Fonterra Lifts Farmgate Milk Price
Good news for Fonterra farmers. The co-op has raised this season’s farmgate milk price mid-point by 25c to $9.75/kgMS.
Coronavirus is forcing Fonterra to cancel its farmer shareholder meetings to discuss its interim results.
The co-op usually holds farmer meetings throughout the dairy belt to discuss results; instead, two webinars are being organised this week for farmers to hear from Fonterra leadership and ask questions.
Fonterra Shareholders Council chairman James Barron says restrictions caused by coronavirus means no shareholder meetings are taking place.
Councillors have also been encouraged to phone farmer shareholders rather than holding face-to-face meetings.
Fonterra farmers will get details on how to get on the webinars from their Farm Source reps.
Barron says the situation around coronavirus is changing constantly.
“Farmers, like everyone else, is bracing for uncertainty around coronavirus,” he says.
Fonterra chairman John Monaghan says coronavirus is now a global event.
He acknowledged the thousands of Kiwi businesses and communities doing it tough as a result of restrictions in place.
“These are unprecedented times, at least in my lifetime.”
The following rural/ farming events have now either been ‘postponed’ or cancelled due to the current COVID-19 situation:
• Agrifood week
• Central District field days
• International Agribusiness Summit
• NZ Shears
• All Beef and Lamb NZ events
• All regional NZ Dairy Industry Award events
• Mackenzie Easter Show
• Auckland Easter Show
• Dairy Women Network conference
• Irrigation NZ conference
• National Fieldays
Massey University vice chancellor Pierre Venter says his institute is moving from a period of austerity into a growth phase, based on their new strategy.
With the red meat sector going through a boom time with high prices, the time is right for the industry to step up its investment into developing new food products.
Meat Industry Association chief executive Nick Beeby says there’s now much closer cooperation between meat processing companies than there was many years ago.
A new fruit quality research laboratory has been opened in Auckland by agritech company Hectre to develop pioneering hyperspectral technology.
Farmer lobby Groundswell believes that farmers are worried about the implications of a potential centre-left government.
With less than a week to go before voters choose the next government, Federated Farmers has a simple message to its members - get out and vote.