Imporving their six-week in-calf rate by just 10% means the average New Zealand dairy farmer (386 cows) stands to benefit from an additional $15,440 (based on a $5.50/kgMS payout).

Attracting a lot of interest at the South Island Field Days, even if only for its appearance, was this reversible, articulated quadtrack made by Antonio Carraro imported from Italy by Doug McFarlane Ltd.

Sometimes a commercial competitive plough does not quite deliver what you want so the only alternative is to build your own and get the best bits from various machines.

Lely is introducing a new range of central delivery double-rotor rakes.

It's shaping up to be an experienced field for the 2012 Grand Final of The National Bank Young Farmer Contest.

Zespri has announced a possible recovery pathway from the devastating vine disease, Psa, which would see a broad-scale release of a new gold variety, known as Gold3 over the next three years.

Tickets for the Grand Final of The National Bank Young Farmer Contest went on sale yesterday.

ANGER AT Zespri marketing mistakes and Government responses to the Psa-V crisis reached boiling point last week with a grower-organised meeting at the Te Puke hall on Friday.

WHETHER NEW Zealand moves to eradicate bovine viral diarrhoea (BVD), or what the next steps are in a co-ordinated approach to control the disease, will be up for debate next month at a meeting of the BVD steering committee.

It came down to the wire in Greymouth at the Tasman Regional Final of The National Bank Young Farmer Contest on Saturday (February 18).