Nobody welcomes extra costs but if OSPRI is to catch-up on under investment in the NAIT platform and deliver on its workability and farmer support, levy increases are probably necessary, Federated Farmers says. OSPRI is consulting on proposals to increase the NAIT tag levy from 90 cents to $1.35 and the slaughter levy from 50 […]
Animal Welfare
Mark your days by helping Retired Working Dogs
The October FEDSNEWS showcased the work that Natalie Smith and the Retired Working Dogs charity have been doing to help man’s best friend find loving homes. Now we’re introducing Helen and Hoon, the formidable pair who help sell the charity’s calendars. Helen Sheard is one of the vets at the Fielding branch of Totally Vets. […]
Graduate vets receive MPI funding to work in rural areas
Thirty-four graduate vets are being placed in rural areas, from Kaitaia in the far North to Gore in Southland, through the Government’s Voluntary Bonding Scheme for Veterinarians (VBS) Agriculture and Rural Communities Minister Damien O’Connor announced today. The successful recipients will each receive funding of $55,000 over five years, in a bid to help ease […]
Feds whistle up support for the whio
Federated Farmers is once again championing the whio (blue duck) to take the Bird of the Year title. New Zealanders sticking to their home bubble under COVID alert levels should feel some affinity for this plucky and endangered native duck because they also live rather isolated lives in the less modified catchments of the Urerewa, […]
Parasite resistance to drenches Action Plan launched
A new Action Plan designed to help manage parasite resistance to drenches in New Zealand has been launched. Encouraging the responsible marketing and sales of drench, more accurate and easier parasite testing, research to demonstrate the costs and benefits of various parasite management approaches and better training and development are among the new priorities in […]
Green light for composting shelter study
By Simon Edwards There’s growing farmer interest in composting shelters – sometimes called “composting mootels” – but not a lot of verifiable information on how they impact the environment and balance sheets. A team led by Rachel Durie of Perrin Ag Consultants aims to change that. As one of 12 projects to get the green […]
Message is clear on minimum tail length
It might be called different things depending on where you are located in the country, but be it tailing or docking, the outcome is the same – it is about improving the health and welfare of sheep and lambs. Removing the tail prevents faecal matter from accumulating on the tail and hindquarters of the animal, in […]
There’s life in the old dog yet
Man’s best friend has been a trusted and long-time employee on the farm since humans woke up and realised how smart dogs are. But it doesn’t have to be the end of a happy life when they get too old, have had a career-ending injury or just won’t quite make the cut. This was the […]
Evolving winter grazing improvements hit a good path forwards
By Simon Edwards If there’s one thing about the whole winter grazing saga that brasses off Bernadette Hunt (and to be fair, there are quite a few things) it’s the impression some have that farmers have only just woken up to the need to lift their game on getting animals through the cold months while […]
Update from the Canterbury floods
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 […]