Winston's crusade
OPINION: A short-term sugar hit. That's what NZ First leader Winston Peters is calling the proposed sale of Fonterra's consumer and associated businesses.
Fonterra has broken its record for the highest export month with 246,000 tonnes of dairy products loaded on ships during December. The shipments boosted New Zealand's economy by $1.3 billion for the month.
In March 2011 Fonterra shipped 229,000 tonnes of product, but continued growth in global demand for dairy products combined with record milk production early on in the current dairy season has led to another spike.
In December, Fonterra closed the door on an export container every 2.7 minutes – 546 containers a day. Fonterra's exports account for more than a quarter of all New Zealand exports.
Fonterra trade & operations managing director Gary Romano says a good autumn and a mild winter created optimal grass growing conditions ahead of the 2011-12 dairy season.
"This helped create a wave of milk up about 10 per cent on a daily basis during the peak flow in late September through to November.
"While conditions were good overall, farmers did face extreme challenges including a near nationwide dumping of spring snow and flooding in some regions.
"Our farmers have coped tremendously, not just with bad weather but also the record milk flow which peaked at more than 80 million litres a day," he says.
Fonterra teams have gone the extra mile to manage the huge amount of milk this season and get value out of every drop of milk.
Romano says a huge effort has gone in from the moment the milk is collected, to processing, packing, storing and shipping.
Demand for high quality dairy products is still looking strong with South East Asia, China, the Middle East and North Africa driving the growth in exports.
"Dairy is becoming increasingly important in these markets as people grow wealthier and want access to more nutritious foods," says Romano.
A major feature of the Ashburton A&P Show, to be held on October 31 and November 1, will be the annual trans-Tasman Sheep Dog Trial test match, with the best heading dogs from both sides of the Tasman going head-to-head in two teams of four.
Fewer bobby calves are heading to the works this season, as more dairy farmers recognise the value of rearing calves for beef.
The key to a dairy system that generates high profit with a low emissions intensity is using low footprint feed, says Fonterra program manager on-farm excellence, Louise Cook.
Rural retailer Farmlands has reported a return to profitability, something the co-operative says shows clear progress in the second year of its five-year strategy.
According to a new report, the Safer Rides initiative, which offered farmers heavily discounted crush protection devices (CPDs) for quad bikes, has made a significant impact in raising awareness and action around farm vehicle safety.
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