Pallet maker retains Fonterra contract
Timpack, one of New Zealand's largest wooden pallet and bin manufacturers, has been rewarded an exclusive contract to supply Fonterra.
Fonterra collected more milk in February thanks to better pasture growth in most parts of the country.
The co-operative collected 136.5 million kgMS, 2.3% higher than the same month last season.
It says February saw a generally settled end to summer across the country, but with some bouts of wet and windy weather.
"Other than the far north of the North Island and Fiordland in the South Island, the whole country was sunnier than average for the time of the year.
"In regions that had rainfall with that warm weather, good pasture growth resulted."
North Island milk collection for the month reached 73.9 million kgMS, 5.9% higher than February last season. Northland experienced well above average rainfall, going some way to alleviating the very dry conditions that region had been experienced throughout summer.
South Island milk collection was 62.6 million kgMS, 1.7% behind February last season.
It says higher than average temperatures with favourable growing conditions across much of the South Island led to better than average conditions.
"While these were down on February last season, South Island collections in February 2020 were among the strongest in recent seasons."
However, in Australia the co-op's milk collection continues to dip.
It collected 7.2 million kgMS, a 5.8% decrease on February last season.
"Lower herd numbers combined with increased consumption of lower quality home-grown fodder instead of supplementary feed are continuing to impact milk production growth across Australia."
Fonterra's season-to-date collections in Australia are down 1.8% on last year.
The 2025 South Island Agricultural Field Days (SIAFD) chairman, Rangiora farmer Andrew Stewart, is predicting a successful event on the back of good news coming out of the farming sector and with it a greater level of optimism among farmers.
WorkSafe New Zealand is calling on farmers to consider how vehicles move inside their barns and sheds, following a sentencing for a death at one of South Canterbury’s biggest agribusinesses.
Now is not the time to stop incorporating plantain into dairy pasture systems to reduce nitrogen (N) loss, says Agricom Australasia brand manager Mark Brown.
Building on the success of last year's events, the opportunity to attend People Expos is back for 2025, offering farmers the chance to be inspired and gain more tips and insights for their toolkits to support their people on farm.
Ballance Agri-Nutrients fertiliser SustaiN – which contains a urease inhibitor that reduces the amount of ammonia released to the air – has now been registered by the Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI). It is the first fertiliser in New Zealand to achieve this status.
Precision application of nitrogen can improve yields, but the costs of testing currently outweigh improved returns, according to new research from Plant and Food Research, MPI and Ravensdown.
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