Data sharing initiative wins national award for saving farmers time
The work Fonterra has done with Ballance Agri-Nutrients Ltd, LIC and Ravensdown to save farmers time through better data connections has been recognised with a national award.
Federated Farmers has brokered what could be its last meeting before the mutant calf issue ends up before the Courts and/or the Commerce Commission.
"Over the weekend we tried one last time to get to a solution. I now fear this is heading towards the Commerce Commission and possibly the courts," says Willy Leferink, Federated Farmers Dairy chairperson.
"The shame is that this hairy mutation is so rare, a farmer is more likely to win Lotto's first division than to encounter it again. This rarity is why we felt Livestock Improvement Corporation (LIC) ought to get on the front foot and actively build its customer relations.
"We hoped LIC would have run their commercial ruler over this issue, bearing in mind how low the odds are of a repeat.
"I guess it comes down to LIC shareholders either ringing directors to give them an ear-full or to lend them their support.
"Likewise, for affected farmers, they could club together in order to pursue some form of remedy if that is their wish.
"As this could now become a commercial dispute, Federated Farmers has to step back until this these processes are complete.
"Federated Farmers does a lot of work behind the scenes in order to resolve matters before they publically break; this issue has sadly been anything but. A dose of pragmatism would have avoided much public acrimony.
"Federated Farmers is however ready to mediate for a solution that works for those affected by this mutation and for LIC's wider shareholding base."
New Zealand milk production is off to a strong start, with the first month of the 2025/26 dairy season recording a whopping 17.8% jump in milk production, compared to the previous season.
With adverse weather set to rain down on the Top of the South, the Bay of Plenty and parts of Northland, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says farmers, foresters, and growers need to prepare for possible challenges.
Keep up with innovation and e-commerce in China or risk losing market share. That was the message delivered at the China Business Summit in Auckland this month.
Meat Industry Association (MIA) independent chair Nathan Guy says getting meat processors involved has been a shot in the arm for the sector's key marketing initiative into China, Taste Pure Nature.
Listed carpet manufacturer, Bremworth is undertaking a $6 million expansion at its Napier plant more than two years after the site was heavily damaged by Cyclone Gabrielle.
Federated Farmers is vowing to keep the big banks accountable for their actions and to continue pushing for meaningful change in the rural lending sector.
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