Solid third quarter result for Fonterra
Fonterra has announced an improved third quarter performance – with a profit after tax of $1.15 billion, up $119 million on the same period last year.
Top players in agribusiness will get together the night before the Fieldays to discuss building export earnings from agribusiness innovation.
The University Commercialisation offices of New Zealand (UCONZ) symposium event is hosted by the University of Waikato and keynote speakers include the Minister for Economic Development Steven Joyce, Director General of the Ministry for Primary Industries Wayne McNee and Sarah Kennedy who is managing director of Fonterra Nutrition.
Chaired by Waikato University's Professor of Agribusiness Jacqueline Rowarth, the panel will include Dr John Sharpe, CEO of CytonomeST, a high-tech Boston-based company that develops laser-based biomedical instrumentation, Dr Bert Quin, director of international fertiliser consultancy Quin Environmentals (NZ) Ltd, Geoff Furniss, chief executive of advanced fruit processing technology company, BBC Technologies Ltd and Stuart Gordon, chief executive of Waikato Innovation Park Ltd and former chief executive of Livestock Improvement Corporation.
On a lighter note, judging will take place for the finals of an inaugural Waikato Milk Cocktail competition.
Federated Farmers president Wayne Langford says the 2025 Fieldays has been one of more positive he has attended.
A fundraiser dinner held in conjunction with Fieldays raised over $300,000 for the Rural Support Trust.
Recent results from its 2024 financial year has seen global farm machinery player John Deere record a significant slump in the profits of its agricultural division over the last year, with a 64% drop in the last quarter of the year, compared to that of 2023.
An agribusiness, helping to turn a long-standing animal welfare and waste issue into a high-value protein stream for the dairy and red meat sector, has picked up a top innovation award at Fieldays.
The Fieldays Innovation Award winners have been announced with Auckland’s Ruminant Biotech taking out the Prototype Award.
Following twelve years of litigation, a conclusion could be in sight of Waikato’s controversial Plan Change 1 (PC1).