Using a computer is now an essential part of running a farm business so a course teaching farmers the basics has attracted investment from the red meat sector. Two years ago Pongaroa-based farm consultant Rachel Joblin ran the first basic computer skills course to meet demand from members of her local community. It was such […]
Health and safety is the ‘hot topic’ of the moment. “How do the legislative changes affect me and business?” This is the question we’re frequently asked at Primary ITO. People are also uncertain about what is actually needed to ensure their business is safe and compliant. So, what are the answers? There are many information […]
The Commerce Commission has released its draft report on its statutory review of Fonterra’s Milk Price Manual for the 2015/16 dairy season. The Manual sets out how Fonterra will calculate how much it will pay dairy farmers for raw milk. The Commission is required to report annually on the extent to which the Manual promotes the […]
A beacon of light has been shone on one of the country’s top exports yesterday, when a new method for indicating whether or not a product is Manuka Honey was unveiled at Parliament. UMF Honey Association (UMFHA) spokesperson John Rawcliffe said the organisation in partnership with Analytica Laboratories and Comvita Innovation, had developed a portable […]
An innovative milk chilling system that will help Canterbury farmers meet new cooling regulations and save on energy costs was on shown at the Ashburton A & P Show. New cooling regulations, which come into effect from mid- 2016, will require milk to be chilled to 6 degrees Celsius within two hours of milking. Around […]
Another Water Shortage Direction for the Opihi River and its tributaries – which includes the Opuha River and Lake Opuha – is in effect from Thursday 29 October for 14 days. The Direction requires Opuha Water Limited to maintain a minimum flow of 5 cubic metres per second in the Opihi River (at the Saleyards) […]
North Island farmers are being invited to update their cropping knowledge at a new one-day field event on Thursday 10 December. The field day, run by FAR, is being held at FAR’s Northern Crop Research Site at Tamahere, near Hamilton. CEO Nick Pyke says FAR, which carries out levy funded research and extension for the […]
“You wouldn’t fly a plane without instruments these days would you?” questions Craig Sanders, an agribusiness and cloud accounting specialist at Crowe Horwath. However, when it comes to farming, that’s exactly what he believes is happening too often on New Zealand farms. “There are too many farmers effectively flying blind without the right kind of […]
Environment Canterbury today reported less serious non-compliance with resource consent conditions in the 2014-15 dairy season than in the previous year, but higher rates of minor non-compliance. Marty Mortiaux, Regional Manager Monitoring and Compliance, said the season was a very challenging one for farmers facing reduced payouts and drought conditions. “Dairying has been growing in […]
Diana Mathers from FAR is the recipient of the 2015 New Zealand Institute of Agricultural and Horticultural Science AGMARDT Technology Transfer Award. The award was made in recognition of the significant impact of her work around environmental and economic sustainability on cropping farms. Diana is FAR’s Cropping Systems Research Manager, a role she has held […]