Displaying items by tag: Ian Williams

At the end of this year, and after nearly 25 years working for Pioneer, I will retire.

The most profitable maize silage crop is the one which delivers the highest amount of energy per hectare. To achieve this, crop establishment is critical as maize silage and grain yield are greatly influenced by plant population.

For many North Island farmers, the wet weather just keeps on coming.

I started my career in agriculture in Northland in 1982 as a consultant for the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries.

Over the past few weeks, farmers have begun to receive herd mating results from their vets.

A question I often get asked around this time of year is, “I am trying to reduce my cost of feed.  Is it really worth applying inoculant to my maize silage?” And like any good politician my answer is always the same. It depends.

"You can't have it both ways” was sage advice my father would give me when I was trying to discuss options with him about something I wanted to do. “You have to choose one or the other.”

The recently released NIWA weather outlook for this summer makes interesting reading.

Reports coming in from across the country indicate many farmers and contractors are behind with their crop planting schedule due to the cold, wet spring.

My wife and I recently travelled to England to attend a family wedding in rural Kent.