Dairy farmer profits to hit record levels in 2025
The profitability of dairy farmers is likely to increase in the coming year, accordign to the latest report by the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) on the outlook for the primary sector.
Two Bay of Plenty farmers have been slapped with fines totalling $28,000 for effluent management breach.
Farm owner Francis Nettleingham, and his son John Nettleingham, the farm manager, pleaded guilty at the District Court of Tauranga last week to discharging dairy shed effluent to land where it entered a tributary of the Aongatete estuary.
Bay of Plenty Regional Council prosecuted the two men for the effluent discharge of dairy shed effluent that occurred on at their Aongatete farm on 13 October 2021. The farm operates as a small calf-rearing enterprise, milking about thirty cows to feed the calves. Both men were fined $14,000 each.
Judge David Kirkpatrick says in his ruling that a relatively simple system for diverting stormwater and cowshed effluent to appropriate destinations was not operated properly.
“There does not appear to have been any fault or problem with the elements of the system, only with the way in which the defendants used it.”
BoP Council compliance manager, Alex Miller, notes that the Aongatete estuary has high cultural and ecological values.
“Everybody has duties and responsibilities to manage their dairy shed effluent to avoid unwanted pollution entering the environment.
“Regardless of the scale of the farm and the dairy operation, farmers need to put the design, operation, maintenance and inspection of their effluent management systems at the forefront of their work,” Miller says
Newly elected Federated Farmers meat and wool group chair Richard Dawkins says he will continue the great work done his predecessor Toby Williams.
Hosted by ginger dynamo Te Radar, the Fieldays Innovation Award Winners Event put the spotlight on the agricultural industry's most promising ideas.
According to DairyNZ's latest Econ Tracker update, there has been a rise in the forecast breakeven milk price for the 2025/26 season.
Despite the rain and a liberal coating of mud, engines roared, and the 50th Fieldays Tractor Pull Competition drew crowds of spectators across the four days of the annual event.
Nationwide rural wellbeing programme, Farmstrong recently celebrated its tenth birthday at Fieldays with an event attended by ambassador Sam Whitelock, Farmers Mutual Group (FMG), Farmstrong partners, and government Ministers.
Six industry organisations, including DairyNZ and the Dairy Companies Association (DCANZ) have signed an agreement with the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) to prepare the country for a potential foot and mouth outbreak.
OPINION: It's official, Fieldays 2025 clocked 110,000 visitors over the four days.
OPINION: The Federated Farmers rural advocacy hub at Fieldays has been touted as a great success.