News

The family behind Blenheim’s Hedgerows Hydroponic Strawberries have just started their fourth harvest of delicious, fresh strawberries and are looking forward to another summer of learning and improving their small scale, high quality production techniques. “When we first began, we were completely...

PGG Wrightson Livestock National Sale Manager Matt Macfie joins Mark Leishman on the daily report to discuss how the livestock market is tracking as we head into November.

From 11 November 2019 our Head Office will be moving to a new location at Christchurch Airport. The modern office will home staff across our Corporate, Agency and Retail & Water divisions and will continue to provide accounting, supply chain, marketing, technology, human resources and administrative...

The warmer months are an exciting time in the garden as your spring planting efforts come to life, There is also plenty of summer sun loving crops to plant and it's the perfect time to get your garden into shape for summer BBQs and backyard entertaining. By now your spring planting should be coming...

New pastures are a great opportunity to lift production and fine tune the production dynamics on your farm. After sowing your new pasture paddocks, ensure you monitor them as they emerge. Once the clovers are at the two trifoliate stage, it is a good time to assess the weed pressure. Some paddocks...

I am receiving an increasing number of calls from across the North Island especially the Waikato and Manawatu, about Yellow Bristle Grass (YBG) being found in both pasture and crops, and more particularly maize. This weed is part of the family of annual grasses known as Seteria, which includes...

This is the third article of a three-part series that takes a closer look at New Zealand soils. This month, I focus on the different management strategies that are required for the four distinct soil types that were discussed in the last issue. New Zealand soils are generally young (comparatively...

This month Andy Thompson is joined by PGG Wrightson South Island wool procurement manager Rob Cochrane to discuss the current issues facing farmers and the stability of the wool market. Things are looking up for the New Zealand Agricultural Show (formally known as the Canterbury A and P show)...

Spring has been slow to arrive in much of the South Island, with a corresponding shortage of available feed dampening livestock markets. PGG Wrightson South Island Livestock Manager Shane Gerken says pasture production has not yet picked up in districts south of the Waitaki, though in Canterbury and...

Sheep & Beef Shane Gerken - South Island Livestock Manager Colder than normal weather conditions for this time of the year in the South Island has meant farmers are on top of their feed, especially in the bottom half of the South Island. The cattle market has been sluggish, as buyers look for better...

Peter Moore joins Mark Leishman on the daily report to discuss how the livestock market is tracking this spring. In particular, the current variable spring weather and its effect on livestock sales.

Peter Moore joins Mark Leishman on the daily report to discuss how the livestock market is tracking this spring. In particular, the advantages of the online auction platform Bidr.

Market influences are extremely difficult to predict and, there are often questions as to why the wider wool trade doesn’t pass on market intelligence to growers as an aid to grow the “right” wool, it is impossible to predict any movements with certainty. Sure there are sectors of the manufacturing...

Wiggy discovers there's a lot more to Sir David Fagan than shearing. He and son Jack are working on a three year project with the local regional authorities to retire 10% of their dairy farm into wetlands, native trees and shelter.

Ngāi Tahu Farming is working through a detailed planning process with the aim of establishing their first horticultural development in the Balmoral/Culverden district of North Canterbury. Their Culverden operation comprises just over 9,000 ha in pines and beef production, and the plans for a...

Peter Moore joins Mark Leishman on the daily report to discuss how the livestock market is tracking this spring. In particular sheep and beef markets are performing strongly thanks to continuing high demand from overseas markets, especially Asia, providing farmers with good prices for meat.

Nelson’s Jono Sutton, 26, was announced as this year’s Young Grower of the Year at the awards dinner in Tauranga on Wednesday 2/10/2019 “This is one of horticulture’s highest achievements for a young person, so winning it is massive,” said Jono. “Some of the past winners have gone on to do amazing...

Awareness of the potential health and environmental hazards associated with some chemicals used in commercial interiors is growing, further reinforcing the arguments for designers, manufacturers, and consumers to shift towards natural raw materials, such as wool. Synthetic carpets may typically...