Massey Agriculture staff and students celebrated the year's student achievements at a dinner in Palmerston North on Friday.

Farmers were among those thanked for their part in helping reduce nitrogen levels at Lake Taupo.

With cattle keeping on top of feed, demand has been flat in the North Island. Store prices in the paddock have eased slightly although good quality cattle continue to sell well.

Despite a softening in the NZ dollar in recent days, export beef slaughter prices are still being hammered at the expense of the exchange rate.

Farmers wanting information about planting and managing trees in the working landscape will soon be able to access a new online – and free – database.

Federated Farmers believes quantitative easing now would be incredibly bad for New Zealand.

All finalists this year in the Lincoln University Foundation's annual competition are from the central South Island.

Now is the time to take other steps to protect fruit crops from Northland to Waikato favoured by the unwanted Aussie insect invader the guava moth, biosecurity experts say.

Agricultural contractors are reminded they must leave a buffer of at least 2m between waterways and areas cultivated for growing maize.

Winners of the Beef + Lamb NZ Livestock Farm Award, Okahu farmers John and Lurline Blackwell and their son Peter were not in it for the glory.