Chinese strategy
OPINION: Fonterra may have sold its dairy farms in China but the appetite for collaboration with the country remains strong.
Fonterra shareholder and Cambridge farmer Garry Reymer wants Fonterra to include capital structure on the agenda at the next round of farmer meetings.
Reymer believes that the governance and representation as well as capital structure are interconnected, and both are important to the survival of the co-op.
"If we go back first for a bit of history, it was common to have a dairy co-op in almost every small rural centre. When that was the case, the farmers all knew the board personally. They saw them at the footy club, church, school or wherever. They all had active discussions and farmers felt involved and connected. As the mergers took place, this was held together by better transport to larger centres and more regional co-ops with 'ward' director, so somene with a close connection to your region.
"Fonterra now has no wards, and four of the eleven directors are not even farmers (appointed by the board) and Fonterra wants to reduce the size of its board.
"To make it worse, from a farmer representation point of view only, the definition of 'farmer director' is very loose and if you are a trustee of a farming company you qualify as a farmer director; this can make that director no different from an appointed director."
A governance group has been formed, following extensive sector consultation, to implement the recommendations from the Industry Working Group's (IWG) final report and is said to be forming a 'road map' for improving New Zealand's animal genetic gain system.
Free workshops focused on managing risk in sharefarming got underway last week.
Annual farmer gathering, the South Island Dairy Event (SIDE), is set to make history as it heads to Timaru for the first time.
Installing 400 solar panels at their Taranaki piggery and cropping operation will have significant environmental, financial and animal welfare benefits for the Stanley family.
WoolWorks, New Zealand’s largest wool-scouring company, has partnered with the Lions Club of Riverton to help raise money for much-needed repairs to the Southland town’s swimming pool.
OPINION: The dairy industry will be a major beneficiary of a new free trade deal between NZ and the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC).
OPINION: Fonterra may have sold its dairy farms in China but the appetite for collaboration with the country remains strong.
OPINION: The Listener's latest piece on winter grazing among Southland dairy farmers leaves much to be desired.