Rural confidence has fallen for the third consecutive quarter.

The unusually wet summer so far means a flush of feed NZ-wide, says Alliance Group chairman Murray Taggart.

Extreme dry conditions and the resulting erratic stock flows over the past year underline the value of a cooperative, Alliance farmer shareholders heard at their annual meeting this month.

More farms have been changing hands in recent months, according to the Real Estate Institute of NZ (REINZ).

As we bid farewell to another year it’s time for the annual review of 2018 in the primary sector as seen by the Rural News editorial team.

Sales of tractors are up 17% on this time last year and could set a record by year-end, says NZ Tractor and Machinery Association (TAMA) president John Tulloch.

Meat processor Alliance says its operating profit dropped 60% because of higher payment to farmer shareholders.

Lamb prices have moved from a boil to a simmer, according to ASB Commodities Weekly report.

Beef + Lamb NZ’s chief executive has made a stinging attack on Britain and the European Union over their plans to introduce inflexible quotas for sheepmeat to the two entities when Brexit occurs. 

It's crunch time for dairy and beef farmers as they decide how much the two sectors will pay, respectively, toward cleaning up the cattle disease Mycoplasma bovis, likely to cost $870 million over 10 years.