AS WIDELY reported, the combination of lower milk prices, higher input prices and adverse seasonal conditions meant that the total production volume for 2012-13 finished down 2.9% on the prior season. 

THOUSANDS OF badgers are being shot in Britain in a trial to tackle bovine TB. Culling has begun in Gloucestershire, Somerset and Dorset.

DAIRY FARMERS have been on a rollercoaster of late – especially given the daily misfortunes of Fonterra and its botulism debacle. To see their industry ‘in lights’ in the international media, and being described as less than perfect, has been distressing.

A FARM investment scheme aimed at getting more young farmers owning farms, and delivering regular cash returns to investors, launches this month.

GEA FARM Technologies has appointed New Zealand managing director Jamie Mikkelson vice president area Australasia. He will head sales and operations in New Zealand and Australia, and remain MD in New Zealand.

THE FARM is not large: 91ha near Opiki, north of Shannon. It’s excellent dairy country and a potato growing area. The farm is owned by John Seymour and is beautifully set up. Milking is through a modern herringbone shed and the tanker turnaround area is neatly landscaped. The farm’s utility sheds are new and modern.

LIC HAS launched an ‘online learning centre’ to help farmers to update skills and knowledge without leaving the farm. 

EVERYBODY NEEDS a plan for foot and mouth disease (FMD), says Livestock Improvement Corporation (LIC) bull farm veterinarian Ken Cottier. 

A MILK purification system has overcome calf health problems in a large dairy near Mt Gambier, South Australia, reports the supplier, WestfaliaSurge.

FARMERS ARE urged to vaccinate their young stock earlier against Leptospirosis to better protect themselves, their staff and their animals from the disease.