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Dairy farmers urged to be vigilant for coccidiosis this calving

With calving almost underway, dairy farmers are being urged to be vigilant for coccidiosis by planning their calf feeding regimes and using nutrition to combat the potentially fatal disease.Coccidiosis can attack calves from four weeks old, causing scours and can result in death. The disease is prevalent throughout New Zealand, and thrives in warm moist conditions. It often surfaces during periods of stress, like moving or regrouping calves or when calves face reduced immunity.SealesWinslow Nutr...

Farmers encouraged to prepare emergency kit for extreme weather events

As extreme weather events become more common across New Zealand, Gallagher is encouraging farmers to prepare emergency kits to help them protect their farm business when the unexpected happens.Gallagher Animal Management Territory Manager Ken McMiken says it’s timely for farmers to consider what portable gear they have on hand in case of an emergency and what crucial items might be missing.On the list are things like a generator, a solar energiser to power up electric fences, spare reels of fe...

Agrecovery partnership could save up to one million feed bags a year from landfill

More than one million calf feed bags each year could be saved from landfill as SealesWinslow becomes one of the first animal nutrition companies in New Zealand to join Agrecovery.From 01 July this year, farmers will be able to recycle SealesWinslow’s 20kg and 25kg feed bags through Agrecovery at no cost. If every bag was recycled, it would remove more than 1 million or 85 tonnes of calf feed bags going to landfill each season.The initiative is one way SealesWinslow is helping farmers reduce wa...

HMC secures third win for PRINZ PR Consultancy of the Year 2023

Hamilton-based public relations agency, HMC, was named the winner of the PR Consultancy of the Year in the small-to-medium category at Friday’s Public Relations Institute of New Zealand (PRINZ) annual industry awards.The agency won the same award in 2018 and 2021.HMC provides strategic communications and digital public relations services to companies in a wide range of industries including agriculture, dairying, real estate, education and more.Director, Heather Claycomb, says, “I’m incredi...

CRV’s rigorous testing gives farmers peace of mind as M.Bovis resurfaces in Canterbury

As Mycoplasma Bovis resurfaces in Canterbury, CRV is reassuring dairy farmers it has rigorous production processes and health testing programmes in place within its supply chain. The company’s Operations Manager Andy Medley says, as a leader in bovine genetics, farmers put a lot of trust in CRV to help them protect the health and well-being of their animals. “It’s a responsibility we don’t take lightly. That’s why we have strict quality assurance testing in place to make sure...

Dairy farmers encouraged to invest in livestock wisely as costs rise and cow numbers decline

As costs of production soar and cow numbers decline, more dairy farmers need to take advantage of the technologies available to identify the best animals to rear and mate and make sure they use their investments in livestock wisely. This is the message from CRV managing director James Smallwood following the release this month of 2021/22 New Zealand Dairy Statistics report.The report shows an increasing number of farmers are tapping into technology and information to help them breed healthi...

Taranaki & Whanganui farmers encouraged to use their technology to capitalise on a record Autumn

An unseasonal wet summer has set the Taranaki and Whanganui rural regions up for one of the best Autumns on record. However, local Gallagher Territory Manager Martin Weir says farmers are still feeling the pinch from rising inflation and on farm costs – an issue their on-farm technology could help tackle.“While the temptation is to sit back and make the most of the flush feed situation, using the technology they have already invested in to drive efficiencies can help farmers make the most of...

Driven to make life easier for New Zealand farmers

Paul Ansley is a manager with a purpose. As head of Gallagher’s customer support team, he gets out of bed each morning committed to making life easier for New Zealand farmers.  Paul is Operations Manager at Gallagher Animal Management New Zealand, where he leads a 12-strong team of Customer Technical Services and Customer Service experts. He came into the role in October 2022, after a year as Customer Services Manager.Through most of his career Paul has been involved in management or lead...

Inspiring young women to make their mark in agriculture

Laura McQuillan-Reese is blazing a trail for other young women to make their mark in agriculture and seize opportunities to take leadership roles in the industry.Laura joined Perrin Ag from Lincoln University in February 2022 through the firm’s Empower Graduate Advisor Development Programme.Since beginning her tertiary studies, she has learnt from and worked alongside an array of natural leaders. Despite the notion that agriculture may traditionally have been a male-dominated industry, Laura b...

From childhood passion to a lifetime labour of love

Trudy Laan considers her work with farmers an “immense privilege”.For more than two decades Trudy has worked as an agricultural consultant at Perrin Ag, specialising in dairying, corporate supervision, land use conversion and staff recruitment.Today she is a director of the firm and principal consultant and plays a leading role in mentoring the next generation of agribusiness professionals.It was a childhood spent on farm with her father that fuelled her love of cows and passion for farming....

Property market finds its floor; Hamilton house prices stabilising

After months of declining house prices, the Hamilton property market has “found its floor” according to a local property expert.Thanks to an equalising market, house prices are reaching a stable footing due to a combination of appropriate asking prices and buyers acting quickly, says Lodge Real Estate Managing Director Jeremy O’Rourke.“Sales figures are showing us that a sense of urgency has picked up in the market, and we’re no longer seeing the ‘wait and see’ attitude among buyer...

A passion for farming & its people

Gayle Newman was born in Dannevirke and spent her childhood holidays on the family farm. Safe to say agriculture is in her blood.As well as an in-depth knowledge and understanding of farming, Gayle has a natural way with people. A skill she put to good use during her time in the hospitality and tourism industry.Now as Perrin Ag’s finance and client services manager she is well known for fostering relationships centred around trust - a value that is a cornerstone of the firm’s way of working....

Pitching to media – get your timing right!

When a nationally significant event happens that threatens lives and livelihoods, it dominates the media. And rightly so! Every news outlet and media channel becomes saturated with stories about what happened, where, why and the people affected. And it can go on for weeks or even months.  This has been the case since Cyclone Gabrielle wreaked havoc across the North Island. As such, it has been challenging to get pick up for good news stories.  However, we have seen some appet...

When no publicity is good PR

A number of our ag sector clients have been stepping up in recent weeks and supporting rural communities affected by Cyclone Gabrielle.  Some of these companies and their teams have generously volunteered their time to help with the clean-up. Others have donated funds, essential supplies or services to organisations like the Rural Support Trust who can get it to those most in need.  These companies have a close professional, and often personal connection, with the rural commu...

Don’t let Google do your GA4 migration

If you're using Google Analytics to track your website's performance and you’ve logged in recently, you will have seen this message pop up: ...

HMC welcomes return of Nicola Lee as Senior Account Manager

Award-winning PR and communications agency HMC has appointed Nicola Lee as senior account manager, welcoming her back to the role after a few years away to raise her young family.Nicola has worked across several sectors providing strategic communications planning and advice, including education, fundraising, health, consumer, agriculture, science, energy, local government and stakeholder relations. Her key strengths include strategic planning and implementation, digital PR, project management, s...

Taranaki dairy farmer saves time and stress with app-controlled electric fence system

Ōpunake dairy farmer Angeleigh Young is saving hours of travel time and stress by controlling electric fences on her family’s farming operation with the tap of a button on her phone.Angeleigh manages a 160-hectare dairy farm owned by her mother-in law, Adrienne. She installed a Gallagher iSeries M6000i energizer to power up the property’s electric fences, which she uses alongside Gallagher’s Gateway to control the farm’s entire electric fence system. The Gateway enables Wi-Fi connection...

Gallagher Group Limited and Gasbot Pty Ltd Sign Exclusive Distribution Agreement for New Zealand

Gallagher Group Limited has signed an exclusive distribution agreement with Australian Gasbot Pty Ltd to introduce a satellite-based liquid monitoring system to the New Zealand market. The Gallagher Satellite Water Monitoring system uses Gasbot’s cutting-edge wireless sensor technology to provide timely information on the water levels in tanks, enabling farmers to make informed decisions about water usage and management. The system uses satellite communications to transmit data from the t...

Enthusiastic property market lacks in urgency at the busiest time of year

The real estate market is right in the thick of what is usually the busiest month of the year.  And while there is heightened interest in Hamilton properties, buyers lack a sense of urgency.While March historically sees the highest house sales volumes of any month during in the year, Lodge Real Estate Managing Director Jeremy O’Rourke says, “It’s an enthusiastic market but lacking in any urgency. And that all comes down to fear and apprehension. “People are still wondering if w...

Regulatory and financial challenges boost sexed semen and dairy beef sales by 40%

CRV’s sales of sexed semen and dairy beef jumped by more than 40 percent last year as New Zealand dairy farmers change their genetics buying behaviour to help mitigate increasing regulatory and financial challenges.  CRV reports that between the 2021 and 2022 seasons the percentage of total sexed semen and dairy beef sales increased by 44% and 41% respectively. On average, for each farmer who bought sexed semen this made up 18% of their order. For those buying dairy beef it made up 1...

Graduate part of a new generation helping farmers navigate significant change

Perrin Ag’s newest graduate recruit is part of a new generation of farm consultants helping New Zealand farmers navigate unprecedented change.Lincoln University graduate Abbey Dowd joined the firm this month as part of its Empower graduate advisor programme.Perrin Ag launched Empower in 2021 and each year invites applications from graduates from Massey, Lincoln and Waikato universities.The programme offers hands on experience across a range of different sectors in the primary industries as wel...

When it comes to writing, is a bot or human best?

In the public relations industry, using artificial intelligence (AI) to develop stories is one of the trends we are watching with huge interest. Using online bots to do your writing for you is no longer an unrealistic, sci-fi dream. It is reality and creative agencies and journalists the world over are embracing the technology. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, there are apps you can use that scour the internet and write stories on your chosen topic. Think that the writing can�...

Hill Laboratories forms strategic partnership with Mérieux NutriSciences

Hamilton-based Hill Laboratories has signed a joint working partnership agreement with Mérieux NutriSciences, who are global leaders in food safety, quality, and sustainability. Hill Laboratories’ CEO Dr Jonathan Hill says the partnership was established in response to increased New Zealand customer demand for high-quality food safety auditing services for export. “Partnering with Mérieux NutriSciences allows us to offer our customers a world-class independent auditing service al...

Entry level homes attract growing interest, first home buyers and investors see opportunity

Interest in entry level homes in the $500,000 to $600,000 price bracket is leading activity in the Hamilton property market, with transactions in this range accounting for 20% of total sales by Hamilton real estate agency, Lodge Real Estate. Lodge Real Estate Managing Director, Jeremy O’Rourke, says this is a marked increase from the 10-12% of the market this price bracket usually accounts for, and is due to a significant rise in first home buyer and investor activity.“There’s really ...

Gallagher accelerates international expansion with acquisition of Australian gate and livestock handling equipment leader

Gallagher Group is accelerating its commercial expansion across Australian and international markets with its acquisition of Norton Livestock Handling Solutions in Australia. Norton LHS was founded in 1989 by brothers Tom and Peter Russ. The company is widely acknowledged for offering Australian-made high-quality sheep & cattle handling equipment, farm gates, and sheep & cattle yards under its family-values brand. New Zealand-based Global General Manager for Gallagher Animal Ma...