South Island set for good early spring growth
Livestock markets moving out of winter mode Overall the livestock market has been in winter mode, with relatively low numbers of sheep and cattle through the saleyards. Looking ahead, there are a number of cattle sales rostered during October. Good early spring rainfall through most of the South...
Staff profile – Alex Stuart
On the path he always wanted to take Alex Stuart started with PGG Wrightson Livestock as a trainee in August 2022, moving into the company’s academy programme at the start of this year, and taking up a permanent role as a Waikato based livestock representative in April. Growing up on farms managed...
Staff Profile - Bernie Cox
Knowing how to look at a cow Bernie Cox became a PGG Wrightson Livestock representative in June this year, working with dairy farmers between the Rakaia and Rangitata rivers. Although he is a newbie at this, Bernie brings 15 years in dairy farming to the role, plus high level experience as a...
Quality rewarded through two-year-old bull sale season
Quality genetics continue to reap rewards This year’s two-year-old bull sale season finished recently as 130 studs nationwide put their best bulls forward at auction, private sales and paddock selections. Callum Stewart, PGG Wrightson Livestock National Genetics Manager, said the campaign exceeded...
Venison markets tracking well
Cautious optimism justified among deer farmers While for much of the year the venison price has held stable at around $9, a positive forecast indicates it will exceed $10 per kilogram before the end of 2023, a prospect that has slowed reduction of the hind herd. Demand from the growing United States...
Online bull semen sale easy route to herd improvement
Easy access to some of the country’s best beef genetics AI is becoming more widely accepted as a simple, efficient and effective way to introduce quality genetics into a commercial herd. PGG Wrightson’s annual online bull semen sale is growing in popularity, providing direct and easy access to some...
South Island winter sets up promising spring
Less positive economic factors offset good weather conditions Mild South Island weather coupled with plenty of rain has provided good soil moisture levels, setting farmers up for a promising spring. During July and August, the quietest time of the year in the saleyards, small yardings of both sheep...
Difficult winter could lead into more favourable North Island spring
Softening lamb market and dairy payout influencing market sentiment During the calving and lambing seasons trade in livestock generally enters a hiatus period. Factors facing farmers and the sector as a whole include a softening lamb market, largely due to China’s market forces, with a similar story...
Beef over dairy offers win-win
Co-operation stands to benefit both sectors Several largely unrelated factors could work well together to meet the different needs of two separate farming sectors as the service bull season approaches. Land use change from farming to forestry has reduced the national beef herd in recent years...
Over the Farm Gate: Bull sale season matches expectations
Quality is still in demand, though sale catalogues trimmed We are now well into this year’s bull sale season as 130 studs nationwide put their best two-year-old bulls forward at auction, private sales and paddock selections. Based on the number of sheep and beef farms going to forestry recently...
Over the Farm Gate: North Island market holding strong
Feed rich conditions support solid values Good quality, well-bred sheep and cattle are selling at solid values across all North Island regions where, despite some colder snaps and higher than average rainfall through some regions, feed rich conditions predominate. Indicators for sheep and beef...
Over the Farm Gate: Abundant feed keeps South Island markets positive
Favourable conditions lift demand for cattle and sheep An exceptional autumn across the South Island has the country looking superb and farmers seeking to make the most of generous feed reserves. Such favourable conditions have resulted in a big lift in demand for cattle and sheep, both on paddock...
Over the Farm Gate: Dairy herd settlements satisfactory following Moving Day
Options available with potential dairy sector cashflow restriction A sizeable proportion of those in the dairy sector go through immense upheaval on Moving Day, and this year was no different with large numbers of workers, farmers and sharemilkers having to plan, shift and settle in before, on and...
Over the Farm Gate: Bull sales show way ahead for bidr users
Growth of online platform points way forward for buyer-seller engagement With bidr now operating weekly at 10 saleyards across the country, and becoming more of a focal point in livestock sales, buyers and sellers are finding more sophisticated ways to take advantage of the online livestock sales...
Over the Farm Gate: Young Wellsford farming couple making the most of GO-STOCK
PGG Wrightson livestock tool eases cashflow and opens fast track to farm ownership Connor and Sephrah Edwards farm in Wellsford north of Auckland. They plan to achieve farm ownership within the next five years. PGG Wrightson’s GO-STOCK is an essential part of how they are going to do it. As Connor...
Over the Farm Gate: Prepare yourself for calving and lambing, by Dana Carver
A farmer and well-being professional advises how to manage winter farming stress For those of us in dairy, calving starts soon, while for many of our friends and colleagues, lambing is not too far away. Today in farming well-being matters more than ever, and with the stress that the calving and...
Over the Farm Gate: Staff profile – Andrew Leggett
Committed to giving an honest opinion Manawatu local Andrew Leggett has been a PGG Wrightson Livestock representative based in Feilding since March 2018. Along with his family he has shifted to Northland, and later this month will resume his role with the company, now operating out of Whangarei...
Over the Farm Gate: Staff profile – Tom Dobson
Planning ahead for success in farming Tom Dobson is a PGG Wrightson trainee livestock representative based in Canterbury. Growing up in Christchurch, Tom’s links to farming are through his father’s rural sector focused service business. “Spending most of my school holidays working on farms, and with...