Organic icecream

New Zealand’s oldest icecream company, Rush Munro — founded by Frederick Charles Rush Munro at Hastings in 1926 — has been giving Northlanders a taste of its newest treat: tubs of organic icecream. Company owner John Bostock and general manager Vaughan Currie are touring the North Island in a couple of caravans to give Kiwis a chance to sample their organic product’s six decadent flavours — Dark Chocolate Orange, Scorched Almond, Mochaccino, Strawberry and Coconut, Feijoa, and Ginger and Almond. The Rush Munro Road Trip set off from Hawke’s Bay on Sunday, reached Cape Reinga on Monday, visited Russell, Paihia and the Hokianga and Kerikeri on Tuesday before heading for Orewa.

Farm opens gates

Dairy farmers Greg and Janelle Imeson are opening the gates of their 190-cow Poroti farm from 11am-3pm on Sunday so Northlanders have the opportunity to learn how Fonterra farmers care for the environment through the steps they are taking to improve pasture and water quality around the property. It’s free to go along, but you do need to register online at: https://www.iticket.co.nz/ events/2018/nov/fonterra-opengates-whangarei. For more information, go to the Fonterra.com website and click open gates link.

Maize Action report

A Foundation for Arable Research

report for Northland on November 4 says good rainfall of around 40mm was helping prepare some hard, dry ground for planting. Around 50 per cent of the area had been planted, and these crops were showing good emergence in less than a week. NIWA regional predictions for Northland, Auckland, Waikato and Bay of Plenty to December say there is a 45 per cent chance temperatures are most likely to be near average, a 40 per cent chance rainfall totals will be near normal or a 35 per cent chance they will be below normal.