The co-operative says it achieved the result in a year of global pressure, while investing to make sure shareholders had the products they needed, when they needed them, and to strengthen New Zealand-based manufacturing.

Operating EBITDA rose 5.8% to $35.4 million. Revenue was $922 million, up 8.8%, and gross profit was $202.9 million, up 9.4%.

Farmlands gross turnover rose 8.5% to $2.8 billion. Farmlands Group turnover, which includes the joint ventures Fern Energy and Farmlands Flex that are not consolidated in the financial statements, rose 5.3% to $3.2 billion.

Net Profit Boosted by Tax Benefit

Reported net profit after tax was $21.2 million. That includes a one-off, non-cash deferred tax benefit of $16.7 million, which Farmlands says reflects expectations of enough future taxable profits to use the deferred tax asset.

Chief executive Tanya Houghton says the tax recognition is a positive signal of progress under the group’s long-term strategy and of the confidence of the business and board in Farmlands’ continuing growth and profitability.

Farmlands also says the reported figures absorbed the first-quarter result and the acquisition costs of Donaghys, and that underlying trading was stronger than the reported numbers show.

“Our strategy is about serving our shareholders today while building a more resilient co-operative for tomorrow,” Houghton says.

“We’ve lifted operating earnings at the same time as investing in the business. That is encouraging progress, with our focus firmly on turning those investments into future sustained earnings and greater value for shareholders.”

Donaghys Acquisition

A significant development in the year was the acquisition of Donaghys in March 2026, which Farmlands says expands its New Zealand-based manufacturing, animal health research and product development capabilities.

Alongside SealesWinslow and its wider nutrition business, the co-operative says the purchase strengthens its ability to develop products for New Zealand farming conditions and creates new sources of value and future earnings.

“Donaghys gives us greater influence over the products we bring to market and their supply, while keeping important expertise and manufacturing capability in New Zealand hands,” Houghton says.

Donaghys was acquired late in the financial year and contributed a small loss alongside acquisition costs in FY26, reflecting the seasonal timing of its earnings. FY27 will include a full year of ownership.

Owned Brands and Energy

Farmlands says customer numbers for its owned brands grew, by 171% for Top Paddock and 62.9% for AgStar.

Farmlands Flex, the solar technology joint venture, completed its first full year of trading, with 101 systems sold and 55 sites fully operational.

The co-operative also expanded its central distribution network, which it says supported more efficient purchasing, stock management and distribution, and helped it manage supply chain pressures.

Operating Cashflow Down

Operating cashflow fell 37.9% to $16.2 million, from $26.1 million in FY25.

Farmlands says this reflects, in part, a deliberate investment in inventory to give farmers and growers greater surety of supply during the uncertainty created by the global fuel crisis. Year-end inventory was nearly $20 million higher than the previous year, with about $10 million acquired with Donaghys and the balance a planned stock build.

The co-operative also invested more than $10 million in capital during the year, continuing its commitment to nutrition, where it says farmer and lifestyle demand continues to grow.

“Planning ahead and investing in supply gives our shareholders greater confidence that the products they need will be available when they need them,” Houghton says.

Chair on Balance and Community

Chair Rob Hewett says the result balanced financial sustainability against investments that ensure the co-operative is ready for what is ahead.

“Our responsibility is to keep Farmlands delivering clear benefits for the farmers and growers who own it,” he says.

Hewett also pointed to the Rural Support Trust’s ignite platform, which gives free mental health and wellbeing support to rural communities, as one way Farmlands has supported farmers and their families beyond the farm gate.

Outlook

Looking ahead to FY27, Houghton says Farmlands will keep focusing on improving the profitability and efficiency of its core business and realising the benefits of recent investments.

“We remain confident in our approach and look forward to continuing to deliver on what matters to shareholders: everyday value today, dependable supply and a co-operative with the financial foundations to support their businesses now and into the future,” she says.

The public-private partnership says it has now invested more than $100 million since it was established in 2023, to speed up the development and deployment of tools that help farmers reduce emissions without compromising productivity or profitability.

AgriZeroNZ chief executive Wayne McNee says the milestone shows both the scale of innovation under way and the investment needed to turn promising science into practical tools for farmers.

“Reducing emissions while maintaining productivity, profitability and global competitiveness remains one of the biggest challenges and opportunities facing New Zealand agriculture,” he says.

“Helping farmers meet that challenge requires practical emissions reduction tools and significant, sustained investment to get them to market. The progress we’re seeing across our portfolio gives us confidence there will be a range of tools available by 2030.”

AgriZeroNZ’s portfolio covers companies and research projects developing genetics, inhibitors, pasture, probiotics, vaccines and wearables. Some of the tools also show potential for productivity benefits on farm, it says.

ArkeaBio: Vaccine Trials in New Zealand

The latest funding is AgriZeroNZ’s third investment in Boston-based ArkeaBio and its largest so far, bringing its total commitment to NZ$33.8 million.

The money is supporting trials in lactating dairy cows in New Zealand to generate the data needed for a regulatory submission. ArkeaBio is targeting a New Zealand launch in 2028.

The announcement says ArkeaBio is the first company to achieve proof of concept for a methane vaccine, with trials at Texas A&M University showing it can reduce methane emissions from cattle.

The recombinant protein vaccine works by prompting a cow’s immune system to produce natural antibodies that target methane-producing microbes in the rumen, part of the animal’s stomach. The company says this reduces the amount of methane released without disrupting the cow’s digestion.

ArkeaBio chief executive Frank Wooten says the new funding should take the company through to commercial launch.

“For our first vaccine, we’re targeting a methane reduction of around 15% that lasts for at least three months,” he says.

“We see a clear pathway to deliver greater methane reductions and longer-lasting impact, with the ultimate goal being a vaccine that lasts for 12 months.”

The company is also exploring whether the vaccine could be combined with other vaccines already commonly used on farm, which it says would make it easier for farmers to use.

BioLumic: UV Light and Higher-Performing Pasture

AgriZeroNZ is doubling its investment in Palmerston North-based BioLumic, adding NZ$5.1 million to bring its total to NZ$10.6 million.

BioLumic uses precise UV light “recipes” to activate desirable traits in seeds, with no chemistry and no genetic modification. Its ryegrass programme is focused on increasing lipid concentration, building on a well-established link between higher-fat diets and lower methane emissions from livestock.

The company says it has already shown proof of concept by raising the lipid concentration of ryegrass. It is now targeting concentrations that modelling indicates could reduce methane emissions from grazing livestock by about 12.5 per cent.

The new funding will support further field trials of the ryegrass with major seed companies in New Zealand, Australia and Europe.

BioLumic chief science officer Jason Wargent says: “The real opportunity is helping farmers reduce methane emissions without changing the way they farm.

“We’re also developing productivity traits that lift metabolisable energy and dry matter into the same seed, so farmers can achieve both emissions reductions and productivity gains.”

BioLumic’s xTraits light-activation platform was recently named one of TIME’s Best Inventions of 2026, according to the announcement.

What Comes Next

Both technologies remain in development. ArkeaBio’s vaccine still needs a regulatory submission, and BioLumic’s ryegrass is moving into further field trials. The methane reductions quoted are targets or modelling results, not outcomes measured on commercial farms.

McNee says AgriZeroNZ’s recent funding boost lets it make follow-on investments of this kind, supporting technologies through to commercialisation.

“These investments reflect the momentum we’re seeing, and we’re proud to support companies like BioLumic and ArkeaBio as they move towards bringing their solutions to market,” he says.

“Ultimately, it’s about giving New Zealand farmers choice. We want them to have a range of effective tools, so they can choose what works for their farm and keep earning the premium they deserve for their grass-fed milk and meat.”

President Colin Hurst says there is “really clear alignment” between ACT’s announcement and Federated Farmers’ priorities.

He points to support for new permitted activity standards, guaranteed flexible land use and protection of farmers’ private property rights.

Hurst says cutting red tape and unnecessary costs is the “recipe for success” for a growing economy, more jobs and higher wages.

He says Federated Farmers has a vision to double farm productivity, cut costs and improve the environment, and that ACT shares it.

“We’re never going to be able to tax or regulate our way to a higher standard of living as a country, but with the right settings, we might just be able to farm our way there,” Hurst says.

He says many ACT policies build on the Government’s resource management reforms while addressing farmers’ concerns.

Wilding Pines

Federated Farmers conservation spokesperson Richard Dawkins is also backing ACT’s policy to eradicate wilding pines and control pests across public and private land.

"We’re particularly pleased to see ACT making a firm commitment for long-term funding to help eradicate wilding pines from our unique natural landscapes," Dawkins says.

"This has been a strong advocacy focus for Federated Farmers over the last year, with the Government announcing $110 million to help urgently address the issue.

"Unfortunately, that funding was only for a four-year work programme - but wilding pines are a much longer-term challenge that requires certainty of funding."

Pest Control and DOC

Federated Farmers is also welcoming somewhat of a ‘course correction’ in ACT’s pest control policy after firm criticism from farmers in recent months.

"We were highly critical of the ACT Party policy released in July, which would have given too much power to the Game Animal Council.

"We’re pleased to see ACT has now made a commitment that DOC will be directed to coordinate pest control across public and private land, reducing the burden on individual farmers.

"We firmly believe DOC and MPI are best placed to coordinate pest control, and we look forward to continuing to work with them and the new government on pest management in the new year."

Every election year, the same thing happens in rural property. Vendors go quiet, thinking, "Let's see who gets in." Listings that were ready in August get parked until the new year.

This year the nerves are real, even though the numbers are good. Federated Farmers' latest Confidence Survey found 72% of farms are profitable, the highest since 2016 and yet the election ranked as farmers' second-biggest concern, behind input costs.

So it's worth being clear about the market we're actually in. Commodity prices are good. Farm revenues are good. And we have more buyers than we've ever had.

Take Kyle Park, at 191 Lambies Drive, Rakaia. Fourteen parties showed interest. Five parties bid, 70 times between them. It went to auction with a reserve of $25.675 million and sold for $34.4 million, $8.725 million over reserve, at $87,241 a hectare. That set a new benchmark for Canterbury dairy, lifting regional values by around $10,000 a hectare.

Look at where the under-bidders stopped: one at $30 million, two at $33 million, one at $34 million. Add the buyer, and more than $160 million of capital chased a single farm. Kyle Park wasn’t a one-off. In another Canterbury auction room this winter, six under-bidders chased a dairy farm to $13.8 million, with seven more parties behind them holding bank funding to $12 million.

REINZ data shows dairy farm sales up 38% in the year to March 2026, with more $10 million-plus transactions than any comparable period since 1997. An election doesn’t change what’s in those buyers’ accounts.

We put this piece together for our own agents and managers. It seemed just as useful for the people they work with. It’s not a forecast of who wins but rather a plain account of the farm policy on the table, and what it could mean for land.

On farmland, the big two have rarely agreed more

At the Rural Issues Debate at Mystery Creek, National, Labour and ACT all committed to no new taxes for farmers. Labour's 28% capital gains tax, due from July 2027 if it wins, exempts farms, the family home and lifestyle blocks. The coalition and Labour have both ruled out a methane tax. And Christopher Luxon and Chris Hipkins have each ruled out supporting Opportunity's proposed farmland tax.

For the value of a productive farm, that's about as close to a bipartisan floor as rural New Zealand gets.

Why the smaller parties matter

Every government since MMP began has been a coalition, and the polls point to another. That gives smaller parties real leverage. Rule-outs on the campaign trail are positions, not guarantees. Once the votes are counted, everyone negotiates.

In 2023, it took nearly six weeks to form a government. A close result this year could push the details well into the new year. Not every policy below will survive. Some will.

Emissions pricing and trade

This is the issue with the most at stake because it touches both what a farm costs to run and where its product can be sold.

The coalition removed agriculture from the ETS, cut the 2050 methane target to 14–24% below 2017 levels, and ruled out a methane tax. Labour has also ruled out a methane tax. The Greens would price agricultural emissions through the ETS, and Opportunity proposes a cap-and-trade market or levy on biogenic methane. Both could be coalition partners.

The case against pricing holds. You have to be in the black to be green. Farmers making money fence waterways and invest in better systems. Science still can’t reliably measure emissions farm by farm. Price them anyway, and the money that would have gone into improvements goes on the levy instead. The cost doesn't stop at the farm gate either. It flows through to shoppers.

Trade cuts the other way. We sell most of what we grow offshore and many trade relationships assume we're pulling our weight on climate. Dutch group Both ENDS has complained to the European Commission that New Zealand has broken two commitments in its EU free trade agreement, which the Government denies. For an export sector, market access is part of what a farm is worth.

Carbon forestry

Every major party now agrees too much productive farmland has gone into exotic carbon forestry. Since last October, only the steepest class 7 and 8 land can be registered in the ETS without restriction. Labour would pause new forestry registrations and stop whole-farm conversions. The Greens would take forestry out of the ETS entirely.

The class 7 and 8 reset was sensible. Farmers no longer have to outbid carbon investors for productive land, and it shows. Hill country that traded at $14,000 to $17,000 a hectare for conversion now sits at $8,000 to $10,000. We've even seen the trade start to run the other way. 3558 Tiniroto Road was a working farm until its previous owners planted all 374 hectares in pine and registered it in the ETS. Two local farming families have now bought it, with trees just two to four years old, to run cattle. They'll use the stock, along with other methods, to clear the pines and bring it back into pasture.

 That doesn't mean farm forestry has no place. Right tree, right place. Timber alone means waiting 25 years for a thin return. Carbon income is what lets a farmer with 360 hectares plant the 70 hectares of steep country that suits trees. Taking forestry out of the ETS would remove that option. Whoever wins, the whole-farm conversion buyer isn't coming back. Hill country will be priced as farmland, with trees where they fit.

Land value tax

Opportunity's annual land tax has the most direct link to farm values. It proposes 0.5% a year on the unimproved value of rural land, funding a Citizen's Income of more than $19,000 for most adults. Federated Farmers puts the cost at about $40,000 a year for an average sheep and beef farm and $27,000 for dairy. Beef + Lamb's modelling shows South Island high country about $41,300 a year worse off per couple once the Citizen's Income is counted, while some North Island hill country and South Island finishing farms come out slightly ahead.

The party has offered exemptions for conservation land and for drought or low-price years. Even so, it taxes what land is worth rather than what it earns, and a tax like that gets priced into what buyers will pay.

What counts as a family farm

Farms are carved out of both left-bloc tax proposals. The question is what counts as one.

Labour's capital gains tax exempts farms actively worked by their owner, but Labour hasn't given a firm answer on company-owned farms. The Greens propose a 2.5% wealth tax on net assets over $10 million, which they say would touch about 2% of farms, and a tax on inheritances over $1 million. Both exclude the family farm.

None of these terms is defined in law, and real farming businesses don't fit neat categories. Is a family operation holding $100 million of property a family farm or a corporate? What about a second farm bought to consolidate, or a dairy grazing farm with a kiwifruit orchard on part of it, like one we're marketing now? The family corporates doing much of the buying in Canterbury hold land through companies and trusts. Where the line falls decides whether these taxes apply, and in a sector where most land changes hands inside families, it goes straight to succession.

There's also the money coming off the farm. Earlier this year I wrote that roughly half of farmers would put their Fonterra capital return beyond dairy, including into commercial property in the towns they know. That move sits inside Labour's capital gains tax from 1 July 2027. A farm supply store on a rural main street still works for the same reasons it did in June. But if you're selling and redeploying, the order of those moves now carries a tax dimension. Get your accountant and your agent in the same room before the rules are written.

Freshwater

For dairy, this is where a change of government would bite fastest. Labour would revisit the 2020 freshwater rules. The Greens would cut the synthetic nitrogen cap for dairy from 190 kg/ha to 125 kg/ha and manage stocking rates catchment by catchment. The coalition has paused Waikato’s Plan Change 1 until 2032, which a different government could revisit.

Stocking rates set carrying capacity, and carrying capacity sets what a dairy farm is worth. Buyers in sensitive catchments are already pricing that risk.

The farms best placed are already working with their catchment rather than waiting on Wellington. Catchment Communities Aotearoa backs the local groups doing that work, with the science behind them. That’s why Bayleys sponsors them. Governments will keep changing freshwater rules. A catchment that’s already doing the work doesn’t have to wait and see.

Fonterra and Zespri

NZ First wants processors investing in new value-added production to get access to up to 500 million litres of Fonterra milk a year, and a review of Zespri's export monopoly. National and ACT oppose politicians intervening in farmer-owned companies.

The strength of our rural economy right now is dairy, built on one dominant co-operative, and kiwifruit, built on a single marketer that controls how the world sees our fruit. Zespri's single desk is part of what buyers pay for in an orchard. Any change would show up in orchard values.

Elsewhere, there's broad agreement. The new resource management laws have passed and Labour won't repeal them. Solar on farms has cross-party support. And a bill to let first-home buyers use KiwiSaver to buy a farm is a good idea, whoever takes it forward.

What to do before the vote

None of this needs an election result to act on.

Start with structure: who owns the land, who farms it, and through what entity. That decides how any of these policies would land on you.

Know your numbers on the terms buyers are using: $/kgMS, cost structure, water security, nitrogen headroom, reliability through a dry year. A farm that shows those clearly holds up through any change of government.

And if you're inside a three-to-five year exit horizon, get your advisers talking now. Waiting another season used to be market risk alone. This year it carries policy risk, too.

The market isn't waiting

Fonterra has lifted its 2026/27 forecast midpoint to $9.50/kgMS. That's a strong season by any measure. Rates are going the other way: the Reserve Bank lifted the OCR in July for the first time in three years, and the next review lands on 28 October, ten days before the vote. Buyers with funding approved today are working off today's numbers.

Spring listings are landing now, while farms present at their best. Park a listing until February and you're presenting in autumn, to buyers who've had three more months to put their capital somewhere else.

Pick your timing. Don't let Wellington pick it for you.

There's a kaleidoscope of possible outcomes from this election. You can only deal with the market you can see and the one we're in today is strong. Commodity prices are good. Farm revenues are good. And there are more buyers than we've ever had.

Nobody can predict how coalition talks will play out, or when. The details may not be settled until the new year. If you're thinking about selling, that's a long time to sit out a market this strong.

Duncan Ross is Bayleys Rural National Director.

At the Rural Contractors conference in Christchurch held in June, members supported a campaign to secure a rapid change to the regulations governing vehicle dimensions and mass (VDAMs).

At the time, Rural Contractors NZ CEO, Andrew Olsen noted that some of his members had faced fines of $10,000 and more for agricultural vehicles being deemed too heavy for roads under rules more than a decade old. “Our members’ tractors and other machines have got heavier but the transport regulations are such that they can be overweight before they leave the showroom, let alone with implements on board,” said Olsen.

The RCNZ Association estimates that around 750 to 800 agricultural machines are currently affected by the out-of-date rules. Olsen explained, “They are not unsafe or damaging the roads. In Australia, the US and the EU, these machines operate lawfully but the Government has dragged its heels in finding a solution.”

The new rules propose to exempt rigid agricultural vehicles (excluding vehicles towing goods) from gross weight and mass limits, subject to specific restrictions to protect critical infrastructure such as bridges.

Associate Transport Minister James Meager says consultation has begun on 28 proposals to change heavy vehicle rules, including agricultural vehicles, to generally reduce compliance costs and improve productivity.

Rural Contractor NZ has been campaigning for changes, based on the premise that the current VDAM rules haven’t kept pace with the increasing size of machinery and amid a rigid permitting system.

 OIsen says the Land Transport Rules Reform consultation document details how in the five years to June 2026, the NZTA processed almost 700 overweight permit applications for agricultural vehicles, of which, only 46 were declined because of the risk of exceeding structure limits such as maximum bridge weights.

“This many approvals translates to an unnecessary rubber-stamping process which can be safely removed providing productivity improvements for the vast majority of agricultural contractors,” says Olsen. “The exemption, now being proposed by NZTA, should further reduce the number of agricultural vehicles that require a permit and further reduce again when rules on vehicle dimension and mass are further reviewed in a later phase of consultation.”

The consultation document suggests that exemptions for agricultural vehicles be subject to route or structure restrictions as set by road controlling authorities, mostly NZTA or councils.

“Our members will be thankful the Government has responded on this issue even if it’s taken longer than is ideal,” says Olsen. “We are now asking that the changes be implemented in time for the next season starting in spring 2027 and the authorities enforcing the current out of date regulations, don’t hammer our members in the interim.”

The partnership is said to cover the supply of compact tractor models starting from 20hp, through a phased introduction during 2027, initially for supply across Europe and the Middle East. 

Jérôme Aubrion, senior marketing director, Massey Ferguson Europe and Middle East, said the new offering represents an important step in MF’s strategy to strengthen its position in the growing compact tractor market, which serves an increasingly diverse customer base that includes private landowners, municipalities, grounds care professionals and part-time farmers. 

 “These new tractors will carry the quality, support and customer experience our brand is known for, while strengthening our presence in one of the world’s most important volume segments and remaining true to our commitment of putting farmers first,” he added. 

Dr Deepak Mittal, managing director at ITL, said that this partnership marks an “important milestone” in ITL’s global journey. “We are delighted to collaborate with Massey Ferguson, to develop a range built to MF’s specifications, while combining ITL’s manufacturing scale.” 

The collaboration will use the driveline elements from ITL and Yanmar, alongside full MF styling and driver operator and ergonomic and overall experience. Going forwards, the customer will be fully supported through the Massey Ferguson dealer network and services

The hybrid version of the Vanguard 55E, sees the current six-cylinder 212/284hp(157/212kW) engine, swapped for a four-cylinder 169hp (124kW) engine, supplemented by an 80kWh battery pack. In practice, the engine acts as a range extender, only being switched on to charge the battery. The hybrid is expected to burn around 35% less fuel than the diesel variant, achieved by part-time operation and the more efficient electric drivetrain.

Seeing the hydraulic wheel motors replaced for electric units and featuring electrically powered filling and spray pump, Agrifac suggests the hybrid machine should be able to work in the fully electrical mode for around two hours, before the diesel engine cuts in to recharge the battery.

They suggest that as most sprayers typically work for a few hours in the morning and again in the evening, the battery pack can also be charged back at the farm between operations.

The company has stated that the hybrid drive platform will be further developed, tested and validated, but based on the current development timeline, the first “hybrid” machines could be available as early as next year.

Looking further ahead, the 5500-litre prototype could also be adapted to work fully electric or equipped with a hydrogen-powered fuel cell, with the electric powertrain in both configurations being the same.

The two-year programme is designed to build the practical skills and leadership capability needed for the future of New Zealand’s red meat sector.

Graduates gain hands-on experience across a wide range of the company’s processing operations before moving into project-based work focused on business improvement and strategic priorities.

In the first year, graduates are based at Alliance’s Lorneville, Pukeuri (Oamaru) or Dannevirke plants. They learn how the business works from the ground up and play an active role in it.

In the second year, they apply that operational knowledge to projects across the company, gaining exposure to operational, commercial, engineering and corporate teams.

The programme is underpinned by structured development, mentoring and access to senior leaders.

Graduates also develop an understanding of the full value chain, from livestock through to premium grass-fed lamb, beef and venison reaching customers across the globe.

Applicants may be nearing completion of their degree or have graduated within the past two years.

Rural Waste Sorted NZ aims to make waste management easier to understand and easier to put into practice, without suggesting farmers need to change everything at once.

“A Spirit of Kaitiakitanga”

Dairy farmer and Rural Waste Sorted NZ ambassador Trish Rankin said farmers already have a strong motivation to look after the land for future generations.

“There’s that real spirit of kaitiakitanga, so one thing I’ve noticed about farmers is that they want to ensure they get the right waste back into the right place,” Rankin said.

“My vision for rural waste is that there is a solution for every waste stream that comes on farm, that it doesn’t cost farmers anything to do the right thing. If I buy something, there’s a way that I can manage the packaging that it comes in.”

Seven-Part Video Series

A key feature of the website is a seven-part video series featuring farmers and industry representatives. They talk about the waste challenges they face and the changes they have made on their farms.

The series covers:

• Why better waste management matters
• Common farm waste streams
• Working with staff and suppliers
• Practical ways to get started
• Finding the right waste pathways
• Where to go for more support

The website also brings together information about existing recycling and waste-management programmes and resources, helping farmers find options relevant to their farm and region.

Start with What's Practical

Rather than promoting one-size-fits-all solutions, Rural Waste Sorted NZ encourages farmers to start with what is practical for their own farm.

Rural Waste Sorted NZ spokesperson and Otago regional waste officer Anna Robinson said the website is designed to be useful whether farmers are just starting to think about waste or already taking action.

“Farmers are already making positive changes to the way they manage waste on farm,” Robinson said. “The video series will appeal to those looking for a way to get started but who haven’t yet found the ‘how’ or the ‘what’. It has great information and useful resources for farmers nationwide who are already working to minimise and manage waste.”

Meat Industry Association (MIA) independent chair Nathan Guy said the agreement gives exporters more options in a challenging global trading environment.

“Red meat exporters are operating in the face of rising protectionism and continued volatility. Broader market access like this helps diversify risk, strengthen resilience and provide greater stability for exporters,” Guy said.

“India is a market with significant long-term potential. Removing the tariff on sheepmeat from day one improves our competitive position and gives exporters a practical basis for building relationships and demand over time.”

Long-Term Promise

Beef + Lamb New Zealand chair Kate Acland said the agreement strengthens New Zealand’s position in a market with long-term promise.

“India is the world’s most populous country and is expected to become the third-largest economy in the coming years. As incomes rise, demand for high-quality natural protein from New Zealand is also expected to grow,” Acland said.

“The removal of the 33 per cent tariff on New Zealand sheepmeat is an important first step. It gives the red meat sector a foundation from which to develop the market as consumer demand grows.”

“Over time, the FTA should support greater market diversification, strengthen the red meat sector’s resilience and create more export opportunities for New Zealand,” she said.

New Zealand Forest Owners Association (NZFOA) President Dean Witehira said the agreement is a major opportunity for forest growers, wood processors and exporters to expand into one of the world’s fastest-growing economies.

“Wood and wood products are already New Zealand’s largest goods export to India, with New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE) data showing exports have tripled over the past three years to $193 million,” Witehira said.

“With tariffs on almost all remaining forestry trade set to disappear over the next seven years, there’s considerable potential to build on this.”

“We already have a strong trading relationship with India, and removing tariffs on more than 95 per cent of our existing exports puts our sector in a much better position to compete and grow.”

A Timely Opening for the Sector

Witehira said the agreement comes at an important time for forestry, with growers and processors looking to strengthen existing markets and find new opportunities.

“India’s scale and growing demand for wood products make it an attractive market for our sector. Better access gives New Zealand exporters a chance to win new customers, grow existing relationships and support further investment in forestry and wood processing at home,” he said.

Regional Jobs and Economic Contribution

“Recent NZIER research found forestry contributes $5.4 billion to New Zealand’s GDP, with a particularly important role in regional economies,” Witehira said.

“Growing our exports means more opportunities for harvesting crews, contractors, transport operators, mills and manufacturers, along with the local businesses that depend on them.

“A stronger export sector is good news for the regions where forestry is a major employer and economic contributor.”

Collaboration Beyond Tariffs

Witehira said the agreement builds on longstanding relationships between the two countries, including opportunities for collaboration on forestry research, education and industry practices.

“Our visits to India and engagement on the ground have helped lay the foundations for further collaboration, and today’s milestone gives us the opportunity to build on that work.

“We congratulate everyone involved in getting this agreement across the line. The focus now is on making the most of this improved access and turning it into more trade, investment and jobs for New Zealand,” he said.

Federated Farmers education spokesperson Greg Anderson said the organisation has written to Minister of Education Erica Stanford, urging her to reconsider the proposed change.

“We’re 100% behind the school and we’ve written a letter to Minister of Education Erica Stanford, urging her to reconsider the proposed change,” Anderson said.

“Agriculture is absolutely vital to New Zealand’s economy and we should be doing all we can to get our young people into the sector, which offers exciting opportunities.”

The Proposal

Under changes to the secondary school curriculum, the Government plans a new industry-led Food and Fibre Systems subject, available to Year 12 and 13 students from 2029.

It is proposing that agribusiness, agriculture and horticulture science be dropped as standalone Year 11 subjects, with a small component of those topics incorporated into general science instead.

Federated Farmers is backing opposition to the move from the Horticulture and Agriculture Teachers Association (HATA) and Feilding High School, which has a history of teaching agriculture as a pathway into vet training, farm business degrees and research.

Why Year 11 Matters, According to Federated Farmers

“Year 11 is when students begin choosing subjects that shape their study and future career pathways,” Anderson said.

“Providing a dedicated agricultural science subject gives the sector visibility at exactly that point. Without it, fewer students are likely to consider agricultural careers, and the sector will feel the effect in the years ahead.”

He said agricultural science keeps rural children interested in school and exposes children without a rural background to career opportunities in agriculture.

“Year 11 Agricultural and Horticultural Science has long played a valuable role in sparking student interest and preparing students for further study at Massey, Lincoln and other tertiary providers,” Anderson said.

Federated Farmers argues a general science course cannot offer the depth, context or industry connection of a specific subject.

Earlier Years and Workforce

Anderson said the position matches the Backing Kiwi Farmers election platform, which urged more agriculture and horticulture content in the Years 0-10 science curriculum.

“Those early years are an opportunity to engage young people in these topics and help all Kiwi kids understand where their food comes from,” he said.

“Farmers tell us regularly that attracting and retaining skilled and motivated people is one of their biggest challenges. Building the foundations to address that starts in our schools.”

“We’re backing farmers, teachers, Feilding High and other schools in their push to change the Government’s mind on this,” Anderson said.

 All six models feature the ‘MARK’ nomenclature, which first appeared on historical MF models, like the MF 65 MARK I / II and the MF 165 MARK III – a system that will now be used for indicating series updates across the full product line-up.

 The new MARK 2 range, available in Efficient or Exclusive specs, is said to deliver significant changes from the current, longstanding MF 7S.155 to 7S.210 models, which at this point will continue to be offered for at least the next three years. The doubling up is said to give customers a choice of two different price points, alongside the newcomer only initially being offered with the Dyna-VT box, with a semi-powershift version still under development.

The new tractors feature the AGCO Power CORE 75 six-cylinder, 7.5-litre engine, mated with the well-respected, two-range, ML180 Dyna-VT transmission as standard on all models. The new engine uses a single turbo layout and 25% fewer parts than its predecessors for improved long-term reliability, with Stage V emissions met without the need for exhaust gas recirculation.

Maximum power is available across a wide engine speed band, with a flat torque curve from 800 to 1500rpm for all models. Interestingly, the efficient power and torque characteristics mean EPM (power boost) is not required, relying on SCR and DOC to meet Stage V requirements.

The torque curve remains relatively flat between 800 to 1500rpm where it reaches max torque, ranging from 815Nm on the 7S.170 up to 1184Nm on the flagship model, the 7S.245.

A larger 410-litre fuel tank (25% larger than the MF 7S) and a 56.5-litre AdBlue tank (88% larger) are standard on the new models.

  While the Mark 2 shares the same 3.40 cubic metre Protect U2 cab with the 8S and 9S models, updates include the 12-inch Datatronic 6 screen, and more PTX integration including the Farm Engage package. Each tractor is supplied with a five-year licence to the software platform, enabling remote connection for sharing job sheets, way lines and documentation.

Other differences include the option of an ISRI TI Deluxe seat in place of the standard Grammer fitments, alongside a keyless start/stop button with remote door locking from the fob as well as an RFID immobiliser and a heated/coolbox option. For anyone using their 7S for spraying, the cab now benefits from Category 4 filtration.

Two brand-new 2m diameter rear tyre sizes - VF 650/70 R42 and VF 710/60 R44 - are matched with VF 600/65 R30 front tyres, all supplied by BKT from its AGRMAX V-FLECTON range.

At the business end of the tractor, four-speed PTO is standard, alongside high-capacity hydraulics, including multiple closed-centre, load-sensing pump options delivering 110, 150 or up to 190 litres/min maximum hydraulic oil flow. Rear lift capacity remains unchanged at 9600daN, with service intervals for the transmission set at 2400 hours and 1200 hours for the hydraulic system.

LED lighting is standard, with four upgrade packages, up to a maximum of 27 LED lights, positioning eight units on the hood and 19 on the cab. Four digital cameras can be displayed at the same time, including front and rear units, along with two additional cameras for positioning on the tractor or in trailers or implements. 

Production commences during Q1 2027, with expected deliveries to the NZ market yet to be confirmed.

www.masseyferguson.com

Why the answer is usually no.

If your ewes lambed in good condition, have milked well, and there’s been plenty of quality pasture on offer — particularly legume-dominant feed, a drench at tail docking is likely to be of little benefit. Ewes in this situation are unlikely to have lost much parasite immunity, and if they did, it will be building back up again. How quickly ewes regain their immunity, and how strongly, depends on the feeding and health of the ewes. Well-conditioned ewes on good pasture covers over 1200-1400 kg DM/ha will be rebuilding worm immunity pretty quickly.

What situations may warrant a tail docking drench

here may be times where drenching individual ewes or part mobs on the basis of light body condition, scouring or poor feed availability is warranted. This approach may help younger ewes in particular (lactating hoggets and two tooths) who have a less robust immunity to worms than mixed-age ewes.

Light body condition at lambing makes it more difficult for a ewe to maintain her worm immunity. Low feed levels at lambing force ewes to consume more worm larvae, and when feed supply doesn’t meet energy demand, ewes can’t partition protein and energy towards worm immunity. That said, ewes with genetics for worm resistance maintain lower FECs over lambing.

As part of a wider study in the Wairarapa in 2014 and 2015, Chris Miller and colleagues at AgResearch   found that a tail docking drench to ewes gave a variable response. On average, drenched ewes were 1.5kg heavier at weaning, but on only 1/5 farms was there a lamb weaning weight benefit, or a positive cost/benefit.

Are faecal egg counts useful?

Monitoring with faecal egg counts will give you an idea of the level of worm burden those light ewes could be carrying. Collect some faecal samples prior to tail docking so you already have a plan before the ewes are in the yards. Hold some ewes and lambs in a corner of a paddock and collect some poo samples – ideally at least 10 individual samples. Target the bigger poos – small ones are lambs. Talk to your vet about your faecal egg count results. Deciding on a plan doesn’t just rely on the faecal egg count number.

If a drench is given, mark the ewes you treat to monitor their progress.

Sometimes a high faecal egg count in ewes at tail docking may be due to high larval contamination that has carried through from the previous autumn. This is not a quick fix, but an indication that the farm system needs to change to decrease the worm challenge. The major contaminators of pasture are young animals, so focusing on altering grazing management of this class of stock will have the biggest impact on decreasing autumn larval contamination.

If I’m going to drench ewes – all or some?

Strategic use of drench rather than treating everyone will ensure there is refugia in the system. Refugia is having a population of worms cycling through animals and on pasture which have not been exposed to drench. We want to avoid blanket drenching of mobs as this will increase the risk of resistance to drench chemicals. Refugia helps to slow down the development of drench resistance.

What other parasite management tools are available to support ewes and lambs through until weaning?

Feed – good quality and enough of it is the number one tool when it comes to managing parasites.

If feed is short, strategic use of nitrogen (N) after lambing could help lift pasture covers and support ewe recovery and lamb growth leading up to weaning. Recent work by AgResearch at Woodlands Research Station in Southland showed that by weaning time, pasture covers in paddocks that received 40 units of N after lambing, were 33% higher than control paddocks (1868 kg DM/ha versus 1407 kg DM/ha respectively) and ewe and lamb liveweights were 5 percent (76.7kg versus 72.9 kg) and 6 percent (35.4kg versus 33.1 kg) higher, respectively. This translated into 65 and 46kg of additional ewe and lamb liveweight/ha, respectively. It could be worth the investment.

The bottom line

Use tail docking as a chance to check how things are going. Assess things such as feed availability, ewe body condition, their milk production and the weight of their lambs. If some ewes are light and faecal egg counts indicate some high counts then only treat affected animals, rather than the whole mob.

Tail docking is already a busy job so save some time and leave the ewes undrenched where you can.

Partitioning high-quality feed into lambs in the late spring, early summer period means more lambs can be sold prime before the height of summer- making more feed available for capital stock – and ewe lambs can be grown out to heavier weights early. This means there is flexibility to hold them back later if feed resources are limited. 

Early weaning also means ewes can either be sold early on a strong schedule or given more time to regain body condition. 

Trials run at Massey University found lambs over 20kgLW coped best with early weaning (minimum weaning weight was 16kg LW), but it was the quality of the forages on offer that was the greatest determinant of how well lambs grew post-weaning. 

Professor Paul Kenyon, who led the early-weaning trials, says early-weaned lambs should be given unrestricted access to legume-based forages such as a herb clover mix at a minimum cover of seven centimetres in height. 

If lambs are weaned onto the crop, they should be given time to adjust to a change in feed. Running the ewe and lambs onto the crop a few days before weaning, then running the lambs back onto the crop after weaning will help minimise the weaning check.

He says in late lactation all lambs, but especially multiples, are receiving very little nutrition from the ewe, so when grass-growth is limited, the ewes are competing with their lambs for feed, compromising the performance of both. 

Early weaning can also be particularly useful in hoggets as it will give them more time to recover body condition between lambing and mating again as a two-tooth.

Key Management Factors

• Minimum weaning weight of 16 kgLW, provided suitable feed is available.
• Have a high quality, legume-based pasture for weaned lambs.
• Maintain legume crops above seven centimetres to allow unrestricted grazing.
• Early weaning can be a flexible management tool.
• Not all management options work on every farm. Adopt and adapt management strategies to fit your system.

In fact, it could have the opposite effect, according to a veteran agronomist.

“Look after your white clover, and you’ll not only harvest free nitrogen from the air, but improve feed quality,” says Barenbrug pasture specialist Graham Kerr.

 With urea fertiliser prices up to 50% higher than this time last year, and no sign of certainty returning to the market, farmer interest in white clover is skyrocketing, he says.

“Every tonne of clover dry matter grown fixes 25kg of nitrogen per hectare. It’s free, natural. sustainable and continual.”

The recommended target for white clover is 30% of the total DM yield of a ryegrass pasture, but Kerr says few farms have this much.

“Most have 10-20%. Some have less. There’s no shortage of opportunity for improvement.”

Which is why Barenbrug is increasingly being asked how existing clover populations can be improved, he says.

Herbage testing is the most important first step. Clover is much more vulnerable to nutrient deficiencies than ryegrass and has specific pH requirements.

“This is a practical, efficient way to find out if existing clover is getting what it needs to thrive. If it’s not, you can improve it straight away by correcting any nutrient or pH issues.”

Next, for new pastures farmers need to follow two key rules at sowing to get it nice and thick.

First, clover seed is tiny, and must be sown at shallower depth than ryegrass.

“A lot of clover seed never stands a chance, as it’s sown at more than 20mm deep, and it’s likely half of it will never come up.”

Second, while it often germinates faster than ryegrass, clover then grows much slower because it spends its early life forming a taproot.

So that means it also needs to be sown away from ryegrass, instead of the common method of drilling both seeds into the same row, at the same depth.

“Clover needs its own space, otherwise ryegrass swamps it,” Kerr says.

“We need to get smarter in the drills we use for sowing. And I have seen great modifications to drills to improve clover.

“Just think, if you drill your clover with 20 kg/ha of ryegrass seed in 15cm rows, you are in effect drilling 60 kg/ha of ryegrass within that drill row, and you expect clover to thrive? It will be smothered.” 

A Barenbrug trial comparing different sowing methods for perennial ryegrass and white clover showed that in the 12 months after sowing, broadcasting clover seed gave twice the clover yield than that produced by drilling it in the same row as the ryegrass.

“The value of the extra clover grown over the year is equivalent to $50/ha of urea, plus another 2-3 times that in extra lamb growth or milksolids production.”

• Article supplied by Barenbrug

In what is appearing to be a wet spring, there is an increasing need for sunshine and wind to “dry” waterlogged areas, and thoughts will be shifting to what will be the best actions for establishing a good crop.

As with any farm operation there are likely to be several options, but the overriding rule is that increasing working depth also means increasing costs. Indeed, research suggests that 1ha ploughed at 20cm (8”) deep, means moving 2500 - 3500 tonnes of soil, resulting in increased costs around time, fuel, plough metal and general wear and tear.

Farmers and contractors need to understand if a paddock or wider areas of the farm, suffer from soil compaction, they need to understand where the problem lies.

If the upper soil profile is well structured but water infiltration to the lower profile is hindered by a compacted layer, then ponding will occur and/or root growth restricted. Subsoiling may alleviate the problem, but firstly a spade or penetrometer must be used to identify if there is, in fact, a compaction layer and, if so, at what depth.

 Often, the compacted layer may be quite shallow – often in the top 100mm – especially if there is pugging caused by stock in wet conditions. If so, soil loosening deeper than 150mm will be a waste of diesel and steel and indeed may cause more harm than good.

If the upper soil profile is well structured and there is no compaction layer, but the subsoil is not porous (e.g. clay), then subsoiling (soil loosening) will only ‘increase the size of the sponge’. This might result in a short-term improvement in the amount of water the soil will absorb but it will still become waterlogged with high rainfall events.

 In this case, excess soil moisture can be moved away with macro-drainage, either sub-surface (mole drains, tile/pipe) or surface drainage. From a micro-drainage perspective, soil structure is the key, looking for a nice crumb structure throughout the profile.

Macro-drainage combines two elements: letting water infiltrate into the lower soil profile (soil loosening), and moving water away from the lower soil profile (drainage). Of course, the efficacy of subsoil macro-drainage relies on micro-drainage, via good soil structure to work. Both areas must go hand-in-hand.

Industry experts suggest that far too many farmers and contractors continue to treat soil as dirt and often fail to understand that their actions might be driven by the limitations of the drill they are using. Indeed, solving a sub-soil problem doesn’t always mean moving all the soil above it. That might be addressed by an option such as shallow sub-soiling followed by no-till drilling.

Given a wet spring, it might be worth going back to basics: having determined there is excess soil moisture, often indicated by ponding, what is the best remedial action – subsoiling or drainage?

Rural News recognises the contribution of Bill Ritchie, product specialist Carrfields Machinery, in putting together this article.

Soil Loosening

Soil loosening is perhaps a better term than subsoiling because the target compacted layer may be in the upper soil layers, not the subsoil.

Soil loosening does not necessitate full tillage and can be achieved with relatively minor surface-soil disturbance. Soil loosening is appropriate when a compacted soil layer has been identified above a porous sub-layer (e.g. gravel, sand or well-structured soil). The objective should be to allow water to percolate freely to the lower soil profile. Drainage systems (mole, pipe or surface) are intended to remove excess water from the soil profile where there is not adequate capacity to absorb it. They are also dependent on a well-structured upper soil profile.

By contrast, when soil loosening, depth is important, having determined that a compacted layer exists and identified at what depth (using a soil penetrometer or spade), ensuring that the soil looser is accurately adjusted to only run slightly deeper than the compacted layer.

Like most agricultural operations, timing is crucial, with either process needing to be carried out when the upper surface layers are dry enough to create cracks radiating out from the leg of the soil loosener or mole plough. Late spring will normally provide the best conditions for mole ploughing whereas there is more time flexibility with soil loosening.

Best advice suggests that soil looseners shouldn’t be run too deep, as in some heavy soils this may make the problem worse by causing upward compaction if the ground is too wet, so it is worth remembering, soil loosening will only be effective if the subsoil is porous.

While soil consolidation is positive; soil compaction is negative as compacted layers restrict root growth and water infiltration. If a compacted soil layer exists, it will likely be restricting root development as well as water movement through the profile.

Well-structured soils are likely to be well consolidated. Indeed, some processes such as rolling are often required for the re-consolidation of the excessive soil movement and loosening resulting from soil disturbance. The reality is soil can seldom be consolidated back to anything close to its starting point prior to tillage. The process only becomes a negative when it becomes excessive, typically becoming restrictive or impervious to root penetration or water infiltration.

B+LNZ chair Kate Acland said continuing resource management reform must remain a priority.

“Resource management reform is the single biggest policy area we need to get right because it shapes nearly all regulation affecting farmers,” Acland said.

“Replacing the RMA is only part of the job. It is critical the ongoing reforms support the sector to grow.”

She said B+LNZ supported the proposed National Standards as enabling rules that provide streamlined, practical and outcomes-based pathways as an alternative to consents.

On freshwater, Acland said the regime needed to be informed by science and be practical, workable and achievable on the ground. It also needed to recognise natural variation between catchments and deliver positive environmental outcomes.

“A workable national approach to farm plans and simpler rules for well-built, low-risk on-farm water storage will support productivity and resilience with less unnecessary red tape,” she said.

Emissions Pricing

B+LNZ also welcomed National’s recommitment to not pricing agricultural emissions.

“This is also a Labour Party policy and is in line with what we are seeing globally. We call on all political parties to take this approach,” Acland said.

Carbon Farming

Acland said the Government needed to further tighten the rules on carbon farming.

“The changes are welcome, but they do not go far enough to protect food production and stop the wholesale conversion of sheep and beef farmland into carbon farms,” she said.

From today, 57% of New Zealand’s current exports to India become tariff free, rising to 82% as the agreement is implemented. Tariffs will also be reduced on a further 13% of current exports.

More than 95% of forestry exports will enter India tariff free from day one, along with sheep meat, wool and coal. The agreement also includes commitments to improve customs processes and reduce barriers to trade.

Two-way trade between the two countries was worth NZ$3.95 billion in the year ended December 2025. Last year, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi set an aspirational goal of growing trade to NZ$7 billion by 2030.

India New Zealand Business Council (INZBC) Chair Bharat Chawla described the agreement as an important milestone that begins the next phase of the relationship.

“The agreement improves the conditions for businesses to operate but the real value will come from the commercial partnerships, investment and trade that grow from here,” Chawla said.

INZBC Chief Executive Sunil Kaushal said the agreement creates opportunities across sectors, but that success would depend on businesses acting on them.

“Market access is important but long-term success in India comes from understanding the market, building trusted relationships and committing for the long term,” Kaushal said.

He said India was one of the world’s fastest-growing major economies, and that New Zealand strengths in food and beverage, technology, education, advanced manufacturing and professional services were highly valued there.

Kaushal said the council’s focus would now move from making the case for an agreement to helping businesses turn it into commercial outcomes.

“We have spent many years building momentum in the relationship. The agreement gives businesses access and the next stage is about implementation,” he said.

Hooper replaces Paul Bucknell, who has retired from the board after 10 years. Bucknell was appointed chair in 2025.

“It’s a privilege to be appointed chair of NZPork, which has a proud history of supporting pig farmers and advocating for born and raised New Zealand pork,” Hooper said.

Hooper joined the NZPork board earlier this year as an independent director.

He is a Lepperton dairy farmer and former Taranaki Federated Farmers president, was elected to Federated Farmers’ national board in 2022, and is a former chair of LIC’s Shareholder Reference Group.

Outlook for the Sector

Hooper said New Zealand’s pork sector has a strong environmental record and upholds some of the highest animal welfare standards in the world.

“With greater certainty around welfare rules, pig farmers can now invest confidently in their farms, adopt new systems and continue building a resilient future for the sector,” he said.

“A thriving industry will enable pig farmers to continue providing nutritious, high-quality, New Zealand born and raised pork produced to high welfare standards.”

He also said pork is an affordable, versatile protein for families during the cost of living crisis. “Farmers are proud to play their part in producing food that is nutritious, accessible and trusted.”

Tribute to Paul Bucknell

Hooper paid tribute to Bucknell’s leadership.

“Paul has dedicated his time, knowledge and experience to representing New Zealand’s pig farming industry and supporting the work of NZPork,” he said. “On behalf of the Board and the NZPork team, we thank Paul for his service and wish him all the very best.”

Deputy Chair and New Director

Canterbury pig farmer Jason Palmer has been re-elected deputy chair of NZPork.

Michael Brooks has been appointed as a farmer-elected director and has started his term. Brooks was Executive Director of the Poultry Industry Association of New Zealand (PIANZ) for more than 20 years. He also worked with the Egg Producers Federation and the New Zealand Feed Manufacturers Association, and retired from PIANZ in 2025.

“I’m pleased to be representing the reputational and commercial interests of pig farmers and the wider pork industry,” Brooks said.

“My experience in the poultry industry has given me an understanding of many of the challenges we share, including animal welfare and biosecurity. I hope to bring a fresh perspective and draw on that experience to contribute positively to the pork industry.”

The former president of Wairarapa Federated Farmers suffered burns to his legs and underwent a skin graft after welding spatter set his trousers alight.

As well as causing “excruciating pain”, the injury left him immobilised for a spell after surgery and limited his movement for some time.

“If I hadn’t been retired, it would have been a big disruption,” he says.

“I was just stuck and it was pretty sore.”

Hayes grew up on an arable, cattle and sheep farm in South Australia before training as a vet, learning to fly in order to reach cattle stations across the vast territory of North Queensland.

He then worked in the New Zealand dairy industry for over 30 years – retiring last year - as well as being a part-time manager for Hood Aerodrome near his lifestyle block at Rangitumau, near Masterton.

Hayes was injured while doing welding repairs outdoors on a tipper trailer drawbar.

He says he “was really going for it” when he noticed heat on his legs and realised his trousers were alight.

His thick woollen socks had protected his shins but masked the fire until it got above the sock line.

He grabbed the hose but the water took a while to come through, during which time the fire spread. Both his legs were burned but his right leg more severely.

“It was probably seconds but it felt like half a lifetime waiting for the water to come through the hose. I sat there with the hose running for a long time.

“I don’t even remember strapping it up, but I must have. By the third day, I could see it was more than just a painful surface burn, so I went to the medical centre.

“The doctor called the regional burns unit at Hutt Hospital to get more advice and I had to keep it covered with a non-stick bandage.

“While awaiting my appointment with the burns unit, the pain became excruciating. The first few steps any time I stood up felt like fiery needles were shooting through my body. Painkillers didn’t make any difference.”

After treatment at the burns unit, doctors decided a graft was the best option.

“They take a thin half layer of skin from your upper thigh. That also leaves a big square area which is painful for a while until it heals up. Then I had to be immobile for a week. I just had to stay in bed.”

What really surprised him was when he shared what had happened with farmer friends, they had suffered similar incidents setting fire to their clothing with welding sparks.

“These fellas all said ‘I’ve done that too, so I realised it’s a bit of thing. I’m not a professional welder, it did not occur to me that I could catch fire from welding – that’s the first thing to be aware of, knowing it could happen.”

Hayes says there are several other factors he wants to highlight from his experience.

He’s a casual welder - he’s since increased his welding skills and will get professional help when needed.

He usually wears heavy cotton trousers for welding but had a different pair on that day, which he thought were cotton but later found were mostly synthetic fabric. They were also a bit long, creating cuffs, which caught the spatter.

The job was bigger than he expected with the rust causing spatter and the new welder meant he could use it for longer, so he hadn’t taken breaks.

Normally he would have placed a bucket of water close by, but on this occasion he felt the outside hose would be an adequate safety measure. While there was a fire extinguisher in a shed and water trough nearby, both would have taken too long to reach.

He could have disconnected the hose and used the tap directly but it isn’t easy to think clearly in a crisis situation with your clothing on fire.

Safety is Key

David Hayes' experience has been used as a Safety Alert by Safer Farms to highlight key safety approaches when welding including:

• Use welding PPE, not ordinary work clothes - proper welding trousers, leather protection, gloves, boots, and spats.
• If you’re going to break routine or change the gear you normally use, ask yourself, ‘what’s different today and how does that change what I do to work safely?’
• Work within your abilities. Experience doesn’t always equal ability, so be realistic about your skill level and whether you’re prepared to take the time to do it safely, with the right PPE, within a safe environment.
• Prepare the job before welding. Clean rust, paint, oil, grease and other contamination. Poor preparation can increase spatter.
• Be aware that welding creates a range of hazards, especially fumes.
• Check your work area after welding for spatter, as it can smoulder in clothing, rubbish, and dry grass.

Fonterra, Silver Fern Farms, Synlait, a2 Milk, ANZCO, Ravensdown, Farmlands, Alliance, ANZ, ASB, BNZ and Rabobank are all investors in AgriZeroNZ, a 50/50 public-private partnership funding methaneinhibiting vaccines, feed additives and other interventions. It has $308 million committed, with taxpayer money matching private investment dollarfor- dollar - meaning farmers and taxpayers are helping underwrite technologies from which many of these companies stand to benefit.

Before spending hundreds of millions on reducing ruminant methane, shouldn’t we first ask whether it needs reducing at all?

I am a farmer, a Farmlands, Silver Fern Farms and Ravensdown shareholder, and an ANZ customer. I expected these businesses to represent my interests. Instead, this is being decided inside the very businesses we own, supply and depend on.

Fonterra deserves particular scrutiny. Having committed up to $50 million, it has added another $31 million and says it is “preparing to adopt novel technologies as they become commercially available.” It lists “Vaccines” and “Non-biological technologies” among the solutions. That isn’t just funding research; it’s preparing the pathway for adoption in its own supply chain.

But who is actually asking for this? A customer wanting lower emissions does not necessarily want meat or milk from animals given methane inhibitors, vaccines or feed additives. Which export market will close its doors if a farmer doesn’t use a methane inhibitor? Even Open Country CEO Mark de Lautour asks: “which markets and which customers?” He says food safety, not emissions, drives customer decision.

We are told these technologies are needed to ‘maintain market access’ and ‘protect trade agreements’. If that is genuine, show us exactly which markets, customers or contracts require them.

And what about farmers? In a May 2025 survey of 1460 farmers (NZ Farming, Groundswell NZ and Methane Science Accord), 93 % said they would refuse to use methane inhibitors. So who exactly is asking for this?

Are consumers really demanding these technologies, or are corporations meeting their own emissions targets and then telling farmers it’s what the market wants?

The same people often sit around multiple board tables making decisions that affect farmers. Who provides the independent farmer perspective? There is potentially an enormous amount of money to be made if methanereducing products become standard farm inputs. That doesn’t make the technology bad, but farmers are entitled to ask who profits, who carries the cost and risk, and whether they asked for it.

We are told farmers will have “tools to choose from.” But choice means little when processors offer incentives, corporates impose supply-chain requirements, banks assess emissions performance and governments set targets - all while the companies farmers depend on, fund the “fix.”

As a farmer, I’m proud of our simple system: animals grazing pasture and producing exceptional, safe food. It built New Zealand’s reputation. Are we certain that intervening with pharmaceuticals, feed additives or biotech will strengthen it rather than undermine it? Once embedded in our farming systems, supply chains and export requirements, these technologies will be far harder to reverse. We should be defending what makes New Zealand trusted, not gambling with it.

Farmers deserve answers before more public and industry money is committed. Ask the businesses you deal with what they have put into AgriZeroNZ, which market or customer is demanding these technologies, and whether they have asked their farmer customers. Raise it at your next shareholder meeting.

If farmers don’t ask these questions now, we may discover that the future of farming has already been decided - without us.

Paige Wills is a sheep and deer farmer in the Waitaki Valley

 I remember well the Where’s Wally? books. They were something of a favourite with our young family. We had loads of fun seeing who could be first to spot Wally in the crowd.

Well, it’s all kind of similar with election season upon us again. It’s not exactly Where’s Wally?, but it’s close enough! It’s now see if you can spot the adult in the room!

That may not be as easy as it seems. Especially so if you are not conversant with some of the true characteristics and qualities of maturity. In my opinion, if you cannot recognise what a woman is, you will definitely not be off to a good start with this one!

The Solomon Islands, with their nine provinces, is an interesting country. It stretches over 1450 - 1500 kilometres of South Pacific Ocean. It is a nation I have visited many times, over close to three decades. With all my travels, the only emergency landing I have ever been in, happened up in the Solomons.

On one of my visits, I asked some of the men present from the different provinces to write down for me what it meant to become a man. In their culture, when was a boy considered to have become a man? When was he considered mature enough to be recognised as an adult?

It all made for some very interesting reading, especially so when I compared it to our own Kiwi culture! None of theirs mentioned anything about reaching a special birthday, like a 21st.

Yes, there were some subtle differences as you would expect. But the most common quality was this; he was considered to have become a man when he could build his own house and then provide for and take care of his family. He could take up the responsibility of working the gardens, or the sea, so those in his house were fed.

I was instructed many years ago that the beginning of maturity starts with the acceptance of responsibility. And you can easily see that with this example from the Solomons I have just used above.

Yep, age has never determined maturity, a person can be 40 yet still be so immature.

However, in today’s world taking personal responsibility seems to get shunned big time. It’s never my fault. I’m the victim of other people messing it up big time, even if the stuff happened centuries ago.

Of course, with politicians it’s never their fault. It’s the previous government’s fault; they’re the ones to blame for the mess we are in. But, true to form, that lot also blamed the previous government before they had their turn!

Continually blowing hot air through your own trumpet instead of actually fixing the problems is not a sign of maturity either.

One of my very favourite quotes that touches on this stuff, comes from Thomas Sowell. Here it is; “It is hard to imagine a more stupid or dangerous way of making decisions than by putting those decisions in the hands of people who pay no price for being wrong.”

Wise words indeed!

Like others, I am still weighing up exactly how to cast my two votes. I’m looking to see if I can find an adult in the room! I’d suggest you do the same.

Again, like many before me, and now those here at this moment, we have learned there is One who has ‘walked through the fire’ before us. Who better to walk with us!

Keep well and God bless.

To contact Colin Miller, email thefarmerschaplain@gmail.com.

New Zealand receives enormous volumes of freshwater, but it falls unevenly across seasons and regions.

Our country sees both floods and droughts. At the same time, climate change is increasing variability, and this places pressure on land and infrastructure through more extreme dry periods, more intense rainfall events and growing impact on communities, food production and the environment.

Therefore, more water storage schemes make sense and National’s promise to lend farmers up to $300 million to help them store more water is music to the ears of growers and farmers.

When farmers and growers have reliable water, they produce more, take on more staff and more money flows into the local town, which means more jobs and stronger exports.

At present, New Zealand only captures and uses about 2% of the total annual rainfall. There is an additional 400,000 hectares ready for irrigation right now, waiting on water storage projects to be built and resource consents to be granted.

As Federated Farmers president points out, National’s policy recognises that water storage is critical infrastructure that can help farmers build resilience, grow their businesses and respond to changing land-use opportunities.

Water storage is such an important strategic enabler of growth for the primary sector, unlocking huge economic opportunities for farmers and rural communities that all New Zealanders will benefit from.

Reliable access to water gives farmers more options. It can help them increase production, build resilience through dry periods, or shift to higher value land uses when new opportunities emerge.

If NZ is serious about doubling its export value and unlocking all the economic benefits that will come with that ambition, access to water is absolutely critical.

And better water storage isn’t just good for farmers, but also for rural towns, the wider economy, and the environment.

Having our rural towns running out of water is a major issue, and building more water storage will alleviate that. National’s policy is just what the farming sector needs.

Andrew Hoggard, ACT

The biggest things we can do for arable growers are the same things that help every farmer: lower costs and fewer rules. Crop farmers are dealing with pests and diseases that are building resistance, so getting quicker access to proven products matters more to them than almost anyone. We are 100% committed to getting the HSNO Amendments passed and ensuring that officials follow through with the flexibility they now must get new chemistry approved quicker.

Arable growers make long-term calls on land, machinery and staff, often borrowing big to do it. They need lower interest rates and a government that lives within its means. ACT will make the savings in Wellington that balance the books faster than any other party, with no new taxes. That’s how you get inflation and interest rates down, and that’s real support for a grower staring at a seasonal overdraft.

Jo Luxton, Labour

When I talk to arable farmers, the biggest concerns are really practical challenges.

barriers to research and innovation, increasingly challenging climate conditions, stretched freight between the South Island and North Island, high energy costs at post-harvest, an uneven playing field with imported grain, and unpredictable export markets.

We need to ensure arable farmers have the same opportunity to succeed, invest and grow as any other part of our primary industry. That means addressing the challenges that are within our control so that we can create the conditions growers need to thrive.

Daniel Eb, Opportunity

We are generally reluctant to offer industry specific subsidies or other support - preferring instead to focus on broad tax and economic policies that can uplift a range of sectors. We believe the best way to support the rebound of the arable sector is to address the long-term, structural challenges it, and other sectors, face.

Energy security and affordability is one such challenge - we would significantly scale renewable generation, reform the energy sector and electrify our economy as part of our Abundant Energy policy. While it may be some time before electric alternatives are available for arable farmers, reduced national dependence on fossil fuels (like diesel) should soften price and supply security issues. Additionally, we would expect arable to be a key beneficiary of a more efficient infrastructure delivery pipeline - as proposed in our Intergenerational Infrastructure policy - enabling South Island growers to better compete in North Island markets due to reduced national freight costs.

Finally, our Breakthrough Economy policy would support a wide range of on-farm technology improvements for growers, and set the conditions for more home-grown, agricultural innovation and industrial development for critical inputs - like the recently opened Te Ahi Clean Energy Park in Taupō, which uses geothermal energy to produce a more efficient form of urea fertiliser.

Todd McClay, National

Dairy, red meat and horticulture are having strong years. Arable growers are not. Margins are tight, returns are soft and costs keep climbing.

That matters to all of us. Arable employs around 7500 people and earns about $2.1 billion a year. It supplies the grain, seed and feed that livestock farmers, food makers and exporters rely on.

We won’t leave growers to carry this on their own. We’re setting up an Arable Sector Forum to bring growers, processors, merchants, researchers and government around one table. Its job is to find what’s holding the sector back and fix it, with a clear focus on farm-gate returns.

We’ve already made a start in three areas.

Land. We changed the National Policy Statement for Highly Productive Land to give more flexibility on LUC 3 land, while still protecting our best soils.

Water. A dry year can make or break an arable business. We’ve brought in practical rules for on-farm water storage and dam safety and made it simpler to consent water storage and distribution.

Costs. Investment Boost lets you deduct 20% of the cost of new assets upfront.

My message to arable growers is simple.

We see the pressure you’re under, and we’ll work with you on practical changes that lift your returns. More paperwork won’t be part of it.

Mark Patterson, NZ First

New Zealand First is cognisant of the need to keep a breadth in our primary production. The arable sector is foundational to this as being not only a provider of high-quality domestic food but in supplying animal feeds, grazing support and seed production, underpinning our dairy, meat and vegetable growing sectors.

Maintaining critical mass in the arable sector is strategically essential for New Zealand, for both domestic food security and wider economic resilience and needs to be treated as such.

New Zealand First supports a dedicated Minister or Associate Minister of Agriculture focused on the arable sector. We would prioritise this sector in regard to research and development support from the Bioeconomy Science Institute (BSI).

We believe a template for resurrecting the sector has been established with the work that has been done in this term of government rebuilding the wool sector. We are encouraged that the arable sector has now come together to form a strategic plan and New Zealand First stand ready to support. The lessons from the wool sector would suggest the answers sit in coordinating cohesive industry leadership, supply chain transparency, investing in innovation and identifying emerging opportunities to add value. Not merely growing an extra tonne per hectare.

We would also encourage other sectors to recognise the critical nature of the arable sector to the wider primary sector ecosystem and reduce their reliance on imported feeds.

Federated Farmers president Colin Hurst says making everyday farming activities permitted activities “will unlock farming’s potential”.

He says it will cut unnecessary cost and complexity, give farmers the confidence to get on with farming and help grow the export-led economy.

"Top of Our Priority List"

Hurst says the policy sat at the top of the federation’s priority list for the incoming Government.

“We think it has the most potential to help transform our primary sector,” he says.

Federated Farmers released Backing Kiwi Farmers, a five-point plan to double farm productivity, cut costs and improve the environment, in June. It asked for 10 national standards.

“National have gone even further, announcing 19,” Hurst says.

What Is A Permitted Activity Standard?

Hurst says permitted activity standards are not a licence to do whatever a farmer wants. They set a clear benchmark farmers must meet to protect the environment.

“If those standards are met and you’re farming within the guardrails, you can just get on with the job,” he says. That means avoiding the cost, complexity, uncertainty and delays of resource consenting.

The Full List

Federated Farmers’ proposed standards were:

• Farm plans
• Vegetable growing
• On-farm water storage
• Gravel extraction
• Drain maintenance
• Effluent management
• Fertiliser application
• Farm quarries
• Wetland restoration
• Small and medium-scale solar

National has added:

• Micro-hydro
• Irrigation
• Energy storage
• Small-scale seasonal worker accommodation
• Farm tracks
• Agricultural aviation
• Culverts
• Offal holes
• Managing contaminated soils

The 19 standards build on work already done to reform the resource management system.

Exports and the Cost of Living

Hurst says the plan will help pave the way for farmers to double the value of agricultural exports to $106 billion by 2034.

He says it will also help families struggling with the cost of living. Barriers to farm production and the costs they create ultimately flow through to supermarket prices, he says, especially for fresh fruit and vegetables.

“This isn’t just a plan for farming; it’s a plan to grow the economy, grow our exports, and help New Zealanders get ahead,” Hurst says.

"Get Out of the Way"

Hurst says Federated Farmers has told the Government that if it wants to grow the economy, it should “get out of the way and let farmers get on with it”. He says farmers want to innovate, invest and increase production to drive export growth and lift living standards.

“With these standards replacing the need for consents, farmers can spend more time and money on growing their businesses and less on unnecessary bureaucracy,” he says.

World demand for protein, high-quality food products and the impact of new trade agreements plus a soft NZ dollar are the reasons why these exports reached $65.2 billion to the end of June 2026 – a billion more than MPI had predicted in its June forecast and also well ahead of the $63.8 billion forecast for the 2026/27 year.

Agriculture Minister Todd McClay told Rural News that hitting $65.2 billion is an exceptional outcome.

Meat and wool are the biggest contributors to the latest increase reaching $14.8 billion as opposed to the $14.1 earlier predicted.

McClay says in the year to 30 June, food and fibre exports to the European Union were up 20% to $5.3 billion. Exports to the United Arab Emirates rose 11% to $1.1 billion.

“Our trade deals are delivering for Kiwi exporters as we work towards doubling the value of NZ’s exports by 2034,” he says.

McClay says NZ is becoming much better at marketing premium rather than commodity products and this movement up the value chain is being reflected in the latest figures.

“People buy from us because of our provenance. They like the story we tell including the fact that our cows are out on the grass and sheep up on the hills. But we must protect that point of difference from other countries who may try to make similar claims,” he says

McClay says NZ is meeting the needs of niche consumers such as those in China where there are five million younger people who are very wealthy but don’t have kitchens in their homes and want ready-to-cook products that NZ companies are producing.

Dooley, Federated Farmers’ Southland Meat and Wool chair, said the “diabolical” conditions were the worst he had seen since a storm that brought a week of snow in 2010.

On October 1 Agriculture Minister Todd McClay and Rural Communities Minister Mark Patterson announced support for weather-hit southern farmers, classifying the extreme wet and cold conditions across Southland and the Clutha District as a “medium-scale adverse event”.

Speaking to Rural News last week, Dooley said it was “typical Mother Nature” that the bad weather stopped the day they finished lambing, and the sun had been out since.

“Once we didn’t need her to play ball anymore, she’s now cooperating.

“But the effect is still there and will still be there. We’re just not sure if the wet-dry numbers [ewes that were pregnant but now have no lambs] are less than we expected.

“Normally we would expect to get 70 to 100 wet-drys and we’ll be at 200 this year.”

On top of that there would also be a lot of ewes with just one lamb where there should be two, since most of the flock scanned for twins.

Dooley regularly posts update videos on his “Deep South Sheep and Beef” Youtube channel.

One recent video, uploaded at the end of September, shows him struggling on sodden pasture to move mobs of pregnant or recently-lambed ewes.

He explains that many lambs were having to be moved indoors and fed on milk replacer.

“50% of the potential margin on those has gone on milk powder but we’re not going to leave them there to die.

“It’s just a matter of doing what we can to try and get some better outcomes.”

Dooley currently runs 2350 ewes and rears 60 calves each year, on 250 ha.

“We’re starting to get a better picture of how things will be,” he said.

“Financially we will still be okay. But basically for a farm our size the bad weather has probably cost us $100,000 to $120,000 of lost potential income.”

Beef+Lamb NZ general manager, insights & strategic planning, Julian Ashby, said it was still too early to assess the overall impact of the weather event on lambing performance.

“Initial reports from farmers undertaking tailing are mixed, with some reporting results better than expected and others broadly in line with expectations. Despite the difficult conditions, there are encouraging signs."

Ashby said there were some ongoing concerns around ewe body condition following a prolonged period of limited feed availability and high lactation demand, as well as potential animal health impacts on lambs born in cold, wet conditions.

Feed management and rebuilding ewe condition would be important priorities for farmers over the coming months.

Ashby said it had been a challenging spring, with exceptionally wet and cold conditions throughout September coinciding with a critical period for lambing. Some areas experienced their highest September rainfall in decades, leaving ground conditions saturated and pasture covers declining on many farms.

“The good news is that conditions have improved in October, with pasture growth now accelerating rapidly. This is providing some welcome relief, particularly for later-lambing flocks in the hill and high country."

The website is designed to support customers from first look to final installation, with online browsing, samples delivered to the door, an indicative ‘supply-and-install’ quote, and a free in-home installer visit to confirm measurements.

A room visualiser also enables customers to see how different colours and styles will look in their own space before purchasing.

“Online retail has expanded worldwide and is working well for our customers around the globe,” McWhirter told Rural News.

He says that with 90% of New Zealand wool sold overseas, Wools of New Zealand needs a global focus.

“Establishing an online service allows us to scale the business in line with the way consumers increasingly shop.”

McWhirter says that Laneve is competitively priced against synthetic flooring, depending on the product.

“Customers can choose options at different price points to suit their needs and budget. Importantly, they can browse a broad range of wool carpets and make an informed choice,” he says.

He says that Laneve makes purchasing carpet simpler and more transparent.

“In a bricks-and-mortar store, customers can sometimes leave without a clear understanding of the total cost,” McWhirter says. “With Laneve, customers can visit the website, get answers to their questions, explore the range and see indicative fully fitted prices, without feeling under any obligation.”

He says Wools of New Zealand is still committed to its existing retailer network, ranging from retailers that order and sell Wools of New Zealand carpets to major retailers offering an exclusive branded range.

“To ensure clear separation, Laneve has its own product range, which is distinct from the other brands owned and sold through the retailers by Wools of New Zealand.”

McWhirter adds that the value flowing back to farmers needs to be considered in the context of the wider wool industry.

“Wool has struggled to achieve satisfactory prices over the past decade, as part of a decline dating back about 40 years,” he says.

McWhirter says that the issue was that wool supply exceeded demand, driving prices down.

According to Professor of Farm and AgriBusiness Management Nicola Shadbolt, the funds for the award have finally run out, but she’s hopeful that some individual or organisation may decide to put up an equivalent award next year.

The award recognises an outstanding farm management student who has demonstrated a high level of personal integrity, intellectual curiosity, vision and social conscious.

In addition to winning the William Gearish Memorial prize, Pau’u was also placed second for excellence in agriculture for third year students.

Pau’u admitted to being overwhelmed at winning the award which had its humble beginnings in her small Tongan village.

When her grandfather and father died and her uncles left for overseas, she took on the task of running a small chicken farm to help the family.

“I started hatching chickens during Covid and then people in my community said I knew everything and they asked to me to give advice on how to look after their chickens,” she told Rural News.

“Finally, one of my mentors suggested I should apply for a scholarship at Massey University. I did this and wrote about my experience with chickens and I won the scholarship,” she says.

Pau’u says she’s very grateful to all the people who enabled her to study at Massey.

As for the future she plans to go back to her village and continue helping the local people, including how to better market some of their crops. But tucked away in mind for the future is the idea of bringing sheep to her community.

“I have grown very interested in sheep and I have been looking into some sheep breeds that might do well in the islands. This would cost a lot of money, but I am going to save up and one day buy some sheep. That is the ultimate goal, but the other thing is help my little community with their horticulture crops,” she says.

There was a buzz of excitement and positivity as more than 250 students from the school of Agriculture and the Environment at Massey University as they gathered for their annual prizegiving in Palmerston North recently.

As well as top students and Massey academics, there many dignitaries including the Minister for Agriculture Todd McClay, along with ministers Mike Butterick and Andrew Hoggard, and the Mayor of Palmerston North, Grant Smith.

The keynote speaker for the evening was former Massey graduate Jen Corkran who’s now the senior animal protein analyst for Rabobank. Her key messages were - follow your curiosity, be open to change and that relationships matter.

For new Massey vice chancellor Professor Pierre Venter says it was the first time he’d presided over this occasion. He says it was exciting to celebrate the achievements of the students who have come together to study at Massey.

Two years ago, morale among New Zealand's small group of dairy goat farmers was low with several challenging seasons forcing some out of business.

However, a new board and leadership team installed two years ago at Dairy Goat Co-operative (DGC) are turning things around.

At its annual general meeting last week, DGC reported impressive results and is focusing on growing milk supply to meet significant unmet demand, both from existing shareholder suppliers and potential suppliers.

For the year ending May 31, 2026, revenue was $178.5 million, up from $170.5m the previous year. Gross profit rose to $41.6m, up from $36m the previous year.

Chief executive Alastair Hulbert told Rural News that while some farmers are still doing it tough, there’s “a degree of optimism back in the industry”.

Hulbert says farmers are again starting to invest in the milk shed and breeding more kids to boost herd numbers.

There’s also good news for DGC farmer shareholders. A record payout of $14.56/kg goat milk solids (GMS) was distributed last season, up from $11.68/kgGMS the previous season.

For the current season, DGC has underwritten a rate of $15/kgGMS across 100% of share entitlement milk. The guaranteed milk price is paid upfront.

Hulbert says this gives suppliers greater income certainty as the co-operative works to increase milk supply.

The focus is on getting current farmer suppliers to fully utilise their barns and miking sheds while breeding more kids for milking next season.

However, Hulbert says they will still need milk from new suppliers to meet demand.

DGC needs more milk to meet a growing global demand for goat milk formula and ingredients.

He says the co-op’s ‘Formula for Success’ strategy has key priorities: a staged re-entry into China, commercialising its GIraFFE research programme, supporting milk supply growth and assessing opportunities in the US.

DGC is also pursuing contract manufacturing to improve use of its existing plant in Hamilton.

Hulbert believes DGC is ready for its next stage of growth.

“There is still work to do to restore consistent profitability, but higher farmer returns, a much stronger balance sheet and demand for products provide a solid base for the next phase of growth.”

DGC’s balance sheet has also improved. Debt has been slashed from $39m to $4.6m, supported by operating cash flow and the sale of whole milk powder inventory, reducing financial risk and providing a stronger base for growth.

However, the co-operative remained loss-making after tax, recording a $1.2 million loss, but generated strong operating cash flow and materially strengthened its balance sheet.

Milk supply this season is forecast to be 3.9 million kgGMS.

Hulbert says that year-to-date supply of 1.3mkgGMS is slightly ahead of budget, with September collections reaching 424 metric tonnes of GMS against a budget of 406 metric tonnes.

The farms span New Zealand’s hill country and a wide range of farming systems and conditions:

• Mahipatua, Pouto Tōpū A Trust, Northland
• Onuku, Onuku Maori Lands Trust, Bay of Plenty
• Rotomate, King Country
• Te Hue, Waipuna Farms, Whanganui
• Panekiri, a Pāmu farm, Hawke’s Bay
• Longrange, Horizon Farming, Hawke’s Bay
• Muller Station, Marlborough
• Mt White Station, Canterbury
• Lochindorb, Otago

A selection panel chose them from a national long list using common criteria. Their role is to use the technology in normal commercial conditions, test practical farm system changes and share what they learn with farmers and the wider sector.

From Set-Up to On-Farm Delivery

The confirmation marks LIFT’s move from establishment to delivery. Farms have been onboarded, virtual fencing deployment is under way, and farm teams and consultants are working out where the technology may add value in each system.

The programme has begun collaring and training cattle and building production, financial and environmental baselines, including FARMAX and Overseer models for each farm.

Pāmu Chief Executive Mark Leslie says the value will come from the range of farms and their willingness to openly test and share what does and does not work.

“Virtual fencing creates new opportunities to improve profitability and environmental performance, but the technology on its own is not the answer,” he says. “What matters is how farmers use it to change grazing, stock management and the wider farm system.”

Participating farmers have started meeting as a national group, and conversations have already widened to pasture management, labour, animal performance, water infrastructure and environmental benefits.

Programme Lead Charlie McCaig says this is an important early sign.

Farm Spotlight: Lochindorb, Otago

Lochindorb is a third-generation family business run by Lyndon and Jade McNab. The 2,500-hectare property includes flats and hard hill country and carries sheep and beef. The farm is exploring whether more flexible grazing control can improve pasture quality and feed grown in harder-to-reach areas while protecting sensitive parts of the property. It is also interested in creep grazing, better youngstock growth and less time moving and managing cattle.

“The opportunity is not simply replacing a fence,” Lyndon McNab says. “It is being able to manage grazing more deliberately, make better use of the feed we grow and protect areas that matter to us.”

How the Programme Works

LIFT was launched in June as a five-year, $8.5 million programme led by Pāmu. The Ministry for Primary Industries is investing $3.5 million through the Primary Sector Growth Fund, as part of its Land Use Flexibility funding package, alongside partner support.

Each farm works with an independent consultant to update models, test system changes and track performance. The programme will assess production, financial, environmental and practical outcomes. It will also run field days and publish farmer stories, practical guidance and annual evidence reports. Farms stay commercial businesses and keep control of their decisions.

“We are not setting out to prove that one system will work everywhere,” McCaig says. “That means sharing the difficult lessons as well as the positive ones.”

Consultation opened today and closes on 9 December 2026.

NAWAC has reviewed the existing Code and is proposing new minimum standards and recommendations for best practice.

NAWAC chair Dr Matthew Stone says the draft changes aim to improve the welfare of cattle and horses used in rodeos across New Zealand.

What Is Being Proposed?

Extensive updates are being recommended to minimum standards for:

• steer wrestling
• roping and tying
• selecting and handling animals
• facilities and equipment
• stockmanship

New minimum standards are proposed for: 

• breakaway roping
• training of rodeo animals, and animals used to train rodeo participants
• contingency planning

The Main Proposed Change

The main proposed change is that cattle used in rope and tie and steer wrestling events must stay standing after being brought to a stop, instead of ending up on the ground.

NAWAC says the way these events are practised increases the risk of injury and distress to cattle and could breach the Animal Welfare Act 1999.

Stone says the draft standards would significantly change how the events are carried out, and that, if adopted, organisers might choose to withdraw some events from rodeos.

NAWAC is also recommending that the definition of a rodeo be changed to include events closed to the public. Those jackpot events would also require a vet in attendance.

Why Consultation Matters

Stone says public consultation is important to help shape how the events can be modified to meet the purposes of the Act. NAWAC’s approach has been to identify potential welfare risks in each event and describe what it believes needs to change.

NAWAC wants views from people directly involved in rodeos and others affected by the changes, and is also encouraging feedback from animal advocates and members of the public.

The rodeo season runs from this month through to March.

In the most recent season, Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) animal welfare inspectors attended almost 30 rodeo events.

NAWAC is an independent body that advises the Government on animal welfare issues.

The Code of Welfare for Rodeos was last reviewed in 2014.

How to Have Your Say

Read the draft Code and find details on how to make a submission on MPI’s website: mpi.govt.nz/review-of-the-code-of-welfare-for-rodeo-animals. Submissions close on 9 December 2026.

The Whole Story Savory Hub is part of a New Zealand project supported by the Regenerative Fund for Nature and the Savory Institute. It aims to accelerate the move to regenerative grazing practices across sheep farms in Otago and Canterbury.

The project aims to support the regeneration of 50,000 hectares, using holistic management practices to improve soil health, biodiversity, water function and climate resilience.

Grazing livestock has long shaped New Zealand’s agricultural identity. But decades of pressure on landscapes have highlighted the need for farming systems that produce food and fibre while actively restoring the ecosystems they rely on.

Measuring Change with EOV

A key part of the project is Ecological Outcome Verification (EOV), a science-based monitoring framework that measures changes in ecosystem health, including soil function, biodiversity and landscape resilience.

Data gathered through EOV will help farmers understand the impact of their management decisions. It will also create a pathway for verified regenerative wool to reach premium global markets through Land to Market, a supply chain initiative linking ecological outcomes with commercial opportunities.

A Conversation About Land, Animals and Profit

Becks Smith, Hub Leader at The Whole Story, says the opportunity goes beyond environmental outcomes.

“Regenerating our high country through holistic management grazing principles creates a conversation between land health, animal health, farmer wellbeing, and long-term profitability,” she says. “By supporting farmers to look deeply at their ecosystems, measure improvement and connect with new markets, we can help create systems where healthy landscapes and thriving communities reinforce each other.”

About the Regenerative Fund for Nature

The Fund was established in 2021 by Conservation International and Kering, and has since grown to include additional fashion industry partners.

Conservation International manages the Fund, working with partners to select and oversee regenerative agriculture projects worldwide.

It supports practices that regenerate ecosystems, empower communities, strengthen economies and help address climate challenges.

How to Join

The project is seeking its final few South Island sheep farmers to join the current cohort. Register an expression of interest at thewholestory.co.nz/soiltowool or email becks@thewholestory.co.nz.

The Whole Story Savory Hub will continue working with farmers, industry partners and global networks to grow awareness, capability and market opportunities for regenerative agriculture in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Slips, trips and falls are among the leading causes of injury on New Zealand farms, with unsuitable or worn-out footwear a major contributing factor.

The #BootsOfShame Competition

To get farmers thinking about the state of their boots, Safer Farms is offering the chance to win a pair of boots worth $729.

Safer Farms Ambassador Lindy Nelson says farmers with old boots sagging around the ankles, or gumboots running low on tread, are encouraged to send in a photo.

“The right footwear is a simple but important line of defence,” she says. “We cannot prevent every injury, but we can make sure our footwear is up to the job.”

How to enter: photograph your battered boots and either share the photo on social media with #BootsofShame or upload it through the online entry form at saferfarms.org.nz.

Prizes: each week, entrants go into a draw for one of four $200 Prezzy Cards. All entries are in the running for a pair of Gronell Everest Tibet boots worth $729. The competition runs for five weeks from 12 October.

$50 Off Boots at PGG Wrightson

Safer Farms has partnered with PGG Wrightson to offer $50 off eligible boots or gumboots priced at $149 or more.

The offer is available in store and online until 31 October.

To get a discount code, head to saferfarms.org.nz/slips-trips.

One Farmer's Story

Canterbury arable farmer David Birkett was preparing to move irrigation equipment and wore standard gumboots because he was working with water. In a hurry, he stepped onto the tractor’s front wheel instead of using the steps, then jumped from the cab. He landed on uneven ground, rolled his ankle and chipped a bone.

The gumboots suited the irrigation work but did not give the ankle support needed on rough ground. He was off work for three weeks, followed by three weeks of rehabilitation with limited tasks. Finding someone with the right skills to cover his work was extremely difficult.

What the Numbers Show

• More than half of farm slip and trip incidents happen while people are interacting with livestock, most often in paddocks, sheds and yards.
• Running, rushing or taking shortcuts, time pressure, and poor plant or equipment design each feature in 60% of incidents.
• Surface contamination and inappropriate or worn footwear each contribute to 50%.
• Nearly half involve workers juggling another visual task, such as watching stock while moving, and 48% involve poor hazard assessment.
• Almost half of injured workers keep working, risking a slower recovery while pain and fatigue reduce agility and decision-making

Hazards can be hard to spot or easy to underestimate, from manure on shed floors and divots in paddocks to familiar steps and vehicle access points.

Choosing the Right Farm Footwear

Not all farm footwear is equal. The right pair depends on the task, terrain and weather. Check:

• Grip and tread: look for channels running in different directions, not just straight lines. Clean out mud regularly, as clogged tread reduces grip.
• Ankle support: essential on hill country, uneven paddocks and races.
• Toe protection: important wherever livestock or machinery could knock, stand on or crush a foot.
• Fit and comfort: well-fitting, supportive footwear can reduce fatigue on long days.
• Weather: cold can harden soles and reduce grip, and wet or smooth surfaces may be more slippery than they appear.

For a task-by-task guide, visit saferfarms.org.nz

A $3.07 million, one-year feasibility project will assess whether the Pouarua Water Storage Scheme and its piped distribution network stack up, and how they could be funded. The project is led by the Wi Pere Trust in partnership with Trust Tairāwhiti, the local economic development agency.

The Government is contributing $1.19 million, including the first investment from the Primary Sector Growth Fund in water storage.

The project will: 

• carry out design work
• pin down costs
• develop revenue and ownership models
• prepare the ground for consenting

Potential Benefits

Preliminary economic analysis estimates the scheme could add $246 million a year in farm and orchard gate returns and create 1,926 new full-time jobs. These are preliminary estimates, and the feasibility study will test whether the scheme is viable.

“Reliable water means farmers and growers can plan ahead,” McClay says. “On the flats that means higher value crops, better pasture and more options for farmers.”

He says the scheme would bring more growth to the region, new post-harvest jobs, and farms and orchards that continue to produce during dry summers.

New Zealand captures and uses only about two per cent of its annual rainfall, according to the release. Storing water when there is plenty and using it when it is dry takes pressure off rivers and aquifers, and is good for water quality, the Government says.

A Community-Led Project

McClay says the Wi Pere Trust is carrying on the legacy of Wi Pere, who spent his years pushing for regional development and better opportunities for his people. He also recognised East Coast MP Dana Kirkpatrick, who has been a strong supporter of the project and has pushed for the jobs and economic development irrigation could bring to the region.

“This Government wants farmers, growers and rural communities to have water they can rely on,” McClay says.

Farmers have become more frustrated with black spots and poor reception since the 3G network was switched off in March, the organisation said.

Federated Farmers telecommunications spokesperson Mark Hooper said last year’s Rural Connectivity Survey found service levels were already hit and miss.

This year’s survey, of nearly 650 farmers, painted a bleaker picture, he said. It was carried out in late August and early September.

Half of farms now have mobile coverage on less than half of the property, the survey found.

A third of farmers have a place on their farm that worked on 3G but no longer does, and for most the gaps are not confined to one part of the farm.

Emergency Access and Safety Concerns

Nearly two in three farmers said they cannot rely on reaching 111 from most of their farm, and 8% said connecting to emergency services was not possible anywhere on the property.

More than 40 farmers said there was nowhere on their property where they could reliably reach 111.

Hooper said patchy coverage creates obvious risks in an accident or emergency, especially for people working alone.

One farmer said they had failed a WorkSafe audit because poor coverage meant they could not check on staff every two hours.

Hooper noted that telcos have an agreement to redistribute a failed 111 call across whichever networks reach that spot, but said it cannot create coverage where none exists.

Financial Cost of the 3G Shutdown

One in seven farms had to replace equipment that relied on the 3G network, including irrigation and pivot controls, cow collars and other farm systems. Some spent many thousands of dollars, and the vast majority replaced gear that was still working, the survey found.

Two in three farmers paid for workarounds such as satellite broadband.

Only 15% of farmers regard satellite-to-mobile as an adequate substitute for a cell tower.

Providers Not Fixing Reported Problems

Of 126 farms that reported coverage and reliability problems, just two had the problem resolved.

Hooper said farmers reported that raising problems with providers often did not result in a fix, with some providers effectively denying there was an issue.

That’s very frustrating and indicates their concerns aren’t being taken seriously,” he said.

He said earlier assurances that most areas previously covered by 3G now have 4G and 5G had “proved hollow”.

Federated Farmers Meets Telcos

Hooper said Federated Farmers is holding urgent meetings with telcos to understand what scope exists within existing infrastructure or planned investment to improve the situation.

He said the organisation has some sympathy for the argument that heavy investment in “old technology”, such as new towers, may not be the best use of resources when satellite calling is on the way.

It is also interested in what fine-tuning of existing infrastructure might be possible now.

“At the very least, surely we can get more farmers hooked back up to the service standards they had with 3G,” he said.

Roads and Highways

Four in five farmers know a stretch of their regular roads where mobile service fails, and only 4% said they do not experience drop-outs on their journeys.

Eight times as many farmers said highway coverage had worsened over the past year as said it had improved.

The company said country music and culture are reaching a new generation of New Zealand fans. Two dedicated country music radio stations launched in New Zealand in 2025, and major international artists have played to large Kiwi crowds.

HelloFresh pointed to the local scene as well. The 2025 NZ Gold Guitar Awards attracted a record 829 entries, with organisers reporting particularly strong growth among teenage entrants. Tussock Country recorded a 26% year-on-year increase in attendances in 2025.

What is in the Country Cookout Box?

The menu features Southern-inspired recipes described by HelloFresh as smoky, sticky and satisfying:

• Tex-Mex Pulled Pork & Rodeo Rice Bowl, with creamy corn slaw and Cheddar
• Glazed Louisiana Chicken & Creamy Potato Salad, with pear-celery slaw
• Ranch-Style Texan Beef Loaded Fries, with avo salad, charred onion and smokey aioli
• Smokehouse Southern-Spiced Chicken, with creamy parsnip-potato salad and corn slaw
• Double Chocolate Brownies

HelloFresh On The Menu

Hannah Gilbert, head of culinary at HelloFresh New Zealand, said the company wanted to offer something different at dinnertime.

“We wanted Country Cookout to give Kiwis something a little different at dinnertime – big, bold flavours that are fun to eat but still easy to pull together,” she said.

She said the recipes draw on flavours associated with Southern-style cooking and are designed to be simple to make at home.

“It’s an easy way to shake up the usual midweek dinner without adding more work to the evening,” she said.

The Country Cookout Box is available to order until 3 November 2026 through hellofresh.co.nz.

BLNZ Inc was established in 1986 as the NZ Beef and Lamb Marketing Bureau.

Domestic retailers led its formation, with processors and farmers adding their support later. It describes itself as a globally unique initiative representing the full red meat supply chain.

CEO Says the Founding Idea Still Holds

Chief executive Kit Arkwright said the founding idea remained relevant.

“Kiwis hold red meat in high regard for its taste, nutrition and for what it contributes to the country’s prosperity, but its place on the dinner plate should not be taken for granted,” he said.

Arkwright said farmers, processors and retailers competed every day, yet for four decades had set commercial priorities aside to keep the product front of mind for consumers.

“As we look ahead, that ethos of collaboration and cooperation has never been more important,” he said.

Campaigns and the Quality Mark

BLNZ Inc was the driving force behind the Iron Maidens campaign, which featured Olympic gold medallists the Evers-Swindell twins and Sarah Ulmer. It is also a founding partner of National Lamb Day.

It introduced the Quality Mark in 1997 to ensure tender meat on the domestic market. The mark remains a fixture in retail almost 30 years later.

Over the past three decades, BLNZ Inc has worked with New Zealand chefs including Peter Gordon, Rex Morgan and recent Michelin Star recipients Ben Bayly and Shaun Clouston.

Its recipes.co.nz website has been a go-to for New Zealand cooks since 2000 and is one of the largest recipe websites in the country.

World Iron Awareness Week

The anniversary coincides with World Iron Awareness Week, which runs from 12 to 18 October. BLNZ Inc started the week in 2014, and it is now backed by 60 partners across the food system. Parkruns in Auckland and Wellington are planned to mark the week.

Burston is a Year 12 student at Waitara High School. She plans to study for a Bachelor of Animal Science at Massey University, with a focus on animal genetics and breeding.

She will be the first person in her family to attend university.

Pāmu on Why It Backs Young People

Pāmu Chief Corporate Services Officer Roz Urbahn said backing young people as they take their next step is one of the best investments that can be made in the future of New Zealand agriculture.

“Pāmu is proud to support young people who have the talent, determination and values to make a difference in our sector,” she said.

Urbahn said Burston’s passion for agriculture, commitment to her community and willingness to work hard made her a standout candidate. “We are delighted to be alongside her as she takes this next step in her education and career,” she said.

Paige Burston's Path to Agriculture

Burston said her love of agriculture developed through spending time on family farms and helping others in the local farming community.

“I am the first person in my family to go to university, and I am determined to pursue opportunities within agriculture,” she said.

She said her passion for agriculture had grown over the last three years, living with and helping her grandparents on the family farm and others in the local agricultural community.

Alongside her studies, Burston is active in her community. She plays and coaches at the Waitara Soccer Club, volunteers at a local primary school and works part-time at a local restaurant. She also regularly helps on her grandfather’s farm.

Pāmu and First Foundation Partnership

Pāmu has partnered with First Foundation since 2011. The partnership helps talented young New Zealanders overcome financial barriers to tertiary study while gaining mentoring and work experience opportunities.

Pāmu said the partnership reflects its commitment to developing future leaders for New Zealand’s food and fibre sector and strengthening opportunities for young people from rural communities.

Ballance chief executive Kelvin Wickham says the co-operative supports National’s policy and its recognition that reliable access to fertiliser and water is critical to on-farm productivity and to the New Zealand economy.

“Primary production is, more than ever, the engine of our economy, and fertiliser security is food and economic security for New Zealand,” Wickham says.

National’s policy, announced this morning, comes after significant disruptions to shipping routes, global fertiliser prices and availability amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza.

Associate agriculture spokesperson Mike Butterick said without reliable access, the farm sector would not be able to sustain its current production base.

“New Zealand plans for fuel security and energy security. National believes we should also plan for fertiliser security to protect New Zealand’s productive economy,” he said.

The party would also, if elected, create a $10m fund to partner with domestic fertiliser manufacturers to support pathways for long-term domestic nitrogen production and the transition from natural gas to electrification.

“National will prioritise reducing reliance on imports and improve certainty of availability for our farmers,” says Butterick.

Wickham agrees that the conflict in the Middle East has shown the importance of planning for soil nutrients the way the country plans for fuel, and secure, well-managed supply supports both productive farms and the New Zealand economy. “We welcome the focus on working directly with supplier countries to keep fertiliser flowing when markets are disrupted.”

Wickham is urging bipartisan support for this policy direction so that farmers and investors have confidence it will stand the test of time.

“Ballance will continue working with all parties, before and after the election, to help ensure a secure and resilient nutrient supply chain,” he says.

The business has been operating from the new site since early June, followed by the official opening celebration in mid-September.

The purpose-built facility, situated on a 10,000sqm site, is said to have been designed to meet the demands of modern agricultural machinery, growing customer fleets and increasingly sophisticated service requirements and represents a major step forward in capability, capacity and customer support for the region.

Landpower founder and director Herby Whyte said the investment reflects the com-pany’s long-standing commitment to New Zealand agriculture and the communities it serves.

“I have always held a long-term view of showing our commitment by investing in New Zealand agriculture, and this building is an expansion of our future,” says Whyte.

The facility has been designed around operational excellence, with a significantly ex-panded workshop featuring modern tooling and gantry systems to improve service efficiency and reduce turnaround times.

In line with Landpower’s strategy of a greater parts stockholding, closer to where equipment is working, the new location incorporates a purpose-built parts department of over 200m², housing in excess of 3300 individual inventory line items, aimed at im-proving parts availability, reducing customer downtime, with the capacity to support future growth.

The workshop addresses future expansion needs, including a site and wall configura-tion that enables seamless extension as demand continues to grow. In addition, acknowledges increasing equipment values, with a 50-metre-long pole shed providing covered storage for customer machinery, including large combines and forage har-vesters, alongside new machinery awaiting assembly and delivery.

Landpower chief executive Richard Wilson says the development reflects the compa-ny’s commitment to combining world-class agricultural machinery with industry-leading customer support.

“It’s bringing the best of a family-owned business and the latest agricultural machin-ery together in a future-focused facility designed to help and support our local cus-tomers,” says Wilson.

Led by branch manager Jordan Law, the Central Districts team is proud to play an ac-tive role in the local community, from supporting Feilding Rural Days, school and sports fundraisers, to taking part in the annual Feilding Christmas Parade.

www.claasharvestcentre.com/dealership/claas-harvest-centre-central-districts 

Following a record year in 2022/23, with revenues of EUR 641 million, and a subsequent downturn (EUR 461 million in 2024/25), the trend is on the way up again, driven by multiple developments in grassland technology, including updates to its Harvest 4.0 app, auto swath placement for Novacat V and two additions to the loader wagon ranges.

With a steady 90% export ratio, with France and Germany among the most important markets, the company also achieved year on year growth in the all-important Austrian domestic market.

Employee numbers remains stable at 2100 people, who represent 37 different nationalities of which 1173 work in Austria, 407 in Czechia, 208 in Germany, 76 in Italy, and the remaining 217 work at Pöttinger subsidiaries around the world. Manufacturing is centred around manufacturing plants at Grieskirchen and St. Georgen bei Grieskirchen in Austria, Bernburg in Germany, Vodňany, Czechia and Tagliamento in Italy.

With its international parts logistics centre in Taufkirchen (Upper Austria) and 17 regional warehouses across Europe, America, Asia and Australia, Pöttinger ensures a fast and reliable supply of parts over the longer term around the globe,

An expansion at Taufkirchen, that commenced in March 2026 and scheduled for completion by the end of the year, will create an additional 3000 sqm of warehouse capacity, alongside a fourth aisle in the automated small parts warehouse, which will create another 10,000 storage spaces.

Despite ongoing geopolitical challenges, Gregor Dietachmayr, speaker of the executive board, had an optimistic outlook for the future until last month: “While the markets remain challenging, we did see the first signs of stabilisation. However, the situation is bound to change as a result of the drought affecting almost all European countries and the consequent drop in crop yields. Our mission is to continue supporting our customers by investing in innovation, digitisation and new products and services. This provides the basis for ensuring that we continue to grow in the future.”

https://www.poettinger.at/en_nz 

Hall brings extensive senior executive and commercial leadership experience across New Zealand’s agribusiness and food sectors, most recently as acting chief executive and deputy chief executive commercial at AgResearch, where he was responsible for commercial performance, stakeholder engagement, organisational transformation and led geographically dispersed complex teams.

Prior to AgResearch, Hall held senior sales and marketing leadership positions with ANZCO Foods, including responsibility for global markets and significant revenue portfolios.

Hall’s initial focus will be supporting the fast-growing Carrfields Machinery business, while also working closely with group managing director Craig Carr and the senior leadership team on several strategic projects and initiatives underway across the group.

 Carr said the appointment would strengthen the leadership of the business as it continues to grow.

“We welcome Stu to our Carrfields family and look forward to the contribution he will make as we continue to grow and strengthen the business for the future.”

Blitzing the previous FIA-officiated hydrogen internal combustion benchmark of 185.5mph set by the BMW H2R in 2004, the record was achieved using two of JCB’s own production-based hydrogen digger engines, producing a combined 1600bhp.

Manufactured at the company’s engine plant in Foston, Derbyshire, the same basic engines are currently powering JCB machines and equipment rolling off UK-based, Foston production lines, as part of the company’s £100 million hydrogen programme.

Driven by wing commander Andy Green OBE, the 32-foot car recorded an average speed 400.623mph in its first run across the Bonneville salt flats, and 412.135mph on its second run, giving the average of 406.320mph – the fastest a hydrogen internal combustion car has ever travelled. Green was also the driver of Dieselmax when it set the, still standing, FIA world diesel land speed record of 350.092mph at the same location in 2006 and remains the only person to have broken the sound barrier on land

JCB is no stranger to breaking records and in addition to the Dieselmax success, the Fastrac became the world’s fastest tractor at 135.191mph in 2019, and in 2014 the GT set the backhoe loader record at 72.58mph.

Looking at the Hydromax’s specifications, its twin, 4.8 litre, turbocharged four-cylinder engines, sees a four wheel-drive layout, with one unit powering the front wheels and the other the rear. A steel lattice chassis is encased in an extremely aerodynamic carbon fibre skin over its 9.8m length and tipping the scales at 2.6 tonnes.

Developed in just over a year, with intensive testing in the UK before heading to Bonneville. The car features advanced cooling systems, including ice and water to manage engine temperatures, and a six-speed racing gearbox controlled via paddle shifters. The project focuses on JCB’s commitment to hydrogen technology for heavy machinery, showing practical applications of zero-emissions technology.

Having led JCB’s hydrogen engine project, Chairman Anthony Bamford came up with the idea of the hydrogen World record in 2025. Lord Bamford commented, “Twenty years ago we came to Bonneville with JCB Dieselmax and showed what British engineering could do with diesel power. Today we have done it again — this time with engines powered by hydrogen-the same engines powering JCB diggers right now.”

The record comes ahead of the opening of JCB’s new $500 million factory in San Antonio, Texas, which will employ 1500 people manufacturing machines for the US market.

www.jcb.co.nz 

Its core business is grain and seed, particularly grass seed, followed by grain, brassica and clover seed, alongside processed vegetables and beef finishing. The 2025 harvest put the business under pressure, with repeated rain leaving only a few short harvesting windows.

After trialling the New Holland CR11 combine harvester alongside its current CR10.90 machines in a wet, stop‑start harvest, the business confirmed it will upgrade to a duo of the new CR11 model, next generation combines from 2026.

Managing director Aaron Chudleigh spent his time in the paddock personally trialling the CR11 in heavy, high‑value pickup crops to see how it performed when conditions were at their toughest. Across key crops, compared to the CR10.90 units, the CR11 delivered around 1.7 times the capacity in wheat, 1.9 times in clover and up to 2.2 times in grass seed, while maintaining a clean sample and low losses.

“The biggest gains for us have been in the pickup work,” Aaron said, “Around 60 to 65% of our harvest is lifting windrowed grass, brassica and other small seeds, so I was really focused on how the CR11 coped with those heavy, high‑value crops on large format pick-up fronts.

“With the CR11 we can pick up two windrow rows at our normal harvesting speed, and in grass seed it’s basically doing the work of two machines,” he said.

“In a wet season like this, one every extra minute counts. There were times when the CR11 could go out 30 to 60 minutes earlier in marginal conditions, pick up two rows and still do a tidy job, which was the difference between getting a paddock done before the next rain or not.”

Cochranes, the largest New Holland dealer in the South Island, worked alongside Fairfield
Farms to trial the CR11
in the region’s demanding small‑seed conditions. Group sales manager Barth Landy said, “We trialled the CR11 in some of the toughest small seed conditions, including new variety perennial ryegrass, to really test the machine, with early results showing it performing exceptionally well”.

“The scale of small seed production here in New Zealand is larger than almost anywhere else in the world, so these trials were some of the most demanding CR11 small seed tests done to date. They gave us real‑world data to prove how the machine performs in small seeds and to help validate its potential for large-scale growers across New Zealand, and indeed, globally.”

From 1 January 2027, that approach could become much harder to justify.

Updated Veterinary Council guidance will put greater emphasis on antimicrobial DCT being justified at the individualcow level, strengthening the expectation that antibiotics are used only where there is evidence they are needed.

MSD Animal Health veterinary technical advisor Matt Buckley says selective DCT itself isn’t new. What is changing is the weight behind it and emerging technologies to support smarter dry cow decisions.

“The thresholds and guidelines have been there for quite a while. The difference now is that vets have much stronger backing to say, ‘show me the evidence that this cow needs antibiotic dry cow therapy.’”

And recent New Zealand research suggests that for the vast majority of herds, treating every cow isn’t necessary.

DairyNZ says extensive analysis has found blanket DCT provides a benefit only in herds where bulk milk somatic cell count (BMSCC) is above 250,000 cells/mL and rises by more than 50,000 cells/ mL during the final three months of the season.

Fewer than 5% of New Zealand herds are likely to meet those criteria.

For the rest, DairyNZ’s advice is selective antibiotic DCT for qualifying cows, combined with internal teat sealant for all cows to help prevent new infections during the dry period.

Why does it matter?

The objective isn’t to remove access to antibiotics for cows that need them, but to avoid using them where there isn’t evidence they’re required, reducing unnecessary antimicrobial use without compromising animal health.

It also forms part of the much bigger challenge facing agriculture and human health: antimicrobial resistance.

Buckley says protecting the effectiveness of the antibiotics available to treat both people and animals is ultimately what responsible use is about.

“We want antibiotics to work when we genuinely need them. This isn’t about not treating cows that need treatment – it’s about the right treatment, for the right cow, at the right time.”

For New Zealand dairy, that’s also an important position to protect. DairyNZ says New Zealand farmers already rank among the lowest users of antibiotics internationally.

Selective DCT might sound straightforward in principle, but the harder question is how to make it work in the shed.

Unlike a blanket approach, selective DCT requires farmers and vets to determine which individual cows warrant antibiotic treatment, using evidence such as clinical mastitis records and individual-cow somatic cell count (SCC) information.

Buckley says this is where the conversation needs to move beyond simply telling farmers to use fewer antibiotics.

“If we’re asking a farmer to make a decision for every individual cow, we need to make that practical,” he says.

Building a picture of the cow over time

Traditionally, individual-cow SCC information has commonly come from herd testing. Increasingly, in-line milk monitoring can provide another source of that information.

A 2024 study published in the Journal of Dairy Science involving 1544 cows across four predominantly pasture-fed New Zealand dairy herds investigated whether SenseHub Dairy In-Line Somatic Cell Count could help identify cows for different treatments at dry-off.

Researchers found that in-line SCC information collected over the final 12 weeks of lactation delivered similar results to conventional herdtest SCC measures in identifying cows with major intramammary infections at dry-off.

The researchers concluded that the in-line SCC data had utility for selecting cows for either antimicrobial DCT or internal teat sealant at the end of lactation.

For Buckley, the value of collecting that information extends well beyond the dryoff decision. Having individual-cow SCC data available throughout the season gives farmers a deeper picture of what’s happening within their herd, including the ability to identify cows with rising SCC earlier and investigate potential mastitis issues sooner, ultimately driving better outcomes and more milk the vat.

“It’s about having more information about the individual cow and being able to act on it,” says Buckley. “By the time you get to dry-off, you’ve already built up that history rather than starting from scratch.”

Turning Data Into A Decision

Many farmers already use herd-test results, clinical mastitis records, dry-off dates and other information to create reports identifying cows that meet the criteria for antibiotic DCT.

“If you’ve got a report that can identify the cows that are above the agreed threshold over the last 12 weeks and have had mastitis, you’ve got your list of cows that need antibiotic Dry Cow Therapy and your list of cows that don’t,” says MSD animal health veterinary technical Advisor Matt Buckley.

“It becomes a two-second job.”

Technology can also help make those decisions easier to implement on farm, including by helping farmers identify and separate cows requiring different treatments.

Milk volume can also help determine when an individual cow is ready to be dried off, while other individual-cow data can help farmers manage the wider transition through dry-off.

The technology doesn’t replace the veterinarian. The appropriate thresholds and treatment strategy still need to be determined between the farmer and their vet, taking into account the mastitis situation within the individual herd.

“As 2027 approaches, farmers who have traditionally used blanket DCT should talk to their veterinarian about how they will approach dry-off, what criteria will be used to identify cows requiring antibiotic treatment, and whether they have the individual-cow information needed to support those decisions,” says Buckley.

Selective DCT has been best practice for years, and from 2027, farmers and vets will need to work together with evidence regarding which cows actually need antibiotic treatment to ensure that selective DCT decisions are implemented on all farms.

Alliance Co-operative Chair Mark Wynne said the planned distribution would include two payments to eligible farmer-shareholders: a dividend for shareholding and a supply rebate for eligible livestock supply. Of the total, 45% will be paid as a dividend and 55% as a supply-based rebate.

The dividend and rebate are expected to be distributed to farmers in late 2026.

Further Distribution Planned

A further distribution of up to $20 million is planned for next year, subject to livestock flows. Seventy-five per cent is expected to be paid as a rebate and 25% retained as earnings.

"This planned distribution reflects the commitment to returning value to farmer-shareholders while continuing to strengthen the business," Wynne said.

"Reset-and-Growth Phase"

Alliance Chief Executive Niall Browne said the company is making good progress.

"Ten months on since the transaction with Dawn Meats, Alliance is changing for the better," he said. "After a tough few years, the business is moving into a reset-and-growth phase, built on disciplined improvements across the areas that will drive future shareholder value."

Browne said Alliance is maintaining its market share across lamb, mutton, beef and venison, with potential for growth. He said the company's financial performance continues to improve, and its focus is on turning that progress into stronger, more consistent returns.

"That means doing the basics better every day," Browne said.

He said Alliance is investing in plant upgrades to improve safety, reliability, efficiency, environmental performance and product quality. It is also streamlining livestock procurement, staying closer to customers and making faster decisions closer to its plants and regions.

"We are delivering against what we promised," he said.

What Shareholders Need To Do

Farmer-shareholders are being encouraged to check their livestock supply numbers in the Alliance farmer portal.

Alliance has not set out the detailed criteria for eligibility in the announcement.

But during September, the emphasis on cattle switches towards another unique and beautiful side of Taniwha Station – the 10ha of daffodils that are grown exclusively to benefit a local charity.

The farm is owned by Angus and Esther Mabin and Angus is the fourth-generation family member to run the property. Since his grandfather acquired the property in the mid- 1890s it’s been variously a conventional sheep and beef operation, a deer farm and a polled Hereford stud. When Angus took over the farm from his father in the 1980s it was a conventional sheep breeding operation with steers.

Angus’ return to the farm, after finishing his degree at Massey University, coincided with the major economic reforms of the then Labour government.

“I had some very inspiring uncles who were into the bull beef game at an early stage, so I exited sheep and entered bull farming, which was the best thing I ever did. Now we are known as the daffodil farm,” he says.

The story of the daffodils is one of remarkable generosity and community spirit. It was the birth of Angus’ brother that prompted his mother Railene to begin what has turned out to be a lifetime legacy. According to Esther Mabin, her mother-in-law was so grateful for the help given to her by the Plunket nurse that she decided that she would like to thank that organisation in some tangible way.

“She said ‘I can’t sell cakes because I am not very good at baking so instead, I will grow daffodils and sell them’. Initially she’d bundle them up and sell them in town, and then as the children grew up, the daffodils were put at the farm gate on the main road in buckets and she got her kids to do that,” she says.

Initially, says Esther, the daffodils were just around the main homestead like they were on many similar properties, but Railene dug these up and started a major planting programme. This included buying a whole range of different varieties and finally she purchased all the stock from a grower at Palmerston North who was retiring.

“This led to Railene’s husband Barrie having to slightly reduce the farm and the enlarge the house paddock to ten hectares, all of which is devoted to beds of daffodils of different colours and varieties,” she says.

With this expansion has come the development of a large park which, besides the huge number of daffodil beds, includes ponds and trees, not to mention stunning views of the distant mountain ranges. Taniwhai has now also become a popular wedding venue. It also includes a building that serves as a shop that sells light refreshments during the two weeks Taniwhai is open to the public.

Esther Mabin says when she married Angus, the daffodils were still being sold in the nearby town of Waipukurau along with a few gate sales. Then a small committee was formed and it was decided they would offer people the chance to come and pick their own flowers.

Various times to do this were tried, including opening the property every two years, to weekends and so on. But Esther says the demands on the family were great and finally, after Covid, they decided that they would open up the property every September for two weeks and three weekends.

Initially the local Plunket society was the chosen charity of the Mabins, but that organisation made a decision that any money given to the local group had to be passed on to their national office. At that point the Mabins decided they wanted to just give to a local charity and so now their Taniwha Daffodil Charitable Trust supports the CHB Parents Centre and the CHB Pregnancy and Parenting Hub – which supports parents and their babies.

Preparing for the two-week open period is a busy time for the Mabins, their extended family and their team of volunteers. The 10ha house paddock has to be mowed, signs erected and areas marked out for parking cars.

Railene Mabin

Joy To The People

At the centre of all of this is Railene Mabin who instigated this amazing project, for which in 2017 she received the QSM for her services to Plunket and charity. She is centre stage in the shop selling flowers and chatting to members of the public.

For Railene, Esther and Angus Mabin, opening up their property to the public and selling daffodils comes with some very satisfying moments, such as seeing up to 300 cars in their carpark at weekends. Also seeing the smiles on the faces of people who come and pick flowers and picnic on the spacious grounds.

Then there is the money that is raised. This year they expect to give around $20,000 to their main charity and a few small ones.

“It brings a lot of joy to a lot of people. Just when you are feeling grumpy about it, someone says ‘this is a great community service and thank you for opening your property’. This is our dividend,” says the family.