MARCH 18, 2025
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‘It’s the driest we have seen in fifty years’
Drought conditions across much of the North Island and parts of the South Island have been described by a prominent Taranaki farmer as the driest since the 1970s.
Pasture growth rates are “virtually zero” and there is little left. The only areas not as badly impacted are around the foot of the mountain.
What’s leading theonconversation the front page of WeeklyFarmers this
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What our audience are telling us this week
Are you confident your farm business will be profitable this year?
YES
“If you can’t make a profit at $10/kg MS you’re doing something seriously wrong.”
NO
“Still hurting from last year’s drought. There’s been great weather so far this year in Canterbury but velvet is going to really hurt our bottom line.”
VOTE IN THIS WEEK’S POLL
Do you think improved access to genetic technologies would have a positive effect on New Zealand’s food and fibre sector? Have your say at farmersweekly.co.nz/poll
AgriZero chief executive Wayne McNee talks to Bryan at the Wānaka Show about their new investments in emissions reduction technologies. He also gives his thoughts on the backlash AgriZero faces from some quarters by those questioning the need to invest in greenhouse gas reduction.
Also on the Farmers Weekly podcast this week
News Wrap | Public Works Act gets a makeover
Market Insight | Lamb looking good for the long-term
Feds Focus | Southland Feds has a message for duck shooters
The Final Word | Host Bryan Gibson’s thoughts for the week
Our focus is around what the market is calling for
from New Zealand farmers.
Wayne McNee, AgriZero chief executive, Episode: AgriZero seeks solutions to market demands, 13 March 2025
Branded merchandise is a staple of a farmer’s wardrobe. They often get given it at a field day or it comes as a freebie when they purchase a product.
This week’s top communicator, Boehringer Ingelheim, has added a clever element to their ‘free product with purchase’ campaign by also using it as a way to showcase their relationship with rural wellbeing programme Farmstrong.
When farmers buy a 20L MATRIX HiMineral oral sheep drench they get a free Farmstrong Degree Horizon Shirt, charmingly modeled by the farmers in the advertisement.
It’s a coy move by Boehringer as the Farmstrong brand is a well known one. But marketing intentions aside, there’s no debating that healthy farmers and healthy farms are a good fit. Just like a new shirt.
I read it every Monday. It keeps you right up to date with what’s going on currently. You get a lot more depth and balance through Farmers Weekly.
Chris Dillon Ardlussa arable farmer, Southland Federated Farmers
Immediate Past President and member of the Arable Executive
Annette Scott is off to a field day to discover how running cashmere goats can diversify income and help control some of the pesky weeds that farmers struggle to manage.
NZ Cashmere recently ran a quarterly industry update in Farmers Weekly too, which you can read here.
We know securing great media placements is all about planning. Get in touch with your Partnership Manager to secure one of these spots before they’re gone.
What’s hot, and what’s not in rural media here overseasand
Last week the Farmers Weekly team spent two days on the ground at Central Districts Field Days.
Amongst all the well crafted stands and activations there was one real standout - Ravensdown.
For ‘show season’ (the three regional Field Days in a row) Ravensdown have worked with one of their shareholding farmers to create a Ravensdown pilsner.
It’s part of a series of ‘Friends of Ravensdown’ collaborations that they’ve done directly with their shareholders. The others being woolen seed pots from Floating Peaks and beautiful blankets from Foxtrot Home. Talk is that after the success of the pilsner there’s a Ravensdown wine on the way too.
It’s been a tough few years for fertiliser companies as struggling farmers have had to cut back on input volumes for necessities such as fertliser.
But as the going got tough, Ravensdown got brewing. Brewing some beer, and brewing some marketing magic.
