Last weekend’s sunny weather saw people turn up in droves to Federated Farmers fourth annual Farm Day. Around 5000 people came along to the six host farms in Palmerston North, Christchurch, Auckland, Bay of Plenty, Rotorua and Wellington; about 500 more people than last year.

An "absolute passion for the land" has earned Hawke's Bay sheep and beef farmer James Hunter the Supreme title in the 2012 East Coast Ballance Farm Environment Awards.

DairyNZ is searching for prize dairy effluent storage ponds in the first ever New Zealand Prize Pond 2012 Awards.

There will be a bit of sibling rivalry at the Mystery Creek Events Centre this Saturday.

FONTERRA CAN generate cash from within its business to finance growth but needs a stable capital base to do this, says chief executive Theo Spierings. He says TAF (trading among farmers) will ensure a strong capital base for Fonterra.

The winds that hit South Taranaki earlier this month were ferocious, devastating and all over in a matter of hours. But it’ll take several weeks, possibly months to clean up the mess as Dairy News reporter Peter Burke found out when he toured the worst-hit areas last week.

REINFORCING NEW Zealand's strength and reputation in land management is the opportunity for Lincoln University, says former AgResearch chief executive Dr Andrew West who was last week announced as the university's new vice-chancellor.

WHILE WEATHER forecasting is improving all the time, there is still uncertainty to understanding what weather you’ll get when.  

LOBBYING IS underway to gain Australian Government funding for a national programme to conduct energy assessments in dairies.

MANAWATU Rangitikei Horowhenua Sharemilker/Equity Farmer of the Year for 2012, Shaun and Liza Connor, are going up in the dairy industry and reducing their herd size at the same time.