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Cultivation and drilling of pasture and autumn sown crops are underway with the long-term forecast through March looking good for regular rainfall, and if sunshine hours and soil temperature remain positive these crops should establish well.

The true success of the Ruralco Longbeach Coastal Challenge is the community partnership between organisers Longbeach School and the Hinds and Districts Lions Club. Since 2007, with the solid support of many long-term sponsors, the event has raised over $275,000 – all of it to benefit the people of Mid Canterbury.

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…

When it comes to selecting a rape cultivar for summer feed, it is important to base this decision on the potential yield needed at key times. There are, however, other important factors to take into consideration. One that is often overlooked is the quality and palatability of the stem. Another key trait that must be considered is the plant's natural ability to combat aphid pressure. When properly balanced, these three factors will not only ensure a reliable yield but will maximise the plan...

A fertile soil with physical health issues can still perform poorly, so it could be time for a physical health check.

Weed competition can have a significant detrimental effect on brassica yield from very early in the growing season. Corteva™ Agriscience has farmers covered with a suite of post emergence forage brassica herbicides that provide a solution for all situations and have made their mark as reliable and trusted options in this category.