Editorial: Morale booster
OPINION: The first three Global Dairy Trade (GDT) auctions have been a morale booster for farmers.
Global dairy prices have fallen again and supply expectations out of New Zealand might be at play.
The Global Dairy Trade (GDT) price index fell 1.9% overnight, compared to the previous auction.
Whole milk powder price dropped 1.2% to US$2753/metric tonne, causing further downward pressure on forecast milk payouts.
Westpac’s head of NZ strategy, Imre Speizer says supply expectations may have weighed on the latest GDT auction.
He notes that growing conditions in NZ are good.
More milk out of NZ means more dairy products available on the global market, causing prices to dip.
Key results
AMF index down 4.4%, average price US$5,069/MT
Butter index down 5.9%, average price US$4,016/MT
BMP index up 3.6%, average price US$2,522/MT
Ched index down 1.2%, average price US$3,468/MT
LAC index up 0.6%, average price US$913/MT
RenCas index up 3.0%, average price US$5,552/MT
SMP index down 0.3%, average price US$1,982/MT
SWP index not available, average price not available
WMP index down 1.2%, average price US$2,753/MT
Controls on the movement of fruit and vegetables in the Auckland suburb of Mt Roskill have been lifted.
Fonterra farmer shareholders and unit holders are in line for another payment in April.
Farmers are being encouraged to take a closer look at the refrigerants running inside their on-farm systems, as international and domestic pressure continues to build on high global warming potential (GWP) 400-series refrigerants.
As expected, Fonterra has lifted its 2025-26 forecast farmgate milk price mid-point to $9.50/kgMS.
Bovonic says a return on investment study has found its automated mastitis detection technology, QuadSense, is delivering financial, labour, and animal-health benefits on New Zealand dairy farms worth an estimated $29,547 per season.
Pāmu has welcomed ten new apprentices into its 2026 intake, marking the second year of a scheme designed to equip the next generation of farmers with the skills, knowledge, and experience needed for a thriving career in agriculture.
OPINION: Staying with politics, with less than nine months to go before the general elections, there’s confusion in the Labour…
OPINION: Winston Peters' tirade against the free trade deal stitched with India may not be all political posturing by the…