News

Jamie Mackay from The Country recently talked about the wool market with Grant Edwards, General Manager of PGG Wrightson Wool. The big question: is the wool market on the improve? Grant assured Jamie they're still seeing improvement - but it would be good to see a lot more. China is increasing their...

After the town of Wairoa was devastated by Cyclone Garbrielle, the town’s iwi and hapū began coordinating an immediate response to provide essential food and supplies to the community. Central to the relief effort was the need for a safe and secure central hub, where agencies could gather together...

Every spring for the past 11 years, PGW and Ballance Agri-Nutrients have run the Cash for Communities programme to help raise funds for rural schools, clubs, charities and community organisations across New Zealand. One dollar is donated for every tonne of qualifying fertiliser bought between 1...

Prospects lifting for velvet and venison Early season support from the South Korean health food sector, which accounts for 30 to 35 per cent of annual sales for New Zealand production, meant the 2022/23 velvet season started strongly. However, once those big contracts were filled demand fell away...

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...