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Once seen as the “protein farm” for the United Kingdom with an ample supply of butter, cheese and red meat for the old country, two generations of farmers later, New Zealand is offering a rapidly expanding variety of niche crops and food farming forefathers would not have dreamt of.

Rightly or wrongly, Level 4 lockdown saw the recreation of hunting despite its isolated nature and comparatively low injury rate, deemed off limits and understandably, my business was not considered an essential service, although some diehard viewers might disagree! Could our Covid-19 situation have been handled better given we are one of the most isolated countries in the world? Yeah probably, but I sure as heck wouldn’t want to be in charge of steering the bus through the unknown…

When it comes to selecting a rape cultivar for summer feed, it is important to base this decision on the potential yield needed at key times. There are, however, other important factors to take into consideration. One that is often overlooked is the quality and palatability of the stem. Another key trait that must be considered is the plant's natural ability to combat aphid pressure. When properly balanced, these three factors will not only ensure a reliable yield but will maximise the plan...

A fertile soil with physical health issues can still perform poorly, so it could be time for a physical health check.

Weed competition can have a significant detrimental effect on brassica yield from very early in the growing season. Corteva™ Agriscience has farmers covered with a suite of post emergence forage brassica herbicides that provide a solution for all situations and have made their mark as reliable and trusted options in this category.

When he felt the earth move below him as he lay with his leg crushed between the farm ute and his motorbike, Fairlie farmer Andrew Hurst felt relief dull some of the pain surging through his body. The shaking signalled the arrival of the Westpac Rescue Helicopter, and the saving of his leg.

Affectionately known as “The Glob” GlobalHQ’s rural health caravan was the brainchild long time rural ambassador Craig “Wiggy” Wiggins.

The Ruralco Supplier Awards have been an opportunity to recognise and celebrate the mutually beneficial relationship between Ruralco suppliers and co-operative members

Spring has once again delivered a variety of weather conditions after a warmer than usual August and September period and October and November had mixed weather. Soil temperatures struggled to rise with inconsistent sunshine hours meaning crops and pastures over this period were slow to establish

For the next three months we are looking at the final sprays for finishing off our cereal and grass seed crops, getting our silos cleaned up before harvest, continuing our post emergence sprays on fodder beet, pre and post emergence sprays on forage brassicas and weed control in new pasture.