Cuddling cows
OPINION: Years of floods and low food prices have driven a dairy farm in England's northeast to stop milking its cows and instead charge visitors to cuddle them.
OPINION: Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor has thrown a spanner in the works as far as Fonterra’s proposed capital structure is concerned.
He wants unspecified “alternative measures” otherwise Parliament won’t pass regulatory changes needed for the new structure to become effective.
O’Connor’s stance is going against the wishes of Fonterra’s 10,000 farmer shareholders, who have helped the board draft the capital structure proposal so that it remains 100% farmer owned and controlled.
But O’Connor was singing a different tune when Westland Milk, located on his home patch, was sold to a Chinese buyer two years ago.
He was unhappy with the co-op being offloaded to an overseas buyer and even wished Fonterra had bought the Hokitika-based business.
Boutique Waikato cheese producer Meyer Cheese is investing in a new $3.5 million facility, designed to boost capacity and enhance the company's sustainability credentials.
OPINION: The Government's decision to rule out changes to Fringe Benefit Tax (FBT) that would cost every farmer thousands of dollars annually, is sensible.
Compensation assistance for farmers impacted by Mycoplama bovis is being wound up.
Selecting the reverse gear quicker than a lovestruck boyfriend who has met the in-laws for the first time, the Coalition Government has confirmed that the proposal to amend Fringe Benefit Tax (FBT) charged against farm utes has been canned.
Holstein Friesian excellence was front and centre at the 2025 Holstein Friesian NZ (HFNZ) Awards, held recently in Invercargill.
The work Fonterra has done with Ballance Agri-Nutrients Ltd, LIC and Ravensdown to save farmers time through better data connections has been recognised with a national award.