Waikato farmers tackle debt as interest rates fall, says Zonderop
Waikato Federated Farmers dairy chair Matthew Zonderop says two consecutive years of a $10 milk price is fantastic for New Zealand agriculture.
Federated Farmers policy team staff reductions haven't just been about saving money or reducing headcount, chief executive Terry Copeland claims.
"We've also made some significant changes to the structure of our organisation to make sure we can deliver the best possible outcomes for our members with the resources we have."
Copeland told Rural News that as a result of the restructuring, its policy team would be reduced by 6.5 full-time employees (FTE) - with 3.5 being regional policy staff and three national policy staff. As four positions were already vacant this meant that only 2.5 FTE would actually be made redundant.
"We are working through that process now with staff," he says. "Federated Farmers still have 23 people working in policy across the country. This is a large and well-resourced team."
Asked about what changes were planned to distribute the present workload amongst a smaller number of employees, Copeland says Feds was working with its provincial presidents, board, and staff to prioritise work in the policy team.
"We will still be working on all the big things farmers expect us to be, but the reality is that we can't do everything," he says.
"We're also working with other groups like DairyNZ and Beef+Lamb NZ to see where we can get some efficiencies. We don't expect most members to notice much of a difference in the service they receive from Federated Farmers."
The Fieldays Innovation Awards competition has attracted a diverse and impressive array of innovations from across the primary industries, highlighting the growing importance of technology shaping the future of farming.
Coming to the fore following the carnage of Cyclone Gabrielle, Starlink became well known for providing internet access even in NZ's most inaccessible places.
From this winter farmers will have a greater choice of feed types and blend options than ever before, thanks to Farmlands' purchase of animal nutrition company SealesWinslow.
Newly appointed National Fieldays chief executive Richard Lindroos says his team is ready, excited and looking forward to delivering the four-day event next month.
OPINION: Farmers are rightly urging the Government to relax the rules around KiwiSaver and allow young farmers to use their savings towards purchasing either a house, cows or a farm.
Winning the 2025 New Zealand Share Farmers of the Year still hasn't sunk in for Thomas and Fiona Langford.
OPINION: Imagine if the Hound had called the Minister of Finance the 'c-word' and accused her of "girl math".
OPINION: It's good news that Finance Minister Nicola Willis has slashed $1.1 billion from new spending, citing "a seismic global…