News

Eric Heta left school for the freezing works. A country boy, he also milked cows for a year, and enjoyed it. For Eric though, his entry into farming came with the words ‘I do.’ “Marrying a farmer’s daughter prompted my start in farming. I left the freezing works and we went 50-50 sharemilking. Up...

The annual PGG Wrightson Academy Awards marks the grand finale of the PGG Wrightson Academy development programme. Established in 2006, the programme’s purpose is to develop talent within the company, to provide fresh thinking to New Zealand agriculture’s opportunities and problems and develop new...

A farmer and wellbeing professional outlines practical tips and tricks to manage stress on the farm Even at the best of times farming can be a stressful business. Right now, for many of us, this is not the best of times: escalating interest rates, uncertain returns, and cataclysmic weather around...

bidr sale raises $117,180 to help Cyclone Gabrielle victims Deer farmers across New Zealand banded together in mid-March to support their deer industry whānau whose lives were turned upside down by Cyclone Gabrielle. Via an online charity auction on auction site bidr they raised $117,180, a clear...

Early enquiry recommended for anyone wanting dairy livestock next season As dairy farmers plan for the start of next season enquiry for forward settlements of herds and in-calf heifers is firm. Empty rates appear to be two to three per cent higher this season than normal, probably due to the...

Buyers and sellers benefit from flexible cashflow solution A mid-March South Canterbury on farm lamb sale illustrated the effectiveness of Go-Stock, PGG Wrightson’s flexible solution for on-farm cashflow. Hamish Orbell owns and farms 4100 hectare Clayton Station, a Fairlie Basin property farming...

Farmers offered opportunity to donate stock to support relief fund In early March I caught up with PGG Wrightson’s East Coast clients and staff to look at some of the devastation left in the wake of Cyclone Gabrielle. While it’s fair to say that the resulting aftermath leaves a knot in the stomach...

Cropping farmers support store lamb sales, while calves presented in excellent condition Some South Island areas were dry through summer, particularly South Otago and Southern Southland, though rain in early March provided farmers in those localities with a measure of respite and the prospect of...

The Country’s Jamie Mckay talks to GM of PGG Wrightson Rural Real Estates, Peter Newbold about the Sheep and Beef farms that are being sold and how many are going to trees. Peter let Jamie know he can’t give an exact percentage but that in some regions he would say more than 50% are going into...

Jamie Mackay recently had a conversation about deer with Tony Cochrane, national velvet manager for PGG Wrightson. But Jamie wanted to touch on venison first, contending that New Zealanders don't eat enough of one of the great meats. Tony agreed but pointed out that price is a factor - although...

Favourable weather positive for both stock and support from buyers Weaner fairs are benefiting from the abundance of feed across all North Island regions, which is boosting the condition of stock coming to market, driving values up by as much as 50 cents per kilogram liveweight compared to last year...

The small town of Ohakune is located close to the southwestern slopes of Mount Ruapehu, covering an area of 6.4km2 and has a population of 1,150. The question, “What is Ohakune famous for?” tops a Google search and informs the viewer that it’s the Carrot Capital of NZ, Chocolate Eclairs, and a...

Jamie Mackay recently had a conversation about deer with Tony Cochrane, national velvet manager for PGG Wrightson. But Mackay wanted to touch on venison first, contending that New Zealanders don’t eat enough of “one of the great meats”. Cochrane agreed but pointed out that price is a factor -...

In 2022 the Bikes for Blokes duo, Bruce and Paul, cycled the length of NZ raised a whopping $200,000 for Farmstrong NZ and the Prostate Cancer Outcomes Registry NZ. This year they are going even bigger, and we are proud to get behind them once again to help them reach their goal of raising $400,000...

The PGG Wrightson Academy was established in 2006 to broaden employee knowledge across PGW’s Business Units and bring both new people and new innovations to agriculture and horticulture. Now in its 17th year, more than 300 employees have completed the programme and have proceeded to enrich PGW, our...

Obviously, there are some real issues around getting wool out of wool sheds and power into wool sheds - but the season is well through. Edwards said that it could have been more difficult for wool growers but a fair degree of the wool had been shorn throughout the flat areas of the Hawke’s Bay and...

The Country, NZ Herald Toa Henderson is shaping up as a serious contender to end Rowland Smith’s Golden Shears open championship-winning run this week in Masterton. Henderson, of Kaiwaka, won a six-man Pahiatua Shears open final, scoring his third victory in three weeks over Hawke’s Bay-based Smith...

Naturally, the main topic of conversation was Cyclone Gabrielle and its effect on Gisborne, Hawke’s Bay and the East Coast of the North Island. Mackay asked how PGG agents and their clients were coping at the moment. Newbold said it was really tough and all “normal” work had been put on the back...