Why Fonterra accepted defeat in the dairy aisle
OPINION: Fonterra's sale of its consumer dairy business to Lactalis is a clear sign of the co-operative’s failure to compete in the branded consumer market.
A number of farmers were forced to dump milk, says Farm Source regional head Charles Fergusson.
The feedback from Fonterra suppliers was that the flooding brought a "really tough" situation for some but others were surprised their farms fared as well as they did, he said.
Worst affected were farms along the Ashburton River.
"We had some challenges earlier on farms on North Canterbury as well, so we had farmers evacuated out of their houses up on Sunday night.
"There were a number of farms out there who we asked to dispose of milk. One of the reasons is that we just weren't happy sending tankers out in those conditions with uncertainty over roads and also the state of the tanker tracks."
Fonterra also had to briefly evacuate the Clandeboye factory when a local creek burst its banks.
Fergusson said a lot of farmers would have wanted to push the season further but they dried off early to beat the weather.
However, Fonterra had a couple of hundred suppliers still milking as well as 60 to 100 true winter milkers.
"I think we our transport team do an incredible job as long as they've got a route to factory so we are working quite closely with the authorities regarding roading to see if we are able to get around."
Foot and Mouth Disease outbreaks could have a detrimental impact on any country's rural sector, as seen in the United Kingdom's 2000 outbreak that saw the compulsory slaughter of over six million animals.
The Ministry for the Environment is joining as a national award sponsor in the Ballance Farm Environment Awards (BFEA from next year).
Kiwis are wasting less of their food than they were two years ago, and this has been enough to push New Zealand’s total household food waste bill lower, the 2025 Rabobank KiwiHarvest Food Waste survey has found.
OPINION: Sir Lockwood Smith has clearly and succinctly defined what academic freedom is all about, the boundaries around it and the responsibility that goes with this privilege.
DairyNZ says its plantain programme continues to deliver promising results, with new data confirming that modest levels of plantain in pastures reduce nitrogen leaching, offering farmers a practical, science-backed tool to meet environmental goals.
According to the most recent Rabobank Rural Confidence Survey, farmer confidence has inched higher, reaching its second highest reading in the last decade.
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