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DairyNZ chair Tracy Brown
Over 300 farmers and rural professionals have gathered in Hamilton for the first DairyNZ Farmers Forum for this year.
Opening the event, DairyNZ chair Tracy Brown says at events like the Farmers Forum in New Zealand, dairy farmers have charted their own path forward.
“Today we stand here, many of us, as dairy farmers, who are also businesspeople, soil scientists, agronomists, technologists, economists, geneticists, vets. We know we must keep learning but also rely on prior knowledge.
“We must do our analysis but also trust our gut.”
Brown says throughout the ages New Zealand dairy farmers have quietly built not just enormous skillsets to optimise their individual operation, but they have built industry-good assets that everyone relies upon today.
“The highest standards of animal welfare in the world are an asset to us all, as are the strides we make each day in environmental performance while maintaining business viability.
“We operate systems that are among the most emissions-efficient on the globe.
“The lowest cost producers of dairy because we are pasture fed – with a grass to glass efficiency story like no other.
“We have always created and adopted new tools, new solutions, had new ideas and we have always ensured this all works in the paddock, not just on paper.”
Two more Farmers Forum will be held in the South Island.
The first major update to the Dairy Cattle Code of Welfare in more than a decade has been released, marking what DairyNZ describes as an important step in ensuring animal welfare standards continue to evolve alongside scientific evidence and on-farm realities.
DairyNZ deputy chair Cameron Henderson has been re-appointed unopposed for another term.
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Farms across the upper North Island are trialling different pasture mixes as part of a research programme that aims to build greater resilience into farming systems.
Synlait has swung to second-half profit as operations stabilise, but the dairy processor still posted a $75.4m annual loss.
LIC shareholders have elected a new North Island representative to the co-operative's Board, along with five representatives to its Shareholder Reference Group (SRG), following the company's Annual Meeting held in Invercargill.
Farmers across parts of Southland and South Otago are continuing to deal with difficult conditions after a prolonged run of wet weather, with pressure building around feed supply, stock management, pasture damage, farm infrastructure and everyday workloads.
Federated Farmers says it welcomes Labour's commitment to reviewing the Sharemilking Agreements Act, calling on other major parties to do the same.
For Canterbury dairy farmers Sian Meijer and Rick Wobben, wearable technology has become one of their most valuable on-farm tools - helping manage 1850 cows across an expansive, high-performing dairy operation while improving efficiency, mating outcomes and day-to-day decision making.
Fonterra has unveiled its annual results for the 2026 financial year, posting $27 billion in revenue and close to $20 billion returned to New Zealand farmer owners and unit holders.
