Deal to bring cost relief for farmers
Listed milk processor Synlait is partnering with rural retailer Farmlands to deliver exclusive discounts to farmer suppliers, who have been battling high farm input costs for the past two years.
Late last year, Farmlands chief executive Peter Reidie announced he’d resigned to take on a new job heading up Sanfords – New Zealand’s largest fishing company.
Reidie had at been at the helm of the rural co-operative for five years.
“During his five years as CEO of Farmlands, Peter has led the business through very significant change,” chair Rob Hewett said.
“Peter’s task when he came on board as chief executive was to complete the merger of two very different rural services co-operatives, not just into one ‘Farmlands’ culture but into a business that could effectively leverage its scale as a rural supplies and advisory company with a true national footprint.”
Hewett added that during his time at the rural co-op, Reidie had initiated major change in the company.
“He exited three non-core businesses in real estate, finance and livestock. He led Farmlands’ massive three-year business transformation programme, designed to consolidate all the co-op’s legacy IT systems into one,” Hewett said.
“Under his leadership we have also been kept profitable in what has probably been our most challenging year. He leaves Farmlands in a good place, poised to be an increasingly powerful contributor to the success of the New Zealand primary sector.”
Hewett says the Farmlands board will work through a replacement for Reidie early in 2021.
Analysis by Dunedin-based Techion New Zealand shows the cost of undetected drench resistance in sheep has exploded to an estimated $98 million a year.
Shipping disruption caused by Houthi rebels in the Red Sea has so far not impacted fertiliser prices or supply on farm.
The opportunity to spend more time on farm while providing a dedicated service for shareholders attracted new environmental manager Ben Howden to work for Waimakariri Irrigation Limited (WIL).
Federated Farmers claims that the Otago Regional Council is charging ahead unnecessarily with piling more regulation on rural communities.
Dairy sheep and goat farmers are being told to reduce milk supply as processors face a slump in global demand for their products.
OPINION: We have good friends from way back who had lived in one of our major cities for many years.