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If there’s one thing aphids like, apart from feeding on young wheat and barley seedlings, it’s warm weather. Temperature makes all the difference to the life cycle of this tiny, potentially costly insect pest.

Healthy, functioning soil — the basis of food and fibre production — is of great interest to farmers and landowners.

The autumn period like last year has produced a consistent spell of warmer weather. With only a couple of light frosts, the soil temperature has remained up, with consistent growth rates for all crops and pasture where consistent irrigation was available.

For the next 3 months, we will look at the following: Autumn sown arable crops, barley grass control in pasture and weed control in lucerne.

Split the payment over three months for larger purchases with Dan Cosgrove, Ensol & FMC.Simply advise the participating supplier that you would like to split your payment. Your invoice will then be split into three equal interest-free payments over the following three months.

Surrounded by dairy farms in Culverden, Robbie and Anna Clark could be forgiven for feeling under siege by the industry, but instead have managed to turn their situation into an opportunity, both for them and their dairying neighbours. The Clarks have established Parkvale Speckle Park Stud, home to one of the country’s fastest growing cattle breeds that is helping dairy farmers meet the challenges of reducing calf wastage, and providing some valuable new genetics to New Zealand’s beef sector.

Canterbury is becoming a hub for growing commitment to regenerative farming. The region’s tapestry of farming regimes and a new generation of farmers keen to try alternative approaches mean regenerative practices are becoming more commonly accepted, and widely discussed. Ashburton farmer Ryan Cockburn is part of the movement, taking the family’s long-time cropping and livestock farm down the regenerative pathway.

Once home to one of the country’s leading red deer herds, Mark and India van der Wilt have put Bangor Farm back on the map, transforming it into a thriving wedding venue and function centre.

For many people around the world, farewelling 2020 came with the hope that 2021 would somehow bring a break to the gloom and depression of the Covid-19 epidemic.  But many in Europe and North America may well have felt 2021 has so far offered little such respite, particularly as winter descended. Meantime in New Zealand the sense of being a lifeboat country amid the tumultuous global epidemic continues. This was only heightened amid the swirl of festive events and holidays as the country enjo...

Recent data from Rabobank provided a very upbeat overview of how well the primary sector has weathered the turmoil of the Covid-19 pandemic. Amidst that turbulence, New Zealand growers and farmers are poised to enjoy the fifth consecutive year of profitability in 2021. Whether it is milk solids, Manuka honey, wine, kiwifruit, or red meat prospects appear sound as the world’s consumers align their diets with good quality, healthy food from a country increasingly seen as an oasis against th...