New mental wellbeing hub launches for rural communities, working group charts new course for dairy genetics, and regulation overhaul could unlock new tools faster.

Welcome to Proud Country's Early Bird - The top things you need to know that impact rural New Zealand delivered to you by 5am, because who doesn’t need better chat beyond the weather!

 

New mental wellbeing hub launches for rural communities

A new online wellbeing hub, designed to help weather challenging times has been launched by Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey. 'Getting Through,' is a digital resource created by rural wellbeing organisation Farmstrong.

This new tool for farmers offers immediate online access to practical guidance and real-world experience any time of day through the Getting Through website.

Health New Zealand has backed the resource, making it available at no cost to all rural community members.

Getting Through recognizes the reality of rural isolation, offering digital access to mental health guidance when meeting healthcare workers in-person isn't an option.  Getting Through also includes online counselling and remote health services.

This marks the next step in Farmstrong's ongoing work to support rural mental health. Their approach centres on giving rural families practical tools to manage daily challenges while building long-term resilience.

The Getting Through website also allows easy sharing of information among community members, creating a network of rural support.

For more information on Getting Through, head to gettingthrough.farmstrong.co.nz or follow the link in this episodes description.

 

Working group charts new course for dairy genetics

The Industry Working Group's recent review of our dairy breeding methods has triggered major action, with a new governance team now creating a roadmap to enhance genetic gain across our national herd.

The group was tasked with evaluating how we advance dairy genetics, and recently delivered clear findings - our current system needs significant updating to match other leading dairy nations. Their report outlines how New Zealand can catch up, leading to better farm returns and environmental outcomes.

Major industry leaders DairyNZ, LIC, and CRV have now united to carry out the working group's recommendations. Their newly-formed governance team met on Wednesday, identifying six essential areas for immediate action.

These areas include establishing new national breeding targets, creating one unified breeding worth index, and improving how we collect and use animal data. The team will also bring in international experts to ensure New Zealand adopts world-leading methods.

DairyNZ Chief Executive Campbell Parker says the working group's recommendations would deliver real benefits to local dairy farms, by creating animals that bring more value while becoming easier to manage.

The governance team is expected to provide regular updates.

 

 

Fonterra holds annual meeting in Taranaki

Fonterra outlined major changes at yesterday's annual meeting in New Plymouth, announcing intentions to move ahead with the sale of well-known consumer brands including Anchor, Mainland, and Kapiti.

Chair Peter McBride told farmers the co-operative needs to direct money where it creates the most value. The decision comes as the dairy giant aims to return substantial capital to farming families while maintaining focus on areas of market leadership.

Financial indicators remain encouraging, with share value nearly doubling this year to reach four dollars and eighty-eight cents. The co-operative recently announced its second-highest dividend of fifty-five cents, including a fifteen-cent additional return to farmers.

The co-operative's leadership team noted strong backing from farming families for the current direction, and assured members that any major changes would need clear agreement from farmer owners through a voting process.

The refined business model aims to achieve returns between ten and twelve percent on capital, with independent analysis indicating farmers could receive up to three billion dollars once the consumer division changes ownership.

 

Regulation overhaul could unlock new tools faster

The rural sector might gain quicker entry to innovative agricultural tools, as the government launches a major review of regulatory hurdles holding back agricultural advancement.

Animal and Plant Health New Zealand has told Parliament's Primary Production Committee that more than 120 new agricultural and horticultural innovations remain locked in a waiting pattern. These include essential tools like methane reduction technology and enhanced animal health treatments.

The current waiting time ranges between two and four years, even without additional applications entering the review line. This delay adds another year to eighteen months until materials reach those working on the land.

Chief Executive Liz Shackleton told the committee that rural communities need immediate access to emerging technologies that would tackle ongoing challenges including weather pattern changes, incoming agricultural threats, and maintaining New Zealand's edge in worldwide markets.

Animal and Plant Health New Zealand’s recommendations include aligning with international standards where other nations have already conducted thorough testing, and creating a dedicated channel to review lower-risk trials.

The organisation also wants greater clarity about how industry money invested in the regulatory system delivers actual results on the ground. They maintain that implementing commercial thinking and strong oversight would enhance New Zealand's agricultural growth.

 

Trans-Tasman research partnership targets information shortfall

Rural communities across New Zealand and Australia may soon gain access to more timely and detailed land monitoring through an innovative satellite initiative called SilverEye.

The University of Auckland has joined with Australian research organisation CSIRO to create advanced monitoring tools aimed at enhancing rural management, targeting current limitations in satellite technology that delay critical information reaching rural decision-makers.

Leading the initiative, Auckland University's Te Punaha Atea Director, Guglielmo Aglietti, says this advancement would give farmers earlier warnings about emerging challenges like weather events, unwanted growth, and animal health issues.

The initial design work runs for six months, and could transform how rural communities monitor and manage their land, offering earlier awareness of challenges and more time to act on emerging issues.

 

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