Keeping cyber attacks at bay
Fonterra says it takes the ongoing threat of 'adverse cyber action' extremely seriously.
Dairy prices lifted 2.1% at Fonterra's GlobalDairyTrade auction last night.
The whole milk powder index rose to 1.5%, with an average price US$2,013/MT and skim milk powder was up 0.1%, to an average price US$1,721/MT.
ASB's chief economist Nick Tuffley says the whole milk price increases were concentrated in the near-dated delivery contracts, hinting at potential price pressure as the peak of NZ's season recedes. Skim powder prices were flat.
There were some very divergent price moves for other products, though mainly a continuation of recent volatility, he says. Cheese and anhydrous milk fat price prices gained sharply, reversing recent weakness, while butter milk powder prices gave back their recent recovery.
"We expect dairy prices to gradually trend up over the coming season as NZ and European production respond to the current low prices and as Chinese import demand recovers."
ASB is maintaining its 2015/16 and 2016/17 milk price forecasts at $3.90/kgMS and $6/kgMS, respectively.
Key Results of Event 161
AMF index up 6.7%, average price US$3,203/MT; Butter index down 2.0%, average price US$2,702/MT; BMP index down 8.2%, average price US$1,395/MT; Ched index up 10.5%, average price US$2,778/MT; LAC index up 6.2%, average price US$661/MT; RenCas index up 11.8%, average price US$4,438/MT
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.
OPINION: The world is bracing for a trade war between the two biggest economies.