Keeping cyber attacks at bay
Fonterra says it takes the ongoing threat of 'adverse cyber action' extremely seriously.
A capital structure that gives farmers flexibility is a priority for re-elected Fonterra director Brent Goldsack.
He says the board will have a dialogue with farmers on a capital structure that matches its strategy for more value added earnings and a sustainable milk supply.
Goldsack says the co-operative will remain 100% owned by New Zealand farmers.
The Waikato farmer and former financial adviser with PwC is humbled to be re-elected by farmers for another three-year term. Goldsack polled the highest votes among six candidates.
“It’s a privilege and great honour to serve on the Fonterra board,” he told Dairy News.
“This is an industry and a cooperative that I am positive about. I feel a great sense of responsibility.”
Goldsack says as a director he is part of the team of board members and is proud of what the team has achieved in the last three years.
He lists the revised strategy, changing advance rates for payout and the Co-op Difference programme as some of the board’s achievements.
There’s no doubt a lot of work is ongoing, he adds. Goldsack is currently chair of the co-operative relations committee, a member of the milk price panel, the safety and risk committee, the capital structure committee, the divestment review committee, and the disclosure committee.
In addition, he serves as the Fonterra representative on the ‘Dairy Tomorrow’ Steering Group – which focuses on the strategy for the dairy industry.
He also holds several governance roles, including director of Rabobank and chair of Waitomo Petroleum Group. He was previously on the board of Canterbury Grasslands Limited and the New Zealand National Fieldays Society.
His family owns three dairy farms in the Waikato milking 1,500 cows.
Among the regular exhibitors at last month’s South Island Agricultural Field Days, the one that arguably takes the most intensive preparation every time is the PGG Wrightson Seeds site.
Two high producing Canterbury dairy farmers are moving to blended stockfeed supplements fed in-shed for a number of reasons, not the least of which is to boost protein levels, which they can’t achieve through pasture under the region’s nitrogen limit of 190kg/ha.
Buoyed by strong forecasts for milk prices and a renewed demand for dairy assets, the South Island rural real estate market has begun the year with positive momentum, according to Colliers.
The six young cattle breeders participating in the inaugural Holstein Friesian NZ young breeder development programme have completed their first event of the year.
New Zealand feed producers are being encouraged to boost staff training to maintain efficiency and product quality.
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