Battle for milk
OPINION: Fonterra may be on the verge of selling its consumer business in New Zealand, but the co-operative is not keen on giving any ground to its competitors in the country.
More bad news for dairy farmers as the latest Global Dairy Trade auction saw the average price index slip by 2.2% to $2,472.
It is the fifth consecutive fall this year with most products seeing a decrease.
Cheddar saw the biggest drop, down 7.1% with an average price of US$2,745/MT. This was followed by Anhydrous Milk Fat down 4.8% at US$3,337/MT and Skim Milk Powder down by 3.6% to US$1,992/MT.
Butter fell by 3.2%, average price US$2,911/MT.
Whole Milk Powder, a key product for Fonterra also saw a minor drop of 0.5% average price US$2,390/MT, with Rennet Casein down 0.4% to US$6,067/MT.
The two products to gain ground were Butter Milk Powder, up 3.2%, to US$1,930/MT and Lactose up 0.9% to US$580/MT.
Some 26,553 tonnes of product was sold, down from the 27,369 tonnes sold in the May 6 auction two weeks ago.
Keratin biomaterials company Keraplast and Wools of New Zealand have signed a new superpremium wool contract which is said to deliver a boost to wool growers.
While things are looking positive for the red meat sector in 2026, volatility in global trade remains a concern, says the Meat Industry Association (MIA).
The quest to find innovative practical, scientific solutions to deal with water-related issues at a catchment level has been the theme of an important conference at Massey University last week.
One of the country's top Māori farms faces a long and costly rebuild to get the property back to where it was before recent storms ripped through it.
The latest Global Dairy Trade auction results have delivered a boost to dairy farmers.
New Zealand potato growers are prioritising value creation from high yields to meet a complex mix of challenges and opportunities, says Potatoes NZ chief executive Kate Trufitt.

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