Long-serving Miraka chairman, board members step down
The man largely responsible for setting up Miraka, the country’s first Māori dairy company, is stepping down.
Farmers who supply Miraka dairy company, near Taupo, are sending videos to staff thanking them for being at work and processing their milk.
Miraka chief executive Richard Wyeth told Dairy News that farmers have sent in some great videos, much to the delight of the staff.
Miraka suppliers were badly hit by drought during the first three months of this year. Recent rain has boosted grass growth and lifted farmer morale.
“I think farmers are also happy because they know they are getting a $7 payout for the current season and that is some comfort, but there is some nervousness around next season,” Wyeth says.
“We have come out and said for a budgeting perspective, next season’s payout could be between $6.25 and $6.50/kgMS. That is a reasonable number, but it is too early to be too definitive on that and there is a real spread in terms of predictions,” he says.
Wyeth says the drought has hit milk production and Miraka forecasts a similar milk yield to last season.
He says in terms of marketing their products, Miraka is doing pretty well although they have been impacted by COVID-19.
“We were fortunate that we shifted a lot of products in January to China, then COVID-19 came through and the market went quiet through February and March. We had a few orders for UHT cancelled and the phone stopped ringing for milk powder, which is generally what happens on the commodity side - it just goes very quiet,” he says.
But Wyeth says they are now starting to see the market pick up with good orders coming through for their branded Taupo Pure consumer packs. UHT sales are also picking up.
Wyeth says some futurists are saying the China market is running at about “7.5 out of 10 now”.
“So that’s good given that eight weeks ago you didn’t want to be in China. You were looking at Europe and the US, but they have now really turned on their heads and Europe is more challenging now than China,” he says.
The country’s 4200 commercial fruit and vegetable growers will vote from May 14 on a new HortNZ levy.
Meat processor Alliance Group is asking farmer shareholders to inject more capital in order to remain a 100% co-operative.
A vet is calling for all animals to be vaccinated against a new strain of leptospirosis (lepto) discovered on New Zealand dairy farms in recent years.
Dairy
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Telco infrastructure provider Chorus says that it believes all Kiwis – particularly those in the rural areas – need access to high-speed, reliable broadband.
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