January ‘hottest month’ on record but farmers say growing season ‘extraordinary‘ – Matt Brown:
January in Marlborough has matched the record for the region’s hottest month since records began in 1932.
The month also smashed the record for days above 30C, with 10 sweltering days compared to the previous record of six in 1990.
But hotter days and cooler nights saw the month tie with January 2018 and February 1998 for the title of ‘hottest ever month’ in Marlborough with the mean temperature of 20.7 degrees Celsius, Plant and Food Research scientist Rob Agnew said. . .
Up to 75 jobs from new North Waikato chicken hatchery – Gerald Piddock:
The opening of a multimillion dollar chicken hatchery in Waikato’s north has bought with it between 50 and 75 jobs and economic benefits to the entire region, say locals and iwi leaders.
Owned by American poultry giant Cobb Vantress, the $70 million hatchery in Rangiriri West, north of Huntly, currently employs 50 staff. That will expand to between 70-75 people once it is fully operational later this year.
For locals Stephen Pearce and Phillip Lorimer, employment at the hatchery was too good of an opportunity for locals to pass up. . .
Rural sector scares off trainees :
Using Landcorp farms in a restructured vocational education training system for the primary industry is one option being considered by the Government.
Farming leaders have called on the Government to buy Taratahi Agricultural Training Centre’s Masterton campus from the liquidators to secure future vocational farm training, saying once gone it will be difficult and costly to replace.
“It is crucial that facility in Masterton remains available to agricultural training,” Federated Farmers chief executive Terry Copeland says. . .
Plantain research a game-changer for farmers :
Game-changing new research into how plantain crops can reduce nitrogen loss from dairy farms will put upper Manawatu farmers at the forefront of dairy science.
Dairy farmers in the Tararua catchment face reducing nitrogen loss from pastures by an average of 60% to meet the Manawatu-Wanganui Regional Council’s One Plan targets.
To achieve them farmers are adopting a range of on-farm changes and the region’s new plantain research could be a key component. . .
Farmers sick of being treated as rates ‘mugs’:
Farmers are out of patience with councils that treat them as cash cows, with a new Federated Farmers survey showing less than 4% believe they get good value for money from their rates.
“It’s local government election year and those chasing our votes can expect some very pointy questions on why average council rates in New Zealand jumped 79.7% between June 2007 and June 2017 when inflation (CPI) for the same period was only 23.1%,” Federated Farmers President Katie Milne says. . .
Navajo shepherds cling to centuries-old tradition in a land where it refuses to rain – David Kelly:
More than a hundred rowdy sheep pressed up against the gates of the corral as Irene Bennalley drew near. Dogs yipped, rams snorted.
Just after 7:30 a.m., she flung open the pen and the woolly mob charged out in a cloud of dust. Well-trained dogs struggled to keep order as the flock moved across the bone-dry earth searching for stray bits of grass or leaves.
“Back! Back!” the 62-year-old Bennalley shouted at the stragglers separating from the flock — ripe pickings for coyotes or packs of wild dogs. . .
Photos reveal Queensland cotton farms full of water while Darling River runs dry –
These photos were taken by the Centre Alliance senator Rex Patrick from a light plane over southern Queensland near Goondiwindi, on Wednesday.
They show rivers such as the Condamine relatively full, and storages on cotton farms holding thousands of megalitres of water.
Yet three hours away in north-west New South Wales, the Barwon and Darling rivers are a series of muddy pools. . .
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