Wool pellets to boost gardens
With wool prices steadily declining and shearing costs on the rise, a Waikato couple began looking for a solution for wool from their 80ha farm.
NZ Wool Services International's North Island offering of 5400 bales received strong support with 99% selling, chief executive John Dawson says.
A similar currency range to last weeks' sale on November 5 saw the weighted indicator down only 0.16% playing a minor role, with awakening Chinese interests and steady enquiry from other sectors underpinning the market.
Dawson advises fine crossbred full fleece and second shears were firm to 4.5% dearer, with the shorter types supported the most.
Coarse full fleece were also firm with shears 1 to 2.5% stronger.
Oddments were generally firm. There was strong competition with China, Australasia and Western Europe principals, supported by India, Middle East and the United Kingdom.
The next sale on November 19 comprises about 5700 bales from the South Island.
A leading farm consultant says it's likely the dairy season in the Waikato will come to a premature end because of the drought.
Dairy farming siblings Manoj Kumar and Sumit Kamboj's message to other immigrants is simple - work hard and you will be rewarded.
Last season was a mixed bag for Waikato contractors, with early planted forage maize, planted on the dry soils around Cambridge, doing badly after germination and failing to meet potential, says Jeremy Rothery, Jackson Contracting.
A marked turnaround in the financial performance of Canterbury milk company Synlait has halted a threatening exodus of farmer suppliers.
Unnecessary box ticking and red tape are set to go under the Government's new RMA reforms - much to the delight of farmers.
An Auckland man who illegally killed and sold pigs and a chicken has been fined $8,000.