New B+LNZ Wormwise handbook, Beef and sheep farmers recognised in BFEA regional awards, The poo‑dunnit of facial eczema: tracking this year’s spore story
This page contains this week’s e-diary national notices.
If there’s something you want to know specific to your region, contact your local extension manager – find their details here.
To sign up to e-diaries, create/login to a B+LNZ online account, go to ‘Account settings’ and select the e-diary box – you’ll be asked to pick which region/s you want to receive e-diaries for.
See elsewhere on our website for other e-diary info:
This week’s notices:
New B+LNZ Wormwise handbook
Check out the all-new B+LNZ Wormwise handbook. A practical, one-stop guide that fills the gaps in on-farm worm management information, including comprehensive coverage of feed and grazing management, stock integration and drench inputs. View the digital copy now. Hard copies will be available soon – keep an eye on your e‑diaries.
Beef and sheep farmers recognised in BFEA regional awards
Congratulations to everyone who took home prizes at last week’s regional Ballance Farm Environment Awards. They include:
- Jon and Fiona Sherlock, Otorohaea Ltd in West Waikato, who were named the Regional Supreme Winners for Waikato. Jon is a B+LNZ Farmer Councillor.
- Noel and Lorraine Fox, winners of the B+LNZ Livestock Farm Award for the Waikato region.
- Gavin Jordan and Julie Fleming of Kamahi near Inglewood, who won the B+LNZ Livestock Farm Award for the Taranaki region.
- Tony and Pattie O’Boyle of Marangai Station, Mangapakeha Valley, winners of the B+LNZ Livestock Farm Award for the Greater Wellington region.
The poo‑dunnit of facial eczema: tracking this year’s spore story
Join us on Wednesday 8 April from 12.15–1pm, as B+LNZ’s Principal Scientist Dr Cara Brosnahan and Senior Advisor FE Research Sonya Shaw delve into the clues uncovered in the latest sheep poo study, part of the Eliminating Facial Eczema Impacts programme. They’ll reveal how this season’s spore story unfolded, what the evidence shows, and how these findings can strengthen future FE management on farm. Register here.
Rural professionals: please complete digital farm data survey
If you’re a rural professional and engaging with digital farm data is part of your work with farmers, please complete DairyNZ’s short (10-minute) survey to help build the first sector-wide baseline on what’s being used in practice, where confidence is strong, and where more support is needed. Take part to go in the draw to win one of five $100 Prezzy Cards, and if you’d like to share more, you can also try a short voice-enabled AI chat at the end. B+LNZ is providing support for the survey, which you can find here.
Video of B+LNZ at RMA reform Select Committee
Last week in e-diaries we outlined B+LNZ’s oral submission at the Environment Select Committee, outlining some of the key issues with the Natural Environment Bill and Planning Bill. You can now access a video recording of our oral submission here – B+LNZ Chair Kate Acland is at the start of the recording, followed by B+LNZ’s Head of Environment Policy Paul Le Miere and B+LNZ’s General Manager Policy & Communications Rowena Hume.
Update on latest PC1 interim decision
The Environment Court’s latest interim decision on Waikato Regional Council’s Plan Change 1 is good news for the up to 2,800 farms that will be permitted activities. The decision is the cumulation of significant work by B+LNZ in both PC1(alongside Federated Farmers) and nationally to fix a loophole which could have meant all farms would have needed resource consents. The Court has also expressly recognised the environmental work farmers are already doing, and acknowledged that those improvements won’t show up straight away in water quality monitoring. We are hopeful that a final decision on PC1 is not far away and will keep farmers updated.