Greenpeace a charity?
OPINION: Should Greenpeace be stripped of their charitable status? Farmers say yes.
OPINION: Some leaders in the New Zealand dairy industry will be keeping an anxious watch on the growing spat between China and Australia.
With China slapping hefty tariffs of Aussie exports like wine and barley and its senior government officials trading barbs over trade and political issues, fears are things could turn from bad to worse.
Australia has bounced back from its technical recession with solid growth figures and its politicians were quick to point out that they don’t need China for economic growth.
However, NZ cannot think like that. Fonterra accounts for 36% of all dairy imports into China. One dairy insider says the Oz/China impasse should give you chills. “Dine with a long spoon when you trade with China. They can turn the tap off for geo-political reasons any old time.”
Among the regular exhibitors at last month’s South Island Agricultural Field Days, the one that arguably takes the most intensive preparation every time is the PGG Wrightson Seeds site.
Two high producing Canterbury dairy farmers are moving to blended stockfeed supplements fed in-shed for a number of reasons, not the least of which is to boost protein levels, which they can’t achieve through pasture under the region’s nitrogen limit of 190kg/ha.
Buoyed by strong forecasts for milk prices and a renewed demand for dairy assets, the South Island rural real estate market has begun the year with positive momentum, according to Colliers.
The six young cattle breeders participating in the inaugural Holstein Friesian NZ young breeder development programme have completed their first event of the year.
New Zealand feed producers are being encouraged to boost staff training to maintain efficiency and product quality.
OPINION: The world is bracing for a trade war between the two biggest economies.