Editorial: Agri's mojo is back
OPINION: Good times are coming back for the primary industries. From sentiment expressed at Fieldays to the latest rural confidence survey results, all indicate farmer confidence at a near-record high.
The dairy industry’s ongoing volatility coupled with a cold wet winter in many parts of the country has highlighted the real value of New Zealand’s pasture based system.
This has always been a hallmark of this country and our scientists and plant breeders have done a tremendous job developing new varieties of grass and management systems to get the maximum benefit from these.
But it could be argued that dairy farmers have been a bit complacent about their pastures as relatively comfortable payouts have led farmers down the track of so-called supplements.
DairyNZ’s one-on-one assessment of how farmers are managing their pastures shows only 30% have got it right and the rest are off track or terribly off track.
While some farmers can look at a paddock and accurately estimate how much feed they have, many can’t.
The dairy industry after this downturn will be very different and the difference between profitable and unprofitable farming will come down to a series of small gains in cost saving and production. Hard data will make that difference as successful farmers have shown for years.
But the pack has to catch up with the leaders and take advantage of technology in all its forms. There will need to a strong focus on profitability and less on boasting about production. There may be fewer cows in the dairy industry but milk production may not drop. Look no further than the sheep industry which could frankly teach dairy farmers a thing or two about efficiency.
Professor Hamish Gow, Massey University, is right when he says the dairy industry has been living on borrowed time with its expectations and cost models. Saying goodbye to some of the euphoria around dairy will be good and hopefully a much stronger industry will emerge.
The best recent example is the kiwifruit industry. Vine-killing disease Psa was in some ways the best thing that happened to that sector because it got orchardists to look really hard at their businesses and be more hands-on and profit focused.
This downturn (not crisis) in the dairy may be a blessing in disguise.
The AB’s loss in Sydney was not a disaster, it was a motivation to do better and they did. That hopefully will win the World Cup.
Managing director of Woolover Ltd, David Brown, has put a lot of effort into verifying what seems intuitive, that keeping newborn stock's core temperature stable pays dividends by helping them realise their full genetic potential.
Within the next 10 years, New Zealand agriculture will need to manage its largest-ever intergenerational transfer of wealth, conservatively valued at $150 billion in farming assets.
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.
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