Provincial columns 2010
A time to celebrate
Released 27 Dec 2010
As another December draws to an end we prepare to welcome in 2011. While it would be naïve in the extreme to pretend that all is well in the rural sector, especially for hard pressed beef and sheep farmers and those farmers facing the prospect of yet another drought, we also have much to be grateful for as a country. Read more »
Farmers keen to hear what Rangitikei’s proposed district plan may mean for them
Released 27 Dec 2010
Farmers are generally interested in what district and regional councils are up to. After all, the regional and district councils can potentially have a large impact on farming businesses. The Rangitikei District Council has recently released its district plan and are currently talking with landowners and others in the community seeking feedback on what has been proposed. Read more »
Rain recovery
Released 27 Dec 2010
Christmas came early for the delighted farmers in the Bay of Plenty with a good drop of rain to replenish parched pastures. Farmers in some of the driest parts of the country similarly received relief, including Northland, North Auckland, the Waikato region, Taranaki and the Ruapehu district where drought conditions had been officially declared. Read more »
Sledging at decision making
Released 27 Dec 2010
Christmas has come around again. This is the season of good will, and Santa is back with his sledge of goodies. His special treat for farmers was some good summer rain, which hopefully will continue and be enough to revive the growing season bringing prosperity we will all share into the new year. Read more »
Drought implications
Released 27 Dec 2010
This article was written as rain came down in buckets, but the early-summer drought has hit farm production hard. Even if we are blessed with a wet summer the effect on farm incomes will be severe. Urban businesses will feel the impact. Read more »
Its only waste if you don’t have a use for it
Released 20 Dec 2010
Farmers know better than most that anything that comes out the back of an animal is actually productive potential that may be lost. What arrives at the back end of livestock is the integrated product of everything that animal consumed both liquid and solid and what the animal was unable to convert to protein. Read more »
Federated Farmers
Released 20 Dec 2010
At this time of year farmers are trying to get things in order so they can enjoy the festive season. While they are relaxing with their families and friends, they might contemplate what Federated Farmers has done for them and their businesses. Read more »
The other side of the dairy coin
Released 20 Dec 2010
Hot off the press is a report entitled “Dairy’s role in sustaining New Zealand”. It shows the tremendous benefit of dairying to the New Zealand economy, directly accounting for 2.8 percent of GDP, or five billion dollars and providing substantially more in benefit to the wider economy. That is a fair chunk of every single New Zealanders standard of living. Read more »
On the land
Released 20 Dec 2010
At times, life seems to catch you out when you least expect it. I recently spent a night in hospital with a ruptured appendix. These were two new experiences, one was pleasant and one not so. Read more »
Farms valued for more than just scenery
Released 20 Dec 2010
The Kaipara District Council has notified Chapter 18 of their District Plan, which means that it is now officially open for public submissions. Chapter 18 deals with landscape protection, but the Council decided to omit it when the rest of the Plan was notified in October 2009, because the work on identifying the special landscapes hadn’t been finished yet. Federated Farmers supported this move because all the information should be collected before making any decisions. Read more »
