Rural round-up

Scientist warns of soil biodiversity loss:

The scientist responsible for making next year the United Nations International Year of Soils says far too little is known about the microscopic life forms which are critical to healthy soil.

Stephen Nortcliff is the Emeritus Professor of Soil Science at the University of Reading in England.

He said there has been a massive loss of biodiversity across the globe thanks to human intervention and it was not clear how much of that loss had happened beneath our feet. . . .

Be Good to Bees Because … September is Bee Aware Month:

September is Bee Aware Month and the National Beekeepers Association is urging all Kiwis to promote and protect the New Zealand bee population.

“We want Kiwis to Be Good to Bees Because … they support over $5 billion annually of the country’s agri-industry exports and they help to grow one third of all the food we eat, never mind helping our home gardens to flourish,” says NBA chief executive, Daniel Paul.

“The bees in New Zealand are faring a lot better than in many other countries, where bee populations are often under threat, but we still need to promote and protect our Kiwi bees. . .

University of Canterbury to help with forestry safety:

The University of Canterbury is to launch a new research project to make sure New Zealand’s new forestry roads are safe and are established with minimal environmental impact.

The New Zealand forestry industry is building more than 1400km of new roads a year and the research, to be conducted by Dr Kris Brown, will help improve design standards.

“The importance of infrastructure is widely recognised by forestry stakeholders, but the New Zealand Independent Forestry Safety Review Panel has heard that the quality and adequacy of forestry roads, bridges and skid sites are variable and often not up to the mark.

“I hope our research at the university’s School of Forestry will help raise standards for design, construction and maintenance of forestry roads. . . .

 Irrigators under pressure are offered help:

IrrigationNZ is helping irrigators respond to increasing public pressure by educating them on how they can reduce their impact on New Zealand’s waterways.

The ‘Great Irrigation Challenge’, a training and information event, will also help irrigators understand what the government’s new freshwater policy means and how to respond to it with practical and technical solutions.

“In the context of extreme public scrutiny on water use for agriculture as a dairy farmer or industry investor, sharemilker, farm manager or staff member, your livelihood and business continuity more than ever requires a high level of knowledge, expertise and skill,” says Andrew Curtis IrrigationNZ CEO. . . .

 Five vying for DairyNZ director position:

Five nominations have been received for the farmer-elected director position on the DairyNZ board:

The five farmers seeking a four year term as a DairyNZ director are:

* Donna Smit (Whakatane, Bay of Plenty)

* Murray Jamieson (Okaihau, Northland)

* Greg Maughan (Marton, Manawatu),

* Jim van der Poel (Ohaupo, Waikato) and

* Dirk Sieling (Whitianga, Waikato)
The election follows the resignation of Taranaki farmer Barbara Kuriger, who is standing down from the board to dedicate herself to her new role as the National Party candidate for the Taranaki-King Country electorate in the September General Election. . . .

 

Farmers Don’t Have to Wait for Rural Broadband

Farmers who want to harness rapid advancements in agricultural technology don’t have to wait for rural broadband to reach their property, with internet service provider Wireless Nation working with PGG Wrightson to make slow and unreliable rural internet a thing of the past.

Wireless Nation has already been receiving positive feedback from rural customers since it started rolling out satellite broadband through the Optus satellite network, earlier this year.

Paul Sheridan, Vice President, Optus Satellite, says, “We operate dedicated transponders on our D2 satellite that provide very good line-of-sight to New Zealand’s landmass. This means that Wireless Nation can be confident in the delivery of quality broadband services to their customers regardless of where they are based.” . . .