Ah Tatua, You've Done It Again!
Waikato milk processor Tatua has again declared a record milk payout to farmer shareholders, leaving other processors in the dust.
Two former Fonterra directors have been elected to the Cooperative Business New Zealand board.
Nicola Shadbolt and Greg Gent will join two others - Mike Brown of Marlborough Grape Growers Cooperative and Matthew Washington of Mitre 10 on the board.
Shadbolt has extensive governance experience and is an experienced advocate of the co-operative model.
A professor of farm and agri business management at Massey University, she is the current chair of Plant and Food Research Institute and a Climate Change Commissioner.
Gent, a Northland dairy farmer, joins with board with an extensive careeer in governance, spanning several decades across multiple sectors.
He is chairman of Southern Cross Health Society and is a past chair of Farmers' Mutual Group, past director of Fonterra, and works as a dairy farmer in Ruawai.
NZ Co-op Business chief executive Roz Henry says the combined experience of the new directors will be a great help to members.
"Their combined experience, knowledge and skills, covering a range of sectors and specialist knowledge will prove invaluable and greatly assist in pursuing the interest of our members, in particular working alongside our government and educators to support New Zealand member-owned business."
Beef + Lamb NZ funded research has shown that some simple changes to pasture management could help farmers make better use of rainfall and build resilience before dry conditions hit.
OPINION: There could hardly be a more appropriate theme for a conference than the one chosen by the red meat sector - Navigating Volatility.
When Northland leather worker Vernon Suckling started making horse saddles 50 years ago, quad bikes and side-by-side vehicles were unheard of.
Alliance Group has confirmed that eligible farmer-shareholders who supply and continue to back the business will receive up to $20 million later this year, following the strategic investment partnership with Dawn Meats.
With a general election under five weeks away, Rural News is asking major political parties about their policies and positions on key issues facing the primary sector. We will run their responses to each question over the next four weeks. The ACT Party and the Greens didn't respond in time.
The red meat sector is in great heart.
OPINION: It seems Canterbury processor Synlait is still in the doldrums.
OPINION: Get offside with New Zealand First leader Winston Peters at your own peril.