AgFirst NZ

BRUNCH ON US 🥓🍳☕ LOCATIONS & DATES

Rural life doesn’t stop. So this month and next, we are inviting farmers, growers, contractors and rural communities to take a well-earned break. Come along for a FREE brunch, a yarn and good company with people who understand rural life.

No speeches. No sales pitches. No pressure. Just a warm welcome, great food and a chance to pause, reconnect and check in with each other.

🕥 10:30am – 12:30pm
📍 No registration required, just turn up!

ALL WELCOME, bring your partner, neighbour, farm team, or that mate who keeps saying “Yeah, I’m good” but might appreciate getting off the job for a couple of hours.

📅 BRUNCH ON US - LOCATIONS & DATES:

Gordonton - Tuesday 25 August
Gordonton Hall

Aka Aka - Wednesday 26 August
Aka Aka School Hall

Ngatea - Thursday 27 August
Ngatea Rugby Clubrooms

Onewhero - Friday 28 August
Onewhero Rugby Club

Tatuanui - Tuesday 1 September
Tatuanui War Memorial Hall

Waihi Beach - Tuesday 1 September
Waihi Beach Surf Club

Mangatangi - Wednesday 2 September
Mangatangi Hall

Pollok - Thursday 3 September
Pollok Community Hall

Otorohanga - Friday 4 September
Kio Kio Community Hall

Te Awamutu - Tuesday 8 September
Te Rahu Hall

Putaruru - Wednesday 9 September
NZ Timber Museum

Piopio - Thursday 10 September
Piopio Aria Golf Club

Reporoa - Friday 11 September
Reporoa Rugby Clubrooms

Tirohanga - Tuesday 15 September
Tirohanga Settlers Hall

Ngakuru - Wednesday 16 September
Ngakuru Hall

Matamata - Thursday 17 September
Hinuera Rugby Club

Tokoroa - Friday 18 September
Southern United Rugby Club

For more information: [email protected]

Proudly supported by: Fonterra, Farm Source, Beef and Lamb New Zealand, NZ SURE, Primary ITO, OFI, Farmline Machinery, Open Country, Kaimai Eggs, FMG, Matamata Butchery Limited, BYL Livestock, DairyNZ, Tatua Dairy Co., Power Farming New Zealand, On Farm Support - Ministry for Primary Industries , Mangatangi & Maramarua Catchment.

WE ARE RURAL SUPPORT, TOGETHER 💚

🔐 Is your farm data protected?

AI offers exciting opportunities for agriculture - but it also raises questions about security, access and ownership.

In this Country-Wide podcast, AgFirst CEO James Allen shares practical ways to protect farm data while making the most of AI.

Four key things to consider:
✅ Use a paid AI subscription with stronger security.
✅ Know where your backups are stored.
✅ Protect valuable farm knowledge when managers move on.
✅ Be transparent about how AI is being used.

🎧 Listen here: https://country-wide.co.nz/how-is-data-governance-in-ai-applied-at-farm-level/

We are proud to congratulate our CEO, James Allen, on being awarded Life Membership of the Institute of Rural Professionals.

This prestigious recognition celebrates James’ outstanding service, leadership and demonstrated excellence within the rural profession and the Institute.

Across AgFirst, we are incredibly proud to see James’ leadership, commitment and contribution recognised with this well-deserved honour.

👏 Congratulations, James!

Read the full citation: https://www.agfirst.co.nz/news/james-allen-awarded-life-membership

AgFirst was honoured to sponsor the Lincoln University Food and Fibre Awards Dinner, with our CEO James Allen and Director Davieth Verheij enjoying the opportunity to connect with the next generation of industry leaders.

With nearly 200 students attending the networking session and awards dinner, there were plenty of opportunities for great conversations and fresh perspectives on the future of our primary sector.

Topics ranged from improving productivity and staff management to digital farm twins and the growing role of AI in farming – highlighting the breadth of thinking and innovation among today’s students.

The enthusiasm, ambition and ideas coming through from these future food and fibre professionals were a real highlight of the evening and a great reminder that the future of our primary sector is in good hands.

Congratulations to Lincoln University on a fantastic event!

🍎🍐 From OBA Guides to Orchard Benchmarking

New Orchard Business Analysis (OBA) how-to guides are available to help Australian apple and pear growers improve how they collect, track and analyse production and financial information.

Building on this work, AgFirst’s Sarah McArley is currently seeking Australian apple and pear growers to participate in the OBA project. Participating orchards will receive a detailed benchmarking report comparing their production and financial performance with other participating businesses.

The project will also help build valuable industry data on orchard costs, returns and profitability.
Interested in participating?
📞 Sarah McArley: +64 21 175 7263
📧 [email protected]

Understanding the true costs and returns of orchard production is critical to making informed business decisions.

A new series of Orchard Business Analysis (OBA) how-to guides has been developed to help apple and pear growers improve the way they collect, track and analyse production and financial information. The guides cover key areas including orchard background data, revenue, labour, postharvest costs and financial coding.

Together, they are designed to help growers build more consistent records, better understand the drivers of orchard performance and prepare their business for meaningful benchmarking against industry data.

Read more: https://apal.org.au/orchard-business-analysis-and-benchmarking-resources/

Hort Innovation, AgFirst NZ

What makes a good orchard trellis? 🍎

Cameron Burt shares the key considerations when choosing and installing a trellis system built to handle today’s fruit loads and last the life of the block.

Have a listen to this episode of The Country-Wide Podcast, where AgFirst Agricultural Economist Phil Journeaux discusses the findings from the 2026 AgFirst Dairy Financial Survey and shares his insights on the outlook for the season ahead.

Phil Journeaux - Dairy season starting strong but margins tightening - CountryWide CONNECT This episode features Phil Journeaux, Agricultural Economist discussing the results of the 2026 Dairy Financial Survey. WANT TO LISTEN TO THE SHOW LIVE (11am-1pm NZST) ON THE GO? Download CountryWide Connect mobile app to stream the show via Apple Car Play or Android Auto. Or try the voice command ....

How much supplementary feed is actually profitable? 🤔

AgFirst Northland consultants Kim Robinson and Chris Boom have been leading important research into the profitability of supplementary feeding in pasture-based dairy systems. Their latest work highlights why it's not just about producing more milk - it's about producing profitable milk.

Check out pages 20–21 of the latest Inside Dairy to learn more about their findings. Read the August–October 2026 edition here -

Inside Dairy August-October 2026 From genetic gain and resilient pastures to profitable feeding decisions and an inspiring Māori organic farming success story, this edition shares practical ideas to help strengthen farm performance for the season ahead.

The outlook for dairy remains positive, but rising costs are putting pressure on farm margins and lifting the breakeven point.

In this Farmers Weekly article, Agricultural Economist Phil Journeaux discusses the findings from the 2026 AgFirst Dairy Financial Survey, highlighting the importance of understanding costs, managing risk and finding opportunities to improve profitability in the season ahead.

Read the full article here:

Costs nudge breakeven point towards riskier ground AgFirst expectation is for a more modest farm surplus for the new dairy season.

Congratulations to AgFirst Horticultural Consultant Ross Wilson on his election to the New Zealand Apples & Pears (NZAPI) Board. 🍎🍐

This is well deserved recognition of Ross’s knowledge and experience within the horticultural sector. We know he will be a valuable asset to the Board and the wider apple and pear industry.

https://www.applesandpears.nz/news-events/strong-start-to-nzapi-conference/