David Michael Church, a 62-year-old cattle farmer from Southland, was fined $7,500 in the Invercargill District Court yesterday after being sentenced on five charges under the Animal Welfare Act, following a successful prosecution by the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI). The court action concluded a case where four bulls on Church’s property were left in … Read more
Thousands of hectares of grapevines are being pulled out as the New Zealand wine industry grapples with a severe global oversupply of grapes, leading to rising economic pressures and significant landscape changes across regions like Gisborne and Hawke’s Bay, according to local growers and industry leaders. Gisborne Vineyard Reductions and Economic Impact The country’s largest … Read more
Meridian Energy has received consent to develop a large-scale solar farm in Morrinsville featuring 230,000 panels, incorporating a dual-use model that allows sheep to graze beneath the infrastructure. While agricultural experts note the approach is common in drier international climates, its success in New Zealand remains largely untested and subject to significant variations in pasture … Read more
New Zealand’s national ploughing team, including five-time champion Mark Dillon and teammate Malcolm Taylor, faces the prospect of competing at the World Ploughing Championships in Croatia this September using borrowed machinery. A shipping failure has left their specialized tractors and equipment stranded, with the container reportedly routed to Australia instead of its intended European destination. … Read more
Agricultural producers are increasingly distinguishing between “actual urgency,” such as immediate livestock needs, and “manufactured urgency” driven by systemic pressures. Casey O’Neill, owner of Happy Day Farms in Laytonville, California, identifies this distinction as a critical component in managing mental health and long-term operational sustainability within the farming industry. How does manufactured urgency affect farm … Read more
A Devon farmer faced an official RSPCA investigation after a member of the public reported his sheepdog for “sheep worrying,” only for the incident to be identified as routine agricultural work. Tom Trueman, the owner of the collie, Tilly, confirmed the complaint was dismissed after he explained the dog was gathering his own flock that … Read more
The New World screwworm fly has returned to the United States, threatening the $113 billion cattle industry for the first time in over 50 years. According to the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), five confirmed cases have been reported in Texas and New Mexico as of June 2026. Federal officials are deploying sterile fly releases … Read more
Growers in Hawke’s Bay are calling for an urgent moratorium on the dismantling of machinery at the McCain food processing plant in Hastings ahead of its scheduled shutdown in January. The push for a delay is part of an effort to determine if the regional frozen vegetable industry can be salvaged. Urgency to Preserve Infrastructure … Read more
The High-Stakes Game of Livestock Genetics: Beyond the Price Tag In the world of elite livestock breeding, a price tag can be staggering, but for the seasoned producer, the value lies in the genetic blueprint. A prime example is the landmark purchase of Tangihau U418, an Angus bull that fetched a national record price of … Read more
The Growing Tension Between Agricultural Urgency and Regulatory Rigor The struggle to manage mouse plagues in Australia’s grain belt is highlighting a widening gap between field-level necessity and regulatory requirements. As farmers face record-breaking infestations, the debate over “red tape” versus safety standards is becoming a central theme in agricultural policy. Currently, the Australian Pesticides … Read more