New Dairy Holdings CEO Backs Self-Contained Model
Running a tight and self-contained ship is the key to the success of the country's largest dairy farmer, says Blair Robinson, the new man at the helm of Dairy Holdings.
Testing for bacterial disease Mycoplasma bovis is being stepped up around the country.
All dairy companies, industry groups and the Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI) are working together to rollout a national testing programme.
Fonterra says that in order to get the testing kits (chilly bin, jug, ice pack, vials) to farmers as quickly and efficiently as possible, over 50 information meetings are being held across the country by processors over the next four weeks.
The meetings will include presentations by a dairy company, MPI and Dairy NZ.
“While there is no indication that M bovis is present beyond where it has already been found, this programme will give MPI the information it needs to decide next steps,” the co-op says.
The national testing programme involves testing nearly 11,000 herds across 7 regions. Testing involves taking three samples, including two taken by farmers 14 days apart, and having tanker drivers collect the samples and send them to the lab.
Farms that have already been tested in South Canterbury, Southland/Otago and Hastings region will not need to be re-tested.
The roll out of national testing will be as follows;
Feb 7-9 - Central Districts
Feb 13-15 - Areas of Canterbury that have not been tested
Feb 14-15 - Taranaki
Feb 19-21 - West Coast and Northland
Feb 19-22 – Bay of Plenty
Feb 22-23 - Top of the South Island
Feb 26-28 - Waikato
A spate of southerly winds bringing cold temperatures has presented challenges for Taranaki dairy farmers.
Converting a longstanding cropping farm to dairy was the only way to ensure the land stayed in the family long term, says new dairy farmer Rod May.
As the election heats up, Organics Aotearoa New Zealand (OANZ) has launched its election scorecard designed to help voters wanting to support policies that grow organic and New Zealand's organic sector.
A 'tsunami' of milk from key exporting countries is winding down and this may be good news for New Zealand dairy farmers.
Will the good times last? That's one of the key issues to come out of the latest Federated Farmers confidence survey.
Outgoing Fonterra Co-operative Council chair John Stevenson says that it has been a privilege to represent the co-op's farmer shareholders.
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