Fonterra, Sharesies join to make share trading easier
Fonterra is teaming up with wealth app provider Sharesies to make it easier for its farmer shareholders to trade co-op shares among themselves.
Fonterra says milk collection in the South Island in March was 7% below last season.
The co-op collected 60 million kgMS in the South Island; soil moisture remains low across most South Island dairying regions.
“Scattered rain in March was not enough to ease the irrigation restrictions many farmers are still facing and extremely dry conditions continue to affect pasture growth rates,” the co-op says in its monthly global dairy update.
North Island collection in March reached 80 million kgMS, in line with March last season.
Fonterra says rain in March, consistent with long-term averages, supported for milk volumes. However, dry conditions remain across most dairying regions and follow-up rain is needed to hold milk production in line with last season over the coming months.
In Australia, milk collection for the nine months to March 31 reached 100 million kgMS, 6% higher than the same period last season.
Milk collection in March reached 9mkgMS, 9% ahead of March last season. Most dairying regions, Tasmania in particular, received some rain, favouring pasture growth. Western Victoria produced much more than last season and Tasmania is tracking in line with last season.
Meanwhile milk production worldwide has been subdued, Fonterra says.
EU production in January was in line with the same month last year, the first month since June 2013 with no growth in milk production. Ireland had the largest decrease, down 14%. Only the UK and Poland grew production in January.
US production in January increased 2% over January 2014. This increase was below market expectations and affected by reduced production in the major dairy states California, New Mexico, Texas, Washington, Oregon and Idaho. Argentina and Uruguay production data for January is not complete. Production in December decreased 1% over the same month last year.
Australian production in January increased 1% over January 2014. Production decreased in Victoria but increased 7% in Tasmania.
Meanwhile, New Zealand exports in January increased 3% over January 2014.
This was driven by SMP and AMF increasing 25% and cheese increasing 21%. But WMP decreased 10% to 137,000 tonnes.
Australian exports in January decreased 3% over January 2014. Increases in most major dairy categories including SMP, fluid and fresh dairy, cheese and whey powder were offset by a large decrease in WMP, down 62%.
EU exports in December increased 8%; US exports in January decreased 22% over January 2014.
A vet is calling for all animals to be vaccinated against a new strain of leptospirosis (lepto) discovered on New Zealand dairy farms in recent years.
Two major red meat sector projects are getting up to a combined $1.7 million in funding from the New Zealand Meat Board (NZMB).
Angus Barr and Tara Dwyer of The Wandle, Lone Star Farms in Strath Taieri have been named the Regional Supreme Winners at the Otago Ballance Farm Environment Awards in Dunedin.
OPINION: The distress that the politicians and bureaucrats are causing to the people of Wairoa and the wider Tairāwhiti is unforgivable.
Dairy
Rural banker Rabobank is partnering with Food Rescue Kitchen on a new TV series which airs this weekend that aims to shine a light on the real and growing issues of food waste, food poverty and social isolation in New Zealand.
OPINION: The new government has clearly signalled big cuts across the public service.
OPINION: Your canine crusader is not surprised by the recent news that New Zealand plant-based ‘fake meat’ business is in…