Farm technology

Despite the tariff war, New Zealand’s venison industry is making bold strides into the North American market – and it’s already paying off, exceeding three-year targets in the first nine months.

In this episode, Sarah Perriam-Lampp chats with Rhys Griffiths, CEO of Deer Industry New Zealand, about how a government-backed program is boosting venison sales in North America. They discuss shifting focus to retail, growing consumer demand for healthy protein, and the future opportunities for New Zealand’s deer farmers.

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.

In this episode, Sarah Perriam-Lampp talks with Melissa Andrews from Connected Farms and Craig Young from TUANZ about bridging rural connectivity gaps. Melissa shares practical on-farm tech solutions, while Craig unpacks the 3G shutdown, fibre limits, and why local, wireless networks are key to keeping farmers connected and future-ready across New Zealand’s rural communities.

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.

Dani Darke lives and farms with her husband Anthony and their three daughters on their sheep and beef farm in Aria, the King Country.

The big craze over how technology and AI will drive the next wave of productivity gains in farming isn’t slowing down. Off the back of Tony Leggett’s feature on improvements in tech in the Summer issue of Country-Wide, Rebecca Greaves and Sarah Perriam-Lampp discuss where the biggest opportunities lie, the barriers to adoption—particularly cost—and the importance of understanding the value behind tech investment.