OPINION: Eight point two billion people on the planet. Ten point three billion exported by 2084 (according to the latest United Nations' projections). And it is our role as farmers and growers in the food system to feed them. We need to do this as sustainably as possible, but the primary goal must be food production.
OPINION: Winston Peters has described the decision to sell its brand to Lactalis and disperse the profit to its farmer shareholders as a 'short sighted sugar hit'.
OPINION: The Hound reckons a big problem with focusing too much on the wrong goal - reducing livestock emissions at the expanse of food production, in this case - is that the Government starts throwing taxpayer coin at increasingly ridiculous ideas.
OPINION: In a memo, rich guy Bill Gates didn't become a climate change denier, but he did give the world a dose of common sense, saying we should redirect efforts away from the campaign to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and instead focus on other ways to improve human lives and reduce suffering.
OPINION: Did the Prime Minister hint last week that the sale of Landcorp assets could be part of the manifesto for the next election?
OPINION: Farmers along the east coast of both islands are being urged to start planning for drought as recent nor'west winds have left soil moisture levels depleted.
OPINION: As negotiations advance on the India-New Zealand FTA, it’s important to remember the joint commitment made by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon at the beginning of this process in March: for a balanced, ambitious, comprehensive, and mutually beneficial agreement.
OPINION: New Zealand dairy farmers are enjoying one of their most positive years in decades.
OPINION: Nearly half of New Zealand's four million dairy calves are processed early, representing not just a missed $1.2 billion opportunity, but a reputational risk for our export-driven agricultural sector.
OPINION: The Government needs to act now to address consenting issues faced by farmers throughout the country.
OPINION: Is it now time for the country's top agricultural university to start thinking about a name change - something that has been mooted in the past?
OPINION: If David Seymour's much-trumpeted Ministry for Regulation wants a serious job they need look no further than reviewing the rules and regulations governing members of the so-called House of Representatives.
OPINION: Last week India's powerful Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal was in the country for another round of negotiations on a free trade deal.
OPINION: Two types of grifters have used the sale of Fonterra's consumer brands as a platform to push their own agendas - under the guise of 'caring about the country'.
OPINION: Every time politicians come up with an investment scheme where they're going to have a crack at 'picking winners' with our money, the Hound cringes.
OPINION: What are the unions for these days?
OPINION: Your old mate hears some of the farmers involved in the Meat Industry Excellence (MIE) group ten years ago think the Alliance deal with Irish company Dawn Meats is “an absolute disaster” – and is the kind of outcome they predicted back then if nothing changed.
OPINION: The Hound reckons the recent stoush about the old Broadcasting Standards Authority (BSA) expanding its brief – with no real mandate – from traditional broadcasting to internet platforms is a case of ‘be careful what you wish for’
OPINION: When someone says “we don’t want a handout, we need a hand up” it usually means they have both palms out and they want your money.
OPINION: I have been thinking quite a bit recently about something I could call Life Lessons Learned.
OPINION: Wool farmers believe the future of strong wool still holds promise.
OPINION: Farmers are being asked to celebrate a target that changes nothing for the climate, wastes taxpayer money, and ignores real science.
OPINION: As the season progresses, attention on farm is now turning to mating.
OPINION: In the past weeks, much has been said and written about one of New Zealand's greatest prime ministers, James Brendan Bolger, who died just a few months after his 90th birthday.
OPINION: Winston Peters has described the decision to sell its brand to Lactalis and disperse the profit to its farmer…
OPINION: The Hound reckons a big problem with focusing too much on the wrong goal - reducing livestock emissions at…
