Dairy unity
OPINION: A last-minute compromise ensured that the election of the new Federated Farmers national dairy chair wasn't a repeat of the Super 15 rugby final - Canterbury versus Waikato.
OPINION: TVNZ's recent 'Q&A' programme has a lively discussion on methane emissions and how dairy farmers are doing their bit to reduce the sector's emissions.
Judging by comments on twitter, it is clear farmers feel by ambushed by TVNZ: the 'expert' panel included Maori activist Mike Smith with an anti-farming agenda; and there were no farmers in the audience, with most questions thrown to the panel coming from left-leaning environmentalists.
While DairyNZ chief executive Tim Mackle did a sterling job as the sole crusader for the dairy sector, his comments drew a negative reaction from the biased audience when saying that farmers are hard working families that care for the environment.
Kind of like a knife to the heart, is how one farmer described it on twitter.
Questions are being raised about just how good the state of the dairy industry is - especially given that the average farmgate payout for the coming season is set to exceed $10/kgMS.
A leading financial and banking advisor says he doubts if most dairy farmers fully understand the dynamics of banking.
Dairy farmers are shoring up their balance sheets, with almost $1.7 billion of debt repaid in the six months to March 2025.
Virtual fencing company Halter is going global but for founder Craig Piggott, New Zealand farmers will always remain their main partners.
A former Fonterra executive is the new chair of the Dairy Companies Association of New Zealand (DCANZ).
New Federated Farmers national dairy chair Karl Dean is looking forward to tackling the issues facing the sector.