News

For the past three years Dairy Farmer, Stephen Pope has used SealesWinslow dairy pellets to meet the nutritional needs of his herd year-round, achieving 480 kgMS per cow. There has been a definite increase in production, a decrease in empty rates and 500 kgMS is in sight. Stephen farms in Central...

Nelson/Marlborough Exceptional autumn weather at the top of the South Island meant farms were presented for sale in extremely good condition, while stock prices across the board continued to increase the desirability of pastoral property. However, demand exceeds the supply of listed Nelson and...

Northland Northland’s autumn rural property market was unremarkable. Although listings are readily available, including some excellent farms, purchasers and their financiers are reluctant to meet vendor price expectations. A 36.5 hectare Kaipara property growing kumara sold in April for $43,000 per...

PGG Wrightson and Promax bring to you New Zealand’s safest and smartest hopper bins. Currently it’s time for soil testing and then soon, growers around the country will apply the required nutrients to their orchards, vineyards and blocks. Last year’s changes to health and safety standards need to be...

With a relatively warm autumn, greenhouse thrips have been persistent this season, and may still be residing in some blocks. Likewise, six-spotted mite (SSM) will over-winter in most orchards, particularly in warmer areas, so reducing populations before spring arrives is a good idea. Maintain a...

When Kelley Hamilton, viticulturist and vineyard manager for Misha’s Vineyard in the Bendigo sub-region of Central Otago, needed a solution for persistent red fescue under their grape vines, she enlisted the assistance of her Fruitfed Supplies Technical Horticulture Representative Brent Anderson...

Subdued autumn and quiet winter foreshadow busy spring for rural property. Demand for rural property always balances several variables. How these weigh up determines what momentum the market will generate at any given time. Activity in the autumn market has been strong, right through into late May...

We're now well into bull selling season, lamb schedules are continuing to rise and the Karaka Autumn All Age Sale saw some great results. Read on to find our more of what's been happening around the country. South Island Bull sales have started strongly in Southland and Otago, with good clearances...

When it comes to weed control in lucerne, there’s really only one option says Central Otago Farmer, Barry Smith. And that’s to spray Gramoxone® 250 during winter months when the crop is dormant. Lucerne is a highly nutritious feed which supports excellent stock growth rates in spring and summer. It...

Having the ability to utilise dairy effluent as a source of nutrients for pasture growth effectively utilises on-farm resources. Dairy farm effluent is mainly comprised of dung, urine, udder wash water, milking plant wash water and milk spillages. It contains valuable nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus...

Centramax is a productivity tool for situations where an internal parasite challenge or mineral deficiencies of selenium and cobalt are limiting animal performance. Centramax is an intra-ruminal bolus containing 11 tablets, each with the anthelmintics abamectin and albendazole, mineralised with...

First-time users of Gusto V-Whey powder, Dairy Farmers, Bryan and Diana Te Awa were impressed with how easily it mixed, how the calves took to it and how calves quickly gained condition following a rough start last season. Diana was pleasantly surprised by the performance of Gusto V-Whey for three...

Image: Pathogens such as downy mildew require careful management of crop protection products to avoid the development of resistance [Photo credit: Howard F. Schwartz, Bugwood.org] Resistance management is a factor in crop protection that cannot be ignored. The overuse or misuse of a chemical control...

With three years of use in local apple and pear orchards throughout New Zealand’s major growing regions, Drape Net® is showing benefits to growers’ returns. The black Drape Net has a 25% shading factor due to the black impregnated polymer pigment, reducing the impact of sunlight on the apple skin...

Late last year PGG Wrightson initiated a new trainee programme for retail sales representatives, with four Rural Supplies and two Fruitfed Supplies trainees selected to start in 2018. Mentored by highly-experienced Technical Field or Horticultural Representatives, the trainees learn about the wider...

It’s been a busy month of calf sales across the country, the PGG Wrightson Standardbred Autumn Weanling Sales start May 29 th and we’re just weeks away from the PGG Wrightson Livestock National Video Sale (Stud Bull Sale) . North Island The past few weeks had seen large volumes of weaner calves sold...

PGW’s GM of Wool, Grant Edwards talks to Jamie McKay about the future of Strong Wool. There is increasing pressure from consumers and social media around the environmental impacts and health issues from synthetic fibres. Grant talks to Jamie about the long term upsides of wool - as a natural and...

Halfbred lamb sales are a rarity in Southland, so Nokomai Station’s on-farm sale on Wednesday 18 April attracted a strong gallery of buyers from Otago and Canterbury who were looking for some of the last of season’s lambs from the region. The on-farm sale offered 8,616 halfbred and 2,692 Texel X...