Special Report

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.

There is a strong correlation between on-farm performance and emissions intensity. A panel at the New Zealand Agriculture & Climate Change Conference 2024 discussed market drivers for agricultural emissions reduction – how are financial institutions influencing climate change actions by farmers? Words Rebecca Greaves.

The days of farmers arriving at a meeting with their bank manager with little more than an idea and expecting to work up a bankable proposition are long over. Tony Leggett investigates how to succeed in the new era in banking.