SOWING RATE could be a bigger driver of pasture persistance than cultivar heritage, an ongoing DairyNZ study suggests.

DOGS WORKING cattle are always at risk but it goes hand in hand with owning a farm or working on one. No matter how careful we are, how clever our dog is, or how quiet the cattle, an expensive canine injury can happen in the blink of an eye.

Associate Professor Andrew Allan, an expert in plant molecular physiology, has been appointed the new director of the Joint Graduate School in Plant and Food Science.

GLOBAL DAIRY prices will remain elevated, but keep drifting down slowly from April highs, say two major bank economists.

AN ATTEMPT by a central North Island Maori trust to buy two dairy farms owned by the Chinese company Shanghai Pengxin has been rejected, despite the Chinese company having asked the trust to put in a bid.

MORE DIVERSITY of pasture species diversity could give dairy farmers more options for managing environmental impacts and improving pasture resilience during drought, says Dr Sharon Woodward, DairyNZ senior scientist. 

HIGH STRESS levels affect cows being trucked from farm to farm, a senior MPI vet is warning.

DROUGHT HAS prompted many more farmers to look hard at how they handle and feed silage, says equipment supplier Webbline.

IN A move apparently designed to appease farmers affected by its One Plan, Horizons Regional Council now proposes all farmers who need a consent under the One Plan will get one – to continue farming.  

The annual South Island Dairy Event was held at Lincoln last week and while many sessions were sector specific, there were plenty of take-home messages for the wider farming industry. Andrew Swallow reports.