Special Report

It’s never been more important to have eyes to the future, looking for signals ahead to what might be coming rather than looking in the rear-vision mirror. This special report arms your farming business on how to set a strategy that is resilient and aiming in the right direction – meeting the market. Words Anne Lee.

We asked Gina Duncan, a rural valuer who specialises in dairy farms throughout the Waikato, and ASB Rural General Manager Aidan Gent about the biggest misconception on farm infrastructure value. Words Gina Duncan (Darragh Valuations) and Aidan Gent (ASB).

Do you have a daily struggle with black spots (no cellphone coverage) slowing down your progress? Are you spending hours in the office at night and on the weekends you’d rather not? A Canterbury ultrasound scanner showcases how Starlink Mini has transformed his life.

A recent upgrade using AI means Techion’s FECPAK platform can provide farmers with faecal egg count test results within minutes of submitting samples.

Now you have WiFi in your yards! It’s time to leave work at work, avoiding the need to bring the weigh scale unit home at night to upload. View your cameras on an entrance to tell you the truck is coming, then file your Electronic ASD forms as the truck drives away.

Imagine being able to log on and check the fuel tank but see if the pivot is still turned on in the background, and that the trough isn’t leaking. Land Watch are rapidly growing eyes for farmers in more places than the back of their head!

From data-driven decision making to environmental monitoring and compliance, Richard and Annabelle Subtil have reaped the rewards of lucrative supply contracts by being able to prove any claim while maintaining traditional high-country values. Words Sarah Perriam-Lampp Photos Elle Perriam

We improved horsepower by fuelling it with diesel rather than hay. We mechanised blade-shearing and hand-milking with electricity in the woolshed and milking shed. Every advancement in farming history has resulted in a productivity gain from a new source. The next shift is fully connected farms.

Richard McIntyre’s mobile phone runs hot with calls from farmers who are keen to share their war stories about how they have been treated by their bank. Words Tony Leggett.

Arable farming in Rangitikei runs deep in the Nitschke family history. Tony Leggett investigates what is behind a phase of rapid expansion for the family’s grain business and what lies ahead. Photos Brad Hanson.