New Aussie farm visas could spell more trouble – Sudesh Kissun:
A new farm work visa proposed by Australia could cause more misery for labour-strapped New Zealand farmers.
By the end of this year, the new visa will be in place, ending a requirement for British backpackers to work on Australian farms for 88 days.
The visa will be extended to 10 ASEAN nations: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.
New Zealand’s dairy industry is a popular destinations for Philippine workers but they could soon be heading to Australia. . .
Caring for the rural community – Neal Wallace:
An endless appetite for work is a feature of many young farming couples, but as Neal Wallace discovers, by any measure Southlanders Jono and Kayla Gardyne have shown an exceptional commitment to their futures – albeit in different areas.
The tribe of magpies chose the wrong time to invade the Gardyne property.
A shotgun resting against a wall was evidence Kayla could no longer handle the disruptive noise and activity outside her home office window, as she studied for her medical degree.
The pests progressively came off second best with six magpies dispatched, reinforcing that not only were they unwelcome, but that Kayla needed to focus on her studies. . .
Grazing support needed for flood-affected Canterbury livestock – Laura Hooper:
Federated Farmers Southland has supported the Ministry for Primary Industries call to Southland for grazing support for more than 5000 livestock as a result of the Canterbury floods.
MPI spokesoman Nick Story said: “Our feed coordinators are currently seeking grazing for more than 5000 sheep from the Canterbury region. The sheep are owned by seven different farmers.”
“There are also six listings of grazing being sought for almost 300 beef cattle.”
The “one in 200-year” weather event has damaged thousands of hectares of Canterbury farmland. . .
Covid boost kiwifruit demand – Peter Burke:
In a somewhat ironic twist, the global Covid pandemic is helping to drive demand for New Zealand kiwifruit.
This season, Zespri estimates that it will sell a total of 175 million trays to export markets – well up on last season’s 155 million trays.
Zespri chief executive Dan Mathieson told Rural News the very strong demand for kiwifruit last season has continued this season.
“More consumers have been looking for healthy and nutritious foods and kiwifruit obviously fits in perfectly to that growing trend, which we also saw last year,” he says. . .
An additional $78,500 has been raised for the Southland Charity Hospital after 64,000kg of donated wool was processed free of charge for sale by wool scour WoolWorks.
The cash is in addition to the hundreds of bales of wool donated by farmers to insulate the hospital in memory of Southland man and cancer sufferer Blair Vining, who died in 2019 but used his illness to raise awareness about the inequality of treatment.
He also successfully initiated a petition to the Government to create a national cancer agency.
The Bales4Blair appeal was spearheaded by South Otago farmer Amy Blaikie, with the goal of collecting bales to be turned into insulation for the Invercargill hospital; 181 farmers and businesses made donations through 21 wool stores. . .
2021 and Beyond – the future of agriculture – Stephen Burns:
Where is agriculture at the moment and where is it going?
That is the background to a forum to be held in Temora on July 27, 2021.
With high prices for their commodities and record values being paid for farming land, it would be understandable to assume primary producers are enjoying a ‘purple patch’ of returns which might induce a sense of complacency.
That is the last emotion Craig Pellow, director of agency QPL Rural, Temora, wants to see happen to famers who have survived many years of drought, so he is hosting this forum. . .
Homepaddock 