Make the right decision, Peters urges Fonterra farmers
New Zealand First leader and Foreign Minister Winston Peters is ratcheting up pressure on Fonterra farmers as they vote on divesting the co-operative’s consumer and related businesses.
The new Southern Dairy Hub in Invercargill will start milking cows next season.
The 349ha property will run 640 cows next season but plans to increase cow numbers to 800.
AgResearch and DairyNZ have each paid $5 million towards the venture and the Southern Dairy Development Trust, made up of farmers, has put in $1.25m.
AgResearch chairman Sam Robinson says the organisation has played a key role in developing the property at Makarewa, 15km north of Invercargill. The new facility will be made up of two independently owned adjoining beef and sheep farms.
“The plan is to convert the existing farm operation into a dairy farm this season and then supply Fonterra at the start of the 2017-18 season. It will initially milk 640 cows but that will increase to around 800 cows,” Robinson says. “It will further the science developments in the sector.”
DairyNZ chair Michael Spaans says its investment in the hub reflects the importance of dairying in the south and is a prompt for innovation, industry-led research and education.
“The hub will provide relevant, up-to-date local research for Southland dairy farmers. [Now comes] the development phase, and farmers will see research getting underway next season.
“This is a key project for DairyNZ and Southland dairy farmers will gain a lot of value from it.”
The hub project recognises that dairy farming techniques used in other parts of New Zealand are not easily adapted in Southland, given its unique landscape, climate and soil types, DairyNZ says.
Matthew Richards, chair of the Southern Dairy Development Trust, referred to the region’s long dairying history and its important role in the community.
“This development will help southern farmers further increase farm efficiency, productivity and sustainability, and thus continue to enhance the wider southern region.”
Dignitaries from all walks of life – the governor general, politicians past and present, Maoridom- including the Maori Queen, church leaders, the primary sector and family and friends packed Our Lady of Kapiti’s Catholic church in Paraparaumu on Thursday October 23 to pay tribute to former prime Minister, Jim Bolger who died last week.
Agriculture and Forestry Minister, Todd McClay is encouraging farmers, growers, and foresters not to take unnecessary risks, asking that they heed weather warnings today.
With nearly two million underutilised dairy calves born annually and the beef price outlook strong, New Zealand’s opportunity to build a scalable dairy-beef system is now.
Graduates of a newly-updated Agri-Women’s Development Trust (AWDT) course are taking more value than ever from the programme, with some even walking away calling themselves the “farm CFO”.
Meet the Need, a farmer-led charity, says food insecurity in New Zealand is dire, with one in four children now living in a household experiencing food insecurity, according to Ministry of Health data.
Applications have now opened for the 2026 Meat Industry Association scholarships.
OPINION: Voting is underway for Fonterra’s divestment proposal, with shareholders deciding whether or not sell its consumer brands business.
OPINION: Politicians and Wellington bureaucrats should take a leaf out of the book of Canterbury District Police Commander Superintendent Tony Hill.