Those entrants who used their summer holiday to prepare for the 2016 New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards could have an advantage, as activity gears up in this year's competitions.

El Nino will still be the main climate driver for the next three months or perhaps even longer despite recent rain, says Chris Brandolino, principal scientist forecasting at NIWA.

The Queen Elizabeth II National Trust has paid tribute to environmentalist Gordon Stephenson, who passed away last month.

Dairy farmers are being urged to attend next month's profitable dairy farming conference in Ashburton.

The farm dairy is literally the heart of the farm and the need to replace, renovate or build new is a significant event in the life of any farmer and any farm.

Those big black lumps at each corner of your tractor are the contact with the ground, and as such they ultimately convert the power delivered by the engine into traction.

Mastitis remains the biggest dairy disease for farmers.

Plastic DairyFlo liners have helped a Waikato sharemilker produce what Fonterra judges to be some of the finest milk in the country.

Pasture growth and utilisation is becoming increasingly important as farm businesses face ongoing environmental and milk price challenges.

Pasture based farming is most profitable when the pastures are managed to provide the highest quality feed at all periods during the season, maximising the amount of pasture grown and eaten.