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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...

New rules soon to come into force mean getting the most from nitrogen (N) applied is more important than ever. The rules, which apply from 1 July 2021 for the 2021/22 season, cap synthetic N use at 190 kg N/ha/year on any grazed hectare of pasture (excluding forage crops).

The risk of nitrogen (N) leaching from urine patches, deposited while stock are grazing winter crops, is considerable. Soils that are left fallow, post-winter grazing, create a high probability of soil drainage and nutrient losses, which in turn may affect spring and annual production. Catch crops are used to cover the fallow ground and take up the urinary N deposited during winter grazing, reducing the risk of nitrate leaching.

The steep terrain of the Mangamingi district in south eastern Taranaki is not farming country for the faint of heart. The Collier family are well into their fifth generation farming this unforgiving country, with that fifth generation working hard to craft a sustainable, high value business into their traditional hill country operation. Brothers Ben and Tom Collier have taken over the family’s 2,500ha property after the untimely death of their father Cam in 2015. For Ben the shift back to th...

Many farmers are hunters, but not all hunters are farmers, and Canterbury man Marc Featherstone has worked out a way to bring the two together with some innovative thinking. It promises to ensure not only farmers and hunters, but the environment and safety are also big winners with its launch.

After a lifetime working in countless different facets of the agricultural sector including not-for-profit, central, and local government, co-operatives and commercial business, Jessie Chan is excited about her new role as Chair of Ruralco. 

Once seen as the “protein farm” for the United Kingdom with an ample supply of butter, cheese and red meat for the old country, two generations of farmers later, New Zealand is offering a rapidly expanding variety of niche crops and food farming forefathers would not have dreamt of.

Rightly or wrongly, Level 4 lockdown saw the recreation of hunting despite its isolated nature and comparatively low injury rate, deemed off limits and understandably, my business was not considered an essential service, although some diehard viewers might disagree! Could our Covid-19 situation have been handled better given we are one of the most isolated countries in the world? Yeah probably, but I sure as heck wouldn’t want to be in charge of steering the bus through the unknown…