We are now at day 106 after the 2021 Canterbury floods, and even though his own farm was ravaged by floodwater in the May 30th floods, Federated Farmers board member Chris Allen still managed to document the journey via a series of short videos. We have put them all together in a short video that […]
New Zealanders urged to back local pig farmers through lock-down and eat local pork
Kiwis are being encouraged to support New Zealand’s pig farmers by only buying ‘homegrown’ pork during the COVID-19 restrictions. New Zealand pig farmers are deemed an essential service and are continuing to farm through Alert Levels 2-4, but with many restaurants closed, the sector is concerned about a possible surplus of pigs. Now, NZPork has […]
Who’s that bird?
We all know that farmers and rural people are great conservationists, and we understand and encourage birdlife on farm, but historically this has been an anecdotal record-keeping system. We recently caught up with the team from ebird which is co-ordinating the New Zealand Bird Atlas project. This is a Citizen Science project run by Birds […]
Don’t fence me in
By Rebecca Flannery, Sometimes we here at Federated Farmers need to just get out and visit rural communities to learn and understand more about them and get a picture of where exactly we fit in terms of what they need, as opposed to what we think they may need … So recently we got ourselves […]
Feds backs the butcher, the baker, and the greengrocer – again
Federated Farmers says the government needs to reconsider and let small business fresh food sellers stay open under level 4. Last year Federated Farmers national president Andrew Hoggard was vocal about Feds’ position. “We pleaded for common sense to prevail, we have had over one year to sort this out – yet it is not.” New […]
Minimum sick leave entitlements are increasing to 10 days
The minimum sick leave entitlement is increasing from 5 to 10 days per year from 24 July 2021. Employees will get the extra five days at their next entitlement date. Employers and employees, it is important you are prepared for the change so you don’t get caught out. Here are six key things you need […]
Ashburton Rivers – Flow Forecast and Impact Estimate
Flow Prediction The Metservice forecast is for rain to continue at similar rates (5-10mm per hour) in the upper part of the catchment today. In particular, this will affect the South Ashburton and North Ashburton which are currently rising. Bowyers and Taylors Streams are likely to be affected to a lesser degree. The catchment was […]
Bank says goodbye – has this happened to you?
Please let us know Last week it came to our attention that Rangitikei farmer, farming contractor, and Horizons regional councillor Bruce Gordon had been contacted by Rabobank wanting to close his business accounts because he was no longer borrowing from it. Bruce received a letter from the bank in June, saying he had 20 days […]
Forest Owners say production trees are potentially farming’s biggest friend
The President of the Forest Owners Association has told delegates to the Primary Industries Summit in Christchurch that forestry offers many opportunities for farmers. He said trees versus food production arguments are misleading and detract from opportunities to improve the sustainability and profitability of the wider farming sector Phil Taylor has told delegates that not […]
AWDT, Know your Mindset. Grow your Influence
When the pressure is on, sometimes it’s best to just pause and re-focus on what’s really important to your family, farm and community. New from @AWDT, Know your Mindset. Grow your Influence is a short, personal development programme for both women and men – designed to help you respond to change with positive, meaningful action. […]