EARLY SPORE counts point to a potentially severe facial eczema season with vets advising clients to heed the warning signs and protect stock.

    FERTILISER SPREADING speed and accuracy have risen for a Timaru dairy farm manager since he began using Tracmap, the company says. Chris Edge, milking 830 cows on 220ha at Pleasant Point, west of Timaru, first had his whole property digitally mapped by TracMap, then six months ago began using the company’s TracLink farm fertility and nutrient management system. Traclink allows use of a computer to order fertiliser and to select the paddocks to be spread. The software interface allows the farmer to note the type of fertiliser to apply, volume, supplier, timeframe for applying it, any notes on application and the area it needs to be spread on.  All fertilizer is applied on the Edge farm Temuka Transport, who until January 2012 relied on Edge noting the required fertiliser applications on a farm map, and leaving it in their letterbox for the truck drivers to collect.  Now Edge nominates paddocks from a computer map, this information being sent directly to Temuka Transport’s GPS systems.  This has greatly simplified the process, Edge says. “Our internet connection is very slow; I can submit an order in 10 minutes, or five minutes if the internet is quicker.” Software allows farmers to…

Recent publicity around quad bike and ATV accidents has brought ATVs and their riders’ safety under the spotlight again.

Rural Women New Zealand welcomes two rural road safety initiatives it's been promoting getting the green light.

Further research is the key to developing nitrification inhibitors which help farmers reduce environmental impacts while meeting potential international trade requirements, Ballance Agri-Nutrients research and development manager Warwick Catto says.

Both DairyNZ and Fonterra have welcomed the government announcement to set aside $80 million in this year's Budget for irrigation and water storage infrastructure.

A host of high-profile organisations have welcome the announcement of $80 million in funding this year for water storage and irrigation.

Leading rural recycling programme Agrecovery is again offering $5000 worth of rewards to encourage more farmers and growers to get recycling.

With a disproportionate number of suicides in the rural sector, Federated Farmers is calling for a proactive approach to solve the problem.

Up to a million tyres have been buried or otherwise disposed of at a rural Huntly property and the man responsible is nowhere to be found.