Biologicals - too good to be true?
OPINION: Biologicals are being promoted as a natural replacement for ‘chemicals’.
We will see a $8/kgMS milk price again – but we will also see $4/kgMS again, says New Zealand special agricultural trade envoy Mike Petersen.
Market insight and intelligence will be very important in next months, he told an Agcarm conference in Auckland yesterday.
"We shouldn't be surprised by volatility – I have been talking about this for the last 10 years," Petersen said.
Just in time delivery by retailers is one influence. "Volatility is here to stay – we need to come to terms with it," he said.
New Zealand dairy is 30% of all cross border trade, and that is the first to be hit by volatility.
We need to be more resilient, Petersen said, and farmers should set their business up to be more resilient in the face of volatility. Nevertheless he said, the future is extremely bright.
Earlier Jacqueline Rowarth told the conference Beef and Lamb analysis showed we did not market – an example, Wales spend $57 per tonne of product – New Zealand, $11.
Failing to market food at premium quality is costing New Zealand producers dearly, she said.
Dignitaries from all walks of life – the governor general, politicians past and present, Maoridom- including the Maori Queen, church leaders, the primary sector and family and friends packed Our Lady of Kapiti’s Catholic church in Paraparaumu on Thursday October 23 to pay tribute to former prime Minister, Jim Bolger who died last week.
Agriculture and Forestry Minister, Todd McClay is encouraging farmers, growers, and foresters not to take unnecessary risks, asking that they heed weather warnings today.
With nearly two million underutilised dairy calves born annually and the beef price outlook strong, New Zealand’s opportunity to build a scalable dairy-beef system is now.
Graduates of a newly-updated Agri-Women’s Development Trust (AWDT) course are taking more value than ever from the programme, with some even walking away calling themselves the “farm CFO”.
Meet the Need, a farmer-led charity, says food insecurity in New Zealand is dire, with one in four children now living in a household experiencing food insecurity, according to Ministry of Health data.
Applications have now opened for the 2026 Meat Industry Association scholarships.
OPINION: Voting is underway for Fonterra’s divestment proposal, with shareholders deciding whether or not sell its consumer brands business.
OPINION: Politicians and Wellington bureaucrats should take a leaf out of the book of Canterbury District Police Commander Superintendent Tony Hill.