RUNNING A profitable farm is always a ‘work in progress’, says Grant Wills, co-winner with partner Karen Preston of the Supreme Award for the Waikato region of the Ballance Farm Environment Awards.

THE JERSEY breed was one of the foundation stones of the New Zealand dairy industry; not so today with the number and popularity of these brown cows diminishing initially in favour of the larger-framed Friesians but more latterly for crossbreds. 

Federated Farmers is encouraging South Island farmers to enter a competition to discover who could become the South Island's farmer of farmers.

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.