State roadshow talking all things wool
'A lot of interest and positive responses' appears to be the way farmers are viewing the Government's initiative to hold a series of woolshed meetings around the country.
Federated Farmers say the 8.8% drop in the Global Dairy Trade yesterday will be disappointing to New Zealand dairy farmers but it is important not to jump to conclusions.
Dairy Chair Andrew Hoggard says, “Farmers have no control over the markets, along with a number of other things that impact us. That is the nature of farming so it is always hard to accurately predict the reasons for these drops, which ultimately affects our bottom lines.”
“To be honest I wasn’t expecting such a big drop with the previous lifts in GDT, but that just goes to show how unpredictable the market is.”
Hoggard says there is a lot of speculation of why the price has fallen, and currently all indicators point to a supply issue. However, until the experts have had time to analyse it, it is hard to know for sure.
“Regardless of where it has come from, this is not great for farmer confidence, and hopes of getting back to a $6 plus payout next season will be lower if we don’t see continuing lifts in the next few auctions.”
Confidence is something that will also need to be addressed with Fonterra’s organic milk announcement.
“Fonterra’s expansion of its organic milk business and increased payout to those certified will be welcome news for our organic dairy farmers. We just hope that Fonterra will give more certainty to those farmers than they have in the past,” says Hoggard.
“Only a few years ago Fonterra signalled the organic premium for some areas in the country would be dropped as it wasn’t viable for their business. These mixed signals don’t help organic farmers in their planning as certification can take a number of years.”
“In light of everything, it is important that farmers don’t jump to conclusions too early and just get on with what they can control, which is putting sustainable milk in the vat.” Hoggard concludes.
'A lot of interest and positive responses' appears to be the way farmers are viewing the Government's initiative to hold a series of woolshed meetings around the country.
A Southland farming leader wants the regional council to delay a proposed regional rates hike, much of which is intended to fund flood protection works.
Rural Women New Zealand (RWNZ) says access to personal banking services in rural communities is fundamental to promoting outcomes that benefit Kiwi consumers.
A group set up to boost education and promotion of wool says it has made positive strides during the first year of its three-year strategy.
Meat processor ANZCO Foods says despite a challenging business environment, it has posted a net profit before tax of $61 million for 2023.
Horticulture NZ chief executive Nadine Tunley will step down in August.
OPINION: Canterbury milk processor Synlait is showing no sign of bouncing back from its financial doldrums.
OPINION: It seems every bugger in this country can get an award these days.