Cuddling cows
OPINION: Years of floods and low food prices have driven a dairy farm in England's northeast to stop milking its cows and instead charge visitors to cuddle them.
OPINION: Not everyone will agree with former 'Minister of Everything' Stephen Joyce on his summation of Fonterra when writing recently about NZ's tendency to legislate for monopolies: "We allowed Fonterra to be created, with its near-monopoly over milk collectin, and have since been on a long journey of dissatisfaction with its performance up until quite recent times."
He also mentions the building supplies industry. But Joyce definitely has a point when it comes to the big-four banks: "One of the stark revelation from the ComCom's analysis is that a large bank can hold 15 per cent less capital of its own behind each loan it makes than a small bank must. That puts small banks at an immediate disadvantage to the large ones, as the capital their shareholders provide is effectively regulated to make a lower return."
As he says, the big four are "fat and happy" and unlikely to face serious competition under current law.
Holstein Friesian excellence was front and centre at the 2025 Holstein Friesian NZ (HFNZ) Awards, held recently in Invercargill.
The work Fonterra has done with Ballance Agri-Nutrients Ltd, LIC and Ravensdown to save farmers time through better data connections has been recognised with a national award.
This past week has seen another round of negotiations between India and New Zealand to produce a free trade agreement (FTA) between the two countries.
Cautiously optimistic is how DairyNZ's regional manager for the lower North Island, Mark Laurence describes the mood of farmers in his patch.
The Infrastructure Commission has endorsed a plan by Chorus to expand fibre broadband to 95% of New Zealand much to the delight of rural women.
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.
OPINION: Years of floods and low food prices have driven a dairy farm in England's northeast to stop milking its…
OPINION: An animal activist organisation is calling for an investigation into the use of dairy cows in sexuallly explicit content…