Parse – to examine in a minute way, analyse critically; to analyse (a sentence) in terms of grammatical constituents, identifying the parts of speech, syntactic relations, etc.; to describe (a word in a sentence) grammatically, identifying the part of speech, inflectional form, syntactic function, etc.; to analyze (something, as a speech or behavior) to discover its implications or uncover a deeper meaning; to analyse (a string of characters) in order to associate groups of characters with the syntactic units of the underlying grammar; an at of parsing a string or text.
Rural round-up
05/07/2017Rangitikei dairy farmer Stu Taylor changes the way he employs dairy farm staff – Jill Galloway:
The social lives of workers are changing and dairy farmers must change the way they employ dairy staff, says a Rangitikei dairy farmer.
Dairy farm owner near Santoft Stu Taylor said he aimed for a roster of five day on and two day off for the 30 staff employed at his farm.
At the DairyNZ ‘People Expo’ in Palmerston North, he said he was committed to a better way of working for dairy farming. . .
Rural women ‘in crisis’: Letter reveals dark side of farm life – Ruby Nyika:
Rural women struggling with mental illness have been neglected for too long, a Waikato woman says.
In a pleading letter sent to Rural Women NZ, Mary Anne Murphy calls for more mental health support and funding specifically for rural women.
Murphy, who no longer lives rurally, felt compelled to act after government ministries announced at Fieldays that $500,000 would be committed to Rural Mental Wellness, targeting struggling farmers. . .
New father Richard Morrison wonders what is ahead in farming for his young son:
Thirteen weeks ago I entered into a new venture: fatherhood. I try and imagine what the future may have in store for little Henry but that task is challenging and a little daunting.
I think about the change we have seen the last 35 years, since my childhood, and even the last 17 since I entered the workforce. The world is a bigger place and it moves a lot faster: I was able to attain a university degree without using a computer – now some toddlers seem to be attached to them.
The prospects for one little person is hard to foresee in this big, fast moving world but there is one thing I do know. Growing up in New Zealand on a farm, in a tight knit rural community, with access to quality local schools prepares you incredibly well for life. This is as true today as it has been for the last 100 years. . . .
Kiwi farmer wins Australasian business management award:
New Zealand sheep and beef farmer Jonny Elder has taken out the 2017 Rabobank Business Development Prize, a trans-Tasman business management award for up-and-coming farmers.
Selected from a group of New Zealand and Australia’s most progressive young farmers, graduates of the 2016 Rabobank Farm Managers Program (FMP), Mr Elder, from Northern Southland, was recognised for his management project – which demonstrated how he had utilised the learnings from the program to create and implement a business plan to maximise the potential of his farm. Designed for emerging farmers, the FMP focusses on the development of business management skills, with an emphasis on strategic planning, leadership and self-awareness. . .
Dairy farmers moving to ‘good returns’ from beef calves – Andrew McRae:
Demand for beef calves is driving down the number of bobby calves being processed and providing a lucrative side business for dairy farmers.
On dairy farms, where 70 percent of all calves are born, those not needed as dairy replacements have traditionally been sent for slaughter.
But that’s now changing, according to Doug Lineham, from Beef and Lamb’s Dairy Beef Integration Project. . . .
Pacific Alliance FTA negotiations hailed:
Federated Farmers says it’s excellent news that New Zealand is underway with free trade agreement (FTA) negotiations with the Pacific Alliance countries of Mexico, Chile, Peru and Colombia.
The announcement by trade minister Todd McClay that the five nations will strive to improve market access and level the playing field is an important step in the New Zealand Trade Agenda 2030 strategy. It also represents the ongoing commitment from four members of the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) to improving the trade environment in the Pacific region. . .
Cycleway success
05/07/2017Are the cycle trails delivering the jobs and economic benefits they promised?
The 83km Timber Trail, which runs between Pureora and Ongarue in the King Country, was one of the earlier trails to be completed, in 2013.
Last year 6500 people rode the trail – and many used the services of Paul Goulding’s Epic Cycle Adventures.
“We started off three-and-a-half years ago with a van, a trailer and four bicycles, and now we’ve got three vans [and] 40-odd bicycles,” Mr Goulding says.
“Business is about 40 percent up each year, so … we are very optimistic.” . .
The Central Otago Rail Trail shows the potential from cycleway.
It took time for people to realise the opportunities for the provision of accommodation, food and other goods and services but the trail now brings thousands of visitors and their money to remote rural communities.
It has brought life to dying towns and provided off-farm income for people on previously isolated properties.
This is being replicated in other parts of the country as new cycleway take off.
One of the more recent success stories is the Alps 2 Ocean cycleway which starts near Mount Cook and finishes in Oamaru.
Not all the trail is off road yet and there are long stretches where people have yet to seize the opportunities to feed, water, accommodate service and sell to the cyclists and their support crews.
But even in its infancy the trail is attracting thousands of cyclists and will host the sold-out Alps 2 Ocean Ultra next summer.
Here’s an appetiser for the trail:
Quote of the day
05/07/2017The surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that it has never tried to contact us. – Bill Watterson who celebrates his 59th birthday today.