Milk Powder Prices Rally: $10/kgMS Milk Price in Sight
Milk powder prices are continuing their merry run, firming up a potential $10/kgMS farmgate price this season.
Former Primary Industries Minister and Fonterra board aspirant Nathan Guy believes his relationships with bureaucrats in Wellington will help the co-op’s farmers immensely.
With the agriculture sector facing more legislation around sustainable farming practices, Guy says his knowledge of “how Wellington works” will be helpful.
“I have long term relationships across the whole Parliament and also with senior officials and let’s face it, they are ones who write policy,” he told Rural News.
Guy, who retires from Parliament at next month’s general election, served as a National MP for 15 years and as Minister for Primary Industries for five years. He wants to be part of NZ’s largest company.
Last week, Guy and three others – sitting director Brent Goldsack, lawyer Cathy Quinn and corporate farmer Mike O’Connor were named as the four candidates by an independent Candidate Assessment Panel.
Quinn, who has 30 years’ experience as a commercial and corporate lawyer, narrowly missed
out on a board seat last year.
O’Connor is the majority shareholder of Spectrum Group, comprising eight farms, milking 8200 cows and producing 3.1 million kgMS.
Goldsack, a former tax and financial advisor, joined Fonterra’s board in 2017 and chairs the board co-op relations committee.
Fonterra shareholders can also self-nominate as candidates – provided they have the backing of 35 shareholders, who must sign their nomination form.
Waikato farmer Annabel Cotton has been confirmed as a candidate in the media.
Rural News understands at least one prominent Fonterra shareholder will confirm their candidacy this week.
When dairy manager Miriam Lauridsen learned the farm, she was joining held weekly health and safety meetings, she initially thought that was “a bit over the top”. Experiencing that culture changed her mind.
Nominations are open for the 2027 Fonterra Dairy Woman of the Year Award.
Keeping up with pasture moisture demands is likely to be the key challenge for dairy farmers during this season’s El Niño weather pattern, says Blue Skies Weather & Climate Services meteorologist Tony Trewinnard.
Farmers have until the end of this week to help shape DairyNZ’s future focus.
Wayne McNee, chief executive of AgriZeroNZ, has resigned and will leave the organisation on 15 January 2027.
The New Zealand dairy sector set a record in the 2025/26 season, producing more than two billion kilograms of milksolids for the first time.

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