New Order
OPINION: If old Winston Peters thinks building trade relations with new nations, such as India, isn't a necessary investment in our future, he has rocks in his head.
Prime Minister John Key has praised the dairy industry for driving innovation and technology at the opening of Waikato Milking Systems new $13 million building in Hamilton today.
Key says the use of innovation and science is helping the industry succeed.
He says the size of the New Zealand dairy industry is often misunderstood overseas.
"When I go out and negotiate free trade deals around the world, people often think that we are bigger than we actually are,' he says.
"We only produce 3% of the world's milk; the issue is we are the biggest exporter because of our small domestic population.
"So, we export bulk of what we produce."
Key says New Zealand's dairy industry does this in "a completely unsubsidised way" and is still successful.
And part of the reason of this success is what companies like WMS do.
Key says WMS is driving innovation and technology and use of science.
"Anyone can milk cows and own big cows; the difficult issue to get level of production and productivity that that we getting."
Key also praised WMS for not only developing milking technology but exporting it around the world.
This is crucial to New Zealand's success, he says.
DairyNZ Chair Tracy Brown has seen a lot of change since she first started out in the dairy sector, with around one-third of dairy farmers now women.
Castle Ridge Station has been named the Regional Supreme Winner at the Canterbury Ballance Farm Environment Awards.
The South Island Dairy Event has announced Jessica Findlay as the recipient of the BrightSIDE Scholarship Programme, recognising her commitment to furthering her education and future career in the New Zealand dairy industry.
New Zealand and Chile have signed a new arrangement designed to boost agricultural cooperation and drive sector success.
New DairyNZ research will help farmers mitigate the impacts of heat stress on herds in high-risk regions of the country.
Budou are being picked now in Bridge Pā, the most intense and exciting time of the year for the Greencollar team – and the harvest of the finest eating grapes is weeks earlier than expected.
OPINION: Expect the Indian free trade deal to feature strongly in the election campaign.
OPINION: One of the world's largest ice cream makers, Nestlé, is going cold on the viability of making the dessert.