Fonterra lifts forecast milk price mid-point, advance rate
Fonterra has bumped up its forecast farmgate milk price for the season on the back of rising commodity prices and a strong balance sheet.
GOAT MILK sales growth of 50% in two years is prompting the Dairy Goat Cooperative (Hamilton) to look for suppliers in Northland and Taranaki.
"We now export to 20 countries, and sales in Malaysia, Hong Kong, China, Thailand and Korea keep growing at record levels," co-op chief executive Dave Stanley told a recent meeting of the Waikato branch of the New Zealand Institute of Agricultural and Horticultural Science.
When Stanley started with the co-op, in 1993, he was the only employee. Now there are 100, and turnover tops $100m/year from four plants in Hamilton drying, blending and canning product.
"Our plants are state-of-the-art, and farmers are hugely impressed when we take them round the sites."
Stanley says the co-op has deliberately kept a low profile as, compared to bovine dairy, it's still a niche market.
"But despite producing a comparatively high priced product for infant food, our customers, particularly in Asia, seem prepared to pay for it in increasing numbers."
Goat milk is secreted in the same way as human's – apocrine secretion – whereas cow's is merocrine secretion. Protein differences are important.
"Some reports say many Asians are lactose intolerant [hence demand for goat milk].
"In fact, goat milk also contains lactose, but it's the different proteins that mainly make the difference."
Like many manufacturers around the world, European agricultural machinery and tractor manufacturers are currently operating in a difficult market environment. But they are heading to the world’s largest agricultural machinery event in Hanover next month with a degree of cautious optimism.
Established in 2021, the John Deere Technician of the Year Awards champion the important contribution parts and service technicians make to the Australian and New Zealand agriculture, construction and forestry industries.
Beef + Lamb New Zealand (B+LNZ) is calling on farmers from all regions to take part in the final season of the Sheep Poo Study aiming to build a clearer picture of how facial eczema (FE) affects farms across New Zealand.
New Zealand is closer to eradicating bovine TB than ever before, but possums remain a threat, says Beef + Lamb New Zealand.
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters has joined the debate around the proposed sale of Fonterra’s consumer and related businesses, demanding answers from the co-operative around its milk supply deal with the buyer, Lactalis.
The ACT Party says media reports that global dairy giant Nestle has withdrawn from the Dairy Methane Action Alliance shows why New Zealand needs to rethink its approach to climate.
OPINION: Ageing lefty Chris Trotter reckons that the decision to delay recognition of Palestinian statehood is more than just a fit…
OPINION: A mate of yours truly recently met someone at a BBQ who works at a big consulting firm who spent…