Work of dedicated greenie on view – Tim Cronshaw:
A lifetime’s work by a Canterbury farmer to lay out a tree canopy on his property, the envy of many farmers, will be opened up to visitors this month.
Lochaber Downs was until lately the home of Graeme and Christine McArthur and they spent decades putting in shelterbelts, woodlots and many varieties of native trees and plants on the 680 hectare hill country and downs property at Whitecliffs, inland Canterbury.
This was rewarded with the couple being named the Husqvarna Farm Foresters of the Year for the South Island. As part of the award they will hold a field day on February 21 despite since selling the farm. The field day has been allowed to continue with the consent of new owner Ken Wragg. . .
Kiwi smashes world barley record – Alan Williams:
Timaru farmer Warren Darling set his mind on a new world barley growing record after going close last season without really trying.
His determination has paid off with the numbers and now he’s just waiting to see if Guinness World Records will ratify the result. Word from the United Kingdom-based group was expected any time.
The January 23 harvest produced a yield of 13.8 tonnes a hectare from the 11.5ha block of land on the coastal Poplar Grove Farm. . .
Dairy man disputes barn finding – Neal Wallace:
A study questioning the merits of wintering barns or free stalls has been slammed as muddled and narrow-focused by an advocate of the system.
Ray Macleod, the manager of Landward Management, a Dunedin company specialising in hybrid dairy farming systems, said the report failed to look at the barn system as part of a year-round production cycle and confused farm intensification with better use of resources.
The study by DairyNZ senior economist Matthew Newman and AgFrirst consultant Phil Journeaux said the jury was still out on the financial and environmental merits of the barns. . .
Astronauts catch on to wool’s fire resistant qualities – Mary-Jo Tohill:
For merino wool protective clothing specialist Andy Caughey, there’s nothing like going straight to the source.
The New Zealand merino wool advocate was at the Central Otago A&P Show at Omakau yesterday, mingling with some of the farmers who grow wool for his UK-based brand, Armadillo Merino.
From the sheep’s back to outer space might sound a bit far-fetched, but not when you’re talking about astronauts, whose under-garments are made from merino wool. . .
Government distrust of Fonterra ‘staggering’:
The level of Government distrust in Fonterra was a “huge shock” according to the man who led the dairy giant’s board inquiry into 2013’s botulism scare.
Speaking at an Institute of Directors function in the Waikato today, Jack Hodder, QC, said the inquiry team was taken aback by the lack of goodwill between the country’s largest company and politicians.
“That was a huge shock. That was probably the most staggering thing,” the Chapman Tripp partner said.
“Accidents happen, but the lack of goodwill Fonterra had in Wellington was a real concern.”
Hodder said what goodwill had existed between the two “evaporated” once the botulism scare broke. . .
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