increase font size
Jules Benton, DWN chief executive.
Dairy Women's Network (DWN) is partnering with ASB to run NZ-wide workshops aimed at building farmers’ financial confidence.
Their key focus will be fundamentals of rural banking and finance and the wider industry picture.
“Maintaining control of your business and ensuring it is resilient enough to continue to be profitable is paramount,” said DWN chief executive Jules Benton.
“ASB Rural wants to build greater knowledge, awareness and understanding of financial management, develop stronger budgeting skills and behaviour and connect customers with tools to help make that process easier.”
There will be 17 workshops for DWN members, in locations including Kaipara and Southland. The first session will be in South Waikato on October 2.
“The dairy sector has had a golden run over the last 20 years or so but we’re seeing more change in the industry than almost ever before,” ASB rural general manager Richard Hegan said.
“There is much opportunity, but some tough challenges facing the sector.
“The more we can help build financial confidence in our farmers the better prepared they’ll be to position themselves to make the most of the opportunities available.”
A 90-minute fundamentals workshop will tell how a bank assesses a dairy business, and what a farmer can do to support a banking relationship. It will cover how some farmers have built greater resilience into their business to withstand dairy downturns.
“We believe the fundamentals workshops are important for those just starting out or who have been running their finances for only a few years,” Benton said.
“ASB will cover strategies and ideas to give less experienced dairy farmers information and guidance to build greater financial confidence.”
Following that will be ‘bigger picture workshops’ for experienced farmers who already understand how a bank assesses risk. These will explain how farmers can improve resilience in their businesses.
The workshops cover the dairy sector story over the last 20 years and why building resilience in a dairy business is paramount.
“We need to cover both ends of the experience scale to add real financial value and understanding for members,” Benton said.
Dairy and beef farmers could be eligible for lower interest lending options for financing Halter on their farms, with ANZ, ASB and BNZ now offering a pathway to sustainability loans for New Zealand’s largest virtual fencing provider.
A significant rise in Global Dairy Trade (GDT) auction last week has prompted one bank to lift its forecast milk price for the season to above Fonterra's mid-point.
Whole milk powder prices on Global Dairy Trade (GDT) remains above long run averages and a $10/kgMS milk price for the season remains on the card, says ASB senior economist Chris Tennent-Brown.
Dairy Women’s Network (DWN) has announced real estate company Bayleys will be the naming partner for its 2025 conference.
Major rural lenders are welcoming a call by farmers for the Commerce Commission to investigate their net-zero emissions target.
This International Women's Day, there are calls to address a reported gender disparity gap between men women New Zealand's horticulture industry leadership.
WorkSafe New Zealand is calling on farmers to consider how vehicles move inside their barns and sheds, following a sentencing for a death at one of South Canterbury’s biggest agribusinesses.
Now is not the time to stop incorporating plantain into dairy pasture systems to reduce nitrogen (N) loss, says Agricom Australasia brand manager Mark Brown.
Building on the success of last year's events, the opportunity to attend People Expos is back for 2025, offering farmers the chance to be inspired and gain more tips and insights for their toolkits to support their people on farm.
Ballance Agri-Nutrients fertiliser SustaiN – which contains a urease inhibitor that reduces the amount of ammonia released to the air – has now been registered by the Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI). It is the first fertiliser in New Zealand to achieve this status.
Precision application of nitrogen can improve yields, but the costs of testing currently outweigh improved returns, according to new research from Plant and Food Research, MPI and Ravensdown.
OPINION: Donald Trump's focus on Canada is causing concern for the country’s dairy farmers.
OPINION: The fact that plant-based dairy is struggling to gain a market foothold isn’t deterring new entrants.
