No.8 Wire: Clive student wins agri-scholarship

One big day out at Waitara Station, north of Te Pohue, during a World shearing record in 2011. The woolshed will be the scene of another big day out on January 4 with 5000 sheep scheduled to be fleeced in a $50,000 fundraiser for the Cancer Society.

A Napier Boys' High School agricultural student has become the first from the school to be awarded the Global Challenge scholarship, part of a Lincoln University initiative.

One of more than 200 agricultural students at NBHS, Nick Herbison, 18, of Clive, picks up the scholarship when he starts studying for a B.Ag.Sc at Lincoln in the new year.

Although not from a farm, his interest in things rural has developed through hunting with his father and working on farms and vineyards.

The Global Challenges programme is based on Lincoln themes of "Feed the World", "Protect the Future", and and "Live Well" and aims at engaging young people in world issues and finding ways to work with academics, industry, the community and other schools to help solve problems.

Nick Herbison is one of 25 2016 first-year recipients nationwide who will work with secondary school students around the topics of population, deforestation and food.

SHEARING'S BIG DAY OUT

They seem to be coming from everywhere for next month's Heinger Big Day Out, a Hawke's Bay shearing industry initiative aimed at shearing 5000 sheep in a day and raising $50,000 for the Cancer Society.

Well, from Australia at least, with shearer Rocky Wegner confirming on Facebook that he's coming from Western Australia for the big event. Five thousand sheep are expected to be shorn at Waitara Station, near Te Pohue, on January 4.

"I'm booked, anyone else is welcome to come," he told Facebookers. "Will be pretty awesome week and a chance to see the best in the world in action."

Many of New Zealand's top shearers and woolhandlers will take part, with all funds (including wages) going to the Cancer Society.

MILKING IT

Fonterra has officially opened its new milk powder plant at Pahiatua, possibly the highest-priced industrial development on the east coast of the North Island. The new $235million high-efficiency dryer is one project in a $2.4billion investment programme to accommodate milk growth and allows the co-operative to make the most out of its lower North Island farmers' milk.

The plant is now producing milk powder destined for more than 20 countries.

The plant came online in August this year and has already produced more than 30,000 metric tonnes of high-quality whole milk powder for key markets including Sri Lanka and Algeria.

CLEAN DAIRYING

The Hawke's Bay Regional Council's Dairy Industry Compliance Recognition Awards will be held today. Awards will be presented to dairy operations which have achieved full compliance with their resource consents for five years.

The awards were introduced in what is thought to have been a nationwide first, with 16 receiving gold status in the first awards and another six last year.

LOW TURNOUT

The 2016 New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards have attracted 452 entries, which organisers say is "a pleasing result given the economic climate in the industry".

Last year there were 539 entries and this year's entry count is the lowest since 2010.

The entries comprise 119 in the Share Farmer of the Year competition, 164 in the Dairy Manager of the Year competition and 169 in the Dairy Trainee of the Year competition.

Regional competitions will be held throughout the country in February and March next year. The 33 winners of those competitions will then progress to the national finals and compete against other regions.