Ministry for Primary Industries – Media Release A milk business has been fined $30,000 for not following the rules that regulate the supply and sale of raw milk. Following a successful prosecution by New Zealand Food Safety (NZFS), Manakau-based MannaMilk owner John Albert Martin (78) was today sentenced in the Levin District Court, Horowhenua. Mr […]
dairy
More international dairy farm workers available soon
Federated Farmers is pleased to see more international dairy farm workers will be able to cross the border for the 2022 dairy season. “Farms are short thousands of staff and with continued low domestic unemployment, workers from overseas are the only option to plug the gaps in many parts of New Zealand,” Federated Farmers National […]
New Zealand’s First Plant-Based Milk Bottle Hits South Island Shelves
Anchor has launched its plant-based bottle, which is recyclable, in the South Island. The availability of the bottle in the South Island demonstrates Fonterra’s commitment to have all packaging reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2025. Anchor Blue 2L, in the new plant-based bottle, landed on shelves across the South Island at the beginning of this […]
Economic Week – February 18
Next week’s OCR call. Next Wednesday the Reserve Bank will review monetary policy settings, including the official cash rate. It’s the first review since 24 November and a lot has happened in the three months since. The economy has been overheating, with inflation high and likely to go higher and unemployment rock bottom. All the […]
Young Farmer series: Follow your dreams
In the second of our Young Farmer series, we chatted with Josh Wilkinson, dairy farmer and vice chair of the Dannevirke Young Farmers club. Josh started his dairy farming career in 2019 after finishing his Agricultural Science degree at Massey University. He grew up in town and now he works on a 160ha dairy farm […]
Animal evaluation system changes support farmers to breed better cows
From December, Kiwi dairy farmers will benefit from enhancements to the national animal genetic evaluation system when they select dairy bulls. The changes are part of the third stage of updates to NZAEL, the genetic evaluation system which helps farmers make better breeding decisions for their herds. As part of the change, a new functional survival breeding value (BV) trait will replace the existing residual survival and total longevity traits in the system. The functional survival trait will better account for a cow’s ability to survive in the herd across different stages of life. The fertility trait used […]
‘More milk from fewer cows’ trend continues in a record year for NZ dairy industry
Kiwi dairy farmers hit a new high for milk production last season with fewer cows, showing that a focus on breeding higher performing cows is paying off. The annual New Zealand Dairy Statistics report, released today by DairyNZ and Livestock Improvement Corporation (LIC), shows that total milk volume, total milksolids and per cow production were the highest on record in the 2020-21 season. New Zealand has 4.9 million […]
Environmental gains as farmers reduce nitrogen loss
Dairy farmers in Canterbury’s Selwyn catchment are actively reducing their footprint, with data indicating many have reduced nitrogen loss by 30 percent. “Selwyn farmers have been working hard to achieve this milestone, taking steps on their farms to look after the environment,” says DairyNZ solutions and development lead advisor Virginia Serra. “Preliminary information shows 70 […]
Economic Week – November 5
Commodity prices set new record. Commodity prices hit new a record high in October, according to ANZ World Commodity Price Index. The World Price Index lifted 2.1% in October compared to September. Dairy prices jumped 3.7%, mainly on the back of tight global milk supply with demand steady. Meat and fibre prices were up 1.6%, […]
Economic Week – October 29
Fonterra milk price good news for farmers and for New Zealand. With the 2021/22 season well underway, Fonterra has increased and narrowed its forecast farmgate milk price to $7.90-$8.90 per kgMS, up from its previous forecast $7.25. The mid-point is up from $8.00 to $8.40. Fonterra observed that the $8.40 would equal the highest farmgate […]