Peter Yealands has not only been an aquaculturist, agriculturist and viticulturist, but a pioneer in the three farming sectors, Mark Hotton reports. Entrepreneur Peter Yealands reckons he’s a “run of the mill” tractor driver who gets his best – and loopiest – ideas while driving one of his earthmoving “toys”. Tractor time was valuable thinking time, because it allowed him to clear his mind and focus on other things, he told attendees at the South Island Dairy Event (SIDE), in Invercargill last week. He warned those listening to his presentation not to expect too much. “I’m… Read more

Australian Bill Franklin, Managing Director of specialist New Zealand ATV company C-DAX, makes no secret of his admiration for kiwi ingenuity. He credits development of the company’s latest piece of technology, recently released on the New Zealand market and being trialed in Australia, to the kiwi streetwise approach to innovation and competition. The C-DAX pasture meter is a rapid pasture measurement system with potential to improve farm production by between 10 and 15 percent, representing around $600 million to $800 million a year to the New Zealand dairy industry. The… Read more

One man’s passion for using locally grown food has expanded to the point where he’s offering incentives for the best ideas, reports Sophie Bond. Pete Russell confesses to being not much of a home gardener. But backyard food production is his passion and the entrepreneur has used his skills to form a network for green-thumbed New Zealanders. Mr Russell moved to Waiheke Island from  Australia in 2008 and 15 months ago launched Ooooby – an acronym of Out Of Our Own Backyards. Ooooby now has 2200 members, most of them Aucklanders. Mr Russell describes Ooooby as a… Read more