Agri Experts Give Their Views on 2050
Despite near universal optimism in the rural sector, a panel of New Zealand’s leading food and agri minds caution that the sector must be intentional about its future path.
Whole milk powder saw a small lift of 1.6% to US$3278/tonne at last week’s GDT auction despite the small decline in overall prices of 1.6%, says Emma Higgins, from RaboResearch.
This is the highest average price since May 2017, she says.
“Contract periods out across the new season’s flush were in positive territory and New Zealand product is still trading at a premium to EU and US sourced whole milk powder (WMP).”
Confirmation by Fonterra that milk collections for February 2018 were lower by 4% would have helped this result.
The major drivers dragging overall results down were weaker skim milk powder (SMP) prices and a sharp decline in anhydrous milk fat pricing.
“Yet while the average SMP price dropped by -1.8% to US$1849/tonne there is price support for NZ SMP, which remains at a premium to most European sourced SMP offered.”
The northern hemisphere peak will put pressure on prices and there is a risk of higher feed prices globally. This will turn down production pressure over the close of 2018 and into 2019.
China remains New Zealand’s biggest market, taking $23 billion of our exports, but it’s no longer a commodity story, says Prime Minister Christopher Luxon.
For Jane Smith, becoming a Ravensdown director has been a way she can actively contribute to something quite personal to her - protecting and strengthening a co-operative she deeply believes in.
Lactalis New Zealand has opened a new distribution centre in Christchurch, marking a significant investment in the company's South Island supply chain capability.
Women up and down the country are the glue that hold rural communities together, giving so much to so many, says the inaugural Rural Woman of the year award winner Kate Acland.
Waikato dairy farmer Danielle Hovmand has been named the primary sector's top emerging leader.
Don’t worry about it but just be aware - that’s the message from Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) director-general Ray Smith as the H5N1 strain of bird flu is found in Australia.
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OPINION: Staying on Federated Farmers, this week's annual general meeting in Auckland is shaping up to be an interesting one.