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An online survey of 518 people was conducted between December 2023 and January 2024 with those who work or live on farms to understand their insurance needs, perceptions and behaviours.

No farm business would have missed the significant increase in the cost of insurance in the past year. Tony Leggett investigates what’s behind the increase and the options for reducing the cost in the future.

Learning to live with Kikuyu is the reality for more farmers in the upper North Island. Featured in the brand new Dairy Exporter Summer issue, Natalie and Andre Meier share their learnings from managing the subtropical grass on their farm. Also hear from Northland consultant Kim Robinson who gives her top tips for management of a Kikuyu system.

Pulling in your financial advisers to play the right role depending on your financial skill level will elevate your decision making and business outcomes.
Words Anne lee

Financial literacy can become complicated with a biological business like dairy farming, with so many moving parts which can influence the year’s profit. Tracking farm performance in real time is key to keeping control of the budget.
Words Sheryl Haitana

Understanding and closely monitoring the numbers is helping a North Canterbury farming family drive their business to achieve their goals.
Words Anne lee Photos Holly Lee

Successful farming hinges on more than just good soil and weather; it relies on disciplined financial management, from tidy records to strategic budgeting and clear communication.
Words Chris Lewis

Learning to read the numbers and decipher what they’re telling you is a skill that can be learned. Anne Lee talks to long-time financial educator Paul Bird about the process and discovers the wonder of compounding.

Learning to read starts early in life. It’s a critical skill. Financial literacy and being able to read the language of money and finance is a skill often neglected but one that’s also hugely important. The terms and jargon can be daunting if they’re not familiar to you, so in this special report we’re stepping you through some of those terms with our glossary. Words Anne lee

LIC is dipping its toe in the water with gene editing, collaborating offshore with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and gene technology company Acceligen in the United States to produce animals with gene edits that improve outcomes for cattle in Africa. Why, and what could this mean for New Zealand? Words Anne Lee

Could gene editing animals spell the end to costly, painful diseases? US scientists have used CRISPR and cloning to create an animal resistant to BVD.
Words Anne Lee

The Australian Office of the Gene Technology Regulator (OGTR) will be used as the blueprint for New Zealand’s gene regulator, likely to be proposed in the bill to be introduced to Parliament later this year. Anne Lee looks across the Tasman at what the OGTR is and how it works.

As the creeping Kikuyu plant smothers more pastoral land in the North Island, the decision for farmers is to either fight the Kikuyu or embrace it. Bay of Plenty dairy farmers Andre and Natalie Meier have embraced the summer grass, altered their system to once-a-day and are enjoying the productivity wins.
Words Sheryl Haitana Photos Emma McCarthy

Understanding what bankers are looking for and what key aspects of your finances you should build skills in can make a big difference to successful borrowing.
Words Anne lee

You’ve always tried to breed from your best, and you already know the power of genomics. Through LIC’s new GeneMark Genomic service, you can continue to identify superior genetics with increased reliability at a younger age.

With mating underway it’s important to look at your pasture management systems to make sure your herd is eating well. Keeping quality while there is a surplus and then keeping an eye out on when to slow down your round is important to future proof feed supply. Hear from DairyNZ Farm Systems Specialist Mark Williams, and Chair of Pasture Summit Robbie Ferris, on the keys to successful spring pasture management.