Open Country finalises acquisition of Miraka Limited
Open Country Dairy has finalised a deal to acquire 100% of Miraka.
OPINION: Westland Milk may have won the contract to supply butter to Costco NZ but Open Country Dairy is having the last laugh when it comes to cashing in on NZ grass-fed butter.
Open Country’s new automated butter plant began churning out butter last month.
And Milking It understands that the country’s second largest milk processor has already locked in a major customer – Costco Global in the US.
With Costco NZ – with turnover of around $360 million – buying its butter from Westland Milk in Hokitika, Open Country has gone for the big prize. Costco Global owns over 828 warehouse stores, mostly in the US, plus some in Canada and Mexico.
Owned by the Talley’s Group, Open Country Dairy butter could soon be appearing on Costco shelves in North America.
Nestled in Waikite Valley in Rotorua, Stokman Angus is one of the first beef farms in New Zealand to try virtual fencing technology.
Many farmers have invested in solar energy for dairy sheds or houses, but little hard data exists on the viability of solar panels in open paddocks or the loss of drymatter this may cause. Massey University scientist Dr Sam Wilson is conducting research to get more information about this. Rural News reporter Peter Burke went to investigate.
With production volumes contracting in most major beef-producing regions, global cattle prices have continued to rise across recent months.
The 2025 Young Grower of the Year, Phoebe Scherer, says competing with other finalists felt more like being among friends.
A windfall of billions of dollars is good news for the agricultural sector and the economy in general, following the sale of Fonterra's global consumer businesses.
Superphosphate is still the go-to product for New Zealand farmers looking for spring growth, says Mike White, Ravensdown’s head of product and service development.
OPINION: Should cows in NZ be microchipped?
OPINION: Legislation being drafted to bring back the controversial trade of live animal exports by sea is getting stuck in the…