Farmers’ hard work in leading New Zealand’s export-led recovery from COVID-19 is being rewarded with high prices forecast for milk and very strong returns for meat, says Trade and Export Growth and Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor. Fonterra announced today a record predicted milk price of $7.90 to $8.90 for the coming season. The mid-point of […]
National
Farmers elect representative to DairyNZ board
Dairy farmer representative Jacqueline Rowarth was re-elected to DairyNZ’s board at its livestreamed Annual General Meeting (AGM) today. DairyNZ chair Jim van der Poel says the board is looking forward to Jacqueline re-joining them for the next three years, during an exciting phase as the board oversees the delivery of the new DairyNZ strategy for […]
Economic Week – October 22
Inflation shocker, thief on the loose. This week saw the release of inflation data for the September quarter and it was a shocker. Inflation is an insidious ‘thief in your wallet’, to quote a former Reserve Bank Deputy Governor, eroding purchasing power and savings and distorting decisions on spending and investment. The thief is becoming […]
Benefits all round in NZ-UK Free Trade Deal
Federated Farmers says today’s announcement of a free trade deal between the United Kingdom and New Zealand is great news for consumers and farmers in both countries. “The United Kingdom is walking the talk when it comes to promising a truly global Britain,” Federated Farmers National President Andrew Hoggard says. “We congratulate the New Zealand […]
Match being stoic with a good dose of realism
By Cherrie Chubb, Dairy Chair, Federated Farmers Golden Bay OPINION: It is no understatement to say that we live in challenging times. While we can be thankful to have avoided the worst of the impacts from the Delta lockdowns, we have not been spared from the weather. Floods, storms and the persistent number of wet […]
Move now to define ‘regenerative’ on our terms
There is no unified, single definition of what ‘regenerative agriculture’ is globally. A new report argues New Zealand should step up and craft that definition – and seize the market premiums that could go with it. New York-based Alpha Food Labs spearheaded a global research project on consumers’ attitudes to regenerative agriculture on behalf of […]
Just in time market signals too late for local bread wheat growers
A ‘just in time’ attitude to sending market signals to New Zealand’s arable growers won’t cut the mustard in the current climate, Federated Farmers Arable Chair Colin Hurst says. “Harvest only happens once a year so really it’s a case of ‘get your orders in early’.” The 1 July AIMI (Arable Industry Marketing Initiative) survey […]
Federated Farmers Easy Guide to Arable
Facts to Learn Arable production in New Zealand includes everything that is grown as a crop and harvested by a combine harvester. This includes crops such as cereals for human and animal feed, maize for grain and silage, grass and legume seeds for pasture and amenity, and high value vegetable seeds. Other farming systems use […]
Residency pathway will ease rural GP shortage
While farmers were heaving sighs of relief that the government had finally announced a clear and achievable residency process for international workers and their families that was certainly matched in the offices of the NZ Rural General Practice Network. It was long-awaited news for an estimated 9000 ag sector workers, and also for around 5000 […]
Parasite resistance to drenches Action Plan launched
A new Action Plan designed to help manage parasite resistance to drenches in New Zealand has been launched. Encouraging the responsible marketing and sales of drench, more accurate and easier parasite testing, research to demonstrate the costs and benefits of various parasite management approaches and better training and development are among the new priorities in […]