Farmers need backing like All Blacks: Luxon– Sally Rae:
Every man and his dog attended the Wānaka A&P Show.
Organisers estimated at least 44,000 people attended the two-day event and thousands crowded around the main ring on Saturday for the ever-popular and ever-chaotic terrier race.
After a false start -one little dog broke early -mounted police officer Ashleigh Smail, of Invercargill, and Bentley dragged the bait around the arena and the usual mayhem ensued.
Constable Smail described it as an “amazing” experience. Admitting to being a little nervous prior to the race, she had her horse since he was young and he was very experienced, so she thought he was “going to be a good boy”. . .
Energy colonialism will worsen rural-urban divide – Joel Kotkin:
In his drive to conquer China, Mao Zedong and his most famous general, Lin Biao, stoked “a peasant revolution” that eventually overwhelmed the cities. In those days, most Chinese toiled on the land, a vast manpower reservoir for the Communist insurgency. Today, in a world where a majority lives in urban settlements, such a strategy would be doomed to failure.
The small percentage of rural and small-town residents in most advanced countries — generally under 20 percent — lack the numbers to overwhelm the rest of society. Political and economic elites feel free to ignore the countryside, but they may find they do so at their peril. Although now a mere slice of the population, rural areas remain critical suppliers of food, fiber (like cotton), and energy to the rest of the economy.
Residents in agricultural areas have good reason to feel put upon. Their industries are often targeted by regulators and disdained by the metropolitan cognoscenti. They may not be hiding in the caves of Yan’an, but farming communities from the Netherlands to North America are rebelling against extreme government regulations, such as banning or restricting critical fertilizers or the enforced culling of herds. Meat and dairy producers are assaulted in a hysterical article in the New York Times that predicts imminent “mass extinction” caused by humans and suggests that to keep the planet from “frying” we will need to reduce meat and dairy consumption in short order. . .
New Zealand pip fruit harvest re-estimated after Cyclone Gabrielle :
The New Zealand pipfruit crop has been re-estimated after Cyclone Gabrielle affected parts of the East Coast of the North Island.
While Tairāwhiti Gisborne crop re-estimates are yet to be completed, at this stage, the overall New Zealand crop is estimated to be down 21% on the original January crop estimate, resulting in a volume of 16.1 million TCEs (tray carton equivalent).
Central Otago and Nelson/Tasman continue to experience good growing and harvest conditions, and are on track to meet forecast crop expectations.
On the East Coast, there is a clear distinction between blocks that have been significantly and severely affected by the storm, and blocks that are untouched. For unaffected blocks, the remaining crop harvest is well underway, and conditions for the remaining harvest period look good. . .
Waikato Dairy Award winner passionate about all farming opportunities :
The major winner in the 2023 Waikato Dairy Industry Awards has a genuine passion for all things farming and believes there are many opportunities within the dairy industry for those who are willing to work hard and push themselves.
For the first time, a sole female farmer has won the Waikato Share Farmer category.
Aleisha Broomfield was announced winner of the region’s Share Farmer of the Year category at the Waikato Dairy Industry Awards annual awards dinner held at Claudelands Event Centre on Wednesday evening. The other big winners were Sam Dodd, who became the 2023 Waikato Dairy Manager of the Year, and Natasha Price, the 2023 Waikato Dairy Trainee of the Year.
Aleisha is a 50/50 herd-owning share milker on the Dibble Family’s Tauhei Farms Ltd 86ha Te Aroha farm, milking 245 cows. She won $15,828 in prizes and four merit awards. . .
Southland Otago Dairy Industry Award winners environment focussed :
The winners of the 2023 Southland/Otago Dairy Industry Awards Share Farmer of the Year category say they love to see people thrive and progress through the industry and believe there are still many opportunities in the dairy industry.
Michael and Shahn Smith were announced winners of the region’s Share Farmer of the Year category, announced at a dinner at Bill Richardson’s Transport World in Invercargill on Tuesday night. The other big winners were Nicole Barber who was named the 2023 Southland/Otago Dairy Manager of the Year, and Ann-Kristin Loferski, the 2023 Southland/Otago Dairy Trainee of the Year.
The Smiths saw the Awards process as an opportunity to reflect on their business. “We wanted to push ourselves with goal-setting and have conversations with like-minded people regarding the future of farming and the legacy we can leave the future generations.”
Prior to entering the dairy industry, Michael worked as a Land Management Officer (Riparian) for the Taranaki Regional Council. “My education is environmental-based, and I’m passionate about leaving the land better than we found it.” . .
Countdown has today announced a range of targeted support to help growers who have been impacted the most severely by Cyclone Gabrielle to get back on their feet.
The package of support includes $700,000 ring-fenced for cash grants, a $50,000 donation to Rural Support Trust, and other in-kind targeted support as well as commitments around future growing agreements.
Countdown’s Commercial Director for Fresh, Pieter de Wet, says that as growers continue to assess their needs three weeks on from the devastating cyclone, the retailer is committed to helping their partners in a practical and meaningful way.
“The weather events over the past few weeks have caused immense destruction that will have a long-lasting impact on many communities and their livelihoods. That includes our growers who play a vital role in ensuring Kiwi have access to healthy fresh fruit and veg” says de Wet. . .
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