THE END of milk quotas in Europe from 2015 will add another dimension to the global milk supply, says Fonterra chairman John Wilson.

THE IRISH are coming and they’ll soon be on our patch, says KPMG’s head of agribusiness, Ian Proudfoot, just back from meetings in Ireland with farming leaders and politicians.

FONTERRA IS maintaining its forecast farmgate milk price at $8.30kg/MS for the 2013/14 season.

VETS HAVE called on rural New Zealand communities to work with them to ensure antimicrobial medicines are used wisely.

A COMPULSORY control programme for Bovine Viral Diarrhoea (BVD) in New Zealand is unlikely in the near future despite a growing number of nations, mostly European, adopting such measures, says the chairman of a national steering committee on the disease.

A NEW effluent pond stirrer to be released soon will require limited maintenance and carry a two-year warranty – almost unheard of in the dairy industry, says manufacturer Plucks Engineering.

WHILE HOT humid weather across the country has provided the perfect conditions for lush pasture cover this spring, farmers need to stay alert for an increased risk of facial eczema through summer.

LAND SALES should continue to rise through summer, says PGG Wrightson Real Estate.

NEW ZEALAND'S largest rural lender has launched a lending package for farmers wanting to invest in improving the environmental sustainability and productivity of their farms.

THE HOME support sector for rural people will be in crisis next year, says Rural Women's new president Wendy McGowan, who is a nurse.