Beaumont Bark Up a fun way to support Farmstrong – Evelyn Thorn:
Mental health is a continuing issue for the rural sector, and what better way than a traditional bark up to both combat the strains of farm life, and do its bit to bring the issue to wider attention through its supportive fundraising efforts. Reporter Evelyn Thorn whiled away a couple of hours at the second annual Beaumont Bark Up recently, and talked to organiser Jana Fransbach to find out why she is supporting a cause close to her heart.
This year marked the second Beaumont Bark Up, where dogs from just down the road, to as far afield as Owaka, travelled to put their best bark forward and compete for prizes.
Organised by Beaumont Hotel bar manager and local shepherd Jana Fransbach, the event was held not only to bring local farmers and shepherds together to the hotel for some laughs and fun, but also to raise funds for rural wellbeing charity Farmstrong.
Proceeds from the evening, including a modest, $10 entry fee, went to Farmstrong, a national programme dedicated to supporting mental health within the community of all New Zealand farmers. . .
Dairy farmers keep Karen’s dream alive :
Dairy farmers are keeping a dream alive for Karen Chapman, who grew up on a dairy farm in the small Waikato settlement of Otaua and has only ever wanted to milk cows.
Karen has been supported by a network of dairy farmers in and around Pukekohe, many of them participants in the IHC Calf & Rural Scheme fundraising scheme, who raise animals and donate the proceeds to IHC.
This year, the IHC Calf & Rural Scheme marks its 40th anniversary by celebrating all the farmers who have made lives better for people with intellectual disabilities in their communities. Over those 40 years, the scheme has raised $40 million.
Karen’s dream looked pretty hopeless because her Dad Noel Chapman, a sharemilker, died while she was still a teenager and she and her Mum Olive shifted into Pukekohe. Then, in a double tragedy, her mother died suddenly too, and Karen moved into IHC residential care. . .
Plan to plant half land in trees for timber – Sandy Eggleston:
The new owner of Wisp Hill Station plans to grow trees for timber on about half of the 5500ha property and is not carbon farming.
Last year, the station was bought by Ingka Investments from Southland brothers Leonard and Graham Ward.
Ingka Group is the largest IKEA retailer and represents about 90% of IKEA retail sales. It has three business areas: IKEA Retail, Ingka Centres and Ingka Investments.
Ingka Investments forestry portfolio manager Andriy Hrytsyuk said while agriculture had been an important part of the New Zealand economy, forestry also had a role to play. . .
Nursery growers’ green shoots for industry :
A new programme to draw people into the primary sector has hit a major milestone – pairing up an aspiring nursery grower with an industry mentor.
Primary ITO’s PiPI (Pathways into Primary Industries) is at a pilot stage where career-ready people can connect to business owners to help them launch into a career.
It is a new area for Primary ITO, providing a matching service between people who want to join the sector, mentors happy to help, and even businesses looking for people.
There’s previously been a gap in doing this, says Primary ITO’s chief executive Nigel Philpott. . .
New independent directors appointed to DairyNZ board:
A financial expert and a transformational chief executive are the two independent directors to be appointed to DairyNZ’s Board of Directors.
Margaret Devlin fills an existing vacancy, while Mark Todd replaces Peter Schuyt who will be stepping down in October after almost nine years on the Board.
DairyNZ chair Jim van der Poel says the Board is delighted to bring such quality directors as Margaret and Mark on board.
“Both Mark and Margaret are exceptionally talented and experienced professional directors and will bring a fresh perspective as the Board oversees the delivery of DairyNZ’s strategy,” he says. . .
Knoydart community owns Britain’s remotest mainland pub:
A community in Lochaber has succeeded in its bid to buy Britain’s remotest mainland pub in a landmark deal.
Residents of the Knoydart Peninsula in Lochaber are now the owners of The Old Forge in Inverie.
The only way of reaching the village – and its pub – is by walking 18 miles (29km) or making a seven-mile (11km) sea crossing.
The pub’s Belgian owner Jean-Pierre Robinet put the pub on the market last year, asking for offers over £425,000. . .
Posted by homepaddock 
Homepaddock 