Time to prime the pump on new agrichemical standard

Mar 1, 2023 | Commentary

Dean Bowden has been around agricultural chemicals most of his working life and still gets pumped about using them safely. Thirty years ago, he was among the first couple of dozen spraying contractors to be registered with the New Zealand Agrichemical Education Trust...

We do need education but not a brick wall

Feb 8, 2023 | Commentary

By RCNZ CEO Andrew Olsen Pink Floyd bassist Roger Waters says his song, We don’t need no education, was actually about British schools being more interested in keeping kids quiet than teaching them anything useful. I think New Zealand is in a similar place.  I’m not...

NZX November update on cost indices

Nov 18, 2022 | Commentary

Earlier this year, as inflation began to bite, Federated Farmers and Rural Contractors NZ engaged NZX to devise new cost indices tool to support new forage contracts between farmers and contractors. NZX Dairy Analyst Alex Winning has built the index as a tool for both...

Skilled imports a key to farm production

Jul 18, 2020 | Commentary

Column for  Southern Rural Life July 2020 By David Kean, President, Rural Contractors NZ Right now, the rural contracting industry needs around 700 skilled machinery operators for the coming season to support New Zealand farmers. That’s been shown by a survey we did...