Westpac Urges Farmers to Prepare Now for El Niño Drought
Westpac NZ is calling on farmers and growers to start preparing now for the possibility of a dry summer, as likely El Niño conditions raise the risk of drought across parts of the country.
Global Dairy Trade (GDT) auction prices were largely unchanged last week.
Overall prices were down 0.1%, while key whole milk powder (WMP) prices were up 0.1%.
Looking at January as a whole, dairy prices have started 2023 on a soft note.
Westpac senior agri economist Nathan Penny nots that cumulatively over the month, overall and WMP prices have fallen 2.8% and 1.2% respectively.
"By product, most price movements were also small," he says.
"Of the five products we monitor, four products posted price changes of less than 1% either way.
"The outlier was cheddar, which saw a 4% price lift overnight. This result was largely in line with futures market expectations."
Waikato milk processor Tatua has again declared a record milk payout to farmer shareholders, leaving other processors in the dust.
A Labour-led Government won’t be bringing back the controversial freshwater rules of 2020.
National’s much-touted free trade deal with India featured in the Rural Issues Debate at Mystery Creek, Hamilton on Wednesday night.
New Zealand's 2026-27 freshwater fishing season has opened, with anglers encouraged to head to rivers and lakes over the coming days as conditions look favourable across much of the country.
Central Otago District Council (CODC) has voted against a plan to spread treated sewage sludge from Cromwell and Alexandra on farmland near Lauder, a decision Federated Farmers says reflects strong opposition from rural residents.
Pāmu has released its FY26 Integrated Annual Report, reporting a Net Operating Profit of $113 million, more than double the $49 million recorded in FY25.
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.