Winston's crusade
OPINION: A short-term sugar hit. That's what NZ First leader Winston Peters is calling the proposed sale of Fonterra's consumer and associated businesses.
Sitting Fonterra directors Donna Smit and Andy Macfarlane have been announced as two of the four independently assessed candidates for the 2019 Fonterra board elections.
The other two candidates are Philipp Haas and Cathy Quinn.
As re-standing directors, Smit and Macfarlane automatically go through to the ballot: Haas and Quinn were recommended by the Independent Selection Panel after their assessment process.
There are two different ways that shareholders can stand for the board – as Independently assessed candidates or as non-assessed candidates.
Nominations for non-assessed candidates, where farmers can stand as a candidate for the board with the support of 35 different shareholders, are now open. Nominations close at noon on Friday, 27 September.
The full list of candidates will be announced on Monday, 30 September 2019.
Voting Packs, containing candidate profiles, will be mailed to eligible shareholders on Tuesday, 15 October 2019. Shareholders can vote by internet or post, using the First Past the Post voting system. Voting closes at 10.30am on Tuesday, 5 November 2019 with the results being announced later that day.
A major feature of the Ashburton A&P Show, to be held on October 31 and November 1, will be the annual trans-Tasman Sheep Dog Trial test match, with the best heading dogs from both sides of the Tasman going head-to-head in two teams of four.
Fewer bobby calves are heading to the works this season, as more dairy farmers recognise the value of rearing calves for beef.
The key to a dairy system that generates high profit with a low emissions intensity is using low footprint feed, says Fonterra program manager on-farm excellence, Louise Cook.
Rural retailer Farmlands has reported a return to profitability, something the co-operative says shows clear progress in the second year of its five-year strategy.
According to a new report, the Safer Rides initiative, which offered farmers heavily discounted crush protection devices (CPDs) for quad bikes, has made a significant impact in raising awareness and action around farm vehicle safety.
OPINION: In the past weeks, much has been said and written about one of New Zealand's greatest prime ministers, James Brendan Bolger, who died just a few months after his 90th birthday.