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With primary industries crying out for more skilled young people, the Growing Future Farmers programme is helping to fill the gap, training and developing the next generation of passionate sheep, beef and deer farmers.

The end of the road is where Colin Drummond and Erin Cassie share their undeterred passion for their Clydesdales and farming in the wild and rugged landscape of the high country.

From an under-resourced dryland sheep farm to a highly productive mixed cropping operation, Valetta Farms is a testament to the Clark family’s passion for the wider agricultural industry, unwavering love of the land, relentless hard work, and technological advances to ensure the farm’s sustainability for future generations.

Spring once again has delivered a variety of weather conditions with mixed periods of cooler and then warmer weather. We have had regular rainfalls plus one big rainfall with reasonably good weather in between.

The inclination of farmers to be “tidy Kiwis” by repeatedly spraying the vegetation along fence-lines is increasing the risk of herbicide resistance, says Foundation for Arable Research senior field researcher Charles Merfield.

Long before farm nutrient management came under scrutiny, one New Zealand pasture breeding company was routinely keeping all its up-and-coming ryegrass cultivars hungry for nitrogen.

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.

Right now, on dairy farms around the country, farmers are managing feed, animals, budgets, machinery, and weather. They’re having conversations with their bankers and insurers and finding time for their kids. That is just life for farming families, and everyone has to balance their own challenges.

While monoculture crops have become the norm, this wasn’t always the case.

Whether it’s extreme weather events or changing regulations, dealing with uncertainty is a constant for many farmers and growers. Here are farmstrong ambassador Sam Whitelock’s tips for navigating tough times.