Record final milk price for Miraka suppliers
Farmers supplying milk to Taupo-based processor Miraka are getting a 2024-25 season base milk price of $10.16/kgMS.
While many around the country are embarking on their annual Christmas break, it will be business as usual for the country's second largest milk processor.
As dairy farmers continue milking cows, Open Country Dairy will be processing milk and getting product to market.
“The well-oiled Open Country machine with all plans in place won’t be missing a beat,” says chief executive Steve Koekemoer.
“Demand for our high-quality products has remained robust over the past couple of months and it is certainly turning out to be a solid season for dairy.”
With New Zealand now past the peak months and global milk supply soft, Koekemoer expects pricing to remain at the elevated levels.
“The recent auction results have confirmed this view and it was once again good to see customers outside of China stepping up.
“More encouraging is the fact that we have spread our product mix and all our products are delivering outstanding returns.”
He points out that in the past many have seen OCD only as a whole milk powder (WMP) supplier.
“But over the last few years we have invested in diversification and are now offering other products like more cheese, skim milk powder SMP, anhydrous milk fat (AMF), cream and will add lactose and concentrated products in the near future.
“Having a basket of products to choose from certainly has its advantages to ensure we are always competitive and can extract maximum value from the market.”
Three New Zealand agritech companies are set to join forces to help unlock the full potential of technology.
As the sector heads into the traditional peak period for injuries and fatalities, farmers are being urged to "take a moment".
Federated Farmers says almost 2000 farmers have signed a petition launched this month to urge the Government to step in and provide certainty while the badly broken resource consent system is fixed.
Zespri’s counter-seasonal Zespri Global Supply (ZGS) programme is underway with approximately 33 million trays, or 118,800 tonnes, expected this year from orchards throughout France, Italy, Greece, Korea, and Japan.
Animal owners can help protect life-saving antibiotics from resistant bacteria by keeping their animals healthy, says the New Zealand Veterinary Association.
According to analysis by the Meat Industry Association (MIA), New Zealand red meat exports reached $827 million in October, a 27% increase on the same period last year.

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