Silver Fern Farms roadshow highlights global demand
The second event in the Silver Fern Farms ‘Pasture to Plate Roadshow’ landed in Feilding last week, headed by chair and King Country farmer, Anna Nelson, and chief executive Dan Boulton.
Silver Fern Farms chief executive Dean Hamilton will leave the company end of the year.
SFF chairman Rob Hewett says search has commenced for a new chief executive.
Hewett says the board is “understandably saddened” by Hamilton’s decision to resign, announced today.
“However, we’ve been discussing for some time the demands on him of working away from home, and appreciate and accept Dean’s desire for change.“
“Dean has achieved an enormous amount in what will be 3 years as chief executive of Silver Fern Farms.”
Under his leadership, the company achieved a recapitalisation through the $260m investment by Shanghai Maling and partnership with the Silver Fern Farms Cooperative: a 2020 business strategy was also developed.
Hewitt says Hamilton has realigned the organisational leadership team “to support that strategy, improved farmer engagement, strengthened organisational culture, rationalised our plant platform, increased investment in health & safety and sustainability, and introduced strong financial and risk management disciplines.”
“Dean will leave the company in its strongest ever financial position, with a clear strategic direction and a very capable leadership team.”
Hamilton says he is really proud of what SFF has achieved.
“We’ve got a really passionate group of people, farmer partners and customers around the world who are committed to the success of Silver Fern Farms. Having worked our way through a challenging period, we’ve now got real momentum in the business,” he says.
“Though I will be sad to leave Silver Fern Farms, I have real confidence that we’ve got the right people and capital resources to execute and win with our long-term plate to pasture strategy.”
Dairy prices have jumped in the overnight Global Dairy Trade (GDT) auction, breaking a five-month negative streak.
Alliance Group chief executive Willie Wiese is leaving the company after three years in the role.
A booklet produced in 2025 by the Rotoiti 15 trust, Department of Conservation and Scion – now part of the Bioeconomy Science Institute – aims to help people identify insect pests and diseases.
A Taranaki farmer and livestock agent who illegally swapped NAIT tags from cows infected with a bovine disease in an attempt to sell the cows has been fined $15,000.
Bill and Michelle Burgess had an eye-opening realisation when they produced the same with fewer cows.
It was love that first led Leah Prankerd to dairying. Decades later, it's her passion for the industry keeping her there, supporting, and inspiring farmers across the region.

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