Dairy prices down as are costs
Dairy prices are easing but cost inflation is down across the board, providing some relief to farmers.
EXPORT COMMODITY prices, already down 9% on a mid-2011 peak, are tipped to slip further in the coming months as Europe deteriorates and Asian growth slows, says Westpac's latest economic outlook report.
But Westpac head of agribusiness David Jones says things should improve towards the end of the year.
"We are clear the commodity prices will come off," he told Rural News. "We will see a bit of the dip, but we are expecting a second half-of-the-year recovery.... When commodity prices come off the dollar comes off which actually helps put a bit of a buffer around the return to the farmer."
However, farmers can be at the mercy of how well the processors hedge the currency, he notes.
"If they get it wrong, you can have double dip pain which goes back to the farm gate."
Other markets stepping up production when commodity prices are high can also in turn bring those prices down, which has happened in dairy.
For most nations the domestic market dominates, but any surplus comes onto world markets and will soften the commodity price. "So it's a watching brief; you never know what's around the corner."
Climate issues also have a big influence on supply, but again New Zealand has an advantage in offering stable supply, particularly in dairy.
Sheep farmers are this year building up capital stock with the good grass growing conditions, after several years drought. That's constraining lamb supply.
But the European market is "doing it tough," he notes. "So the orders have dried up. But you also have an emerging market in Asia.
"That's slowed down – their bubble has burst – but that will correct in the second half and we will start to see them buying again. It's a hiccup."
Bankers have been making record profits in the last few years, but those aren’t the only records they’ve been breaking, says Federated Farmers vice president Richard McIntyre.
The 2023-24 season has been a roller coaster ride for Waikato dairy farmers, according to Federated Farmers dairy section chair, Mathew Zonderop.
Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) director general Ray Smith says job cuts announced this morning will not impact the way the Ministry is organised or merge business units.
Scales Corporation is acquiring a number of orchard assets from Bostock Group.
Family and solidarity shone through at the 75 years of Ferdon sale in Otorohanga last month.
The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) has informed staff it will cut 391 jobs following a consultation period.
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