Latest News

A family legacy of forward-thinking coupled with careful planning, world-class breeding and a proud agricultural heritage, will ensure the McKerchar family’s Shrimpton’s Hill in Cave, South Canterbury, remains at the forefront for generations to come.

Northland’s humid sub-tropical climate means avocados have always thrived in the top part of the North Island. But the gradual drift to plant them has become a flood in recent years as dairy farms are converted and irrigation projects open up more land for orchard plantings.

Words by Richard Rennie. Electricity users throughout New Zealand, including irrigation users have been grappling with ever rising electricity costs for the past five years, a fact confirmed by the recent Electricity Authority market monitoring review of the wholesale electricity market. In late October the Electricity Authority released papers outlining the main conclusions it had drawn from its review of the wholesale electricity market. The review was prompted by the surge in prices since the...

Despite uncertainty around Covid and regulatory compliance issues, Ruralco has shown it is more resilient than ever, recording positive financial results for its 2021 financial year.

Farm electricity costs have pushed on relentlessly upwards in recent years, with the past two years in particular highlighting the volatility in prices.

This year’s Instore Days was an incredible success. Our hybrid event held on 1 and 2 July offered opportunities to get the deals online, in stores and in the marquee, as well at some of our card retailers own premises. The food trucks in the Ashburton store marquee were a great hit with our members who enjoyed a day out with a variety of food options and a chance to catch up with each other in our outdoor area.This year, Ruralco’s Instore Days kicked off from 1 June and every $250 sp...

Words by Penny Clark-Hall, images supplied  “You can’t get more authentic than a rural community” or so the saying goes. The rich tapestry of rural communities is a beautiful and powerful thing. The highs and lows of life that are enjoyed and endured are made all the richer for sharing the joy and burden with those that chose to make rural New Zealand their home. Whether it is by necessity, chance or devotion, there must be something in the water that turns these peop...

This fifth-generation family has also been making an effort to ensure that if the sixth generation choose to continue farming.

Despite uncertain times facing the agricultural sector with a mounting list of Government regulations and policies, impacts from combating climate change and more extreme weather conditions, young farmers Sam Dalziel and James Wright remain committed to forging a career in the industry.

In a social media ‘news’ environment where fiction can quickly be taken up as fact, consumers wanting to understand where their food comes from and how safe it is, can struggle to know if what they are hearing is real, or indeed true.