Public articles

The New Zealand Institute of Primary Industry Management (NZIPIM) conference was held at Mystery Creek this week, a celebration of the rural professionals supporting our agriculture industry.
Sheryl Haitana talks to the President and Chief Executive of NZIPIM about how they see themselves as a conduit to growing the industry, and the winner of Rural Professional of the Year about his work educating the next generation at Lincoln University. Also hear from Dr Jenny Webster-Brown about the Our Land & Water project, and what farmers can learn from it now about the role of land use on water quality.

The health of the herd is front of mind for dairy farmers, especially with the calving season well underway. Issues like lameness can be costly and disruptive for a herd, so how do farmers keep ahead of the problem in the first place?
We talk to those who know animal health best, including vets and researchers, to discuss what proactive solutions are out there to either minimise or prevent lameness in the first place.

Spotting lame cows is not one of our strong suits. If farmers can detect lameness earlier, it can benefit the cow’s recovery and can help prevent future lameness cases. Words Emma Cuttance.

Kiwis know a thing or two about persistence, toughness and high performance. It’s the same qualities you’ll find in our new Stampede CM142 diploid perennial ryegrass with the CM142 endophyte.

Milk price makes up over 50% of risk in a dairy farm business, and increasingly more farmers are adopting milk hedging options to make their income less risky. Some 20-25% of dairy farmers and manufacturers are using milk hedging tools, but how do farmers find out where to start, and what the risks are?
Hear from experts on some key points to be aware of on various hedging options, and from a farmer who has been fixing his milk price for years: James Atkinson, Derivatives Sales Manager, NZX; David Jensen, Bay of Plenty Farmer; and Brett Wooffindin, Director, Lawson Avery Limited.

Maintaining a fifth-generation farm is no small feat, and the Stewart family farm just out of Palmerston North is a great example of how to keep the family business running into the future. Sheryl talks to both the fourth and fifth generations of Stewarts on the farm, with projects ranging from transitioning to dairy, investing time and money into regenerative native bush, and building a boutique accommodation service.

In the third episode of our GE & GM discussion series, hear from two different sides of the debate, on what the risks are of introducing GE into our market, and how these risks could be managed and identified.
Hear from Jon Carapiet from GE Free New Zealand, and Dr Alec Foster from Scion Research.

The loosening of regulations on GM legislation could disable the opportunity for New Zealand farmers to meet an organic standard, which could ultimately impact our connection to consumers who are demanding clean, safe food. Words Anne Lee

The government has announced a bill will be introduced to parliament this year to change rules and regulations to genetic modification. Access to genetic modification technologies globally already exists, and in this episode we talk to chief executive of Grasslanz Technology John Caradus about what we can learn from overseas, to develop the best system for New Zealand and the work already underway to develop GE forages for farmers here.

With changes to gene editing regulations being signalled by the government, it’s time to have the conversation on why and how this would benefit New Zealand growers, and the general public.

But according to a survey 26% of growers don’t know how they feel about a change in regulations, which begs the question - are we having the right conversations about what gene editing means?

With increasing pressure on food production systems, New Zealand needs to find ways to move forward that are both sustainable and reliable. Words Liz Morley, Research First

This week we caught up with some farmers who shared their expertise at SIDE’s 2024 Conference, along with a geneticist. From new traits being researched for the fertility breeding value, to tackling strategies to reduce N loss, and finally how to navigate the ins and outs of share milking contracts, hosts Sheryl and Anne cover it all.