Milking longer with maize silage
This season's dry conditions have made one thing clear: not having enough feed on hand can bring your season to an early close.
DAIRY COMMODITY prices dipped overnight on Fonterra’s GlobalDairyTrade platform with the trade weighted index of all commodities down 1.6%.
The dip follows two successive upticks in prices at the November 15 and December 6 auctions.
Skimmed milk powder was down 3.2% at US$3,312/t and whole milk powder (WMP) back 1.5% at US$3,589/t. Anhydrous milk fat bucked the trend, lifting 4.8% to average US$4,183/t across the three positions offered, with sales for June-August up 11.8%.
The easier market overall comes amid suggestions demand from China is waning.
Earlier this week UK-based Agrimoney reported that USDA officials in Beijing had slashed predicted WMP demand from China, by far the biggest importer, by 75,000t to 375,000t.
Higher prices had put imported WMP out of reach of smaller Chinese processors who are turning increasingly to domestic supplies, despite continued safety concerns, said the USDA.
Meanwhile Rabobank, releasing its quarterly dairy report yesterday, predicted “abundant” supply through early 2012, as the Southern Hemisphere clears a strong production season and Northern Hemisphere production continues to outpace demand.
Stocks may start to build, increasing pressure to sell, and the market may struggle to digest supply the first quarter of 2012, “bringing the prospect of a return to a modest downward trend in pricing,” said the bank.
Recent rain has offered respite for some from the ongoing drought.
New Zealand's TBfree programme has made great progress in reducing the impact of the disease on livestock herds, but there’s still a long way to go, according to Beef+Lamb NZ.
With much of the North Island experiencing drought this summer and climate change projected to bring drier and hotter conditions, securing New Zealand’s freshwater resilience is vital, according to state-owned GNS Science.
OPINION: Otago farmer and NZ First MP Mark Patterson is humble about the role that he’s played in mandating government agencies to use wool wherever possible in new and refurbished buildings.
For Wonky Box co-founder Angus Simms, the decision to open the service to those in rural areas is a personal one.
The golden age of orcharding in West Auckland was recently celebrated at the launch of a book which tells the story of its rise, then retreat in the face of industry change and urban expansion.
OPINION: Should Greenpeace be stripped of their charitable status? Farmers say yes.
OPINION: After years of financial turmoil, Canterbury milk processor Synlait is now back in business.