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Tasman toils in torrential rain
THE WORST rain storm for over 20 years is battering rural and urban property alike in the Tasman and Golden Bay regions. Farmers face silted paddocks, washed away bales, closed roads and broken fences...
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Wool falls again, despite dollar drop
WOOL PRICES at yesterday’s (December 15) auction were 2-4% down on last week’s sale, which also saw a drop of about 4% overall. Wool Services International says this week’s slide was despite the...
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Returns match automation spend
A SOUTH Island dairy consultant believes robotic milking systems have a future in our industry. While it won't suit all farmers, robotic milkers will become more common, Dunsandel dairy consultant...
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Velvet co-op slams sales tactics
New Zealand’s competitive advantage as the world’s largest and most efficient producer of velvet is being frittered away by market ill discipline and an obsession with competition at the farm-gate,...
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School milk makes a return
Northland students will get free milk every school day from next year as part of a trial for Fonterra's new Milk for Schools programme. To test logistics of the programme, the co-op will commence...
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New face on Alliance board
ALLIANCE GROUP has a new face at the board table: Maniototo farmer Dawn Sangster. Sangster, who helps run a family sheep and beef business with 10,000 stock units spread across 2500ha in two...
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Fonterra to offer three TAF options
FONTERRA SAYS it will present options addressing concerns about some aspects of Trading Among Farmers (TAF) during a round of meetings starting in late January. On a Sky TV channel 950 broadcast today...
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Water options investigation announced in Wairarapa
A PROJECT to bring widespread irrigation to the Wairarapa has entered what instigators are calling “a new phase.” Engineers Tonkin and Taylor will, over the next ten months, study water availability,...
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More trees planted but millers suffering
MAF says the Emissions Trading Scheme, and a generally positive outlook for wood and fibre demand, is behind a 27% increase in exotic forest plantings in the year to April 2011. Based on reports from...
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TAF update? What update?
FONTERRA IS on the slippery slope towards demutualisation and a board “update” on the cause, the Trading Among Farmers proposal, yet again failed to recognise this, says one of a growing number of...
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Global dairy markets and outlook dip
DAIRY COMMODITY prices dipped overnight on Fonterra’s GlobalDairyTrade platform with the trade weighted index of all commodities down 1.6%. The dip follows two successive upticks in prices at the...
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Call for rigour and expanded biosecurity review
FEDERATED FARMERS says it hopes to see “some rigour” applied to the Minister for Primary Industries’ independent review of kiwifruit pollen import rules and processes. The Federation’s vice president,...
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Confidence eases, especially in Hort
FARMER CONFIDENCE has waned slightly in the past quarter. Results of Rabobank’s latest survey show 33% expect the agricultural economy to improve in the next 12 months, compared to 35% in the survey...
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Record entries for dairy awards
The 2012 New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards have received a record number of entries. Across the three categories; sharemilker/equity farmer, farm manager, and trainee; 525 entries were received by the...
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Currency keeps wool on the slide
A NEAR 2% rally in the New Zealand dollar against the main wool trading currencies was reflected in corresponding slide in prices at this week’s combined North and South Island auction, says Wool...
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Milk flow still 10% ahead
FONTERRA SAYS it’s still collecting 10% more milk than last year, with about 65 million litres/day coming in. In a pre-Christmas press release reminding the public that while they “kick back” this...
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Do you need a work time variation?
THE NEW Zealand Transport Agency is reminding agricultural contractors they may need to apply for a work time variation to complete critical seasonal tasks such as spraying, harvesting or sowing. “Work...
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Solving the fertility jigsaw
After examining more than 20,000 genes, a DairyNZ scientist has discovered why some cows are better at getting pregnant than others. DairyNZ scientist Caroline Walker has discovered there are about...
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Dairy dry summer events
The dairy industry-good organisation DairyNZ is running seven dry summer events this week in Southland and South Otago. DairyNZ consulting officer for Western Southland, Chris Crossley says that...
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Animal health companies merge
Bomac and Bayer New Zealand have merged operations to form one of New Zealand's largest animal health companies. The new Bayer New Zealand's animal health division officially came into existence in...
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