M.I.A.
OPINION: The previous government spent too much during the Covid-19 pandemic, despite warnings from officials, according to a briefing released by the Treasury.
Global uncertainty caused by Covid and related disruption to supply chains, as well as a global shortage of labour, are cited as contributing factors to a forecast drop in NZ red meat export returns.
That's the crux of Beef+Lamb NZ's (B+LNZ) new season outlook report, which was published last week.
Chief economist Andrew Burtt says receipts from red meat exports will be about $8 billion, slightly down on 2020-21.
While lamb export receipts are forecast to increase by 2.2% to $3.6 billion on 2020-21, beef and veal export receipts are forecast to decline by 7% to $3.9 billion, driven by a decline in production and the adverse impact of the high NZ dollar on export values.
However, Burtt says the overall outlook is positive, with the fundamentals in key markets seen as solid. He says there is strong demand and tight supply, meaning prices in export markets are forecast to lift for both sheepmeat and beef.
On farm, the lamb crop this season is expected to be 22.8 million - up point 9% on last year, reflecting an increase in ewe and hogget lambing percentages. On the beef side, export production is forecast to be down by 5%.
According to the report, farmer confidence is mixed. While on-farm profitability is positive, resilience is being tested by the volatility of adverse weather events and the extent of environmental regulation.
Applications have now opened for the 2026 Meat Industry Association scholarships.
Bank of New Zealand (BNZ) says it is backing aspiring dairy farmers through a new initiative designed to make the first step to farm ownership or sharemilking easier.
OPINION: While farmers are busy and diligently doing their best to deal with unwanted gasses, the opponents of farming - namely the Greens and their mates - are busy polluting the atmosphere with tirades of hot air about what farmers supposedly aren't doing.
OPINION: For close to eight years now, I have found myself talking about methane quite a lot.
The Royal A&P Show of New Zealand, hosted by the Canterbury A&P Association, is back next month, bigger and better after the uncertainty of last year.
Claims that farmers are polluters of waterways and aquifers and 'don't care' still ring out from environmental groups and individuals. The phrase 'dirty dairying' continues to surface from time to time. But as reporter Peter Burke points out, quite the opposite is the case. He says, quietly and behind the scenes, farmers are embracing new ideas and technologies to make their farms sustainable, resilient, environmentally friendly and profitable.
OPINION: The Greens have taken the high moral ground on the Palestine issue and been leading political agitators in related…
One of the most galling aspects of the tariffs whacked on our farm exports to the US is the fact…