Two-legged pests
OPINION: Federated Farmers has launched a new campaign, swapping ‘The Twelve Days of Christmas’ for ‘The Twelve Pests of Christmas’ to…
POLICY WORK on the $150m extension to the Rural Broadband Initiative (RBI) announced just before the election is now being carried out, says Communications Minister Amy Adams.
WE’VE HAD a global financial crisis, and we now see a looming global food crisis which only innovation and technology will avert, says Berry Marttin, a Rabobank Group Netherlands executive board member.
FARMING IS becoming ‘sexy’ again for young people overseas, but New Zealand has not caught up with this trend yet, says Southland dairy farmer Michael Horgan.
THE UPTAKE of precision agriculture is gradually improving, says Massey University’s professor of precision agriculture Ian Yule.
THE USE by developing countries of highly protectionist policies for their agriculture industries is counter-productive to reducing hunger, claims Professor Peter Warr, director of the Poverty Research Centre in Australia.
CORPORATE FARMER Shanghai Pengxin is not ruling out switching milk supply in the North Island from Fonterra to independent processor Miraka.
THE COUNTRY’S second-largest dairy company Westland has cut its payout for the coming season and it’s expected Fonterra will make a similar call this month.
FEDERATED FARMERS is undergoing a ‘strategy refresh’, as revealed to Rural News by president William Rolleston at the national council meeting in Wellington last month. It involves discussions with all provincial presidents, assisted by a management consultant.
DISILLUSIONED FARMERS are looking for an internationally acceptable national organic standard due to a rise in international rules incompatible with the New Zealand farming system.
FONTERRA CHIEF executive Theo Spierings says more work is needed to improve its traceability credentials.
More...
TRYING TO determine how primary producers can achieve the Government’s goal of doubling New Zealand’s exports by 2025 was the focus of a meeting of the agribusiness ‘boot camp’ group in Wellington last week. The meeting was attended by the chairs and senior managers representing 80% of New Zealand’s primary exports.
GREG MUIR chief executive of Tru-Test, agrees the biggest challenge to the primary sector is attracting the right people.
FONTERRA’S INGREDIENTS business is an “aircraft carrier” that allows the co-op to visit global markets efficiently, says chief executive Theo Spierings.
NEW ZEALAND is bowing to international pressure by introducing new milk cooling rules for dairy farmers.
The Hound
Slippery slope
OPINION: It used to be that the National Fieldays attracted brickbats for being officious clipboard carriers, while the regional, farmer-run field…
» Connect with Rural News
Popular Reads
Open Country opens butter plant
When American retail giant Cosco came to audit Open Country Dairy’s new butter plant at the Waharoa site and give…
MPI launches industry-wide project to manage feral deer
An industry-wide project led by Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) is underway to deal with the rising number of feral…
Hawke’s Bay farmers donate livestock to support rescue helicopter
A Hawke's Bay farming family of self-confessed 'frequent flyers' has donated the proceeds from their spring lambs.
