First it was the Southern Girl Finishing School, then Contiki buses flocked in to see her weekly Real Country farm shows. Now, Laura Douglas has not only pivoted her tourism business near Queenstown due to covid-19, but she has also launched a female-only, farm training course in Northern Southland.

Dairy farmers now have financial incentive to take on an apprentice with the Government funding employers to take onboard new staff and retain them. 

Primary ITO Chief Executive Nigel Philpott says it's more than apprentices but the pathways from school age into the primary sector.

Over 14,000ha of farmland has been sold to foreign purchasers for forestry conversion in the past 12 months under the Government’s special forest consent programme. Forest Owners Association Communications Manager, Don Carson (standing in for President, Phil Taylor) will explain the Government's review into the screening of foreign forestry investors.

Final aerial winter grazing inspections took place last week by Environment Southland, and they were impressed. Federated Farmers’ Vice President will join us as farmers try to wrap their head around the National Policy Standards coming into play early September with little detail.

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