Peter Burke reports, research farm managers have a whole new level of complexity to deal with.

THREE CONFIRMED cases of resistance to novel drench Zolvix (monepantel) hold messages on the use of the product on farm, says manufacturer Novartis Animal Health.

GREAT GRASS growth more or less nationwide in the past month could have a nasty legacy later in the spring, warns an independent parasite management specialist.

SAVING TIME by mixing teat spray weekly or even less frequently could prove a costly economy in the long-run, warns manufacturer GEA technologies.

International farming equipment company GEA Farm Technologies has appointed New Zealand managing director Jamie Mikkelson to the role of vice-president, area Australasia.

A Stratford farmer is to pay a former worker wage arrears after the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment's Labour Inspectorate identified breaches of minimum employment rights.