Hugh McDonald has been appointed executive vice president and CEO for Oceania for DLF Group.

He assumes the new role this month, taking over from John McKenzie.

McDonald has been with PGG Wrightson Seeds, part of the DLF Group, for 11 years, most recently serving as general manager for supply chain in the region.

A new committee for Young Radicles has been established, operated by and for members aged 35 years and younger, and an associate councillor position on the organisation’s executive has been created for members in the same age group.

Afimilk has appointed Waikato-based Justin Miller as its new general manager for New Zealand and Australia.

“The cow monitoring collar market has seen significant growth in recent years,” he says.

Penny Ranger from Waotu and Shamus Young from Tapanui are FMG’s agricultural scholarship winners for 2025.

The coveted Zanda McDonald Award has named its 2025 winners, recognising two exceptional young leaders from the trans-Tasman primary sector.

Australian Jack O’Connor and New Zealander Maegen Blom have taken out the top honours, marking a significant milestone for the award.

Emma Chrystall has joined Catalyst Performance Agronomy as sales agronomist for Ruapehu, Rangitikei, Manawatu & Hawkes Bay. 

Seed and Grain New Zealand and the NZ Plant Breeding and Research Association have appointed a joint chief executive, Sarah Clark.

Warren Tanner has joined SealesWinslow as the company’s new technical sales representative for Franklin and North West Waikato.

Ben Penno has received the 2024 Fruitfed Supplies Horticultural Scholarship.

Irrigation New Zealand chair Keri Johnston says she’s pleased to announce the appointment of Karen Williams to CEO, effective 24 February.

Jaime Heywood is happy to admit he was ‘blown away’ by the scale of New Zealand’s seed industry when he joined Barenbrug as finance director 16 years ago. 

Robert Sharkie has joined Farmlands in the newly created position of general manager of field and technical sales. 

Even after decades in crop protection, Gordon Harris enjoys nothing more than getting out on orchards, vineyards or farms where producers haven’t got quite the results they’ve wanted, and helping solve the situation. 

Nufarm has recently appointed Celese Smit and Justin France as technical specialists, based in southern Waikato and Hawke’s Bay respectively.

A sales co-ordinator for a large, busy wholesale plant nursery in North Canterbury has been named 2024 Young Horticulturist of the Year, with second place going to botanic garden curator and third to an arborist.

The Zanda McDonald Award, Australasia’s premier accolade for emerging agricultural leaders, has revealed its highly anticipated 2025 shortlist.

With four years spent in the finance team supporting the wool and real estate business units, Dan Nicholls is not new to PGG Wrightson.

Simon Butler, ruminant nutrition extension specialist at SealesWinslow, is converting science into practical advice to help New Zealand dairy farmers feed more efficient herds.