Editorial: Happy days
OPINION: The year has started positively for New Zealand dairy farmers and things are likely to get better.
Global dairy prices have slumped for the fourth straight time this year.
However, the drop was nowhere near the 5% to 10% predicted by futures market.
This morning's GDT event saw the auction price index down 2.8%.
Whole milk powder, Fonterra's flagship product on GDT, dropped 3.7% to US$1890/MT.
Skim milk powder was down 1.4% to US$1762/MT.
The continuing slide in dairy prices will put further pressure on Fonterra's current farm gate milk price of $4.15/kgMS.
Key Results from the latest GDT auction;
AMF index up 1.5%, average price US$3,527/MT
Butter index down 2.3%, average price US$2,834/MT
BMP index down 1.2%, average price US$1,496/MT
Ched index down 5.6%, average price US$2,535/MT
LAC index unchanged, average price US$574/MT
RenCas index down 11.5%, average price US$3,852/MT
SMP index down 1.4%, average price US$1,762/MT
WMP index down 3.7%, average price US$1,890/MT
Fonterra’s impending exit from the Australian dairy industry is a major event but the story doesn’t change too much for farmers.
Expect greater collaboration between Massey University’s school of Agriculture and Environment and Ireland’s leading agriculture university, the University College of Dublin (UCD), in the future.
A partnership between Torere Macadamias Ltd and the Riddet Institute aims to unlock value from macadamia nuts while growing the next generation of Māori agribusiness researchers.
A new partnership between Dairy Women’s Network (DWN) and NZAgbiz aims to make evidence-based calf rearing practices accessible to all farm teams.
Despite some trying circumstances recently, the cherry season looks set to emerge on top of things.
Changed logos on shirts otherwise it will be business as usual when Fonterra’s consumer and related businesses are expected to change hands next month.

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