Federated Farmers has conditionally backed changes to the Dairy Industry Restructuring Act (DIRA) and its Raw Milk Regulations. Its submission stresses that any change to the DIRA for Fonterra's TAF (trading among farmers) hinges on supplier-shareholder endorsement.

More than 500 farmers have again attended this year's Effluent Expo, held at Mystery Creek yesterday, maintaining the very solid interest shown at last year's inaugural expo.

Federated Farmers is setting up a fighting fund to appeal some parts of Horizons Regional Council's contentious 'One Plan'.

Pastoral Dairy Investments (PDI), which is associated with MyFarms, last week launched a an initial public share offering aiming to raise $25 million to buy and run New Zealand dairy farms.

FARMERS AND exhibitors alike were enthusiastic about Canterbury's first-ever Effluent Expo, held last week on the outskirts of Christchurch.

Nine billion more litres of milk will flow on to the world markets annually when Europe lifts quotas in April 2015, says Rabobank's senior global analyst dairy, Kevin Bellamy.

Australia's milk production is making a steady climb with total output for 2011-12 forecast to be between 9.4 and 9.5 billion litres, up on last season's total of 9.1 billion litres.

Federated farmers regularly fires out media releases offering opinions on all sorts of spurious matters but it has been strangely silent on what is, for Fonterra suppliers at least, the biggest challenge for their cooperative since its formation. After its Dairy Council meeting in Palmerston North earlier this month the Federation said it had "spent some time on TAF (trading among farmers)" and that it is "a very big decision and will be a defining point in Fonterra's evolution." But that was it. Four paragraphs for, to use Feds' own words, a defining point in Fonterra's evolution. This after the Dairy Council had heard from, and questioned, Minister David Carter and Fonterra chairman Henry van der Heyden over TAF and DIRA. The media statement said Feds would be meeting with Fonterra's board in the next few weeks to go through points raised at the Dairy Council meeting. With DIRA submissions closed February 24, that's too late. Dairy News understands there was a much more detailed media release planned, but a last minute deal was done with Fonterra's top brass to keep Feds' concerns out of the media on the grounds it would be damaging for Fonterra's image. Granted, that's probably…

Synlait milk plans to market a powder made with cows' production during the hours of darkness, and promises to pay suppliers a premium for the raw material.

Simon Walker was keen to ride the milk wave, but he wasn't willing to convert his sheep and beef farm at Mokomoko near the town of Pahiatua in the Tararua District.