On this week’s Farmer Panel, sympathy is coming from around the country for the deluge Southland is facing, with farmers bringing calves back into sheds amid constant rain.

Craig Hickman, who milks 1,000 cows in Mid Canterbury, says an early but successful calving is putting pressure on feed and leaving covers low.

“800 in by the end of August is just phenomenal,” he says.

Laura Morrison, a sheep and beef farmer in Manawatu, says AI is the best investment she has made for less than $1,000 in the last 12 months, at about $60 a month.

“AI is not going to necessarily replace human capability if you’re the kind of human that uses it to leverage what’s already in here.”

CountryWide CONNECT with Andy Thompson & Sarah Perriam-Lampp is our daily rural show livestreamed from 11am-1pm. Visit country-wide.co.nz on how to watch/listen or download the CountryWide CONNECT mobile app, available on Apple iOS and Android.

AI-Assisted Content