Two new awards open to help young farmers progress to farm ownership
Entries have opened for two awards in the New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards (NZDIA) programme, aimed at helping young farmers progress to farm ownership.
Your old mate notes that Greenpeace is challenging Fonterra to "prove that its massive use of palm products is not fuelling the enormous fires raging across Indonesia".
Apart from the ridiculous demand that Fonterra must prove 'it is not beating its wife', what really tickled this old mutt's interest was that the new NZ head of the eco-activist multi-national is none than one Dr Russel Norman. Yes, that would be the same Dr Russel Norman – who recently stood down as head of the NZ Green Party to take up the highly paid position at Greenpeace and was forever bagging Fonterra and the NZ dairy industry when he was an MP. It looks like dyed-in-the-wool (organic of course) Greenies never stop hating NZ's number one primary sector export earner. Yawn....
Additional reductions to costs for forest owners in the Emissions Trading Scheme Registry (ETS) have been announced by the Government.
Animal welfare is of paramount importance to New Zealand's dairy industry, with consumers increasingly interested in how food is produced, not just the quality of the final product.
Agriculture and Forestry Minister Todd McClay is encouraging farmers and growers to stay up to date with weather warnings and seek support should they need it.
The closure of SH2 Waioweka Gorge could result in significant delays and additional costs for freight customers around the Upper North Island, says Transporting New Zealand.
OPINION: The year has started positively for New Zealand dairy farmers and things are likely to get better.
Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) Director General Ray Smith believes there is potential for an increase in dairy farming in New Zealand.

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