Jo Sheridan is Fonterra Dairy Woman of the Year
Waikato farmer, and Owl Farm demonstration manager, Jo Sheridan is the 2025 Fonterra Dairy Woman of the Year.
Sitting Fonterra directors Brent Goldsack and Cathy Quinn have been re-elected for another three-year term.
While the directors were unopposed, Fonterra director election rules state that a successful candidate must get more than 50% of the votes cast.
Returning Officer Warwick Lampp, of electionz.com Ltd, confirmed that Goldsack and Quinn were re-elected.
This year, elections were also held for two Fonterra Co-operative Council wards – southern Northland and Piako. Cushla Smit won southern Northland while Aleisha Broomfield was elected as Piako councllor.
Other election results include shareholders Simon Couper and Shirley Trumper being elected unopposed to the directors’ remuneration committee. Couper, a former council chairman, is returning to a governance role after resigning in 2012 over his opposition to Trading Among Farmers (TAF).
In five council wards, councillors were elected unopposed.
They are Grant Coombes, Waikato West, Andrew Myers, Waipa, Kylie Leonard, Central Plateau, council chairman John Stevenson, Wairarapa and Don Moore, eastern Southland.
A survey of contract milkers in the dairy sector has revealed some shocking statistics - 43% of respondents reported abusive behaviour from a farm owner and a whopping 72% suffered a mental and/or financial setback in the role.
The 2025 game bird season is underway with Hawke’s Bay and Southland reporting the ideal weather conditions for hunters – rain and wind.
A group of meat processing companies, directors and managers have been fined a total of $1.6 million for deliberately and illegally altering exported tallow for profit.
New Zealand’s top cheeses for 2025 have been announced and family-owned, Oamaru-based Whitestone Cheese is the big winner.
Waikato farmer, and Owl Farm demonstration manager, Jo Sheridan is the 2025 Fonterra Dairy Woman of the Year.
New Zealand’s special agricultural trade envoy Hamish Marr believes the outlook for the dairy sector remains strong.