fbpx
Print this page
Tuesday, 15 November 2022 10:55

Challenges ahead for co-op farmers

Written by  Staff Reporters
Incoming Fonterra Co-operative Council chair John Stevenson (left), with predecessor James Barron. Incoming Fonterra Co-operative Council chair John Stevenson (left), with predecessor James Barron.

New Fonterra Co-operative Council chair John Stevenson says there are plenty of challenges ahead for Fonterra farmers.

The Wairarapa farmer, who took over the chairmanship at the co-op's annual general meeting last week, says he's looking forward to the challenge.

"There are plenty of challenges ahead: our co-op is in a strong position and it's important our farmers have a voice," he told Dairy News.

"I'm excited with this opportunity to represent farmers."

Stevenson replaces James Barron who retired after three years in the role.

He was first elected to the council in 2017 from the Wairarapa ward. A fifth generation dairy farmer, he has been milking cows on the family farm for 12 years.

Stevenson owns two farms: a 1,000-cow farm in Carterton and a 500-cow farm in Masterton.

He is currently chair of the council's accountability committee. He was part of the DIRA working group in 2018-9 and currently serves as a council's representative on the board's co-operative relations committee.

More like this

Fonterra R&D: Innovation needs more than just PhDs

Common sense and good human judgement are still a key requirement for the super highly qualified staff working at one of New Zealand's largest and most important research facilities - Fonterra's R&D Centre at Palmerston North.

Misguided campaign

OPINION: Last week, Greenpeace lit up Fonterra's Auckland headquarters with 'messages from the common people' - that the sector is polluting the environment.

Featured

Editorial: Agri's mojo is back

OPINION: Good times are coming back for the primary industries. From sentiment expressed at Fieldays to the latest rural confidence survey results, all indicate farmer confidence at a near-record high.

National

Machinery & Products

Farming smarter with technology

The National Fieldays is an annual fixture in the farming calendar: it draws in thousands of farmers, contractors, and industry…