Friday, 02 June 2017 07:55

Back in the black — Editorial

Written by 
Andrew Hoggard. Andrew Hoggard.

Dairy has got its mojo back. After two challenging seasons, last week brought two items of great news for Fonterra farmers.

The current season’s farmgate milk price jumped 15c to $6.15/kgMS and, with Fonterra’s forecast dividend of 40c a share, the co-op’s farmers can look forward to a $6.55/kgMS payout for the year to July 31.

Fonterra also forecast an opening price of $6.50/kgMS for the 2017-18 season, starting June 1.

This is music to farmers’ ears: the improved forecasts follow two very poor seasons in 2014-15 and 2015-16, when farmers struggled to break even. At $6.50, most farmers will be set up for a season in the black.

Farmers were expecting Fonterra to deliver good news; five consecutive Global Dairy Trade auctions had hoisted the price index and, crucially, the return for whole milk powder, the price setter.

The solid payout figures are not only cheering-up farmers and their families; rural towns will also get a much-needed financial boost.

Federated Farmers says based on Fonterra’s forecast ($6.15) and current production cycles, an extra $280 million is expected to flow through the New Zealand dairy sector and wider provincial communities this season.

Given the amount of milk we are producing at present this means the average dairy farm will be $23,000 better off. This will enable investment in farm businesses and infrastructure, little seen during the last two tough years.

And Feds dairy chairman Andrew Hoggard points out that farmers will, importantly, also have more money for pressing on towards their environmental goals, which many have kept in view despite their modest returns.

The New Zealand dairy sector employs at least 40,000 workers and is widely acknowledged as a large and crucial contributor to regional economies. So now the regions and their towns and service centres will again be boosted as encouraged farmers resume spending.

All this said, Fonterra and its farmers are wary of the fickleness of the global dairy trade. Farmers will be mindful of the recent downturn and the short-notice volatility of markets. 

But for now, farmers will have a bit more money to spend and rural NZ will reap the rewards.

More like this

Full cabinet

OPINION: Legislation being drafted to bring back the controversial trade of live animal exports by sea is getting stuck in the cogs of Cabinet.

All eyes on NZ milk supply

All eyes are on milk production in New Zealand and its impact on global dairy prices in the coming months.

New freshwater farm plans 'practical and affordable'

OPINION: Entering Parliament back in 2023, I wanted to help put the fun back in farming. After six years of Labour, rural New Zealand was tired of the relentless waves of red tape and compliance, draining joy from people who just want to work the land.

"Our" business?

OPINION: One particular bone the Hound has been gnawing on for years now is how the chattering classes want it both ways when it comes to the success of NZ's dairy industry.

Featured

Australia develops first local mRNA FMD vaccine

Foot and Mouth Disease outbreaks could have a detrimental impact on any country's rural sector, as seen in the United Kingdom's 2000 outbreak that saw the compulsory slaughter of over six million animals.

NZ household food waste falls again

Kiwis are wasting less of their food than they were two years ago, and this has been enough to push New Zealand’s total household food waste bill lower, the 2025 Rabobank KiwiHarvest Food Waste survey has found.

Editorial: No joking matter

OPINION: Sir Lockwood Smith has clearly and succinctly defined what academic freedom is all about, the boundaries around it and the responsibility that goes with this privilege.

DairyNZ plantain trials cut nitrate leaching by 26%

DairyNZ says its plantain programme continues to deliver promising results, with new data confirming that modest levels of plantain in pastures reduce nitrogen leaching, offering farmers a practical, science-backed tool to meet environmental goals.

National

All eyes on NZ milk supply

All eyes are on milk production in New Zealand and its impact on global dairy prices in the coming months.

Machinery & Products

Leader balers arrive in NZ

Officially launched at the National Fieldays event in June, the Leader in-line conventional PRO 1900 balers are imported and distributed…

JDLink Boost for NZ farms

Connectivity is widely recognised as one of the biggest challenges facing farmers, but it is now being overcome through the…

New generation Defender HD11

The all-new 2026 Can-Am Defender HD11 looks likely to raise the bar in the highly competitive side-by-side category.

» Latest Print Issues Online

Milking It

Full cabinet

OPINION: Legislation being drafted to bring back the controversial trade of live animal exports by sea is getting stuck in the…

» Connect with Dairy News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter