Located at Pakotai about halfway between Dargaville and Whangarei, Vuletich Contracting has become a trusted name in Northland agriculture, offering an extensive range of services that covers cultivation, drilling, spraying, baling, bulk silage harvesting, mulching, fencing, planting, haymaking and the supply of grass and maize silage.

Rural contractors around the country will be celebrating the Global Workforce Seasonal Visa announced yesterday, says their national President.

For contractors, there’s no room for a “hit and miss” approach. Farmers expect results that maximise the return on often costly spray programmes, which are critical to their business.

In modern farming, the pressure to produce more with fewer inputs - and to do so in a way that builds soil health rather than depletes it - is shaping the way farmers approach cultivation, weed control and crop establishment.

In forage production, every cut matters. The quality of the crop at harvest directly influences feed value, animal performance and ultimately the profitability of the operation. Achieving a clean cut, optimal conditioning and efficient handling is as much about the skill of the operator as it is about the capability of the equipment.

You know when the biggest names in an industry are buying into a niche sector that the niche is now mainstream. We have seen this with biologicals such as biopesticides, biostimulants and biofertilisers with the titans of chemistry like Bayer, Corteva and Syngenta now boots an all into biologicals. Just in time as the amount of resistance pesticides and fungicides shows no signs of abating.

Succulent, high-yielding and lighter on the environment, the latest hybrid ryegrass from Barenbrug ticks all the boxes this season.

Technology is at the heart of how May Brothers Contracting continues to find efficiency gains in an increasingly competitive industry.

As New Zealand’s leading provider of crop packaging solutions for over 30 years, Agpac has built a reputation for supplying innovative, high-quality products that help contractors and farmers bale better, farm smarter and reduce their environmental footprint.

In the ongoing battle to protect New Zealand’s unique ecosystems from invasive species, two unlikely heroes have emerged - a rust fungus and a small South American weevil. The Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) has granted approval for these biological control agents to be introduced to combat Darwin’s barberry, a noxious weed that has taken root across the country.

The quality of silage is a critical factor in the success of livestock farming. Whether feeding dairy cows, beef cattle, or sheep, the quality of preserved forage directly impacts animal health, production efficiency, and profitability.

The first half of 2025 began strongly for New Zealand’s red meat industry, with export revenues up by 28 percent in the first quarter year‑on‑year despite lower volumes, as demand recovered notably in China. Tight global supply has also helped keep prices elevated.

Healthy soil is the foundation of productive farming, yet it’s also one of the most under-appreciated resources on the land. When compaction builds up, whether from heavy machinery, stock pressure or repeated cropping, it creates a barrier that roots can’t break through and water can’t penetrate.

Canterbury Plains Contracting business owners Sian and Dean Jenkins purchased two Claas Scorpion 741 telehandlers from their local Claas Harvest Centre shortly after they were introduced into New Zealand in late 2024.

With a growing footprint across New Zealand, the Polish manufacturer (together with agricultural machinery specialist, FarmShop) are looking set to reach a bold goal of hay mower market leadership by 2027. What’s driving the success? Thanks is due in large part to the service agents dotted throughout NZ who are putting their reputation behind the brand.

UPL NZ says having man’s best friend on slug patrol isn’t a gimmick. It’s a reality of farming and contracting and a reflection of their confidence in their Ironmax Pro product.

From a single look at the Pottinger Novacat F 3100 Opticurve, it’s immediately apparent that this isn’t just another front-mounted mower. It’s a machine born out of thoughtful engineering and shaped by the real-world demands of farmers and contractors who know what clean forage means for stock performance and who don’t have time for inefficiencies in the paddock.

A Western Australian farm family is using precision tools to understand how to manage different soils and how it determines outcomes on their Woodanilling farm.

There’s a new way to make money this season, one that could add tens of thousands to the bottom line for dairy farms across New Zealand.

In any farming operation where forage quality makes the difference between a good season and a great one, the ability to process and preserve feed at its nutritional peak is critical. That’s why machinery that works with both precision and reliability is not just a convenience, it’s an investment in productivity and profitability.